The British Humanist Association has issued legal proceedings against the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority over their decision not to allow the study of Humanism in a Religious Studies GCSE in the same way as religions are studied.

Humanism is a philosophy and approach to life that has Christian, atheist, deist and theist roots, says Mark Vernon. So when it is taught in schools, what kind of approach will be adopted?

It is time that the Church of England faced up to the widespread public concern surrounding church schools and stopped trying to pretend that fear about Church schools comes only from a vociferous anti-religious minority.

In what will be a blow to both church and government which has supported new church schools, the results of the survey conducted by Opinion Research Business (ORB) on behalf of the Church show widespread distrust of church schools.

Following a number of requests, the UK Department of Children, Schools, and Families has issued guidance for teachers uncertain whether and how to discuss creationism – which is rejected by both scientists and theologians as lacking factual and theoretical value.

Despite a significant overall fall-off over the past 30 years, more than 171,000 GCSE students are opening envelopes to reveal their grades in Religious Education today, an increase of 7.2 per cent in those taking the full course since 2006.