Consultation Paper: Proposals to amend the legislation on religious observance and religious education in schools to support alignment with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

Background

1. This consultation seeks views on proposed changes to section 9 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 (“the 1980 Act”). The proposed changes will support the alignment of legislation with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child by requiring that children and young people’s views are taken into account in relation to their participation in religious observance (“RO”) and religious and moral education (“RME”) as a curricular area, also called religious education in denominational schools (“RE”), as part of their attendance at a public or grant-aided school.

2. RO, sometimes also called ‘collective worship’ or ‘time for reflection’, plays an important role in promoting the spiritual development of pupils, as well as expressing and celebrating the shared values of the school community. This might be woven throughout the school day, or take the form of specific assemblies, and sometimes includes parents, carers and community representatives from faith and non-faith groups, as well as pupils and staff.

3. Scotland is a multi-faith and multi-cultural society, where people of all faiths and none can flourish. Therefore as noted in current Scottish Government guidance, RO in schools must be sensitive to individual spiritual needs and beliefs, whether these come from a faith or non-faith perspective, while being equally sensitive to Scotland’s longstanding religious traditions and origins, including Christianity, and seeking to reflect these.