ABSTRACT
Under the United Kingdom's Education Act 1996, schools must provide religious education for all registered pupils, although parents can choose to withdraw their children. Schools, other than voluntary-aided schools and those of a religious character, must teach religious education according to the locally agreed syllabus. In special schools, the requirements are detailed in the Education Acts 1993 and 1996: Every pupil attending a special school will, so far as is practicable, attend collective worship and receive religious education unless the child's parents have expressed a wish to the contrary. Religious education also promotes the values and attitudes needed for life in a diverse society, where similarities and differences are recognised and valued for the common good. For children with special education needs (SEN), religious education can help them to develop and express a conceptual understanding of faith and life issues that they are not always able to demonstrate in any other area of school life.
