Barnardo’s Scotland undertook an engagement exercise with children and young people, on behalf of the Scottish Government, to explore their views on the changes proposed in the Children (Withdrawal from Religious Education and Amendment of UNCRC Compatibility Duty) (Scotland) Bill in September 2025.
The Scottish Government is updating legislation on religious observance and religious and moral education in schools to reflect changes in the consideration of children and young people’s rights and views as part of any parental request to withdraw a child from RO/RME.
The Scottish Government commissioned Barnardo’s Scotland to undertake a young person’s participation project to:
1. Engage meaningfully with children and young people to explore their experiences and views of RO and RME, including in denominational schools.
2. Gather children and young people’s views on the forthcoming legislative changes requiring their views to be considered when parents ask to withdraw them from RO or RME. (Though as noted above, the proposed legislation was amended during the Parliamentary process during the engagement period, so that it would no longer be possible to withdraw a child from RME.)
3. Explore children and young people’s perspectives on whether they should have an independent right to withdraw from RO, RME or both, and the potential implications of such a right.