Proposals to amend the legislation on religious observance and religious education in schools
Feedback updated 27 Jun 2025
We asked
For your views on proposed changes to section 9 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 (“the 1980 Act”), with the aim of supporting the alignment of legislation with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child by requiring that children and young people’s views are taken into account in relation to their participation in religious observance (“RO”) and religious and moral education (“RME” also known as "Religious Education" or "RE") in schools.
The consultation was launched on 14 November 2024, given the questions around current legislation on RO and RME and the Scottish Government’s UNCRC obligations, with the Scottish Government proposing to amend the legislation to ensure clarity and put the position in relation to UNCRC compliance beyond doubt as soon as possible.
The consultation asked 6 questions around views on the positive and/or negative implications of these changes, as well as insights into how the right to withdraw currently works in practice, including how schools implement the current guidance.
You said
The consultation closed on 26 January 2025. A total of 530 validated responses were received from a broad range of stakeholders and individuals. You provided views on the wide range of issues presented including those we asked about as well as around the themes more generally.
We did
The independent analysis of the consultation responses has been published as well as the consultation responses (where permission was granted).
The responses to this consultation have informed policy development in the form of:
- The religious observance and religious education provisions of the Children (Withdrawal from Religious Education and Amendment of UNCRC Compatibility Duty) (Scotland) Bill and its accompanying documents.
- Work on developing updated guidance to accompany the implementation of any legislative changes in this area.
Results updated 27 Jun 2025
Links:
- Proposals to Amend the Legislation on Religious Observance and Religious Education in Schools to Support Alignment with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child - Analysis of consultation responses - gov.scot
- Children (Withdrawal from Religious Education and Amendment of UNCRC Compatibility Duty) (Scotland) Bill | Scottish Parliament Website
Published responses
View submitted responses where consent has been given to publish the response.
Overview
This consultation seeks views on proposed changes to the current legislation on religious observance (RO) and religious and moral education (RME) in schools. The proposed changes will support the alignment of legislation with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child by requiring that children and young people’s views are taken into account in relation to their participation in RO and RME.
Useful information about responding to this consultation
As you complete your response, each page will provide the option to 'Save and come back later' at the bottom. This means you can save your progress and return to the consultation at any time before it closes. If you don't use this feature and leave the consultation midway through, your response will be lost.
Once you have submitted your response, you can enter your email address to get a pdf copy of your answers sent to you.
On the 'About You' page at the end of this consultation, organisations will have the opportunity to tell us more about their work and/or how their response was informed.
After the consultation has closed there will be a few months delay before any responses are published. This is because we must check any responses to be published abide by our Terms of Use.
A analysis report will usually be published some months after the consultation has closed. This report will summarise the findings based on all responses submitted. It will be published on the Scottish Government website and you may be notified about it if you choose to share your email address with us. You can also join our consulation mailing list where we regularly list newly published analysis reports (as well as new consultations).
Why your views matter
Responses to this consultation will help inform consideration given to implementation of the proposed changes and any potential support that may be appropriate. In particular, we would be keen to gather better information on how schools implement the current guidance.
What happens next
All responses are currently being analysed and considered along with any other available evidence to help us. An analysis report will be made available shortly.
Where respondents have given permission for their response to be made public, and after we have checked that they contain no potentially defamatory material, responses will be made available to the public.
Interests
- Children and Families
- Education
- Main hub
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