Aside from marvelling at the grotesque clumsiness of these tables - whose bogus terms present our 2010 pupils’ 100 per cent five or more A*-C rate as 32 per cent - I cannot understand the narrowness of the humanities subjects promoted in the English Bac. Geography and history make the grade but religious studies is not considered worthy.

At St Peter’s, religious studies is one of our compulsory GCSE subjects, challenging young people to think for themselves and consider issues from religious, ethical and philosophical perspectives. On what grounds does the Government deem religious studies to be an outlying subject? If religious studies is not a humanities subject, what is it?

Leo Winkley, Headmaster, St Peter’s School, York.