Religious Education 1944-1984

A. G. Wedderspoon

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9780429628153
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Éducation
• Subtopic: Éducation générale

First published in 1966. Under the 1944 Act, the only compulsory school subject was Religious Instruction. Books and research findings revealed a critical situation, and many educationalists, churchmen and parents believed a review of the problem was vital.

This book presents the considered views of a group of distinguished educationalists who met in London in April 1965 under the auspices of the Institute of Education. It also includes the comments by members of Parliament, church leaders, university and school teachers who were present and the whole contains a frank and valuable expression of expert opinion upon a very controversial subject.

CHAPTER XI

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

ALEXANDER WEDDERSPOON

Part One: Conference Recommendations

It should be made clear that this was a study conference conducted under the auspices of a university department of education. Membership was by invitation only and was inevitably limited. Every effort was made to ensure that the membership should be as representative as possible. Invitations were extended to teachers all over the British Isles and at every level of the educational system from university to primary school. To our loss, and for reasons which were personal not professional, none of the primary school head or assistant teachers invited to the conference accepted the invitation. Careful enquiry revealed that over one quarter of the members of the conference had experience of teaching in primary schools and were in regular contact with them. Only one of the twenty recommendations, however, specifically relates to religious education in the primary school. This element of under-representation, though regrettable and unavoidable, can therefore scarcely be regarded as a serious invalidation of the findings of the conference.

Financial and administrative considerations limited the membership to approximately 100. It should be appreciated that there were very many other men and women working in the field of religious education to whom the organizers of the conference would have wished to extend invitations had circumstances enabled them to do so.

The membership consisted of:

21 lecturers in university departments of Education in England and Wales, and colleges of education in Scotland.

24 principals and lecturers in teacher training colleges.

30 head teachers and assistant teachers in secondary schools of all kinds, Grammar Comprehensive, Secondary Modern, and Public Independent.

10 representatives of the education committees of the churches

10 HM inspectors and LEA inspectors.

6 Members of Parliament, research students, and others.

There was also a small but highly articulate delegation of four from the British Humanist Association. They contributed astringently and intelligently to the discussions, but would naturally not wish to be formally associated with the recommendations.

All but six members of the conference were practising educators whose work or special interests lay in the field of religious education. Members were divided into five discussion groups. Written records were made of their discussions by secretaries working from shorthand notes or tape recordings. Six hours were devoted to group discussion. These recommendations, therefore, represent the outcome of thirty hours of discussion.

Members were deliberately not given advance notice of the subjects to be discussed. It was hoped that by confronting them with some of the basic questions facing religious education they would speak what was uppermost in their minds—what they really felt in the light of their day to day experience. The questions set for discussion were not abstruse points in theology or educational theory such as would require careful previous thought and study. They were some of the basic questions which any thoughtful and responsible person professionally engaged in religious education must perpetually face, e.g. the aims of religious education; content of the Agreed Syllabus; staffing problems, etc. These recommendations must be accepted for what they are—the opinions, feelings and ideas of 100 practising educators on some of the more fundamental problems of religious education twenty years after the 1944 Education Act became effective. The members of the conference would not wish the significance of their views to be over-estimated. On the other hand, the responsibly expressed opinions of 100 professionals must represent a contribution which all giving thought for the future of religious education in England and Wales would hardly wish to neglect.

Part One of this chapter consists of the recommendations made by the conference. These represent the outcome of the discussions and findings of the groups, edited with the greatest possible objectivity. Nothing has been included which cannot be supported by reference to the shorthand notes. Quotations have been made from these notes exactly as they stand—some in direct speech, some in reported speech, and some ungrammatical.

Part Two of this chapter, ‘On to 1984’ consists of an editorial commentary on the recommendations. Only in this part of the chapter has the editor felt in any way free to express his own personal views. This point must be clearly understood. In writing the conclusions of any conference, there is a danger that the editor may insinuate his own personal opinions by the way in which he presents and comments upon the material. Others may then find statements and opinions attributed to them which they did not express. The division of this chapter into two separate parts is intended to prevent this possibility.

Section A. Principal Recommendations

The following recommendations are drawn from the discussions and findings of all five groups. Where group findings are in disagreement, this is stated.

1. THE AIMS OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN THE COUNTY SCHOOL UNDER THE 1944 ACT ARE FUNDAMENTALLY EDUCATIONAL.

The following quotations illustrate what members understood by this.

‘Religious education is not indoctrination, it is an attempt to meet the spiritual needs of children.’

‘The aim is surely to give children a core of knowledge and experience so that they don’t leave school ignorant of what Christianity stands for, but it is not the teacher’s business to proselytize, but to present Christianity attractively so they can choose.’

‘… surely there is also a negative aim—removing false concepts of what Christianity stands for picked up from popular media.’

‘It is the discussion of the problems of man’s profoundest concern.’

‘We are trying to give them a chance to make up their minds for themselves, but not leaving their minds so wide open that they have nothing to make up.’

Members also commented on the influence of religious education in moral education:

‘… is not our aim to present to children the possibility of a religious interpretation of life which is going to affect various sides of their character and personality?’

‘The boy should be enabled to know God, and to know himself in relation to God and to view moral issues from this standpoint.’

Many members appeared emphatic that the aims of religious education in the county schools were not ecclesiastical:

‘It was felt that it was an abuse of the Act to seek to make converts, but that it was possible to state the Christian interpretation of life, and its link with the eternal without doing this.’

‘It’s not the school’s job to make church members.’

2. A CLEAR MAJORITY FELT THAT RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE GIVEN IN SCHOOLS UNDER THE EXISTING STATUTORY ARRANGEMENTS.

All the groups agreed that religious instruction should continue to be given in schools.

Three of the five agreed that it should continue under existing statutory arrangements.

Two of the groups felt that some modification of the ‘compulsory’ requirement might be desirable. One of these two groups, however, qualified their recommendations by suggesting that the ‘compulsory’ requirement could be removed when the subject had become so well staffed and so well established as to render any ‘compulsory’ requirement superfluous.

3. RESEARCH FINDINGS SINCE 1944 HAVE REPEATEDLY STRESSED THE SHORTAGE OF QUALIFIED RELIGIOUS EDUCATION TEACHERS. AN ACUTE STAFFING CRISIS NOW EXISTS. A JOINT EXECUTIVE BODY REQUIRES TO BE SET UP WITHOUT DELAY TO EXAMINE AND ACT UPON THIS AS A MATTER OF URGENCY. THIS BODY SHOULD BE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SCHOOLS, THE CHURCHES, THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE, AND THE TEACHER TRAINING INSTITUTIONS. IT MUST BE REPRESENTATIVE ENOUGH TO ENSURE RESPECT AND SMALL ENOUGH TO ENSURE ACTION. IT IS IDLE TO SUPPOSE THAT RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CAN EFFECTIVELY CONTINUE AS A LIVE OPTION IN THE SCHOOLS UNLESS THIS STAFFING CRISIS IS RESOLVED. THE CONFERENCE AGREED THAT THIS WAS THE ONE MOST OBVIOUS PRACTICAL NEED FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN BRITAIN IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE.

The following quotations are sufficient to illustrate this recommendation, on which there was very widespread agreement.

‘The urgent need to get more people who are trained as religious education specialists is paramount.’

‘The group was in complete agreement that a joint consultative body should be set up.’

‘To gain support for its measures … the joint consultative body will have to concern itself with teachers for all children, not just teachers for grammar schools.’

‘I have to try and teach 800 children in a week. Whatever my aims and methods, it will look in the end as if nothing has been achieved.’

4. THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF MEMBERS OF THE CONFERENCE WERE AGREED THAT FACILITIES FOR SCHOOL WORSHIP SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE PROVIDED. THREE OF THE GROUPS RECOMMENDED THAT SOME MODIFICATION OF THE ‘COMPULSORY’ REQUIREMENT REGARDING WORSHIP MIGHT BE DESIRABLE. TWO OF THE GROUPS RECOMMENDED THAT THE EXISTING STATUTORY ARRANGEMENTS SHOULD BE RETAINED.

A large number of practical suggestions were discussed. Very widespread and outspoken dissatisfaction was expressed at the quality of much school worship. The following selection of comments will illustrate the variety of views expressed. Many members suggested changes in the organization and conduct of school assembly.

‘Do we not think that a distinction should be made between daily assembly and daily worship ?’

‘Instead of being first thing every morning should not assembly take place say once a week in church?’

‘School assembly could take place without worship, and then have worship properly on its own, separate from administration and discipline.’

Some were very dubious about letting older children decide for themselves whether or not to attend assembly:

‘When I discussed this question with my girls, they preferred that assembly should be kept compulsory, for if it was made optional they wouldn’t go.’

‘It was felt that allowing children to opt out would not be entirely satisfactory. Many children would not come because their friends did not come.’

‘Are we not touching on a more basic question here—the whole question of authority in education. If children are allowed to choose this and choose that, where does the process end? And how is the ethos of the school to be preserved?’

Other members criticized the way in which many assemblies were conducted and the surroundings in which they took place, feeling that this is what lies at the root of the whole issue:

‘Nothing is to be gained by change. The whole trouble is that good assemblies are good and bad are bad. This is the real difficulty.’

‘Children are sometimes inoculated against worship by the attitude of the people who are taking assembly.’

5. AGREED SYLLABUSES OF RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION ARE NECESSARY AND SHOULD BE RETAINED. THE MAJORITY OF AGREED SYLLABUSES IN USE REQUIRE REVISION IN FORM AND CONTENT. THE STANDING ADVISORY COUNCIL ON RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN EACH LOCAL AUTHORITY SHOULD EXAMINE THE SYLLABUS CURRENTLY IN USE BY THAT AUTHORITY. IF NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN IN THE RECENT PAST, IMMEDIATE STEPS SHOULD BE TAKEN TO REVISE THE SYLLABUS IN THE LIGHT OF CONTEMPORARY SCHOLARSHIP AND EDUCATIONAL PRACTICE. ACTION SHOULD ALSO BE TAKEN TO ENSURE THAT THE SYLLABUS IS KEPT UNDER REGULAR REVIEW.

Many members criticized the inactivity and unconcern shown in this matter by some Local Authorities. This whole theme provoked extensive discussion. The following extracts illustrate some of the main points. The need for revision:

‘The syllabuses need radical modification, but let us retain them.’

‘It really is important that an Agreed Syllabus is kept under regular review, or it very easily becomes sterotyped.’

‘It emerged from recent research on the London syllabus that most teachers felt that there was a need for radical reform. Non-specialists in particular had asked for more guidance.’

These comments illustrate some of the ways in which members would wish to see the syllabuses revised:

‘Agreed Syllabuses have been far too dominated by the activities of the grammar school; packed with subject matter for informed Christians rather than what was relevant and capable of being understood. We could give a general answer here that the interests of the children have been under-regarded in the framing of agreed syllabuses. The adult concerned with subject matter has been far too much in the centre of the picture.’

‘I think we spend far too much time on the Old Testament with these children. It confuses them. It is clear from our experience that we should spend more time on the New Testament.’

‘No one Agreed Syllabus is adequate for the varied needs of so many different types of secondary schools.’

The group felt that there was a need for a shift of emphasis from content to approach and presentation. The question of the relevance of the Bible to life today should be seen to be central.’

‘The starting point must still be the Christian religion, but other religions can no longer be ignored.’

‘A great deal of what has been suggested for religious instruction in schools has really been a course for theological students.’

‘What’s the point of children knowing about the baby in the bulrushes if they’ve no idea what is meant by the Christian life?’

‘A more open-ended approach may be all right, so long as it does not result in empty-mindedness.’

Members appeared to have little confidence in the effectiveness of the existing administrative machinery for the revision of Agreed Syllabuses. One grammar school headmaster is recorded as describing the Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education in his Local Education Authority as:

‘ … hopeless. Just a dead duck.’

6. TEACHERS OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOL...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Original Title Page
• Original Copyright Page
• Contents
• Introduction
• I. The Religious Education Clauses of the 1944 Act—Aims, Hopes and Fulfilment
• II. Religious Education in the Primary School
• III. Religious Education in the Secondary School: (a) The Pupil’s Response
• IV. Religious Education in the Secondary School: (b) Defining a Policy
• V. The Training of Teachers of Religious Education: (a) Training Colleges and Colleges of Education
• VI. The Training of Teachers of Religious Education: (b) The University Departments of Education
• VII. Christian Education and Christian Unity
• VIII. Contemporary Movements in Psychology and their Bearing on Religious Education
• IX. Contemporary Movements in Theology and their Bearing on Religious Education
• X. The Standpoint of the Secular Humanist
• XI. Conclusions and Recommendations