Written answers

Tuesday, 20 November 2018

Department of Education and Skills

School Curriculum

Photo of Fiona O'LoughlinFiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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215. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the procedure for children that opt out of studying religious studies; if changes will be made in 2019 to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48141/18]

Photo of Joe McHughJoe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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Under the Constitution and in accordance with Section 30 of the Education Act 1998, parents have a right to have their children opt out of religion if they so wish.

The Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018,  includes a specific provision that, when commenced, will require school enrolment policies to include details of the school's arrangements for any students who do not wish to attend religious instruction. This is an important measure which will help ensure transparency from the outset as to how a school will uphold the rights of parents and students in this regard.

The follow-up paper to the Report of the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector which was published in 2014 outlines good practice and options for promoting diversity in all schools. The paper gives an overview of different types of arrangements that schools have put in place to facilitate those pupils who wish to opt-out of religious education.

The paper encourages school authorities to consider their policies and practices and to review whether they are taking the steps necessary to welcome all pupils and make them feel included. I understand that in the case of catholic schools, the Catholic Schools Partnership subsequently published guidelines for catholic schools in relation to the inclusion of all pupils and that this also contains suggestions on how such schools can manage the "opt-out" of religious education.

These are important steps, which alongside the circulars published earlier this year by my Department for state multi-denominational schools, help to inform parents in an open and transparent way how their requests to have their children opt out of religious instruction are handled by schools.

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