At a time when young people are asking big questions about life, faith and purpose, religious studies has remained one of the most stable A-level subjects this year.

While other humanities saw bigger declines, with history entries down by 5.4 per cent and geography down by 6.4 per cent, religious studies fell by only 1.3 per cent.

In total, more than 15,000 students took the subject, and in Wales numbers even increased by 5 per cent.

Teachers and Christian education leaders said the results showed that students still cared deeply about understanding different worldviews, exploring ethical issues and making sense of what they believe.

Sarah Lane Cawte, chair of the Religious Education Council, said: "From the classroom, we're hearing that young people value the chance to explore religious and non-religious ideas that shape our world and their future."

But there are growing concerns about access.

Over half of religious education (RE) lessons in schools are taught by non-specialists, meaning many students miss out on quality teaching and some cannot take A-level religious studies at all.

Katie Freeman, chair of the National Association of Teachers of RE, said: "Young people deserve the chance to study RE properly for their education, their faith journey and their future."

It comes as universities also cut theology courses. As Premier reported, former Archbishop Rowan Williams joined 75 public figures in warning that theology is becoming harder to access just as more students want to study it.