For its ill-considered headline on the RE piece last week, TES deserves a spell on the naughty step. True, the statistics on the impact of the EBac on RE are worrying, but RE is not dying. At the recent Culham St Gabriel’s RE teachers’ weekend, 200 primary and secondary teachers enjoyed an intensive CPD conference showcasing examples of outstanding RE, as well as planning strategies to get to outstanding themselves. All of them know there is plenty of high-quality teaching and learning in RE if you look beneath the surface. RE is not about inculcating faith attitudes: it hasn’t been since around 1988. So please stop the lazy habit of peddling stereotypes. If your headline writers want to see what real RE is like, my trust can point them in the direction of schools where it is alive, well and excellent. We just hope that your staff have the grace and wisdom to learn.

Mark Chater, Director, Culham St Gabriel’s charitable trust, Oxford.