The DUP MP said, “When the Court of Appeal heard this case, the key factor was the ability of parents to withdraw children from RE lessons and collective worship. There is nothing within any school which forces a child to participate in these, but this case, which is now due to be heard in the Supreme Court is an attempt to force RE and collective worship out of schools which have a Christian ethos.

Pupils from a range of backgrounds attend all of our schools, including the vast majority of schools which are shaped by Christian values. Those values recognise the history of how many such schools were established and also the background of a majority of their pupils. Those values have no impact however on the first-class education they deliver.

I would hope the Supreme Court continues to recognise the importance of the opt-out that parents continue to enjoy and that the ethos of schools should be protected.”