The Nature of Nurture in Inclusive Religious Education

This article considers whether nurture has value as a concept within plural religious education settings in a common school. This exploration is carried out through a critical review of one school type in Ireland that made belief-nurture a core aim of its educational program. The findings identify a number of areas where belief-specific nurture in a plural setting raises particular difficulties: curriculum design, lesson content, the position of the teacher, and the role of belief communities. It is concluded that, while there are significant challenges to using the concept of nurture in relation to teaching about religions and beliefs in common schools, there is some justification for doing so, and a model that conceptualizes nurture in a more comprehensive way is proposed.