RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (RE) is one of four subjects facing bursary cuts for trainee teachers next year — a move that the Church of England’s chief education officer, the Revd Nigel Genders, describes as a “serious concern”.
The Government’s funding manual for initial teacher training (ITT) bursaries for the academic year 2026-27 was published last week. It does not list RE, English, music, or art and design as eligible ITT subjects.
Last year, the bursary was set at £10,000. The RE Policy Unit said on Tuesday that the decision “will intensify the national shortage of RE teachers and seriously undermine the future of the subject”. The group is a partnership between the Religious Education Council (REC), the National Association of Teachers of RE, RE Today, and supported by Culham St Gabriel’s trust.
The RE Policy Unit referred to UCAS data which showed that RE recruitment for the current academic year stood “at just 54% of [the] target, one of the lowest of all secondary subjects”.
The chair of the RE Policy Unit, Deborah Weston, called the decision “devastating”. She said that it would “seriously threaten the provision of high quality religious education at a time when schools need it most”.
Subjects such as English had only had the bursary removed after being oversubscribed, she said. “This is not the case with RE, which is facing a generational recruitment crisis.”
She continued: “Last year’s bursary saw progress made on reversing the long-term crisis of specialism in our schools, with teacher applications rising by 40%. Put simply, for a shortage subject like RE, bursaries work.”
Ms Weston urged the Government to “review evidence and reconsider the decision”.
“A specialist RE teacher . . . enables young people to explore and understand their own beliefs, as well as those of others, within an academic and inclusive environment. The bursary represents a vital investment — not only in religious education but also in the future of young people in modern Britain.”
RE is a compulsory subject in all state-funded schools in England, though it is not part of the national curriculum. Parents also have a legal right to withdraw their children for all or part of the lessons.
Mr Genders told the Church Times: “We need more RE teachers, not fewer.
“In a world which seems increasingly polarised, our children need to be equipped to understand others better and be able to navigate difference wisely.
“Religious literacy is a key part of this, and so it is of serious concern that so much religious education in schools is not taught by subject specialists. Removing the bursary for RE teachers is likely to make this situation worse.”
The Department of Education said: “The Department reviews and usually alters bursaries every year. The amount of money we provide correlates with our teacher recruitment and retention pipeline. As there were an additional 2300 teachers in schools this year compared to last year, the incentives package reflects that.”