Education reforms have sidelined religious studies in schools. Peter and Charlotte Vardy ask how the current situation came about, and call on Catholic schools to do more to promote the subject In recent years, the picture for religious education in schools has changed dramatically. The former Education Secretary Michael Gove’s reforms have had potentially catastrophic consequences for the subject. Religious studies (RS) was not included in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) –  a particular group of academically focused GCSE subjects looked on favourably by universities. As of this month, the EBacc is effectively compulsory for all schools and for all pupils. This means that RS grades at GCSE will no longer count in most league tables and that RS will have to compete with