Call for National Plan as Religious Studies GCSE entries slip

The number of pupils taking GCSE Religious Studies in England and Wales has fallen slightly in 2021, despite previously remaining stable since 2017. To safeguard the subject, the Religious Education Council of England and Wales and the National Association of Teachers of RE are calling for a National Plan, as recommended by the Commission on RE in 2018, to be funded by Government.

In England, RS GCSE entries for the full course fell by 2.4 percent to 221,419 compared with 226,767 in 2020. In Wales, entries rose by 3.6 percent from 9,997 in 2020 to 10,358 in 2021. Overall entries in England, including both full and short courses, fell by 3.4 percent to 237,091, compared with 245,544 in 2020. In Wales, combined entries fell by 5.4 percent from 15,436 in 2020 to 14,583 in 2021.

By comparison, GCSE entries to other humanities increased this year, with Geography entries up 4.1 percent to 274,715 and History up 0.8 percent to 286,706.

You can read the full press release is on this link.