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AIBU?

Faith schools - England - which denomination

74 replies

Verynice · 27/03/2019 15:43

I'm quite fascinated by the British phenomenon that is faith schools over here.
I'm Irish, so 95% I'd say are Catholic in the main - i.e. run by nuns for girls schools, run by brothers for boys schools.
Primary schools are not usually run by nuns or brothers but are Catholic in the main. In the past 20 to 15 years, there has been a massive shift to have 'Educate Together schools' which are either non-denominational or multi-denominational. This was to accommodate the growing number of agnostic or atheists in Ireland and also an increasing acknowledgement of other religions. There have also always been small Protestant schools dotted about.

Dd went to a small rural primary with a Catholic ethos. She is now in a Protestant secondary (she is Catholic as am I - though I am a lapsed anti-Catholic really). She got in due to being related to an employee. I have no idea what sort of faith education is involved there - dd never mentions it.

There seems to be a notion here that faith schools perform better. It has been suggested on another thread that people ready to jump through hoops to get their kids into a faith school are likely to be involved parents, therefore those kids and hence the school overall will perform better. Makes sense I suppose.

Which leads to my question - if your children are in a faith school - which denomination is it? Are you devoutly devoted to that faith, or could you take it or leave it?

I've just seen another thread where you must be practising the particular religion. We don't really have to be practising, though I recall the priest requiring her baptismal cert when she was signing up for primary. In primary, preparation for First Confession, First Communion and Confirmation is done during school time and can take quite a lot of time I suppose during the relevant years.

The only time we had to be seen to be practising was once a month in the year we prepped for First Communion where the usual Sunday mass would be dedicated to the children preparing for First Communion. They would maybe be involved in bringing up the gifts, or reading the Prayers of the Faithful or similar. Not a massive inconvenience to me, but heathen that I am, they were the only times we went to Mass!

I'm just fascinated by the school system in the UK. Grammar schools, feeder schools, academies, free education etc. doesn't exist in Ireland.

Anyone care to share their experiences good or bad?

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bsc · 27/03/2019 15:47

But what is your AIBU?

Verynice · 27/03/2019 15:58

To not have a clue about this phenomenon and to ask you to explain it to me?

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Verynice · 27/03/2019 16:00

Put it this way. If dd was being educated over here, I would not be trying to find her a Catholic school. I wouldn't mind another Christian denomination, but probably wouldn't be accepted.
I'm just wondering what these denominations are that people are so keen to get into?

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anniehm · 27/03/2019 16:01

The reason why so many primary schools in England at least are c of e is because the church set them up long before the government funded education, in towns and cities that expanded purpose built local authority funded schools were established but in rural areas often the little church school (perhaps now enlarged) is the only option. The church also established some secondary schools but not many, by the time secondary education was mainstream, councils were funding education.

Verynice · 27/03/2019 16:01

For e.g. are grammar schools non-denominational?
Academies?

And I suppose AIBU to wonder why everyone wants to get into a Faith school?

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flyings0l0 · 27/03/2019 16:02

Which leads to my question - if your children are in a faith school - which denomination is it? Are you devoutly devoted to that faith, or could you take it or leave it?

most are round here church of England. And no, most don't believe but put on this charade of attending service in the year before the children are due to start school. Fair to say the majority are fakers. Why anyone would want their child to attend these schools is a mystery or phenomenon. nothing else.

Verynice · 27/03/2019 16:03

Thanks for your response!
So to be practising, what does that mean in Cof E? That you go to church once a week?

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bellinisurge · 27/03/2019 16:06

Uk Catholic. I went to state Catholic primary and secondary. I grew up ina very Catholic area (Lancashire area). Usual stuff with statues that have eyes following you around.

I now live in another Catholic area - Also NW England. Although my dd went to a Catholic primary, I deliberately sent her to a non- Catholic state secondary. She did the whole sacraments thing up to FHC. She is now thrilled that she doesn't have RE four times a week - unlike her primary school classmates who go to a catholic secondary. And doesn't have to do RE GCSE - unlike the kids at Catholic secondary. It'll be her choice when she is an adult.

I didn't really meet non -Catholic's until I went to University. I thought a Protestant was someone who didn't go to church- I thought my dad was a Protestant because he didn't (he was actually a non-Christian). I played with some Protestant kids up our street.
It's actually ridiculous to think how Catholic my world as a kid was.

gingajewel · 27/03/2019 16:06

My daughter is in catholic school and tbh hardly any of the children are catholic, they go to mass, pray 4 times a day and there is a big push on religion but it also gives her a good education.
Only 4 children in her class took holy communion last year so in a class of 30 only 4 are actually catholic.

gingajewel · 27/03/2019 16:07

Oh and my dd isn’t catholic neither are any of my family, and I have never been to mass or even in the church attached to her school!

Verynice · 27/03/2019 16:10

Usual stuff with statues that have eyes following you around

What is it about them that they can follow you????????

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Verynice · 27/03/2019 16:13

Where I came from protestants were wealthy. And to be avoided at all costs.

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katienana · 27/03/2019 16:14

My ds goes to a catholic school. Husband and I are both catholic but husband is a non believer. I have faith but I question it a lot. My opinion is that overall Catholicism, and a Catholic education, have been a positive influence on my life so I'm happy to pass that to my children.
In our area there were 3 schools in walking distance, ds school, catholic school 2, state primary. Ds school is the most oversubscribed in the city so we were thrilled to get in. We were outside the catchment at the application time but live within it now.

Verynice · 27/03/2019 16:16

I used to work for a solicitor - he was from Nigeria. He was Catholic. I asked him how he ended up Catholic - he said his grandfather was Muslim, but Catholic missionaries went over and would educate them if they converted to Catholicism. So his father was Catholic and then him. Quite typical of how the Catholics managed to grow in numbers - bribery!

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Jebuschristchocolatebar · 27/03/2019 16:17

@verynice, great to know you have such a lovely opinion of Irish Protestants 😐

Verynice · 27/03/2019 16:19

Hmm, it's funny - my brother is in Canada and his go to a Catholic school - not sure why - but it must be a thing as he seemed to think it was worth mentioning.
My uncle's kids in London all went to a Catholic school too.

To us Paddies at home it seemed a bizarre concept that there would be anything but Catholic schools!

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Verynice · 27/03/2019 16:21

Lol - my best friend is Protestant. We had great craic regaling each other about tales we were told about either religion as kids. We were almost afraid of the protestants. In my very small town, there was a Catholic Church and a Protestant church. It was rumoured that the devil would haunt you if you set foot inside the protestant church!

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Verynice · 27/03/2019 16:22

Protestants were also known fondly as 'the fucking Brits' or 'the pagans'.
God when I think of it!

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Verynice · 27/03/2019 16:23

Btw I'm Irish - not to be confused with NI.

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Verynice · 27/03/2019 16:24

The threads on here about schools baffle me though. Grammar schools etc. We don't have that in Ireland so I can never grasp what they're talking about.

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Jebuschristchocolatebar · 27/03/2019 16:25

Yeh I get that, still doesn’t make your opinion any less disgusting

bellinisurge · 27/03/2019 16:25

I had a classmate who was supposedly in league with the devil for dyeing his hair (punk era).

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Verynice · 27/03/2019 16:27

Get over yourself. Did you read my OP? My dd is in a Protestant school.

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Verynice · 27/03/2019 16:30

I remember being a teen and drinking bottles of cider in the grounds of the protestant church with my cohorts. If we'd done it in the Catholic church we'd probably all go straight to hell lol

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Verynice · 27/03/2019 16:32

Can someone explain what a grammar school is? Do they teach a different curriculum? Also, what is an A*? Is it an A1 (i.e. 90-100%?)

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