The Church of England has launched a fierce attack on the government, describing limited resources devoted to training religious education teachers as a scandal that is affecting "an essential part" of every child's studies. In an outburst that reflects the church's deepening unease at the government's perceived lack of support for the teaching of RE, it singled out the education secretary, Michael Gove, for implicit criticism, calling on him to work with religious leaders to improve the level of teaching in what is a core subject in the national curriculum. The criticism comes as a damning Ofsted report, published today, finds that more than half of all schools have been failing pupils in their religious education, a subject that the watchdog claims is increasingly important "in an ever more globalised and multicultural 21st century" because of the way it promotes respect and empathy.

Pray: for a positive response to the Ofsted report to make a significant improvement in Religious Education in schools and to recognise its importance in modern society. (Pr.4:13)

More: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/oct/05/church-attacks-gove-religious-education-schools