Religious teaching 'under threat'

9 July 2011 Last updated at 15:52 GMT RE teachers say that religious education is being squeezed out of the school curriculum Religious education in schools is under threat, faith leaders have warned.

Leaders representing Christians, Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists said they were "gravely concerned" about the "negative impact" that current government policies were having.

In a letter to the Daily Telegraph they called for RE to be included in the new English Baccalaureate.

The Department for Education (DfE) said the English Baccalaureate "does not stop any school offering RE GCSEs".

In the letter published in the Telegraph, faith leaders warned that a failure to act would be a "serious flaw" in David Cameron's Big Society project.

The signatories included the Rev Michael Heaney, president of Churches Together in England, and Farooq Murad, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain.

Undermining RE

They write: "Changes to the role and capacity of local authorities, coupled with the extension of the academies programme, are in danger of undermining the nature and quality of RE."

"Also, recent policy initiatives in relation to GCSE examinations are already leading to a deterioration in the provision for RE in many secondary schools."

RE teachers recently warned that religious education could disappear from many secondary schools because of the new English Baccalaureate.

A DfE spokesman said it is compulsory for every student to study RE up to 16, adding that success in RE GCSE "continues to be recognised in the annual GCSE tables, as well as being a valuable qualification in its own right".

He said: "The English Baccalaureate does not stop any school offering RE GCSEs and we have been clear that pupils should take the GCSEs that are right for them.

Big society

"It is for teachers and parents to help pupils make the right choice. All academies and free schools must offer a broad and balanced curriculum."

The "Bacc", which was introduced last December, is a new league table measure which ranks schools according to how many pupils gain grades A*-C in GCSEs in five subject areas: English, maths, a language, science and either geography or history.

A recent survey by the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education (NATRE) found that a quarter of the state-funded schools featured in its research were not teaching RE to pupils aged from 14 to 16.

The faith leaders called on the prime minister to do more to develop "a clear strategy" for the subject.

"Failure to work with faith communities, along with their partner academic and professional associations, would represent a serious flaw in the Big Society project," they write.

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Tougher tests to enter teaching

25 June 2011 Last updated at 23:30 GMT The test for would-be teachers include fractions, percentages, spelling and grammar Students will not be allowed to enter teacher training in England if they fail basic numeracy and literacy tests three times, under tougher rules to raise teaching standards.

At present students are allowed to take unlimited re-sits while they train.

The Department for Education said one in 10 trainees takes the numeracy test more than three times, while the figure is one in 14 for the literacy test.

The National Union of Teachers said it considered the tests "superfluous".

The aim is to improve the standard of students entering teaching.

From September 2012, candidates will have to pass the assessments before they are permitted to begin their training courses.

Continue reading the main story Q: Teachers organised activities for three classes of 24 pupils and four classes of 28 pupils. What was the total number of pupils involved?A: 184.Q: There were no " " remarks at the parents' evening. Is the missing word:a) dissaprovingb) disaproveingc) dissapprovingd) disapproving?A: dQ: For a science experiment a teacher needed 95 cubic centimetres of vinegar for each pupil. There were 20 pupils in the class. Vinegar comes in 1,000 cubic centimetre bottles. How many bottles of vinegar were needed?A: 2Q: The children enjoyed the " " nature of the task. Is the correct word:a) mathmaticalb) mathematicalc) mathemmaticald) mathematicallA: bThe tests are the same for both primary and secondary school teacher trainees, who must also have achieved a grade C or above in GCSE maths and English.

'Toughening up'

The numeracy tests cover reading graphs and tables, as well as mental arithmetic questions including percentages and fractions.

Grammar, punctuation, spelling and comprehension are covered in the literacy tests.

The government is expected to publish details on Monday of changes to teacher training.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said the proposals would "emphasise our commitment to boosting the status of the profession by toughening up the recruitment process and ensuring that all new teachers have a real depth of knowledge in their subject".

But the NUT said candidates who needed several resits to pass the tests were dyslexic, had English as an additional language, or were less familiar with the on-line testing system.

"The NUT has always argued that the entry requirements for initial teacher education, which include GCSE passes grade C or above in English and maths, should be sufficient and make the additional skills tests superfluous," said General Secretary Christine Blower.

Michael Gove: "I think you need to raise the bar right at the beginning and to say we'll have a tough literacy and a tough numeracy test."

The National Association of Head Teachers said it was right to have "demanding expectations" of recruits to the profession.

But the union's general secretary, Russell Hobby, said: "We should not fall into the trap of thinking, however, that academic excellence necessarily makes someone a great teacher. We want smart people, but we also want visionary, caring, energetic, creative and thoughtful people."

And he warned that pay levels and cuts to pensions were deterrents to new entrants.

The Department for Education has already said that training bursaries, available for sciences, maths and languages, will only be available for candidates who have a 2.2 degree or above.

It also plans to develop a network of "teaching schools", which will focus on training teachers, in conjunction with universities, as well as professional development for more experienced staff.

The first 100 are due to launch in September 2011, with another 400 expected in the following three years, the DfE said.

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