At Society for Educational Studies Colloquium: Religion, Spirituality and Moral Education: Informal and formal contexts in dialogue, Oriel College, Oxford University, 5-6 September 2024
Recent legal and social turbulence regarding beliefs suggest a lack of appreciation of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) rights. If normative approaches to equity and inclusion privilege critical race theory and normative approaches to sex and relationships education privilege beliefs in gender identity, do these transgress FoRB rights for those in education? What of those from socially conservative religious and often marginalised communities who might dissent from gender identity beliefs? The emergence of recent relevant cases and contextual evidence from schools indicate a lack of religious literacy and understanding around FoRB. It might be that widely the recent decline in provision of RE, with the reported abandonment of the subject in many schools, has contributed to a situation where FoRB rights are poorly served. Education needs to address or be more centred on FoRB to help pupils, schools and society navigate these tricky waters.