An Exploration of Faith and Belief in Integrated Post-Primary Schools

John McCloskey, Head of RE at Our Lady’s and St Patrick’s College Knock; Dr Jessica Blomkvist, IEF Senior Outreach Officer; Helen Killick and Gerard Sowney, Chaplains at Lagan College; Cliodhna Scott-Wills, NICIE Senior Development Officer; Boyd Slater, NI Humanists; Fintan Murphy, Catholic Schools’ Trustee Service; Suzanne Dodds, IC Glengormley; Dave Thompson, researcher; Norman Richardson, NI Inter-Faith Forum; Sean O’Baoille, event chair; Ellen McVea, IEF Director; and Anita Gracie, Transferor Representatives Council.

On 23 June, the Integrated Education Fund (IEF), the Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) and the Association of Principal Teachers in Integrated Schools (APTIS) were delighted to launch ‘Faith and Belief in Integrated Post-Primary Schools’ at Integrated College (IC) Glengormley.  The launch provided an opportunity for attendees to find out more about the research project and hear key stakeholders’ reflections and perspectives on the wider theme of faith and belief in the context of Northern Ireland schools and our education system.

Following on from previous research that looked at RE and related practice in Integrated primary schools, this research project was completed by David Thompson between Autumn 2025 and Spring 2026.  The research explored faith and belief practice within Integrated post-primary schools, including key areas such as Religious Education and Assembly.

The research asserts that RE at a post-primary level in Integrated schools “helps pupils understand other people and what they believe” while also helping them “better understand and engage with society”. Pupils participating in the research noted that “learning through RE allowed for greater inclusion of the different beliefs in school and provided opportunity for them to learn about each other”. The research also confirmed that “Assemblies can be a space for recognising the diversity of the school community and celebrating different cultures, of which religion can be a part”. However, pupil views “varied about how well they thought their school was responding to demographic change and ‘to wider representation of religious faith and belief in the pupil body”.

The launch event included a presentation by researcher David Thompson, Confluence Facilitation, on key findings from the research followed by contributions from representatives from schools participating in the research: IC Glengormley and Lagan College.  There was also input from Norman Richardson from the Northern Ireland Inter-Faith Forum followed by a panel discussion and Question & Answer session.  The panel discussion explored perspectives from key stakeholders such as Northern Ireland Humanists, the Transferor Representatives’ Council, the Catholic Schools’ Trustee Service, the Council for Integrated Education and Our Lady’s and St Patrick’s College Knock.

The event was attended by a diverse range of stakeholders, including church, community and school representatives.  It provided space for challenging conversations between contributors and the audience.  There was a strong sense among participants that the upcoming RE syllabus presents an opportunity to strengthen inclusion.  Discussion highlighted a preference for developing more inclusive approaches to Religious Education and faith and belief practice, rather than relying solely on enhanced rights for parents and pupils to opt out.

The project has been funded by the IEF through a generous donation from a private donor.

Panel discussion: Chair Sean O’Baoille, Boyd Slater (NI Humanists), John McCloskey (Our Lady’s and St Patrick’s College), Fintan Murphy (Catholic Schools’ Trustee Service), Anita Gracie (Transferor Representatives Council) and Cliodhna Scott-Wills (NICIE).