93% of schools in Ireland at primary level are under the patronage of the Catholic Church and provide Catholic religious instruction during the “patron’s half hour” every day. A Community National School, under the remit given to it by the Minister, has to provide for children of all faiths and none during the school day in accordance with the wishes of their parents. Because the CNS model is run by the state, because of the inclusion commitment of the VEC and because of equality legislation, CNS schools provide for all children in the same manner and do not privilege one belief group over another.

CNS schools have a common multi-belief programme - “Goodness Me, Goodness You”. The children are taught together for most of the time, using stories, songs and poems from many belief traditions. 2 or 3 times a week, those who belong to a monotheistic background (e.g. Christians and Muslims) will say a prayer to God and the polytheists, Humanists and atheists will meditate on the lesson instead. This prayer or contemplation takes place at the end of the multi-belief class and is based on the lesson for that day. Children are used to being put into different groups for English, support and other lessons so it’s a natural movement for them.

For either three or four weeks during the year, children spend all belief classes in the main faith groups (Catholic, Christian, Muslim and Other to date) and are taught faith specific material. Programmes for all four belief groups are written by the same author so the classes are all exploring the same themes and topics. Teachers of all the programmes are given in-service and ongoing support by the programme author.

To date, children and their parents are very happy with the multi-belief classes, particularly parents from minority belief traditions who feel they are being valued and respected for who they are. In CNS, children are nurtured in their whole identity, including their belief identity, and they talk openly and with confidence about differences among their friends and classmates in belief practice and tradition.