As thousands of students across the UK celebrate their record top grades in GCSE examinations today, the Church also has reason to celebrate, as there was a 1.8 per cent rise in those taking Religious Education.

|PIC1|It has been reported that more than 182,000 students took the Religious Education GCSE, and 73.4 per cent achieved an A* to C grade.

The news follows a similar trend in past years, with a 4.7 per cent increase recorded from 2007 to 2008, and a 7.2 per cent increase from 2006 to 2007.

Jane Brooke, the Church of England’s Religious Education Development Consultant, said: “Another year of increased numbers of entrants, and another year of evidence that young people are craving a detailed exploration of the major religions along with contemporary issues that RE offers.

“They appreciate the impact that faith has across the private and public spheres of life, and want to gain a better understanding of what that means.”

She added: “The majority of GCSE students are actively choosing to spend their time studying what they and others believe or don’t believe, and this exploration deserves to be supported with adequate resources and time.”