Future of Religious Education threatened by decision to remove teacher trainee bursary

Despite reaching just half of its recruitment target last year, the Department for
Education will remove the £10,000 teacher training bursary for RE from 2026.

The Department for Education’s decision to remove the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) bursary
for Religious Education from 2026–27 will intensify the national shortage of RE teachers and
seriously undermine the future of the subject, says the RE Policy Unit.

Latest UCAS data show that RE recruitment for 2025–26 stands at just 54% of target, one of
the lowest of all secondary subjects. Despite this, the DfE has confirmed that the £10,000
training bursary for Religious Education will be withdrawn entirely from September 2026.
The bursary for the subject was re-introduced for the academic year 2024-25 after the
subject had failed its recruitment target for nine of the last ten years. During this period,
applications to train as an RE teacher rose 40%, but were still short of the target.

The RE Policy Unit has also warned that it risks triggering the closure of more university
training courses across England. The University of Birmingham announced last week that
2025–26 will be its final year offering a PGCE course in Religious Education.

Religious Education is a legal obligation for schools, but around half of those teaching RE in
secondary schools in England mainly teach another subject The RE Policy Unit has reported
that this is leading to tokenistic RE that can embed misconceptions, weaken community
cohesion and leave young people unprepared for understanding the religious and nonreligious worldviews that shape modern Britain.

Chair of the RE Policy Unit, Deborah Weston OBE, said:
“This is a devastating decision that will seriously threaten the provision of high quality
religious education at a time when schools need it most. Some subjects, such as English,
have had the bursary removed after being oversubscribed. This is not the case with RE
which is facing a generational recruitment crisis.
“Last year’s bursary saw progress made on reversing the long term crisis of specialism in
our schools, with teacher applications rising by 40%. Put simply, for a shortage subject like
RE, bursaries work.
“A specialist RE teacher is an invaluable asset to both the school and the wider community.
They enable young people to explore and understand their own beliefs, as well as those of
others, within an academic and inclusive environment. The bursary represents a vital
investment—not only in religious education but also in the future of young people in modern
Britain. We urge the government to review the evidence and reconsider the decision.”

Call for action

The RE Policy Unit calls on the Department for Education to reverse the decision and
reinstate the RE bursary for 2026–27. It also urges the DfE to:

1. Review bursary allocations across all subjects to ensure they reflect actual recruitment
   data.
2. Recognise RE as a strategic shortage subject, given its statutory status and decade-long
   under-recruitment.
3. Work with universities, professional associations, and faith and belief communities to
   safeguard training capacity and rebuild the RE teacher workforce.

The University of Birmingham announced in October 2025 that the 2025–26
academic year will be its final intake for RE PGCE students, citing unsustainable
recruitment conditions.

RE Policy Unit
The Religious Education Policy Unit (REPU) is a strategic partnership between The National
Association of Teachers of RE (NATRE) and the Religious Education Council of England
and Wales (REC) The combined membership of the REPU represents over 60 organisations
and RE teachers in over 4000 schools in England and Wales.
Religious Education Council of England and Wales
Established in 1973, the Religious Education Council of England and Wales (REC) brings
together over 60 national organisations. These comprise academic and professional
associations specialising in religious education, as well as individual religion and belief
organisations representative of the range of communities found nationally.
The Religious Education Council of England and Wales

National Association of Teachers of Religious Education (NATRE)
NATRE is the subject teacher association for RE professionals in primary and secondary
schools and higher education, providing a representative voice at national level and
publications and courses to promote professional development. NATRE’s Executive consists
of a majority of serving teachers from primary and secondary schools who are elected for a
three-year term of service.
NATRE

ends –
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Notes for editors:

UCAS data September 2025) show recruitment to RE ITT courses for 2025–26 at
53.6% of the national target (418 recruits vs 780 target).

The DfE’s 2026–27 bursary framework removes support for English, Music, Art &
Design, and Religious Education, and reduces bursaries for Biology, Geography, and
Languages.

DfE workforce data show that over half of those teaching RE mainly teach another
subject.