Public supports reform to Northern Ireland RE syllabus

More than 60 per cent of respondents agreed that learning about a range of religions and beliefs in primary schools would contribute to specified social benefits, such as highlighting freedom of religion and reducing prejudice.

There is strong support in Northern Ireland for reforming the religious education (RE) syllabus to make it more “inclusive”, a survey conducted by Queen’s University Belfast found.

The research project, entitled “RWE (Religion and Worldviews Education) for All”, explored how RE in Northern Ireland could adapt to an increasingly multifaith society within a school system where most primary schools (Protestant / “Controlled”, Catholic / “Maintained”, and Integrated) retain a Christian affiliation.

Although the research was carried out in early 2025, the findings were published on 4 December, after the UK Supreme Court ruled on 19 November that the Christian-focused RE syllabus in Northern Ireland is unlawful, because it is not “objective, critical, and pluralistic” and therefore could amount to “indoctrination”.

The case was brought by a father who described his family as “broadly speaking humanist” and objected to his daughter being taught to pray at her state primary school.

The RE core syllabus in Northern Ireland was created by four main Christian denominations in 2007 and currently only requires primary school pupils to learn about Christianity, unlike in the other nations of the UK, where there has been a shift to teaching children about a range of beliefs.

In England, the RE curriculum is required to both reflect Christianity’s position as the “main” religion in the country and take into account the teachings and practices of the other principal religions. In Wales, RE was replaced with Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE) in 2022, with a stated intention of making the curriculum more “inclusive”, covering both religious and non-religious worldviews. In Scotland, Religious and Moral Education (RME) covers three strands: Christianity, other religions, and philosophical and moral questions.

The survey showed strong support for broadening the syllabus in Northern Ireland to include other faiths and worldviews. At least 60 per cent of all respondents agreed that learning about a range of religions and beliefs in primary schools would contribute to specified social benefits, such as highlighting freedom of religion (73 per cent agreement) and reducing prejudice (65 per cent agreement).

It found that 42 per cent of the general population and 88 per cent of those without religious affiliation were dissatisfied that churches were responsible for creating the RE syllabus.

However, roughly equal proportions – 38 per cent and 37 per cent – were respectively dissatisfied and satisfied that primary school children are only taught about Christian beliefs and practices. Protestant respondents expressed the highest satisfaction levels with the current syllabus, while Catholic, non-religious, and other faith respondents expressed significantly greater dissatisfaction.

The study drew on evidence from three groups: a representative survey of more than 1,000 people across Northern Ireland; a Dialogue Group of 20 parents and educators from diverse belief backgrounds, including Muslim, Jewish, Bahá’í, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, humanist, and atheist perspectives; and a focus group of seven primary school teachers, including principals and RE coordinators from Controlled, Maintained, and Integrated schools.

Dr James Nelson from the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen’s University Belfast said, “The research affirms the necessity for reform of the curriculum. It suggests that while the history of Christian education is deeply rooted in Northern Ireland, there is broad support for transforming religious education classes into inclusive spaces where all students learn together about diverse worldviews with a view to engendering respectful social relations in a shared society.”

However, in a blog published by Theos think-tank on 14 November, researcher Esmé Partridge suggested that “studying belief systems from a supposedly neutral standpoint […] implicitly, assumes an ideology of its own: relativism” and that first grounding children in one faith in primary school “would ultimately make interreligious encounters even richer, enabling a genuine appreciation of shared values and virtues”.

Christianity should still have ‘priority’ in RE, says bishop after Northern Ireland court ruling

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