AQW 40200/22-27
Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford
Tabled Date: 10/02/2026
Answered On Date: 18/02/2026
Priority Written: No
Question:
To ask the Minister of Education to detail the rational as to why schools are being advised to include additional objective, critical and pluralistic material in the teaching of Religious Education, to ensure that there is no breach of European Convention rights, as opposed to advising that all Religious Education should be taught in a way which is objective, critical and pluralistic in all aspects of delivery.
Answer:
The Supreme Court judgment made clear that the legislation itself does not prevent Religious Education (RE) being taught in an objective, critical and pluralistic manner, because schools are permitted, and now encouraged, to add broader material beyond the Core Syllabus. The Court was, therefore, satisfied that the legislation did not compel a breach and indeed was explicit that ‘The School in teaching religious education was required to include the core syllabus, as specified by the Department, but it could have taught additional matters so that overall, the education could have been conveyed in an objective, critical, and pluralistic manner. Accordingly, it was possible for a school lawfully to teach religious education and to provide collective worship, and the legislation did not require the School to breach A2P1 or article 9 ECHR’ The Terms of Reference for the Review explicitly required the revised syllabus to ensure that RE in Northern Ireland is taught as an academic discipline, developing analytical and evaluative skills, and ensuring that pupils explore a range of religious and non-religious worldviews, and encourages engagement with questions of belief, ethics, identity and meaning, reflecting the diversity of contemporary society.
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