Equality Conference 2013 Religion and Ethos in Primary School s

INTO Questionnaire Teaching Religion in Primary School A random 3% of the membership in the Republic of Ireland received a questionnaire in October/November Questionnaires were returned for analysis 38 % response rate

Religion in Primary Schools Profile of Respondents One quarter were male and three quarters were female; just over two thirds were class teachers; approximately 70% teach in schools with 8 teachers or more; two thirds teach in an urban setting; 90% of the respondents stated that the ethos of their school was denominational; Just over 90% stated that they were under Catholic patronage.

Religion in Primary Schools Attitudes to Teaching Religion

INTO Results of Questionnaire 2012 Purpose of Teaching Religion Holistic Education Faith formation Support Tradition Sacramental preparation School Ethos Teach about God Morals and Values Other e.g. part of contract No purpose

Respondents’ Attitudes to Teaching Religion I teach religion willingly 49%61.2% I would teach a broad religion education willingly but would prefer not to teach religious instruction in a particular faith 10.2%5.7% I am not opposed to teaching religion 19.8%12.4% I just see religion as another subject I have to teach 7.7%8.7% I would like to opt out of teaching religion 2.2%5% I have opted out of teaching religion 0.3% Other 2.8%1.0% No Response 0.3%N/A

Do you agree that religion should be taught in primary schools during school hours? 23.6% 14.4% 2.5% Results of INTO Questionnaire 2012

Do you believe that religion should be taught by the classroom teacher? Results of INTO Questionnaire % 24.2% 17.1% 3.3%

In your view is it necessary for teachers to be believers of the faith they are required to teach? Results of INTO Questionnaire % 51% 2.5%

Results of INTO Questionnaire 2012 In your opinion, should Education about Religion and Beliefs (ERB) be part of the curriculum in all schools? 71.9%

Religion in Primary Schools School Religious Ethos

School’s Religious Ethos Religious Pictures and Icons Daily Prayers Religious services School Choirs Integration with other lessons Visits by Clergy/Church Representatives

Visits by the Clergy/Church Representatives

If your school is denominational, are there pupils attending the school who are not of the faith of the school? 3.7%

Provision for pupils not of the faith of the school Full participation including preparation sacraments Full participation in the religious programme but do not partake in sacramental preparation They partially participate in the religious programme and do not partake in the sacraments Other class work /Own religious programme They remain in class or have the option of being withdrawn No provision is made They must be removed from the classroom and/or be collected Parents’ wishes are respected and pupils do not participate

Religion in Primary Schools Sacramental Preparation

Do you agree that children should be prepared for the Sacraments in Primary School?

In your view, the main responsibility for preparing children for the sacraments lie with:

Apart from allocated religion time, does sacramental preparation take up additional time? 7.4%

Religion in Primary Schools Teacher Education

Should a qualification for teaching religion in the primary school be:-

Should Colleges of Education be denominational?

Religion in Primary Schools In to the future

In your view, in the last 10 years has religious practice among families attending your school has:

Results of INTO Questionnaire 2012 Should all parents have an option to choose a school with their preferred religious ethos?

Results of INTO Questionnaire 2012 According to the respondents most schools should be: 28.4% 21.8% 27% 7.1% 10% 5.7%

Would you be willing to facilitate a colleague who wished to opt out of teaching religion by taking his/her class for religion?

Catering for teachers who wish to opt out Swap subject with another teacher Assign a role which does not include sacramental preparation Visiting Teacher for Religion Instructors from the parish

Other findings Just under half of the respondents are of the view that the school should support the family and the Church in relation to the religious formation of the child. In % believe that the school should have no role in the religious formation of the child. This has decreased from 21.8% in 2002.

Summary of the Findings Respondents are of the view that religious practice in Ireland has declined in the last ten years. Parents should have the right to choose a school with their preferred religious ethos. Half of teachers believe that most schools should be multi-denominational.

Education about Religion and Beliefs (ERB) should form part of the primary school curriculum. Colleges of education ought not to be solely denominational to reflect the growing need for multi-denominational education.