At St Colmcille's PS & Nursery Unit we respect parental choice. The Department of Education has issued guidance confirming that all parents have a statutory right to withdraw a pupil, wholly or partially, from Religious Education and/or collective worship. If you wish to withdraw your child, contact the school office for a copy of the parental withdrawal form or download the form from our school website. The form should be completed, indicating which elements (e.g. full RE programme or certain prayers/assemblies) you wish to withdraw from and returned to Miss Deighan in a sealed envelope. No reason for withdrawal needs to be given. We will process your request promptly and confirm in writing within 5 school days. Pupils withdrawn from RE or worship will remain on-site, supervised in a suitable activity. For example, they may engage in quiet independent work such as reading, under the supervision of a staff member. These arrangements will be made discreetly so the pupil is not singled out or stigmatized. The alternative programme will respect the pupil's dignity and cover the time they would have been in RE/collective worship in order to ensure that your child is appropriately supervised, it may be the case that your child will remain within a classroom setting undertaking their alternative activities. Should you have any questions please contact Miss Deighan.
