A false claim that all schoolchildren in the UK aged 9-16 will now have to learn about Islam as a “main study” is being shared online.
Posts making the claim have been shared widely on Facebook and on X (formerly Twitter) in recent weeks, with one post saying on 25 March: “Breaking news from the UK: As of tomorrow in the UK all Primary & Secondary school children age 9 to 16 must learn about Islam as a main study.
“It will be a compulsory educative system replacing hinduism and christianity at schools. God help the United Kingdom [sic].”
But this isn’t correct. A spokesperson for the Department for Education (DfE) confirmed to Full Fact no such change is taking place.
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How is religion taught in schools?
We don’t know exactly what the posts mean when they refer to a “main study” or a “compulsory educative system”, but they don’t accurately describe what schoolchildren are required to study.
All mainstream state-funded schools in England must offer religious education (RE) as part of the basic curriculum.
However it is not mandatory for all school children to study RE. Parents have a legal right to withdraw their children from some or all RE classes. Pupils can also choose to withdraw themselves once they turn 18.
The DfE confirmed it does not specify the content of RE lessons or how it should be delivered. This is determined by local councils for schools in their area, through an Agreed Syllabus Conference—a statutory body brought together locally to produce an agreed syllabus for RE.
The law stipulates that the RE curriculum drawn up locally “shall reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian, while taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain”.
There has been no change to this legislation to replace study of Christianity with Islam, as the post suggests. The DfE told us there is no national requirement for schools to teach about Islam, though it is likely to be covered in RE lessons as a major world religion.
Islam is also included as one of the topics which can be studied as part of the RE GCSE. Pupils must demonstrate knowledge and understanding of two religions, with options also including Buddhism, Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Judaism and Sikhism.
Schools in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland also teach RE under their own rules, and curriculums. We’ve not covered these in detail in this fact check, but they also reflect that their nations’ religious traditions are in the main Christian, while also covering other world religions.
What about academies and free schools?
The rules at academies and free schools, including faith-based schools, are a little different.
They must also provide RE teaching for all pupils, except those who have been withdrawn by their parents. However, the type of RE depends on whether the academy has a religious designation, which means that under its funding agreement it must “provide RE in accordance with the tenets of the particular faith specified in the designation”. They may also provide RE that is in line with a locally agreed syllabus and teach about other faiths “if they choose”.
For academies and free schools which are not faith-based, the type of RE that must be provided follows the same law as state schools, reflecting that British religious traditions are broadly Christian but taking account of other religions.
Government guidance also states that these academy schools must “not provide an RE syllabus to pupils by means of any catechism or formulary which is distinctive of any particular religious denomination”.
Before sharing information that you see on social media it’s important to consider whether it comes from a trusted and verified source. Full Fact has previously checked other education claims, including viral posts falsely stating the new interim Ofsted chair controls the National Curriculum and about phone bans in schools.