Story by Robbie Meredith/BBC
Christianity will “remain central” to the Religious Education (RE) taught in Northern Irelands schools, the education minister has said.
But the RE syllabus will change to include other main religions and philosophical traditions, Paul Givan added.
He has appointed a new panel to review the syllabus, which means the four main Christian churches will not be solely responsible for deciding what is taught in RE.
Givan said that the churches would “retain a unique role in respect of that.”
“I would not be putting out to public consultation a curriculum which failed to have the necessary support of the main churches in Northern Ireland,” he told BBC Radio Ulster’s Talkback programme.
The changes come after the UK’s highest court ruled that the RE taught in schools in Northern Ireland was unlawful.
In 2022, the High Court in Belfast ruled that the Christian-based religious education (RE) taught at primary schools in Northern Ireland was unlawful.
However, the Department of Education (DE) subsequently won an appeal against that judgement.
Then in November 2025 the UK Supreme Court unanimously allowed an appeal by an unnamed father and daughter, ruling that the Christian (RE) taught in schools across Northern Ireland was unlawful.
‘Reservations over representation’
Jack Russell from the group Parents for Inclusive Education NI said he is “really positive” about Givan’s indication that RE will now be treated as an “academic subject”.
However, speaking on Evening Extra, Russell said he has “reservations” about some other aspects of the way specific reforms will be decided.
Referring to the group which will help determine changes to the curriculum, he said: “Representation on that panel is not guaranteed.
“It looks like it’s going to be led by two people coming from a Christian background..
“The churches are explicitly mentioned as having a role, but there aren’t any explicit mentions of other faith groups or non-religious groups, and so I would be worried that they won’t be represented in that process,” he said.
The Bishop of Derry and Raphoe and Chair of Transferor Representatives’ Council (TRC) Andrew Forster, told BBC News NI that he welcomed Givan’s proposals.
The TRC is the body which represents the Churches with regards to education matters in Northern Ireland.
“(He is) bringing RE specialists in to devise a curriculum which is broad, which is accessible, which is inclusive, and as the TRC, we absolutely welcome that.
“It’s what we’ve been asking for a long time,” said Bishop Forster.
What will change about the way RE is taught in Northern Ireland?
Teaching RE and collective worship are legally compulsory in all schools in Northern Ireland, except nursery schools.
But the Supreme Court ruled that RE was not taught in “an objective, critical, and pluralistic manner.”
In a subsequent letter to schools, Givan said that the judgement had not struck down existing law.
The Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986, requires that schools hold “collective worship whether in one or more than one assembly” every day.
The law also requires RE “based upon the holy scriptures” to be delivered.
The present RE curriculum was drawn up by the Department of Education (DE) and the four main Christian Churches in Northern Ireland.
But Givan said that the RE syllabus would be reformed and he set out how that will happen in a statement to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Givan has appointed Prof Noel Purdy from Stranmillis University College to chair the panel which will draw up the new RE syllabus.
Prof Purdy previously chaired the expert panel on educational underachievement in Northern Ireland.
There will also be a public consultation on the plans with a the aim of a new RE curriculum in place from September 2027.
“Extensive engagement with a consultative group of the main churches will be a central element of this process,” Givan said.
In a statement to the Northern Ireland assembly, Givan said it was nearly 20 years since the RE syllabus had been revised.
“The time is now right for a review of the syllabus,” he said.
“A useful and enriching knowledge of Christianity and more widely the world’s main religious and philosophical traditions, studied with academic rigour, will be the ambition of the new syllabus.”
Givan also said the school inspectorate would monitor how RE was being taught in schools.
What about religious assemblies in schools?
Givan told Talkback that there “would be no change whatsoever in how collective worship is currently being delivered in our schools.”
He said that daily acts of collective worship “based upon the holy scriptures” were required by law.
But Givan said that schools should seek to vary their assemblies at times.
“At least once every term there should be some form of assembly that celebrates whatever aspect of other school life, and that can be held in addition to the normal requirements for collective worship,” he said.
“But there will not be a change whenever it comes to acts of collective worship within our schools.”
He has also introduced a simpler process for parents to withdraw their children from RE or collective worship.
Parents already had that legal right, but Givan told MLAs that “withdrawal must be straightforward, stigma-free and supported.”
“The school must grant the request promptly, without negotiation, approval processes, or delays,” he said.
Givan said collective worship in schools reflected “the overwhelming wishes of the people of Northern Ireland.”
