Forty per cent of community schools (state schools controlled by the local council and not influenced by business or religious groups) are also not teaching enough RE at Key Stage 4, according to the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education (NATRE).
State schools must teach RE to all pupils, whether they are studying for a GCSE or not.
However, NATRE says schools have hid behind failing accountability structures, with 64 per cent of students in year 11 and 59 per cent in year 10 not being taught RE.
More than a third of schools reported that they have received no subject specific training in the last academic year, with Ofsted saying school leaders, including governing boards, will be held to account when a lack of training for teachers has a negative impact on pupils.
NATRE’s research found that almost 40 per cent (up from 34 per cent in 2015-16) of community and 50 per cent of Academy schools without a religious character do not meet their legal or contractual requirements for RE at Key Stage 4.
In 58 per cent of schools the number of specialist teachers of RE either remained stable or increased but more than a quarter of schools reported that the number of specialists in their school had fallen.
Three quarters of respondents reported that some of the subject was taught by teachers who primarily taught other subjects and in 36 per cent of cases…
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