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Philosophy/religion

feels like my son is being punished for our religious stance

37 replies

LiloLils · 09/04/2013 03:48

...this is a bold statement but its how I feel.

There isn't any point to my post but the subject is keeping me awake so thought it might help to write it down on a public forum and see if I'm not the only one who is saddened by this.

Basically my DH and I are non religious. I was brought up catholic and he was brought up church of England but somewhere along the line we both lost our faith and sided with reason. Myself particularly...I have a bit of a problem with organised religion. there are personal reasons for this.

Long story short. If we stick to our guns and don't get our boy christened into either Catholicism or church of England, he is going to have to attend the worst school in the borough.

It just really angers me. Why in this day and age do we have to jump through hoops, lie about our beliefs, and subject our children to learning fairy tales as fact, in order to get them into a "good" school?

I have never been so torn about a decision in my life. I'm being pressured by family and friends to get him christened just to get him into a good school. They make me feel guilty by saying things like "do it for your child. I'd do anything for my child...wouldn't you?" It just feels all wrong.

OP posts:
nailak · 09/04/2013 04:02

Move

LittleFeileFooFoo · 09/04/2013 04:08

how old is your son?

sashh · 09/04/2013 04:43

It angers me too, I'm angry that my taxes are spent on faith schools.

Stick to your guns, if the only 'good' schools are faith schools your son is better off in the worst school.

If more parents did this then the faith schools would stop being the 'good' schools. They are only good because they cream off the kids whose parents take an interest and will jump through hoops.

wannabedomesticgoddess · 09/04/2013 05:24

Yes, this is infuriating.

I am angry that I have to make the choice between singling my daughter out by excluding her from collective worship, or let her pray to a god I dont believe in.

Religion should be within the home, it should be personal. How can they teach the FACTS of Evolution theory or the Big Bang and then go to collective worship?

I am not against anyone who goes to church, DD1 has been with her GPs, but that was my choice to let her. I like the community aspect. But to have no real choice in school is ridiculous.

When its impacting on your childs quality of education, like the OP, its really not on anymore.

Oopla · 09/04/2013 07:28

Understand what you're saying. It seems unfair.

Fwiw I moved my dd to a 'good' faith school thinking she'd have a better chance but the sheer amount of religion that was brought out in every single lesson shocked me. I'm talking Jesus in mathematics and colouring in sheets depicting biblical scenes during wet playtimes. (We moved her back out again)

If it isn't right for you and your husband then would it be fair to ask your son to go along with it.

thegreenheartofmanyroundabouts · 09/04/2013 08:17

It sounds as if it is the organised religion bit that is the problem. So if this is causing you so much distress that you are loosing sleep then do something about it and maybe go and talk to the local minister. You can't change the admission criteria of the local schools and even if you move (unless you go the France) you are still faced with the requirement for a daily act of worship of a broadly Christian character and RE in the curriculum.

I realise that there is a lot of anger and frustration in the OP and it feels good to get it out but it isn't a long term solution.

PedroPonyLikesCrisps · 09/04/2013 09:58

This sounds like a horrible situation to be in. Just curious about your home though, firstly, I don't want to presume anything, but when you moved to where you are currently living, did you consider the school options (this is of course if you had any kind of choice about where you live, I know not everyone does)?

My DS is just 2 and will be going to nursery in September. The nursery happens to be at the local Methodist church which I'm not massively keen on, but I don't really have a choice in that one. Fortunately, the actual schools around me are secular so shouldn't be an issue.

Personally I'm not sure what I'd do in your situation though. I certainly would be avoiding the faith schools, so I guess it's either go to the bad school, try to get into a school out of your catchment (which I know is virtually impossible) or move.

Perhaps it's worth investigating what's so bad about the bad school. Is it simply that the faith schools have managed to nab the brighter children and the bad school is just full of the other kids? Some children will cope regardless so is there anyone you can talk to who's had a successful educational experience at the bad school who could ease your worries?

niminypiminy · 09/04/2013 10:50

I'm a Christian, and my children go to their local school, which happens to be 'the worst' in the city I live in. It's not a faith school.

I'd say three things.

The first is that my children are thriving at their 'worst' school, they are happy and doing well academically. And regardless of what ofsted and popular rumour says it's great. When the time comes for you to look for a school for your child, there is no substitute for finding out for yourself. And things can change very quickly.

Secondly, all schools have to have worship of a broadly Christian character and RE, so iif organised religion is really very problematic for you, you would have to consider withdrawing your child from those aspects of school life (as is your right to do).

Thirdly, make sure you are gunning for the right target. The problem is not 'faith schools' per se but the idea that parents should choose. If parents choose, a combination of rational choice and herd instinct will lead them to choose the same schools, which will then be oversubsribed ... and then the schools will have to choose. What 'parental choice' leads to is ultimately a form of selection by the school. Many CofE schools seem to be better (because they have better results, largely because of a more middle class intake), but this may well be more to do with the fact that they are chosen by middle class parents who want their children to get good results. And because their are more children being applied for than there are places, then the school has to apply a selection criterion, and, in the case of 'faith schools', that can be that you practice the faith of the school's sponsoring church. Ultimately the problem is not the faith as such, but the idea of a market in education driven by parental choice.

niminypiminy · 09/04/2013 10:51

(urk, sorry, 'there' not 'their'

hedgefund · 09/04/2013 10:54

i love the way people just say 'move' is the school really that bad? round here the local school is looked down up as it's the ONLY one that is non-selective, all inclusive so has children with all abilities/religions and ethics. My son goes there and loves it. the culture of choice of schooling has made parents ultra terrified of the system in this country.

imo though religion has nothing to do with education and just segrates communities.

LizzyDay · 09/04/2013 15:10

Sympathies LiloLils - the fact is that the current system does mean that religious discrimination exists in what is supposed to be an egalitarian state system. In a way that would be considered outrageous if it existed in the NHS, for example.

I think oversubscribed state schools should use discrimination by catchment area ONLY - no system is perfect but at least it's better for the environment and promotes local community cohesion.

Gales · 09/04/2013 15:31

If you feel that strongly against religion, I can't for the life of me think why you'd want your child to go to a church school no matter how good it is. The matter of having him christened is tiny compared to having him "exposed" at a church school.

FWIW I think the main reason one school is better than another is the relative quality of the home lives the children have. You never get a great school in a poor area (unless someone can tell me the exception that proves the rule?)

IMO church schools do well because the families tend to have strong family values and good discipline at home, making them better behaved at school and therefore better able to learn. Obviously not all, but a greater proportion than at your average "poor" school.

It's not that the only good school is the church school, it's that the school, is good because it's a church school.

We are not a religious family and my DC don't go to a church school, but that's the way I see it.

crescentmoon · 09/04/2013 15:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LizzyDay · 09/04/2013 15:41

Gales - do you really think it's the case that religious families have a monopoly on caring about their kids and bringing them up well?

I also don't think that teachers at a faith school are any more likely to be good teachers because of their 'faith ethos' - why should they be? Obviously faith schools would have you believe that, but it's simply not true.

Gales · 09/04/2013 15:50

Same thing exactly crescent IMO. By taking either of those avenues you're just making sure your children go to school with families who are more interested in their children's schooling than "average"

No, I don't Lizzy, I do think there are a higher proportion than in "poor" schools.

I don't think teachers at any "good" school are necessarily any better than those at "poor" school. They just have the good fortune, or foresight to work in areas with better families - on average.

wannabedomesticgoddess · 09/04/2013 15:59

What a snobby thing to say.

Aliensstolemychildren · 09/04/2013 16:00

FWIW - you can opt out of the daily worship and other organised religious activities at primary and secondary level. For example assemblies, carol services etc. However I don't think you are able to opt our of RE as this is educative and supposed to cover all religions.

As for schooling - can you look at schooling you DC out of the borough - I don't know where you are based, but you technically have a choice of school - could you try and get them into somewhere which they can get transport to?

failing that - what about a scholarship to a private school? or possibly a state boarding school?

Gales · 09/04/2013 16:06

Maybe so wanna, but having worked in schools for a long time, I can absolutely say that the one thing that makes a huge difference to the culture in a school (far more than a great head) is the "type" of people who send their children there, the values they hold and the kind of behaviour that's expected from those children at hope

wannabedomesticgoddess · 09/04/2013 16:21

And that "type" is defined by money?

wannabedomesticgoddess · 09/04/2013 16:24

Sorry, posted to soon.

And that "type" is defined by money? Or religion? Or class?

I think that "good" teachers are those who get good results out of difficult situations. Not teachers who have well behaved children handed to them.

Gales · 09/04/2013 16:24

No wanna, where did I refer to money? It's about values.

LizzyDay · 09/04/2013 16:42

Gales - I disagree that your average 'nice' middle class family are more likely to be churchgoers / religious.

As niminypiminy said, the 'better' parents ARE more likely however to be the ones who bother to jump through hoops to get to the more popular schools, whether they (or the schools) are religious or not.

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Blu · 09/04/2013 16:43

There are loads of very good schools In my area of London that have very high FSM ratios. True there were a couple of v chaotic families in DS class whose results brought the average stats down. But as a good school they invested in lots of support (as well as enrichment activity) and able kids from all backgrounds did extremely well.

People with an objection to state funded religious selection should write to their MP. Otherwise write to your MP. About genuinely underperforming community schools and consider becoming a governor.

Gales · 09/04/2013 16:51

I never said nice middle class families are likely to be church goers church goers. I said church goers (or those who want a church school) are more likely to have strong family values and good discipline at home. Obviously not exclusively, but more so than your average poorly performing school.

There is a link between home and school performance. Children who are getting good support at home may do well in decent school that has good teachers, but lots of challenging students, but overall the school's results and therefore the perception of whether it is a "good" school will be poor.

Wanna, I agree with you about good teachers, but IME most of the schools considered to be good are the ones where well behaved children are handed to them. Also where there is lots of parental support and tutoring going on.

Blu · 09/04/2013 22:49

And thereby lies the frequent difference between a school which is actually good and a school considered to be good.

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