Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to encourage local authorities to assess the teaching of religion in faith schools.

Local authorities and their Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) are responsible for drawing up locally agreed syllabuses which all non-faith-based maintained schools, and some voluntary controlled and faith designated foundation schools, must follow. These syllabuses should be broadly Christian whilst taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain.

Faith schools may develop their own syllabuses according to their trust deeds and/or the tenets of their faith.

SACREs should monitor the provision and quality of RE taught according to the agreed syllabus, and provide advice and support on the effective teaching of RE in those schools.

SACREs can draw on resources produced by experts when carrying out their work. For example, the Religious Education Council produced a curriculum framework for religious education in 2013.