To apply DC to a religious school although we aren't religious at all

I have always thought this is an odd attitude. Most religions want to encourage people to join their religion. Surely spending 7 years teaching them in a religious school is the perfect way to do this. Otherwise you are literally just preaching to the converted!

Lol, that sense of superiority from the parents is what makes us hesitate actually. Like morals and values can only be defended by that religious community... It's very ignorant and hypocritical.

ALL schools myst do some sort of assemblies /worship based on a Christian ethos . A Catholic school would, I assume, do more.
I dont have any issue with any child attending a Catholic but dont, as a close friend did, then complain when one of the GCSEs had to be RE. She said ut was ridiculous and a waste of a gcse that her son could've used for a 'proper subject. I did ask what she thought a Catholic school would do.

While we've heard that some people start going to church ahead of school age for their kids, just to get a spot at school - I thought that is sort of optional.

Both schools and churches got wise to this many many years ago.

This is something you need to discuss with thr school about whether it's mandatory, it might just be they have an assembly and sing a couple of hymns ?
If you don't want your child exposed to thet then look at non religious schools.

We are thinking of a Catholic school despite not being Catholic as well, and that's not our catchment school.

As someone from a European country, it is quite common and we want this school because we think they provide the best setting and quality of education for our children, over the other school in the area.

My husband is British, and told me that even in non-religious school they were doing prayers and hymns most days... Which is totally bonkers to me! But it means it won't be that different anyway.

One thing though is that you really need to see the school, look at their admission criteria, and talk to the headteacher. Because they are all run very differently.

I have heard colleagues in London going to church for months to get into the school, which for me is hypocritical and not a value I would want to teach to my children. I'm also wondering what integration will be like for the children long-term when they try to fit into a community they don't belong to.

The school we are considering is not like that at all, they are small school, with few pupils and only half are from Catholics families. They openly welcome children from all faiths, although obviously prioritise Catholic children when it comes to admission.

Plenty of people do, but I really really really wish non religious people would stay out of religious schools and diluting them. They never stop to reflect why they are good schools that they would like their children to attend, they're sawing away at the branch upon which they're climbing. If children do attend and families decide they would like to embrace that religion then that is fantastic, but so many don't. I don't think it's morally the right thing to do, but - if this is the only way for its positive influence to ripple through society then so be it.

You shouldn't need to go to an open day and ask. You should be able to look up the admissions criteria for the school (on the school website) and if admissions is coordinated by the local authority, you should also look on the local authority website and you should be able to find out how many children were admitted in each category (looked after, faith in catchment, not faith in catchment etc.) over the past few years to understand whether or not it would be necessary to start attending church regularly to get a place at the school.

You need to look at the admissions criteria. Catchment doesn’t really come into it as qualifying catholics will be placed above you. Was yR full last year?

at ours it is baptised practising catholics, practising other Christian religions, LAC and then any other children.

I would have a look at previous years admissions as you should be able to get a breakdown of how the places were allocated. Last year our local Catholic primary school offered 3 out of 30 places to 'any other children'. The majority of the places were offered to baptised children with a certificate of Catholic practice either within or outside of the catchment, and 2 places from other Christian denominations (my children don't go there but I looked at this kind of information when I was applying to schools). You should be able to find the numbers on your council website I think... it'll also give you an idea on whether the school is oversubscribed or not, and a rough idea of the diversity.

I would expect that the prayers and bible studies are mandatory though.