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The Church of England has warmly welcomed a package of reforms from the Teacher Training Agency that includes larger bursaries and ‘golden hellos’ for PGCE students in Religious Education (RE), as a recognised shortage subject. The bursary for such students in training is set to increase from £6,000 to £9,000; a ‘golden hello’ of £2,500 when they begin teaching will be introduced for the first time - an aggregate increase of £5,500.
The Rt Revd Dr Kenneth Stevenson, Bishop of Portsmouth and Chair of the National Society, said: "The government’s decision is extremely welcome. The importance of RE is that it helps pupils understand the place of Christianity and other great religions in our society. It helps them respond to important questions for their own lives; and the understanding it brings contributes to a more just and cohesive society."Religious education is the basis of the school curriculum in a Church school. Read Canon John Hall's article to begin thinking about the importance of Religious education in the life of a Church school. There is advice elsewhere in this site about the character of RE and about support for RE, mainly in the Curriculum section.
The Closed Church College Trusts have sponsored a recruitment drive for RE teachers (RETRI, for more information see the campaign web site at www.teachre.com) and also provide practical support for teachers in post through the St Gabriel's Programme and the Culham Institute web site at www.culham.info.
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