In Depth:  education

Nicola Laver

The ruling that the teaching of Christian religious education in Northern Ireland is unlawful marks a further “step away from the strong Christian foundations” that have shaped UK education, the Association of Christian Teachers (ACT) is warning.

In November, the Supreme Court justices unanimously ruled that RE and collective worship is not “objective, critical, and pluralistic” and amounts to “indoctrination”. However, they reinforced the principle that “parents are primarily responsible for the education and teaching of their children”.

Emily Pollok

Tyndale House, home to one of the world’s most extensive collections of Biblical scholarship, is building a new, state-of-the-art library three times its current size.

The evangelical Cambridge-based research centre, which was established 80 years ago, has long outgrown its current library, built in 1956. Tyndale House Principal Peter Williams, explained the need for expansion: “For at least three decades we have been running out of space for books in our library and having to come up with ever more creative ways of fitting more in.” Williams added: “We’ve now demolished that library and by God’s grace are building the largest building permitted in our central Cambridge location. This will enable us to continue to expand our physical collection of books, as well as provide increased desk space, an auditorium and space to run multiple events concurrently.”

Nicola Laver

Religious education in England and Wales should be brought into the national curriculum, a review has recommended. It also says the age limit for compulsory RE should be dropped to 16 rather than 18.

While report authors acknowledge the importance of Christianity in British culture, they say: “RE can be controversial and contentious” and should be moved to the national curriculum.

Christian Values in Education (CViE), a Christian charity that aims to equip and encourage believers involved in education – parents, students, teachers, staff, governors – held its annual National Conference on 27 September with the theme “Salt and Light”, focusing on the importance for Christians to be salt and light in education today.

The event welcomed over 400 to Stopsley Baptist Church in Luton. The keynote speakers were Alun Ebenezer (Headteacher), John Denning (The Christian Institute), and James Mildred (CARE).

Emily Pollok

The latest guidance on Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) for schools in England, published by the Department in Education in July, is receiving mixed reactions from the Christian community.

The big win from the guidance for Christian parents is that all teaching materials for lessons on sex education should be made available to parents from September 2026, when the new rules come into play.

letter from Dublin

Lois McCrea

Of concern to evangelicals is the recently updated Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum which is taught in all secondary schools across the Republic of Ireland.

The new SPHE curriculum for junior cycle students (aged 12–15) was updated in September 2023. Students engage in 100 hours of SPHE teaching over three years and the first cohort of students is now in the second year of the programme. The senior cycle curriculum for students aged 16–19 was updated in September 2024 and covers 60 hours of teaching.

Nicola Laver

A statutory obligation could be imposed on parents to report if their home-schooled child is attending Sunday School and other forms of church education, under the wide-ranging Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

The bill, which details plans for compulsory registration of home-schooled children, has also been criticised by some for a suggested implication that ‘all home-educated children are at risk’.

Nicola Laver

Maths teacher Joshua Sutcliffe has lost his appeal against a ruling banning him indefinitely from teaching.

Sutcliffe was dismissed after deliberately failing to use a pupil’s preferred pronouns in the classroom and on TV. He had also shared with pupils his views about gay marriage and homosexuality.

Nicola Laver

Truancy has dropped by a staggering 96% after a Welsh evangelical church launched a new ‘learning hub’ with a nearby school.

The hub was opened in June by Noddfa Evangelical Church and Abersychan Comprehensive School and combines academic teaching and broader ‘Life Skills’. So far, 20 school pupils have registered with the hub.

Nicola Laver

The imposition of VAT on private school fees threatens the survival of small Christian schools, which are ‘worlds away from the Harrows and Etons of this world’, the Association of Christian Teachers (ACT) is warning.

Meanwhile, the head of a small private school says Christian parents are being punished, and has challenged the church to support families and Christian education.

Nicola Laver

As the Autumn term across England and Wales begins, the Association of Christian Teachers (ACT) has expressed concern about uncertainty around the draft relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) guidance.

The draft guidance, published in May, includes clear age limits for teaching the most sensitive content, and states that the ‘broader concept of gender identity’ should not be taught. If published, the final guidance would be statutory.

Nicola Laver

A Welsh comprehensive school is being investigated after the National Secular Society (NSS) complained it is teaching creationism and promoting evangelical Christianity to pupils.

The NSS criticised Llanidloes High School, Powys for teaching creationism and displaying posters combining educational content with Scripture verses – material NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said amounts to an ‘extensive campaign of evangelism’.