Humanists threaten further legal action over 'unlawful' Religious Studies GCSE syllabus

The British Humanist Association say the government’s current guidance for religious teaching in schools is 'misleading' and 'risked preventing children to understand and form independent beliefs'.

The British Humanist Association took the government to court last year for excluding non-religious world views from the new GCSE curriculum (FREDERICK FLORIN/ Getty)

The British Humanist Association (BHA) has threatened the government with further legal action following an on-going row over the new Religious Education GCSE curriculum introduced this year.

In December the High Court ruled that the Department for Education (DfE) had made ”an error of law” in specifying the content for the new high school RE course, due to be taught from September this year.

The case, brought by a group of humanist parents, challenged the government’s decision to drop the teaching of non-religious world views from schools.

DfE officials claimed the court had made its decision on a technicality, and has dismissed fresh calls to change the current syllabus.

In a letter sent to Education Secretary Nicky Morgan this week, the BHA reiterated the High Court’s ruling that failure to include non-religious world views such as Humanism is unlawful, and pursuable with legal action.

The charity group also criticised the DfE for dismissing its right to circulate curriculum guidance and advice concerning religious education in schools, a right the BHA says it has as a lawfully registered charity.

BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson said: “Seeking to support schools and those who set syllabuses to understand their legal obligations in relation to the teaching of Humanism in RE is an important and uncontroversial aspect… I would be grateful for clarification as to why the Government is questioning this activity”.

A spokesperson told The Independent that the government’s current guidance for religious teaching in schools was “misleading” and “risked preventing children to understand and form independent beliefs”.

Setting out December's High Court ruling, Mr Justice Warby said the new syllabus was unlawful, because statutory GCSEs in schools without a religious character must be “objective, critical and pluralistic”.

He said that a syllabus that covered religions in detail but did not teach about non-religious world views would not meet this requirement.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We have issued clear guidance for all schools. This guidance remains correct. We are clear that the British Humanist Association document has no official status and is inaccurate.”