Number of young people studying RS doubles

CHURCH attendance – especially among the young – may be in decline, but the appetite for studying religion has doubled over the last decade. Figures from last week’s A-level results showed 23,372 candidates sat religious studies (RS) exams, an increase of 6.5 per cent on 2014 and more than double the number who took it in 2003, when 11,132 entries were recorded.

The number of entries for A-level RS has increased by 110 per cent since 2003 which, says the Religious Education Council of England and Wales (REC) and the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education (NATRE), is more than for any other arts, humanity or social science subject. Among all subjects, only further maths has seen more rapid growth than RS.

NATRE said that RS was important because an understanding of religions and how they work is essential to an understanding of modern Britain. Chairwoman of the REC, Joyce Miller, said no one should be surprised by the popularity of the subject: “Pupils want to study it because it allows them to explore crucial questions in relation to beliefs, values and morality, and contributes to their preparation for living in a multifaith, multicultural world.”

RS also provided an excellent foundation for further academic study, she claimed. Research from Durham University had shown that it was “in the middle-difficulty range, similar to geography and more demanding than English”.

Daniel Hugill, chairman of NATRE, congratulated students who received their RS exam results. “The grades they have achieved are the product of their hard work, grappling with some of the most difficult questions ever to puzzle humankind,” he said.