Tell the NI Executive: reform RE to be inclusive and free from religious bias

The Northern Ireland Executive has launched a Review of the Core RE syllabus.

This is in response to the 2025 Supreme Court ruling which said that exclusively Christian RE in Northern Ireland is ‘indoctrination’, and that parental right of withdrawal alone from RE is not a good enough justification for not having an objective, critical, or pluralistic syllabus.

Please respond to the consultation and make the case for RE in Northern Ireland to be reformed so that it is inclusive, critical, and objective, and so all young people in Northern Ireland can benefit from good quality RE.

Personalise your impact

If you are a teacher, parent, or guardian it would be great if you could personalise your response with reflections on your or your child’s experience of RE and collective worship, and how they could be improved.

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<div>Dear Professor Noel Purdy, I am responding to the Department of Education’s Review of the RE Core Syllabus, and I am doing so as an individual. Regarding Question Four:<ol><li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">RE as an academic discipline</li></ol>RE should be an objective, critical and pluralistic subject, taught without promoting any one religion. It should reflect Northern Ireland’s diversity and include humanism as the principal non-religious worldview. Pupils should learn about a range of beliefs and how people make meaning and moral decisions, and be asked to think carefully about reasons and evidence—without any tradition being treated as ‘the right one’.<ol start="2"><li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">Developing critical and analytical skills</li></ol>Critical and analytical skills should be central to RE, and pupils should learn to interpret sources in context, evaluate arguments fairly, recognise bias and misinformation, and discuss different views respectfully. This supports young people to form their own views and prepares them for democratic citizenship.<ol start="3"><li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">Christianity as the central focus</li></ol>Christianity should be taught properly, in depth, and in context, given its significant role in Northern Ireland’s history and public life. However, it should not be treated as the organising principle or ‘default’ worldview for the whole subject. A revised syllabus should be inclusive of faiths and beliefs, with Christianity included as one key worldview among others.Retaining Christianity as the ‘central focus’ risks repeating the very problems identified by the Supreme Court in JR87. This approach will marginalise pupils from other faith and belief backgrounds, and make it harder to make sure RE is taught in an objective, critical and pluralistic way. Northern Ireland is also increasingly diverse, with many young people identifying as having no religion, so an RE syllabus that privileges one tradition will remain out of step with the lived reality of many pupils.Teach Christianity substantively alongside other religions and humanism, and avoid confessional framing. This will make sure that pupils are learning to understand different beliefs, evaluate reasons and evidence, and discuss differences respectfully, without any one tradition being presented as ‘the right one.’<ol start="4"><li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">Pluralist and inclusive</li></ol>Pluralism must be meaningful, not tokenistic. The RE syllabus should include humanism equally with religions. Inclusion should be embedded in curriculum content, resources, teacher training and quality assurance so delivery is consistent across schools.<ol start="5"><li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">Preparing young people for future learning and citizenship</li></ol>RE should help every pupil take part fully without fear of stigma or special arrangements, and prepare young people for life in a diverse society. The subject should build understanding of freedom of religion or belief (including the right not to believe), skills for respectful disagreement and dialogue, and ethical reasoning linked to real civic issues such as rights, equality, democracy and community life.Regarding Question 7:<ul><li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">I am concerned that giving the churches a leading role in the review will continue to entrench their privileged role in shaping the RE syllabus. A syllabus for all pupils should be developed through a process that is independent, transparent, and education-led, with religious bodies consulted as stakeholders like everyone else. </li></ul></div>

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Tell the NI Executive: reform RE to be inclusive and free from religious bias

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