Supporting catholic ethos of school as a non-Catholic

[ag123]

A school local to me is usually very oversubscribed but appears to have a space this year for the coming September.
I have a meeting with the headmistress on Thursday morning and I'm pretty sure she will ask how we will be able to support the Catholic ethos of the school. We are a lazily Christian family, i.e. Celebrate major festivals but not regular church-goers.
Just wondering if anyone could share any thoughts/ideas about how I might address this?

[Ladymuck]

Hmmm, strictly no interview should factor into your admissions process. If there is a space, and no other applicants, then it is yours. If there are other applicants then the admissions policy should give set criteria to determine who gets the place. In terms of religion there will be "measurable" criteria, eg baptism, frequency of attendance at mass etc.

That said, I can understand why you might want to have an answer to this question. Some of the attributes that I would expect a Catholic school to include would be compassion for the poor and sacrificial giving/service to the community around you.

[mary21]

I went to several catholic schools(moved a lot)
Things to be comfortable with . RE may have a catholic slant. Sex education may have a strong anti contraception anti abortion slant. (Whilst being taught within the framework of the national curriculum).
Assemblies may have religious slant, prayers hymns etc. Mass , preparing for the sacrements (eg confirmation) may all occur. All the schools I went to non catholics could opt out.
Be prepared for crucifixes in the classrooms!
Some Catholic schools are a lot more catholic than others. Are you happy for your child to go along with the Catholic things or will it make you uncomfortable.
Catholic schools will be used to pupils disagreeing with things. Adolescence transcends religion!

[ag123]

Do they have any leeway to 'hold out' for a catholic applicant?

[Ladymuck]

No, they shouldn't. They may move slowly for a week or two in case someone else turns up, but if the school has a place, and people apply then they have to offer that place.

[prh47bridge]

Do they have any leeway to 'hold out' for a catholic applicant?

No they do not. The law is clear. They cannot refuse entry just because someone is not Catholic or does not support the ethos of the school. If you have applied and there is a place available it must be offered to you. If they try to drag their feet as per Ladymuck's post and end up offering the space to a later applicant you would have a good case for appeal.

I'm somewhat concerned about this meeting on Thursday. It is illegal for a state-funded school to interview parents or children as part of the admissions process. It is ok to discuss arrangements for your child to start school or, if they will be in Y10 or later, which subjects they will study, but absolutely not ok to use it as a way of deciding whether or not to offer a place. There is no leeway on this at all.