To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, subject to a parental right to withdraw children from particular lessons, to require depictions of the Prophet Mohammed to be shown to pupils and discussed as part of Religious Studies in the school curriculum; and if they have no such plans, why not.
Answered on
28 July 2021
The department does not specify what a religious education (RE) curriculum should consist of, or how lessons on particular religions or non-religious beliefs should be taught. This is a matter for the school and the local authority’s Agreed Syllabus Conference, depending on whether a school is maintained or an academy, and whether the school has a religious designation or not. The details of these arrangements can be found in department guidance found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/religious-education-guidance-in-english-schools-non-statutory-guidance-2010 and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/re-and-collective-worship-in-academies-and-free-schools.
There are therefore no plans for the department to require the depictions of the Prophet Mohammed to be shown to pupils and discussed as part of RE.
Schools are free to include a full range of issues, ideas, and materials in their curriculum, including where they are challenging or controversial, subject to their obligations to ensure political balance. They must balance this with the need to promote respect and tolerance between people of different faiths and beliefs, including in deciding which materials to use in the classroom.