Clive Ireson of the Association of Christian Teachers asserts that religious education is the “subject that anyone can be told to teach, particularly in primary schools” (Letters, 11 October). This is not the case.

Section 30 of part 2 of the Education Act 1944 makes it unequivocally clear that no teacher can be required to teach RE, nor can they be treated less favourably because of a refusal to do so. It may well be undesirable for anyone other than an appropriately qualified teacher to be directed to teach RE, but it is a disservice to such colleagues that the argument is muddied by inaccuracies.

Garry Freeman, Leeds.