HC Deb 30 March 1993 vol 222 cc153-4W
18. Mr. Booth

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department is doing to ensure that schools are complying with the guidelines for religious education.

Mr. Patten

To ensure that all local agreed syllabuses are brought into line with the Education Reform Act 1988, the current Education Bill proposes that all local authorities review their syllabus within one year of Royal Assent, unless they have done so since 1988, and every five years subsequently.

New inspection arrangements will highlight publicly instances where schools are failing to provide religious education and governing bodies will be required to prepare action plans to address difficulties raised by inspection reports.

Lady Olga Maitland

To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what assessment he has made of the National Curriculum Council's report, "Analysis of Agreed Syllabuses for Religious Education"; and what immediate steps he will take to ensure that agreed syallabuses comply with the provision of the Education Reform Act 1988 requiring religious education to be in the main Christian;

(2) if he will issue further guidelines as to the operation of the provision of the Education Reform Act 1988 requiring religious education to be in the main Christian.

Mr. Forth

My right hon. Friend strongly supports the National Curriculum Council's work in assisting local conferences to decide how best to bring their agreed syllabuses into line with the requirements of the 1988 Education Reform Act. We are proposing, in the current Education Bill, to require local authorities to review all local agreed syllabuses not reviewed since the passage of that Act, and to review them every five years subsequently.

My right hon. Friend plans to issue a revised circular of guidance after the passage of the Bill through Parliament.