This research was undertaken in the light of Foucault's theories and methodologies of language with particular reference to Discipline and Punish as applied to education. The opening section gives a detailed review of these methodologies and the way they will be applied to the various areas of educational practice. There is detailed consideration of the relationship between church and state from the early nineteenth century up until the Education Act, 1944, with particular reference to religious and educational discourse. This is followed by a study of the principles underlying the teaching of religion and the practice of worship in schools prior to 1944. From this the thesis moves to a closer consideration of the 1944 Education Act with the examination of the debate in parliament and in the country as a whole. Most of the evidence for the period is taken from The Times as reflecting the wider use of religious and educational discourse. The thesis then considers the outcome of the 1944 Education Act and the effects it had on religious education until the passage of the 1988 act, with particular reference to the changes in teacher praxis in the nineteen-sixties. Parallel to this is a survey of the main theological developments in Britain between 1944 and 1988 and an assessment of the changes within religious institutions during the same period. Before coming to a detailed consideration of the 1988 Education Reform Act, the thesis considers the changes that took place in teacher praxis between the nineteen-sixties and 1988, and then considers the debate in parliament and in the country during 1988. The final sections are concerned with the implementation of the act, with consideration of the governmental documentation issued to supplement the act and various comments upon these. Fieldwork within Hastings and Sutton has yielded data which attempts to place the research within the context of present praxis in a range of schools. The study concludes with media reaction to the act and an overview of the key points that have arisen from the research.