The Department for Education (DfE) has excluded the subject by suggesting the topic would not be "suitable" in the context of a Religious Education qualification, despite wide support for its inclusion, even coming from the former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Rowan Williams.
Lord Williams was one of twenty eight faith leaders who wrote a joint letter to The Times newspaper last week, expressing their support for the idea.
Other Christian leaders who signed the letter included Revd Professor Keith Ward, Professor Emeritus of Divinity at the University of Oxford, and the former Bishop of Oxford, Baron Harries of Pentregarth.
The letter said: "As religious leaders we wish to express our support for proposals to allow students to have the option for the systematic study of humanism in GCSE, AS and A-level religious studies, and for detailed content to be added alongside that which exists for the principal world religions.
"Such a change would not compel anyone to systematically study non-religious worldviews or make it possible to do so for the whole of a qualification, but it would allow young people to study a more representative sample of major worldviews common in Britain today."
In their response to the consultation, the Department for Education said: "After careful consideration, we have decided not to include the optional systematic study of non-religious beliefs alongside religious beliefs in the subject content.
"We believe this would not be a suitable addition to the content, given the nature and purpose of a qualification in religious studies.
"Students already have the opportunity to learn about non-religious worldviews, such as humanism and atheism, alongside religious beliefs and we have emphasised this opportunity in the content.
"However, as these are qualifications in Religious Studies, it is right that the content primarily focuses on developing students' understanding of different religious beliefs.
"This is to stop current practice whereby students are rewarded for engaging in topical debates with virtually no understanding of religious teachings, beliefs or texts."
British Humanist Association, Chief Executive Andrew Copson commented, "While we welcome the more inclusive nature of some aspects of the revised qualifications, we are bitterly disappointed that Humanism is to be largely excluded.
"With each generation being less religious than the previous one, it is vital that Humanism be included and there is barely anyone apart from the Conservative part of the Coalition Government that disagrees. Today's political decision is unfathomable and time will prove its futility.
