Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE) is a statutory requirement of the Curriculum for Wales and is mandatory for all learners from ages 3 to 16. RVE forms part of the Humanities Area of Learning and Experiences (AoLE). The Area encompasses Business Studies, Geography, History, Religion, Values and Ethics and Social Studies. These disciplines share many common themes, concepts and transferable skills whilst having their own discrete body of knowledge and skills.
RVE within the Curriculum for Wales can offer a distinctive contribution to the realisation of the four purposes for all learners. As such, this syllabus supports schools and settings in developing provision for RVE that prepares learners in Wales for life and work in a fast-changing and diverse world, as responsible and informed citizens.
RVE guidance is located within the Humanities Area and incorporates a range of disciplinary approaches that can be used by learners to engage critically with a broad range of religious and non-religious concepts. For example, disciplinary approaches relevant to RVE may include religious studies, philosophy, theology, sociology, psychology, and anthropology. There are also strong relationships between RVE and the other disciplines within Humanities as well as with other Areas.
In the Curriculum for Wales, RVE is objective, critical and pluralistic, both in content and pedagogy; it is not about making learners ‘religious’ or ‘non-religious’. The expression ‘objective, critical and pluralistic’ comes from European Convention on Human Rights case law. The Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021 ensures that all learners must be offered opportunities through RVE to engage with different religions and non-religious philosophical convictions in their own locality and in Wales, as well as in the wider world.
