RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

The law gives parents/carers the right to withdraw their child(ren) from collective acts of worship and/or Religious Education lessons, in accordance with the 1988 Education Reform Act. At St Matthew’s Primary School we respect that right.

The law does not prescribe how religious education should be taught or organised in schools, only that schools should bear in mind that the way RE is taught should reflect the agreed syllabus of the Local Education Authority and the ethos of the school, as well as ensuring that students make good progress, learning about and from the world around them and that Teaching Standards are adhered to. At St Matthew’s Primary School, we believe the RE curriculum fulfils this criteria.

Parents/carers have the right to choose whether to withdraw their child from RE  If students are withdrawn from RE, schools have a duty to supervise them, though not to provide additional teaching or to incur extra cost; suitable work relating to the child’s religious education should be provided by the parents/carers.

If a parent chooses to withdraw their child from RE, they need to inform the school of their request for their child(ren) to be withdrawn from RE and/or ‘religious assembly’ and whether they intend partial or total withdrawal for their child(ren). This should be either in person or in writing to the Head of School.