Secular pupils feel left out in Church’s schools

A study which features the views of 100 schoolchildren has found that many of them see First Communion as a significant benchmark in their childhood and a normal part of coming of age and school participation.

The study, by Karl Kitching and Yafa Shanneik and funded by the Irish Research Council, features the views of 100 children aged seven and eight from schools in and around Cork City, as well as some Traveller projects.

It found that children did not have fully formed ideas about religion, and that not being involved in events like First Communion made them more likely to feel excluded.