Christian Religious Education Ruled “Unlawful” in Northern Ireland Schools

The UK Supreme Court has ruled that the Christian-based religious education (RE) and collective worship taught in Northern Ireland’s state-controlled primary schools breaches human rights law.

In a unanimous judgment, the court upheld an appeal brought by an unnamed father and his daughter, reinstating a 2022 Belfast High Court decision that had previously been overturned by the Department of Education (DE).

The case involved a pupil at a state-controlled primary school in Belfast who received non-denominational Christian religious education and participated in Christian worship. The parents objected to their daughter being taught Christianity as absolute truth and argued that the curriculum lacked balance.

The Supreme Court agreed, finding that the current approach to RE and worship is not “objective, critical and pluralistic,” and that the syllabus amounts to “pursuing the aim of indoctrination.” The court ruled that this breaches the family’s rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Department of Education’s cross-appeal was dismissed.

The ruling reportedly does not remove RE from schools but is expected to require a more pluralistic curriculum that includes teaching about a broader range of faiths alongside Christianity.

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