Debate contribution: Public Petition: Protection of Christianity and Christian Ethos in our Schools
Debate contribution by Mr David Brooks on .
- MLA
- Mr David Brooks
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 10 March 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Assembly Business
- Heading
- Public Petition: Protection of Christianity and Christian Ethos in our Schools
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5436105
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Today, I present a public petition on behalf of Zuzana Revayova of CitizenGo. It had been signed by over 68,000 people from across Northern Ireland and beyond when it was given to me, and it is now nearing 100,000 signatures online. The petition expresses deep concern about the future place of Christianity and the Christian ethos in our schools. The petition arose in the wake of the UK Supreme Court’s ruling on religious education and collective worship, a judgement that prompted understandable anxiety among many parents, teachers, Churches and local communities. For generations, Christian faith and values have played a foundational role in shaping education in Northern Ireland. Our schools were built not only to provide academic learning but to nurture moral character, service to others and respect for the traditions that have shaped our society. Many of those who signed the petition feared that, in response to the court's ruling, forthcoming reforms could unintentionally weaken or marginalise Christian teaching, even in schools that were founded with a clear Christian ethos and identity. The petitioners are not calling for exclusion or intolerance; they are asking that Christianity continue to have a respected and meaningful place in education, reflecting Northern Ireland's historical, cultural and legal foundations. They are asking for parents' rights, including the right to have their children educated in accordance with their convictions and beliefs, to be respected. I spoke to Zuzana this morning. She has followed events in the Assembly and been reassured by the response of the Education Minister, Paul Givan, who has set out a measured and balanced way forward. The Minister has confirmed that Christianity will remain central to the religious education syllabus, reflecting Northern Ireland's historical and cultural context, while the curriculum is reviewed to ensure that it is academically robust and consistent with the court's judgement. Those who have signed the petition will be thankful that the Minister has brought clarity by stating that collective worship will continue in schools and that the review process will involve consultation with Churches, teachers, parents and the wider community. Those commitments provide important reassurance that the response to the judgement will respect the law and safeguard the place of Christianity in our education system. The message of the petition is simple: people across Northern Ireland and, indeed, the UK value the Christian heritage of our schools and want to see it protected, respected and carried forward for future generations. I therefore commend the petition to the House.
411 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.22 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- Criteria met: Cultural grievance politics (0.73).
- The text adopts the identity-based framing in its own voice (0.65).
- Subject area: Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.44 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.03 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.73 | Yes |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.05 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.23 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.37 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.22 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing | 0.30 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.05 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it (chosen) | 0.65 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 1.00 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:11 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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