AIBU to send my kids to a faith school when I don't buy into the ethos?

[Jesabel]

We are moving house soon and looking for a new school for my 2 and 5 year olds. We basically have two choices - one is a community infant school, one is a Catholic primary school.

For various reasons I think the primary school would be the better choice, however we are atheists and actually anti-religion rather than neutral on it.

AIBU to send my kids to a Catholic school anyway?

[TitClash]

Well clearly you're not anti religion if you are considering this. Its not a choice I would make.

[Jesabel]

I would still want to choose the best school for my child even if I don't agree with religion.

[Sirzy]

If you are anti religion then why would you want your children to be educated in a faith you don't agree with?

And if you do make the choice to use that school then don't then complain about them receiving a religious education.

[Marmite27]

Wouldn't they have to be baptised to get in? They would round here.

[Yseulte]

I'm wholly anti-faith schools, why shouldn't atheists sent their children there if it's a good school?

Just tell kids to take the Jesus stuff a pinch of salt.

[multivac]

I don't think any school should exclude children on grounds of their parents' faith - so I wouldn't see anything wrong with your decision from that angle.

My kids go to a faith school (CofE); they have atheist parents. We had no choice (but apparently it's perfectly fine to force families to send their children to faith schools, as long as that means families who want the state education system to take care of education in a specific faith, not merely RE, get the 'choice' to do so).

[msrisotto]

YANBU, publicly funded schools should be open for everyone, regardless of beliefs.

[Chchchchangeabout]

YANBU but will they let you in? Our local Catholic school is best in the area but we have no chance of getting our kids in as that's not our faith.

[Jesabel]

Sirzy, I'd rather there was no religion in schools of course. However this school has a brilliant nursery that could take the 2yo, a wide range of extra curricular clubs and lovely grounds.
My oldest would be going into Year 2 so if he went to the infant school, he'd have to transfer schools again after a year. And the junior school is religious anyway.

[NewLife4Me]

Don't choose the Catholic School
They are fantastic schools but if you don't like religion and not prepared to embrace it, then forget it.
I also think depending where you are you would struggle to meet criteria anyway.
We moved and there was no other school for ds2, there was for ds1 in the next school which was community.
The LA asked Catholic school to admit ds2 on welfare grounds i.e no other school available.
He hated it as he was an outsider from the off. There was a lot of worship and so much he couldn't take part in because he wasn't Catholic.
I'm not sure if it's the same now, but I advise caution.

This school had brilliant results btw and we found out after joining that parents fought like mad to get dc in. Mine lasted a year until a place was available at ds1 school.
It doesn't matter how good as school is if it doesn't suit your child.
I have nothing bad to say about the schools, they are great, for Catholics.

[HopeNotFear]

If you're not comfortable with the ethos of an RC school & don't want your children praying, learning about Catholicism etc then you would be better sending them to a non-denominational school.

[PunkrockerGirl]

Yes, YABU.
If you choose the Catholic school, doubtless you'll become the parents who withdraw their child from religious assemblies, nativities, etc.
Have the courage of your convictions. You're either an atheist or your not. Choose the school accordingly.

[paranoiddroid]

I think that would be massively hypocritical and id have thought the last place an atheist would want their children receiving their education and a large amount of their socialisation would be a catholic school. Doesn't stop a lot of people of course.

[Yseulte]

Sounds great. It's all funded by the state by our taxes, you send your kids wherever the bloody hell you want.

The more atheists in religious schools the better.

[TooMuchOfEverything]

I can't imagine sending my children to a school that promoted something I actively disagreed with.

Fine if it was something I felt neutral about eg The 'Blue is a better colour than yellow' School. But if it was something I was against like The Homophobic School, well I just don't see how you could do it.

[AndNowItsSeven]

Yanbu unless you pretend to be Catholic , getting your child baptised in order to get them into a Catholic school is dishonest.

[multivac]

"Have the courage of your convictions. You're either an atheist or your not. Choose the school accordingly"

She wants to choose the school that is best for her child. That seems pretty reasonable to me. Faith isn't inherited.

[Yseulte]

Basing school intake on the religion of the parents is absurd. How many lchildren with Catholic parents actually end up Catholic themselves? It's a very good way of putting your children off religion for life.

[Jesabel]

Both schools are currently undersubscribed so we'd have no trouble getting a place in either.

[HopeNotFear]

Yseulite, Catholics pay taxes as well.

[Yseulte]

If 'Paris is worth a mass' then a good education is worth a bit of holy water.

[Yseulte]

Yeah all 5 of them.

[Micah]

If the school have places, and you are ok with them being taught the catholic ethos, why not?

Catholic schools are fairly invlusive these days. Yes, theres mass, and re is a core subject, but they are open mindedcto other religions, and even atheism.

Quite a lot of the kids at our school have at least one atheist or non-catholic parent, and they arent cast out as pariahs. We even have athiest and muslim teachers.