In reality, English law stipulates that school curriculums should primarily adhere to Christian traditions.

Viral social media posts are spreading false claims that the UK is requiring children aged nine to 16 to study Islam as a main subject. These claims also falsely accuse the UK’s education system of being in decline and suggest that parents should remove their children from school.

Some posts further claim that the teaching of Islam will replace Christianity and Hinduism in schools. However, these claims are untrue, as there are no credible news reports or official government announcements confirming the supposed news.

A 2024 report from the House of Lords explains that religious education (RE) is compulsory for state-funded schools in England, but it is not part of the national curriculum. Parents have the legal right to withdraw their children from all or part of RE lessons, and children can withdraw themselves when they reach 18 years old.

The national curriculum is a set of subjects and standards used by schools to ensure that children learn the same things. However, the teaching of RE can differ from school to school, depending on whether it is affiliated with the Church of England.

Maintained schools without a religious character must follow a agreed syllabus, while schools with a religious character must provide RE in accordance with the school’s trust deed or the beliefs of the religion specified in the school’s designation.

According to a 2024 report by Ofsted, Christian traditions are the most frequently studied across all age groups in England, which aligns with the legal expectation that curriculums should primarily reflect Christian traditions.

The Education Act of 1996 also emphasizes that religious traditions in Great Britain are predominantly Christian, while taking into account other principal religions represented in the country.

Ofsted’s report further notes that the next most frequently studied religions in primary school are Judaism and Islam, and Buddhism takes second place in key stage three (pupils aged 11-14). In key stages four and five (ages 14-18), the two most common traditions studied are Christianity and Islam.

Therefore, there is no evidence that schools are being forced to teach Islam as a main subject. Instead, Christianity is the religion that is most emphasized in compulsory RE lessons.

Source: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/04/01/no-the-uk-isnt-forcing-school-pupils-to-study-islam