Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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32. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider re-examining the model for teaching of faith formation in community national schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17093/17]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Community national schools were established under the Fianna Fáil Government and their purpose was supposed to be to provide inclusive schools for children of all religious backgrounds. The former Minister, Mary Hanafin, effectively sabotaged that effort by commissioning a curriculum that required the religious segregation of schoolchildren for a substantial part of the year.

Some nine of the 11 community national schools are now refusing to implement that curriculum and are rebelling against it because they consider it to be completely unworkable, unfair and unacceptable, yet the Minister seems to be refusing to commission a new curriculum that would end the unacceptable practice of religious segregation of children in those schools.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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As he will see from my reply, the Deputy's depiction of the situation is a little inaccurate. The community national school model is a new model of multidenominational school which is not that well-known among the public. However, I believe it has a bright future ahead of it and a major role to play in providing choice to parents in the future.

Community national schools are multidenominational and provide for belief nurturing during the school day. The aim of the model has been to cater for the diversity present within the community in a single school setting. The philosophy of the community national school as a multidenominational school is based on best practice in this area, and on each child better understanding and ultimately celebrating their and their friends’ belief and cultural identities. Belief identity is explicitly not left at the school gate, but used as a means of enriching the learning experience on the basis of mutual understanding and integration.

Goodness Me, Goodness You is the patron’s programme that underpins the characteristic spirit of these schools. It is a common programme suitable for pupils of all faiths and beliefs and none. In junior infants to second class, the children follow the programme together for the majority of the school year, exploring common themes. There is a belief-specific aspect of the programme. In the junior classes only, children have been grouped for a four-week period during the programme according to their faith or belief tradition, in line with the wishes of their parents. Lesson content was designed specifically for each grouping.

In third to sixth class, children remain in their class groups throughout the year and learn about different faiths and religions together. Belief-specific teaching is integrated for these classes. The manner in which schools deliver belief-specific teaching in junior infants to second class has evolved. The majority of community national schools no longer group children according to their beliefs for the four-week period. Instead, these schools have integrated belief-specific teaching so that all children learn about different religions and beliefs together and all groups remain together throughout.

As I indicated in a recent statement, I see merit in this approach. This model has the merit of responding to the needs of parents who wish their children to be able to prepare for specific events, for example, communion and confirmation in the case of Catholic families, but also respects the best principles of inclusion and mutual understanding that are central to multidenominational education.

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment is to commence a review of the Goodness Me, Goodness You programme for junior infants to second class, starting in September 2017. As part of that review, the belief-specific teaching aspect of the programme will be examined. The education and training boards, as patrons, are also examining how Goodness Me, Goodness You can be delivered in schools in the most inclusive fashion possible. I look forward to seeing the outcomes of these processes.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Let us be clear. There has been a rebellion against the religious segregation required by the Goodness Me, Goodness You curriculum that was set. The Minister should confirm that programme was not set by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, although the community national schools' brochure claim it was. In fact, it was commissioned to Dr. Clare Maloney of the Marino Institute of Education, probably under the influence of the Catholic bishops at the time. The Catholic Church was the only religious denomination to intervene in the process.

At the time, it said the basic requirement would be that religious instruction and formation of Catholic children in the faith by a qualified teacher during the school day would be a minimum non-negotiable requirement for new multi-denominational primary schools.

No other religious denomination wanted to interfere or felt it was even appropriate to bring this into the schools, but the Catholic Church demanded that. At the time, Mary Hanafin took it away from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, and gave it to the Marino Institute which came up with a curriculum that required religious segregation. However, those schools are now rebelling, voting with their feet and saying it is not acceptable. Will the Minister rewrite the curriculum or get the NCCA to do it?

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment took over responsibility in 2012. As I said in my reply, it is currently undertaking a review of that particular patron programme. I also said it is evolving, as the Deputy rightly said too. Increasingly there is no period of the day during which children are withdrawn. However, parents are offered the opportunity, if they wish, to have their children taught in their own faith. That is an option. The class remains intact, but if they wish to withdraw their children for certain elements that can be arranged. The arrangement is evolving and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment is now undertaking that work. It is moving to a model that will be more appropriate and more welcomed by parents. I value the idea that they invite and celebrate all religions.

I was in Saggart recently and saw it on the ground. It is a really good model. There is an integrated approach to religion and there is great respect for diversity. It is a model that is worth giving impetus for the future.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I have great respect for religious diversity and people's religious beliefs, to which they are entitled. What is totally unacceptable, however, is the religious segregation of young children, particularly in a country where one religious denomination dominates. What was supposed to be a curriculum for multi-denominational schools, which was all inclusive, was then given over to a Catholic college that drew up a curriculum which effectively required segregation. The reason it is "evolving", to use the Minister's nice word, is because nine of the 11 schools established have opted out and have refused to implement the segregation that the "goodness me, goodness you" curriculum tried to force on them.

We need to acknowledge what has happened here and scrap that curriculum. We should get the NCCA to draw up what should have been drawn up 11 years ago, which is a genuinely all-inclusive, non-sectarian, non-discriminatory, non-segregative curriculum that does not involve segregating children on the basis of some requirement to have faith formation within the school. That should be kept outside the school gates.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Perhaps the Deputy is deliberately choosing not to hear what I am saying, but the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment is commencing a review of the very programme the Deputy is talking about. It took over responsibility in 2012 and is commencing a review of that programme. I support the change in practice whereby children in most community national schools remain intact as a group and all religions are considered in a common programme. That is a good evolution of the programme which will fulfil more parents' wishes. I am keen to see more such schools evolve. It will be one element in our promotion of diversity. I am committed to seeing more diversity in schools and this is one such element. I welcome the work of the NCCA and the way in which it has evolved itself.