Been done a million times but tell me whether you'd send your child to a Cof E primary if you were an atheist.

[chipmunkswhereareyou]

Title says it all.

The choice is a good, local state CofE or a fantastic private prep that's 20 to 25mins drive (although this doesn't particularly bother me).

[Blondie79]

I have. It's a fab school and I had no qualms about sending DD there.

[undercovercat]

I have. They have 30 mins of god-loving a day
But they are fine

[quaranta]

Not if it meant i had to go to church and pretend to believe in God.

[thisisyesterday]

we are thinking about it.

we have talked and talked and gone on and on about it, and IMO it comes down to:

if it offers ds1 a better education then I will send him there. regardless of the religious aspect.

if I could afford to send him privately though I would

[ComeOVeneer]

The "feeder" school from dd's infant school is a very good local CofE school. We hae put that as her first choice as it is (a) an excellent school, (b) all her friends will be going there and (c) ds will be at a local infant school 200 yards down the road so good for pick up/drop off etc.

Currently won't consider private for a couple of years until we see if dh gets made partner at his firm, other than that the nearest junior school is 15 mins drive and not good (there are 2 other closer local primary schools but they rarely take on anyone other than at reception).

[fryalot]

I have, I do and I will again.

They teach them about ALL faiths, but they go to the local church for services occasionally, and they have some of their award ceremonies at the church.

Tis nice and I have no problem with it.

I am more than happy for my kids to be taught that other people have different beliefs to me and dp, and what better way than for her to go to school with some of them.

[ComeOVeneer]

We aren't expected to attend churh in order to get her in.

[harpomarx]

yes, I do - all my local schools are church schools of one sort or another. The CofE one seems great, the head teacher is lovely. I am a confirmed atheist but don't mind them teaching her religion, if only because it means I don't have to iyswim!

It is a very mixed school though, very few kids are there because their family are churchgoers, much more because they are local.

go for the local one, it's lovely walking to school and getting to know everyone in your area.

[JuneBugJen]

Send them.

Luckily most Christians are not judgy judgy and will not try and ram religion down their throats. Even if they do it doesnt mean to say they will swallow it all. I went to C of E and loved it, the hymns, the bible stories, everything (still love it when I go to church sometimes)! I am the biggest athiest now of mankind so it didn't harm me!

What are you worried about? The hypocrisy or your dcs being converted?

[fryalot]

we aren't expected to attend church, btw. But of course we go to the award thingies.

the vicar is a governor

[Blandmum]

Yes, I'm not atheist, but I'm not a practicing anything. I send mine to a private C of E school, which is excellent and the general ethos is wonderful.

There are lots of non christian children there, and their religions are valued and respected.

But if you do, you can't later complain that they get taught about God (and this has happened quite a few times on mn!)

[harpomarx]

someone else may correct me, but I think cofe schools tend to be quite inclusive and respectful of other people's beliefs, including atheism. The religious side of it seems much less in your face than in Catholic schools, where you have prayer corners and virgin marys all over the place.

[mazzystar]

I intend to
It is undersubscribed
It teaches RE in the way I'd like it to be taught - inclusively
It also has Sikh and Hindu children alongside its atheists

[SharkyandGeorge]

I went to a C of E school and my parents have no religious beliefs but we just happened to live in the catchment area so that's where I went.

I think I would send mine to a C of E school, but then i'm not an atheist I just don't have any strong feelings either way.

[NorbertDentressangle]

Yes, we do.

The school is by far the best in the area (not only top of the league tables but also by far the best in its attitude, ethos and approach to learning/the pupils etc). Its also only a few minutes walk away.

We are not expected to attend church and IIRC have never been asked about our religious beliefs.

[Lizipads]

Yes, we do and have no problems whatsoever. Our are in year 1 and tease us constantly about our lack of belief!!

If it's the right school, it's the right school. We're happy with it - they foster an excellent sense of citizenship, the older ones look out for the younger ones and it's a short walk away. I would rather pull out my own teeth than have to park near a school in the morning if I had a choice.

[KristinaM]

if it was the best option for my child

i would even consider send my child to an aetheist school if i was c of e

[chipmunkswhereareyou]

Ok - all sounds fine and reassuring.

So really if the religion bit isn't a problem (and we wouldn't need to be church goers to get in) our choice is: good local school (which happens to be the state cof e) versus fabulous school (private prep) a bit further away.

(Maybe I should start a new thread as this is a totally different question now!)

[mazzystar]

good local any day

[hatwoman]

definitely go for local state school. it's good, it's cheap, it (and its pupils) are near, you won;t have to drive.

dd1 is at a c of e junior school - because it's the school literally next door to her infant school and all the kids go from one to the other. she's a cynical little thing (wonder where she got that from) and gets by fine. she makes up silly words to the hymns, complains about going to church for harvest festival but kind of gets that there are some aspects (eg being thankful for what we've got, being kind) that we hold to the same as those in church. {can't quite get my head round she vehemently doesn't believe in god but still believes in tooth fairies and FC...)

[hatwoman]

that wasn;t particularly in answer to your second q - but I'd still say the same. it's cheap and you'll feel more part of your local community and she'll have friends nearby instead of spread over some 40 minute or more radius.

[harpomarx]

no matter how fabulous the second, I would still go for the local school (and am trying not to let my anti-private prejudice get in the way here... }

I would only go out of my way for a school if I had serious concerns about my most local option.

by the time your child is in secondary school you may want to make the effort to go further afield but imo primary school is about making friends and having fun.

[KristinaM]

do you really want to do a 50 minute commute, twice a day, when you dont have to? and have your child so far from their friends? How will you do evening activities at the school?

[Tinkerbel6]

Chipmunks do what is best for you child and if that means driving to get there then do it. I don't think it hurts a child to have friends from other areas, what you have to think about is secondary school so you might want to put your child into a school where they are going to make friends and move up with them.