RE in schools: no excuse to break the law

ByDave Hall

RE in schools: no excuse to break the law

There is no excuse for not following the law and teaching RE in schools.

So says Julia Diamond-Conway of CRE 2017 exhibitor RE Today after news that one in four secondary schools in England do not offer RE on the syllabus. This startling information was obtained by the National Association for RE teachers (NATRE) using the Freedom of Information Act.

‘In collaboration with NATRE, we produce many high-quality resources to inspire and inform children – for their lives both now and in the future,’ said Julia. ‘There is just no excuse for not following the law and teaching a subject so relevant in today’s society.’

Following 14 years as a teacher in London, specialising in RE, Julia became a National RE Adviser.

‘Many people think RE is about issues from centuries ago and no longer relevant,’ she said. ‘But our material talks of modern times and uses modern techniques to involve children fully in the learning process.’

Julia will join Mark Markiewicz, of first-time CRE exhibitor Museum of the Bible, for a seminar at CRE 2017 introducing the Augmented Reality Bible Curriculum. They will explain how RE Today is helping to turn these impressive new resources from the USA into a form suitable for use by UK schools and churches (3pm, Tue 17 Oct, Room 2).

Visitors will be able to visit the Museum of the Bible and RE Today stands to try out the new Bible Curriculum technology and find out about RE Today’s ‘Understanding Christianity’ materials, which offer fresh ways to help children understand the key concepts of Christianity.

• RE Today, International Bible Reading Association and Understanding Christianity are on stand S31 at CRE 2017. Museum of the Bible is on stand S30