Context, Complexity and Contestation: Birmingham's Agreed Syllabuses for Religious Education since the 1970s

publication-status: AcceptedThis is an Author's Original Manuscript of an article whose final and definitive form, the Version of Record, has been published in the Journal of Beliefs and Values, September 2011. Available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/ or DOI: 10.1080/13617672.2011.600823The present article offers an historical perspective on the 1975, 1995 and 2007 Birmingham Agreed Syllabuses for Religious Education. It draws upon historical evidence uncovered as part of ‘The hidden history of curriculum change in religious education in English schools, 1969–1979’ project, and curriculum history theories, especially David Labaree’s observations about the distance between the ‘rhetorical’ and ‘received’ curricula. We argue that, contrary to the existing historiography, curriculum change in religious education (RE) has been evolutionary not revolutionary. Multiple reasons are posited to explain this, not least among which is the capacity and agency of teachers. Furthermore, we argue that ongoing debates about the nature and purpose of RE, as exemplified in the Birmingham context, reflect the multiple expectations that religious educators and other stakeholders had, and continue to have, of the curriculum subject. These debates contribute to the inertia evident in the implementation of RE curriculum reforms. A consciousness of the history of RE enables curriculum contestations to be contextualised and understood, and, thereby, provides important insights which can be applied to ongoing and future debates and developments

Philosophical approaches to the teaching of religion in schools

This chapter examines the philosophical issues related to the teaching of religion in schools. It begins with the early work of Ninian Smart who made comparisons between the methods used by the sciences and the methods used by religion and showed possible compatibilities. Elmer Thiessen discussed the thorny issue of indoctrination and exempted religious education from the charges made against it, in part because the criteria for defining indoctrination do not work in this case. Thomas Groome offered a shared praxis approach, allowing pupils and teachers to dialogue in a search for knowledge. The Humanist contribution defined religion in a reductionist way and sought to influence debate in England and Wales. Andrew Wright argue that children need to be equipped with the tools of religious literacy, and then to explore religion for themselves. The chapter ends with an assessment of these different contributions