Increasing diversity in Northern Ireland makes RE reform ‘highly desirable’, says Independent Review of Education   

The Religious Education (RE) curriculum in Northern Ireland should be reviewed ‘in the near future’ to take account of ‘increasing diversity’ in the country, the Independent Review of Education’s final report has concluded.

Northern Ireland Humanists welcomed the recommendation, which says non-religious representatives should be given the opportunity to collaborate with those representing Christian and other faith groups, alongside a newly established curriculum body, to devise ‘a replacement course’. The report, titled Investing in a better future, has taken two years to complete.

What the report says

The recommendation that changes to RE are ‘highly desirable’ is significant because, currently, the subject is almost exclusively Christian in nature and uses a syllabus devised by the four main churches. The report says ‘the new syllabus should help young people to understand the society in which they are growing up, including both its increasing diversity and its Christian traditions and heritage.’ But that ‘it should be knowledge-based and separate from religious observance’. 

This echoes the findings of a recent High Court judgment, which found the solely Christian nature of RE and collective worship to be unlawful because it was insufficiently ‘objective, critical, and pluralistic’.  

‘Far from perfect‘

Nevertheless, the report is far from perfect. It states ‘the aim of all learners learning together should be energetically pursued’ and recommends the expansion of the integrated sector and the introduction of ‘ jointly managed community schools’ (a term which is not explained in much detail). But, besides saying all schools should be ‘welcoming to all’, it does nothing to challenge the fact that all schools in Northern Ireland have a Christian ethos or that denominational schools exacerbate segregation on religious grounds. 

Faith schools are defended on the grounds of parental choice, but the report fails to acknowledge that non-religious families in Northern Ireland currently have no choice but a Christian school. Furthermore, the law on compulsory collective worship, which is required on a daily basis and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recently said should be repealed, is not mentioned.  

Ending division 

Northern Ireland Humanists had hoped for stronger recommendations, particularly around ethos and bringing about a single, secular system inclusive of all children. At a time when £226m is being spent on Northern Ireland’s religiously divided education system, it has never been more important to work towards a modern education system. Unfortunately, Investing in a better future simply doesn’t go far enough to address religious division. 

The purpose of the review was to examine the design, structure, and delivery of education in Northern Ireland. It was commissioned in response to commitments contained in the New Decade New Approach deal – a set of proposals aimed at restoring the power-sharing government in Northern Ireland. This deal was introduced in January 2020 and played a crucial role in ending a three-year political deadlock. The review aimed to address challenges in the education system, including funding, governance, curriculum reform, and inclusivity.

Northern Ireland Humanists Coordinator Boyd Sleator said:

‘While making positive recommendations on how a new RE curriculum may be devised, the report largely keeps the status quo. In so doing, it misses a crucial opportunity for system reform and a push towards a much-needed inclusive single education system for all students. This was something that was agreed over two and a half decades ago in the Good Friday agreement.

‘At a time of increasing diversity, when the largest demographic shifts in Northern Ireland belong to the non-religious, it is not only time for all schools to be teaching an objective and pluralistic syllabus, but for all children to be able to learn alongside one another irrespective of their parents’ faith or background.’

Download our Religion in schools guides

Northern Ireland Humanists, which is a co-founding member of the Coalition for Inclusive Education – an active coalition of diverse religion and belief groups in Northern Ireland – campaigns for a single, unified education system that serves all children, regardless of their background. If you need to navigate religion in your school, download our Religion in Schools in Northern Ireland guide today.