The Bishop of Oxford, the Church’s lead spokesman on education issues, said ministers viewed the subject as a “scary nuisance”, despite retaining a legal requirement for schools to teach it. The Rt Rev John Pritchard’s warning came in a letter to bishops following a meeting with David Laws, the Liberal Democrat schools minister. Highlighting RE’s exclusion from the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), the new school leaving certificate, the bishop wrote: “The state and future of RE is still a major concern. Not only is it not in the EBacc, but teacher training places have nearly halved and a spiral of decline seems inevitable. The latest survey shows secondary schools not filling vacancies and reducing time for RE, and some primary schools giving the responsibility to teaching assistants.” He added: “We’ll keep up the pressure as I’m sure you will too, but it’s clear that Government has no real interest in RE.”

Pray: for an appreciation of the importance of RE in providing a foundation for our cultural history and our nation's moral a spiritual welfare (Dt.6:4-7)

More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9844144/Church-of-England-raises-fears-over-future-of-RE-in-schools.html