The Supreme Court has concluded two days of hearings in a legal case challenging a school’s religious education and collective worship in Northern Ireland, with claims that provision is too Christian in nature.

The case is being brought by a parent on behalf of their child, known as JR87. According to supremecourt.uk, the case began when the child—who attends a controlled school, a type of maintained school managed and funded by the Education Authority in Northern Ireland—took part in non-denominational Christian religious education and collective worship as part of the curriculum. Her family does not practise any faith.

At home, the child began repeating prayers she had learned at school before meals and would ask her parents questions about God and religion.

In May 2019, the parents wrote to the school questioning how balanced their child’s religious education was. The school confirmed its provision of religious education and collective worship was “Bible-based”.

The parents challenged this, arguing that compulsory RE contravened their right to respect for freedom of thought, conscience and religion, as protected by Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which requires the state to provide public education that “respects the right of parents to ensure such education… is in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions”.

The family initially won their case at Northern Ireland High Court but lost at the Court of Appeal in 2024. The court ruled that parents had an “unqualified statutory right” to withdraw their children from RE and collective worship and that there was no evidence the child had been forced to participate.

The case is now before the Supreme Court on appeal, with a ruling expected in the coming weeks or months.

Northern Ireland Humanists are supporting the family’s case.