Asked by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of religious education teacher trainees held degrees in subjects other than religious education in the 2024-25 academic year; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of removing the subject knowledge enhancement grant for religious education on the quality of religious education provision.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
Religious education (RE) is not a degree subject recognised by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). The closest subject in HESA’s Common Aggregation Hierarchy is theology and religious studies. In 2024/25, there were 444 new entrants to RE initial teacher training (ITT), for whom we have data on first degree subject. Of these, 89 (20%) had degrees in subjects categorised as theology and religious studies, and 355 (80%) had degrees in other subjects. Some degree subjects, such as philosophy, that are not included within theology and religious studies, may contain relevant content for RE. It is the responsibility of the accredited ITT provider to determine the suitability of a candidate applying for ITT. The department publishes the ITT criteria which sets out the minimum requirements that a candidate must meet to be eligible for ITT.
The department continually reviews the support available to trainee teachers and the annual review of the subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) package will take place before the new academic year to ensure that available SKE provision is focused on the candidates who need it the most.
The department remains committed to recruiting the teachers we need. We have announced an ITT financial incentives package worth up to £233 million for the 2025/26 ITT recruitment cycle, a £37 million increase on the last cycle. This includes a £10,000 tax-free bursary for RE trainee teachers.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to hold discussions with religious education organisations on developing a national standard for religious education as part of her Department's curriculum and assessment review.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
Religious education (RE) remains a statutory subject in all state-funded schools in England. While it is not part of the national curriculum, it continues to play an important role in preparing pupils for life in modern Britain.
The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, led by Professor Becky Francis, is considering how to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum. The Review is engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, including subject experts and education organisations. As part of the Review’s engagement, panel members have met representatives from a range of RE organisations.
The Review Group published its interim report on 18 March and the final report with recommendations will be published in autumn.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues on how the UK can help to protect the Christian minority in Sudan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our Special Envoy for freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), David Smith, met with the UN Special Rapporteur on FoRB in Geneva in March, where he reinforced the UK position that there is no space for religious intolerance in pluralistic, modern societies. He also made a statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 4 March, highlighting our concerns regarding the coercion of non-Muslims in Sudan to change their beliefs through denial of work, food aid, and education. We continue to champion the right to FoRB for all by promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work, and our programme funding. We will continue to recognise the issue of Christian persecution globally, alongside the persecution of other individuals on the basis of their religion or belief.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2025 to Question 40687 on Schools: Meat, if she will take steps to ensure that parents are informed of whether meat served in school meals is halal.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The government respects religious freedoms and expects schools to provide parents with all the information they need to make informed choices around school meals. Headteachers, governors and their caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies, taking into account cultural, religious and special dietary needs. The department would expect any significant changes to school food to be discussed with parents.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) religious and (b) cultural holidays are observed by their Department.
Answered by Janet Daby
The UK Civil Service only formally observes the government-set bank holidays.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of prioritising aid for Christians and ethnic faith groups in Myanmar following the recent earthquake.
Answered by Catherine West
The UK has announced up to £25 million in life-saving support for people affected by the earthquake in Myanmar, including ethnic and religious minorities.
The UK's earthquake support is funding local actors on the ground who can directly access affected populations and will prioritise the most in need.
The UK Government is committed to defending religious freedom for all in Myanmar. In April this year, the UK co-sponsored a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Myanmar, emphasising the importance of eliminating all forms of discrimination against ethnic and religious minority groups and stressing the importance of equal access to health services, education, livelihood opportunities, and basic services.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including absences for religious observances within the category of absences entitled unable to attend school because of unavoidable cause.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The department does not currently have plans to reclassify absences for religious observance.
The law recognises that absences for a small number of circumstances, including for religious observance, are allowable. Where parents choose not to send their child to school on a day that is exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body that they belong to, they will not be taken to have failed to secure their child’s regular attendance, and enforcement action cannot be taken. Schools must record such absences in the attendance register using code R, which is classified for statistical purposes as authorised absence. Other forms of authorised absence include illness or suspension from school.
Sessions recorded as ‘unable to attend because of unavoidable cause’ relate to issues that make attendance genuinely impossible, such as unexpected school closure, widespread travel disruption caused by emergencies, or a pupil being in youth detention. It would not be appropriate to classify absence for religious observance, or other types of authorised absence, under the ‘unavoidable cause’ category.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the adequacy of the observance of the Pakistani government to article 22 of the constitution of that country on freedom of religion or belief, in the context of forced religious education in schools.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Promoting freedom of religion or belief is a key part of the UK's diplomatic engagement overseas. I underlined the importance of religious tolerance and harmony when I met Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Azam Tarar, on 19 November 2024, and raised this issue in Parliament on 28 November. I also discussed the rights of religious minorities in a meeting with Pakistan's Minister for the Interior, Talal Chaudhry, on 31 March, although we did not discuss religious education in schools specifically. The UK Government will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people, including those from religious minority communities, in accordance with international standards.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his Nigerian counterpart on the decision by (a) Bauchi, (b) Kano, (c) Katsina and (d) Kebbi States to close (i) public and (ii) private (A) primary and (B) secondary schools for Ramadan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Improving access to education in Nigeria is a key priority for the UK and we are working with the Nigerian Government to ensure that all Nigerians have access to a quality education. Through the Partnership for Learning for All Nigerian Education (PLANE) programme, we have commissioned research to document the number of school days lost through ad hoc closures, insecurity, religious holidays and climate-related factors in states in Northern Nigeria. We will share the key finding of this research with the Nigerian Government.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Impact Note on removal of eligibility of private schools for business rates charitable relief, published on 30 October 2024, for what reasons the Government did not model the impact on economic growth.
Answered by Jim McMahon
Policies and legislation concerning tax and tax administration fall outside the meaning of regulatory provisions and, therefore, are not required to be accompanied by an Impact Assessment.
Nevertheless, the government has conducted detailed analysis of the effects of business rates changes using the available Department for Education and Valuation Office Agency data.
The impact note published on 13 November 2024, alongside the introduction of the Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill, provides detailed analysis of the average business rates change per pupil for private schools; distributional analysis by region, religious ethos, and pupil population; as well as anticipated pupil movements, associated costs, and equalities impacts.
The methodology for calculating the cost of this change has been certified by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility. The estimation of impacts, such as pupil movements, follows from that methodology.
The OBR's economic forecast in October modelled the macroeconomic impacts of the Budget package, including the measures relating to private schools.