Withdrawal from Church Services in a CoE school.

I was in a CoE primary school in the 90's and the two of the Muslim students sat out of church services and other various religious events.

If you don't want them to attend, I can't see it being an issue for the school. But I do remember these children being upset to miss out. Church services at primary school can feel like quite exciting events. Will your children be ok watching everyone else get excited about carrying a christingle and eating the sweets after?

Obviously it depends on how devout you are, but it seems a shame to exclude them from something fun because of religion. My reception son has just had his nativity in a CoE school. I'm not sure of all the children's religions, but some Muslim children definitely took part and had a fab time. I'm sure it hasn't converted them, they just liked doing something fun with their friends 🤷‍♀️.

Edited to say: sorry, I've just seen your updates. If he doesn't want to go I'd absolutely speak to school. I'm sure he won't be the first child not to attend and they will have options in place (that will teach me to go make a cuppa in the middle of posting!).

Its really common. Just write and ask. Mainly they just sit out and read

I was a bit bemused by one school where the children who withdrew were given headphones playing a story as they didnt have anyone to supervise them. So they had to come to church but not hear what was going on.

Lots of church schools were specifically built to serve there local community regardless of their faith. Not all were intended specifically for those of faith only.

I think this is quite common at CofE schools. Since it's seen more as part of the state than other religions, it tends to be more inclusive of kids who follow other religions (or none). Just talk to them - I doubt your kid will be the first.

Edited - my last comment is irrelevant given the last update.

If you feel very strongly, but I remember going to Catholic school as a baptised protestant, although I'm not religious and at church services, we didn't get Communion and we got a blessing instead. It was just part and parcel of that childhood learning where you learn about different religions. Nuances within the religion , some people do one thing , some people do another , and yet we're all good friends etc etc .

You are right thought they were weird, I don't know why a pp thought not going to a church service to worship is for "weirdos"

but some of us hated this and would rather have just joined in!

What does your son actually want to do?

I’m Jewish, I went to a C of E primary school because it was a lovely school and better than other local options. I wanted to join in with things like the harvest festival in church because I didn’t want to be different and other. I asked my parents to stop withdrawing me from things and was much happier. I understood perfectly that it wasn’t our religion.

I am not sure why there is a assumption that op chose a c of e school. Our local c of e school is under subscribed so has lots of pupils that are of different faiths or none (whether they chose to go there or not). There is no issue with pupils being withdrawn from religious assemblies. I can't imagine it would be a problem for op to withdraw her child from assemblies or that they would be singled out by other pupils. If they are perhaps the school needs to work harder on teaching Christian values such as tolerance...

OP may not have had a choice where to send their child. We live rurally and our only secondary school is C of E. Luckily no church services yet (Year 8) but I would hope there is an option to withdraw if necessary.

This. Ignore all the posters trying to start an argument, it’s definitely common and I’m sure the school will be understanding.

Here is the legislation https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/31/part/II/chapter/VI/crossheading/exceptions-and-special-arrangements-etc

The withdrawal can be partial, my DC attends church services but do not receive the Eucharist as we belong to a different denomination. Another child in DC's class (also Christian) was withdrawn from all collective worship.

I don't see why you are getting so much pushback OP.
There are lots of reasons this school might be best for your DC, and he clearly met the entry criteria.
So write to the school asking how you withdraw him from religious worship and whether anything other than these 2 church services would be impacted if you did. There will be a form.

(OTOH it may help if he then chooses to do RE GCSE as he will know all the Judasim part and will have more of an awareness of the Christianity.)

Not if it is a decent school where children are taught basic good manners.

What a very odd comment.

We dont have any local CofE secondary schools, but from the Collective Worship policy of a local-ish CofE Voluntary Aided primary school:

We expect all children to attend worship. However, any parent can request permission for their child to be excused from attending religious worship and the school will make alternative arrangements for the supervision of the child during the period concerned. Parents do not have to explain or give reasons for this. This complies with the 1944 Education Act and was restated in the 1988 Education Reform Act.

I'm quoting this school's policy because it details the underlying legislation. Basically, anyone has the right to withdraw their DC from their school's acts of collective worship.

However, another, more local school (same diocese) words their policy along the lines of, Well, you've got the right to withdraw your DC, but we hope you won't, given that you decided to send them here in the first place. And yet another school, again same diocese (in fact, the MAT it belongs to is the 'diocese MAT'), doesn't appear to mention the subject at all.

So yes, you have the legal right to withdraw your DC; in the absence of details in the school's policies re whom to contact (or a published policy at all), I would either drop in at the office, or use the 'contact us' email in the first instance to check how to withdraw officially. Although at the end of the day, if you are fine with however much the school adheres (or doesn't) to the requirement for a 'broadly Christian in nature' daily act of worship and it's only the 2 church services that are the issue, you could just report your DC's absence for the relevant sessions at the time, citing withdrawal from attending the service as the reason?

I am Jewish and when I was at secondary school my parents arranged that I sat out the Christian morning assemblies. I remember clearly sitting outside the closed assembly doors. I see no reason why any school wouldn't agree to doing the same for your DC,

Yeah all of you saying ‘just let them go, it’s only twice a year - it’s really not the same thing as being atheist and tagging along. It’s about participating in an act of worship for a religion you aren’t practicing. It’s like asking an atheist to pray to God, or a Muslim to take part in the Eucharist. It’s not an appropriate expectation that ‘what the heck, just go along with it’.

I went to a CofE school and I’ve taught in one too. We had Muslim, Jewish and Sikh children at the school. Although not Christian all these religions share common ethos and so it’s understandable why they would attend a CofE school. While they may not agree about whether Christ is the son of God - kind of the foundation for Christian worship and so understandable why non-Christians wouldn’t want to take part- Christianity, Judaism and Islam are all Abrahamic religions, all share the core moral principles of the 10 commandments (and Sikhs view all religions as the path to the same one God) - their parents withdrew them from worship and it wasn’t a big deal. Think they did extra maths.

I think this is fairly common OP. When I was at junior school many years ago there were Muslim children that sat out of assembly. I certainly didn’t think they were weird (as suggested by a previous poster.) just email his form tutor x

Lots of non Christian children go to church affiliated schools. .and withdraw from church services just withdraw your child from it i am sure they won't be the only one not going to church.

Do you fight to get him in a school because it's the best one, now you shun the thing that makes it good. Don't single them out, kids remember the weird ones that don't have to go to the assemblies

Just email the school explaining that you wish for your ds to sit out of the service for religious reasons.

They may have no-one to supervise him separately, and ask for you to drop him at school when the service ends.

Alternatively just let him sit in. I went to a CofE school with similar provision. It had no impact on my lack of faith whatsoever. I know the words to a couple of Christmas carols as a result but only because they are beautiful musically.

Twice yearly? Surely that's not a problem. They must do weekly assemblies which will be loosely CofE in nature, hymns etc.

We are atheists, but DC's happily attended Catholic services at our DC's school, as did we.

Children generally stick to the faith of their home rather than anything encountered at school.

Just tell the school you don’t wan’t your child to participate they will be fine with it, I’m sure your child won’t be the only one.

The school will be used to this and can arrange for your child to do something else likely.