Families of faith across New South Wales are increasingly unsure whether their children are fully supported in public schools.
For decades, identifying a child’s religious affiliation was a standard, optional part of school enrolment. Like similar questions on hospital admission forms, families could choose to name their religion or indicate no religion at all. The question was never compulsory. It simply allowed parents to identify an important aspect of their child’s identity.
That changed in 2017 when, without consultation, the NSW Department of Education removed the religious identity question from enrolment forms. Faith communities were bewildered. Many are still asking why.
Clear religious identity data gives schools meaningful insight into the backgrounds of their students. It helps educators understand the cultural and spiritual diversity within their classrooms.
Jewish educator Ronnen Grauman notes that such data “fosters greater understanding and respect among all students, enriches multicultural learning, and contributes to a school environment built on tolerance and shared values.”
The removal of the question has had practical consequences.
When religion is not recorded, families struggle to exercise their choices, particularly regarding Special Religious Education. Schools, meanwhile, lose visibility of the diversity within their communities.
Vivien Wong, a Buddhist educator, reports that some families assumed their religion would still be recorded automatically. “Without the religion box, we had no idea how to tell the school. It feels like our identity is invisible,” she said.
The irony is that this change comes at a time when Australia is more religiously diverse than ever. Schools now celebrate a variety of cultural and religious festivals. Understanding a child’s religious background is not about division; it is about inclusion.
Hindu grandparent Jayalakshmi Menon observes that knowing a student’s faith “helps schools to teach them better and appreciate their upbringing and values.” In a genuinely multicultural society, recognising identity strengthens unity rather than weakens it.
Historically, NSW public education has worked constructively with faith communities. Following the Rawlinson Review in 1985, amendments to the NSW Education Act in 1990 ensured greater inclusivity and established consultative processes with faith providers of Special Religious Education, alongside parents, teachers and principals. That collaborative model functioned effectively for decades.
Successive education ministers from both major parties have expressed support for reinstating the optional religious identity question. Yet it remains absent, even in the newly implemented Online Enrolment System.
When asked to explain the policy, a department spokesperson stated that collecting religious identity information is not “reasonably necessary” under privacy legislation.
But the question was always optional. No family was compelled to disclose. It is difficult to see how offering parents the choice to identify their child’s religion constitutes a privacy breach, especially when enrolment forms continue to collect detailed information about Aboriginality, country of birth, language background and even student mobile numbers.
The issue is not about privileging religion. It is about recognising the whole child.
Bishop Brian Mascord, speaking on behalf of the NSW Catholic Bishops, has called for the government to restore the optional question. He argues that weak excuses and bureaucratic delays are undermining public confidence.
“It is time for the government to govern,” he said, urging the reinstatement of the religious identity question.
In the wake of rising global religious tensions and local concerns about religious discrimination, hate speech, and violence, governments speak often about protecting families of faith. A practical step would be to ensure that schools can understand and support students of faith properly.
All faith groups involved with NSW public schools are united in this request. They are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for recognition.
The solution is straightforward. Restore the optional religious identity question to the enrolment process. Allow parents to choose whether to identify their child’s faith. Use that information to strengthen partnerships between schools and local communities.
Public education, at its best, supports the whole child, intellectually, culturally and socially. Faith is part of that picture for many families.
Reinstating the optional question would not divide. It would signal that NSW public schools see and respect the diverse identities of the students they serve.
Perhaps it would also restore some faith in the system itself.
John Donnelly is Coordinator of Catholic SRE Teachers, a member of the Inter-Church Commission on Religious Education in Schools. and Convenor of the All Faiths SRE Group.
