Written question asked by Ashok Kumar (Labour) on Wednesday, 29 November 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 4 December 2006. It was answered by Lord Knight of Weymouth (Labour) on Monday, 11 December 2006 on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills.

Creationism

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if his Department will ban the teaching of creationism in science as a scientific theory;

Answer: To meet the requirements of the national curriculum for science, teachers have to teach about scientific theories. Creationism is not a recognised scientific theory; therefore, it is not included in the science curriculum.The science programme of study sets out the legal requirements of the national curriculum. It clearly states that pupils should be taught: how uncertainties in scientific knowledge and scientific ideas change over time; the role of the scientific community in validating these changes; that variation within species can lead to evolutionary changes; and, similarities and differences between species can be measured and classified.Creationism can be explored in religious education as part of developing an understanding of different beliefs. It is up to the local SACREs (Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education) to set the syllabus for how this should be done.The Department is currently working with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to communicate this message to schools.

Secondary information