ABSTRACT
This chapter considers how the word ‘professional’ is used in the Commission on Religious Education’s (CoRE’s) Report. It is important because in the new structures to develop programmes of study in line with the National Entitlement (NE) it is nine professionals who are to be appointed by the Religious Education Council to the task. These professionals are also to be responsible for overseeing the training of teachers for five years, both existing teachers through continuous professional development (CPD) and students training to teach the subject. Who counts as a professional in religious education? What is meant by the word in education generally and in recent religious education literature are considered and then it is shown how the word is used by CoRE, which identifies teachers and advisers as the professionals and advocates the removal of responsibility to determine religious education from both religious groups and politicians. A comparison is made with an attempt by the RE Council and others in the 1970s to take control away from the churches and the similarities and weaknesses of both this attempt and the current CoRE report are demonstrated. It is suggested that the current structures for religious education offer a better way forward that retains a place for debate and democratic involvement.
