Religious education: Supreme Court rules the Christian-focused RE taught in NI schools is unlawful
Girls’ parents said she was ‘happy’ at the primary schoolpublished at 13:55 GMT 19 November
Eimear Flanagan
BBC News NI
The parents of the girl at the centre of this case are not Christians and are “broadly speaking” humanist in their outlook on life, according to the judgement.
The girl, who is now 11, went to the school for three academic years, when she was between four and seven years of age.
Her parents agreed that during her time at the school she was “happy” and the principal described the child as “a much-valued pupil”.
The judgement stated that the parents were “at pains to point out that they have no issue with the school other than the provision of
religious education and collective worship”.
Their concern stemmed from their fear that school was teaching their child to assume that Christianity was “an absolute truth”.
The parents did not want their daughter to be raised as a Christian, but instead wanted to bring her up to be “caring, ethical, and respectful towards all people, whatever their religious beliefs or otherwise”.
The family also insisted that they do not object to the teaching of religion in general, provided that such education was objective, critical, pluralistic and age-appropriate.
The judgement explained that the family’s concerns were “heightened given that she is being taught at an age prior to the development of her critical faculties”.
