The number of students taking Religious Studies (RS) at GCSE has risen to around a quarter of a million, as the sector warns more specialist teachers are needed
RS full course is now the seventh most popular subject out of 58 GCSE options in England and ninth in Wales, with a total of 227,152 students sitting the exam in the two nations.
There was an uptick in grades 9-4 (A*-C equivalent) in the full course: by 0.5% to 73.7% in England and by 2% in 69.8%.
It comes as the subject may be put on the National Curriculum for the first time, to “prevent further diminishment”. A 2024 Ofsted subject review raised concerns about the quality of education in some schools, with many not following their obligation to teach the subject up to key stage four.
The number of specialist RS teachers, with a relevant post A Level qualification, has only grown by 120 in the past decade. The current total workforce is 6,407.
Analysis from the Religious Education Policy Unit has also revealed half of those who deliver RS lessons also teach another subject.
Kelly Keatley, member of the National Association of Teachers of RE (NATRE) executive, told Premier Christian News that the subject was needed to develop pupils’ critical thinking and awareness of the world.
She said: “Pupils want to discuss life’s big questions. They want to grapple with and dig deeper into those complex topics of faith and belief. What we need to do is ensure that there's enough subject specialists and high-quality teaching to meet this demand.
“There is a feeling at the moment that we’re quite divided. What RS does is it helps to show that actually we have much more in common, that we can have an understanding of different people. That brings cohesiveness, rather than feelings of being divided.
Keatley added that teachers were at a “historic moment” where the subject could be added to the curriculum, which would end a “postcode lottery” which has seen schools and councils dictate their own syllabus.
NATRE is calling for the return of an RS teacher-training bursary, which was cut last October despite recruitment targets having been missed.