Would you start attending church to get your child into a C of E secondary?

I did. Had to go twice a month for 2 years and sign a register.
Did I feel good about doing it? No.
I "rationalised" it to myself as some people move house to get the best school choice for their child, some tutor for entrance exams, some pay a lot of fees.

No.
I hate church schools. If they were actually serving their faith community, I would hate them less, but they're also serving those families who are willing to lie for three years to get their kid into school.
They discriminate against families with another religion who aren't willing to give it up. Even against practising Christians. In Liverpool if you're a Methodist or Baptist who attends church every week for three years you won't get a place in our local Anglican school.
Against families who do shift work or work retail (ie anyone who doesn't have a nice 9-5 office job). Yes, they will accept mid week church services but family services are on Sunday and our local Anglican schools all count child attendance too.
Against anyone who doesn't have a stable enough lifestyle to live close to the same church for three years.
Against anyone with long term mental or physical health problems (our local schools are explicit that they don't accept this as an excuse) or children living eg in families with addiction
Against anyone who doesn't have the English or cultural capital to understand the system until it's too late.
It's not even about religion. All the actual Christians I know in Liverpool hate this too because it's impossible to build a loving worshipping community when people show up for three years, sit resentfully on their phones, don't bother to join the flower, tea, Sunday school rota, don't help out with the any of the work involved in maintaining the building etc, but still expect someone to provide Sunday school for their kids, then leave as soon as they have an attendance certificate.
Schools love it though because they get a demographic of kids from stable families with parents invested in their education.
We chose not to do this because we hate it so much. I'm now terrified my kid is going to be fucked over because of it (waiting to see if he's got a place in Liverpool's only grammar).

No way. If I had to sit listening to religious claptrap, I'd be ready to actively break a few of their commandments by the end of it. Faith based schools have no place in modern society.

No

I'm a Christian, and my children are christened. But we are not CofE and I don't agree with state funded church schools, whatever the religion or denomination.

No way. I was also forced to attend sunday school as a kid and absolutely hated it.

I would rather try and move house.

It’s not something that affects us where we are, but yes I would if it was the only way to get my kids in to a decent school.

The school system needs an overhaul. I’d like to abolish religious state schools. But we are where we are and my top priority is my kids and their futures.

If that was my best option then I’m afraid I would. When ds was that age I still had some Christian remnants in me anyway, I attended pretty regularly when he was at primary so it wouldn’t have been very out of character to go. But tbh I would go now if I had a grandchild I somehow needed to front up for, and I’m the stoniest of atheists these days.

All the religious schools in our areas accept none religious pupils so it wouldn't be necessary x

I don't see anything wrong with it. They only want outward conformance not to look into people's hearts.

No and the church and religions should keep out of education if upu want an inclusive world.

PS I don't judge people who attend church just to qualify for a school place. You play the hand you're dealt.

I judge and despise those who oppose any change. Like the lobbyists who tried, but luckily failed, to remove the 50% cap on faith based admission discrimination for new faith schools.

One of the best schools local to me is a CofE school. It has a relatively large catchment area, and spreads across several villages, where the population isn't particularly diverse.

Allocation based on faith is 4th on the list, with resident in catchment, sibling priority, looked after children being 1st, 2nd and 3rd. In reality the majority of places are allocated children in the first three categories.

I attend the church which is attached to this school - its actually the closest church to us, but we are not within catchment for the school. Our vicar is very wise to the concept of "on your knees to save on fees" and rightly so.

There's a Catholic school also in our town, and again, allocation of places is the same as above. Because of the location of the school, this is a very ethnically diverse school (town vs rural village)

The school we are in catchment for, is dreadful both in terms of attainment and behaviour issues, so will we apply to an oversubscribed CofE school which aligns with our faith over a mega-school with issues? Absolutely.

No.

We would never accept hospitals funded by everyone's taxes but which give priority to patients of a certain faith. Whether the land where the hospital is built belongs to a church doesn't change that.

But we accept it with schools.

Shameful to say the least.

If the entrance criteria is 2 years of regular church attendance you are just following the rules, technically you shouldn't even have to lie. Aren't church services open to all?

Of course. How do you think 90% of the kids got their places at the CofE secondary school? It’s certainly not because their families are genuinely churching going.

Parents game the system all of the time. It’s no different to moving house to get into the catchment of a good school. In fact, it’s better because it’s free!

In Birmingham there is a Jewish school where 2/3 of the pupils are Muslim.

I know that is unusual but it does happen. Lots of faith schools do have 'any other faith' as one of their criteria, usually quite low down.

No. But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with doing so.

This. I didn’t. But I know a LOT of people
who suddenly found their faith when their eldest child was 9 and then suddenly lost it again when youngest child turned 11.

Surely a school with a better demographic is a better school from the parent’s and child’s perspectives? It is literally one of if not the most important factor to consider when choosing a school.

@crymyeyesviolete I think these schools that select by religion should not be tolerated. They actively discriminate against Hindus, Muslims etc who are never ever going to pretend to be CofE to get into a better school. As a non committed non religious parent, you can fake what you want, but others who are committed to another religion are consigned to the crap schools. It’s selection by the back door based on discriminatory grounds and by now it should be illegal.

We have one of these schools in an area I used to live in. It is rural and takes dc from far and many drive past several other schools to get there. Totally ludicrous but of course it’s the best school. Why wouldn’t it be? It’s full of pushy parents who fake religion!

Maybe, I wouldn't want to send them to a bad school. I don't know how long I could keep it up for, as Sunday is my main lie in day!

No, my dcs have a regular club on Sunday mornings and wouldn't want to give it up. And no one in my family is baptised including me and DH so I don't think we'd be very convincing. I'd rather go private or move.

No.

I wouldn't want to fake being a particular religion, if it wasn't actually my religion.