The Methodist Church in Britain has welcomed the UK government’s decision to make education in schools about sex and relationships compulsory for children of all ages.

The British Humanist Association has issued legal proceedings against the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority over their decision not to allow the study of Humanism in a Religious Studies GCSE in the same way as religions are studied.

The British Humanist Association (BHA) has called on the government to support the new report from Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights which calls for children to be given the right to withdraw from worship in schools.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews has advertised for a Muslim schools adviser to develop links between Jewish, Muslim and other minority faith schools, amid concerns about social cohesion among children educated separately.

Among secular groups there is puzzlement and annoyance that government continues to 'pander' to weakened churches. This is because, says Jonathan Bartley, they have not grasped the mutual interests involved. These are as much a threat to the churches as an advantage.

Hard-line Christian groups who say mild-mannered Harry Potter is an occult conspiracy are unlikely to be reassured by news that one of its key characters is gay - even though JK Rowling has confirmed the series is based on Christian themes.

In June 2007 the Christian think-tank Ekklesia and the British Humanist Association wrote to the new Schools, Children and Families minister, Ed Balls MP, urging him to make progress on combating creationism in British schools. The government has subsequently issued its promised guidelines.

The UK-based international development agency Christian Aid intends to double the number of volunteer teachers it recruits over the next two years to help share stories about the work of its 700 partner organisations in 50 developing countries.