Only Christian kids given a prize

[IDontWantRealism]

Can someone help me see reason with this? My kids are atheist but Jewish by ancestry. They go to a non-denominational school but in a very traditional rural area with lots of Christian students. They ran a competition which involved making a profession of faith over Easter. Obviously my kids didn’t enter but many others did. We were told there would be a prize but today at school all children who entered were given a prize leaving out the few non-Christian children and the few other children who didn’t enter. That’s not ok is it? I need some help navigating this as the school have form. We’ve previously had to moan about them being taught other problematic views.

It's completely exclusionary, whether they'd given a prize to one winner or to all the entrants. Only some children could enter it (unless they were willing to make false professions of faith) and that's not fair at all, unless they run other competitions concurrently for children of other faiths or who have no religion.

Not any more we're not. Survey results vary depending on the question asked but here's a very recent one mentioned in the Wikipedia article on Religion in the UK:

The 2022 Talking Jesus report (a partnership between Alpha, the Evangelical Alliance, HOPE Together, Luis Palau Association and Kingsgate Community Church) describes the current state of faith in the UK: 48% of the population described themselves as ‘Christian’ of which 6% described themselves as ‘practising Christians.

It was run by the local church but it was run inside the school and the prizes awarded today in a school assembly.

Regardless of the exclusion element, this is entirely inappropriate for a non denominational school, and you should take it up with the governors and with the LEA. Personally, I would be incandescent with rage, and I'm not one to fume about school stuff.

My eldest is atheist
My youngest is Jewish
I am Christian

My children have done poster for Diwali, Passover, Easter, Christmas, Pillars of Islam, Churches, Mosques, Hindu Temples etc

Drawing a poster, or making a model of the pillars of Islam etc is massively encouraged by me at home. They have been to a Hindu temple with friends of mine and celebrated Diwali with them, she then came and celebrated Easter with us. Learning what others believe, listening, appreciating each other and our beliefs and faiths as well as atheism is one of the most valuable things on the planet. Do a cross stitch of a cross doesn’t mean you are a Christian or that you are going to Heaven - perhaps 🤔 see the bigger picture here.
Indoctrination in any form is not acceptable and that includes atheism. Learning and knowledge is power.

I'd seriously be asking the school when the synagogue, mosque, humanists etc are coming in to do their competitions and if not why not

That’s how I’m feeling although it is interesting to see so many with a different view. The boys were upset, my oldest said he didn’t want to lie but he would have been given chocolate if he did.

We’re in Scotland so no LEA as such or governors. I’ll take it up with the Head in the first instance.

But it's not just colour a religious symbol - imo that would be fine. Requiring kids who want to enter to colour/decorate words which profess an active belief in a religious doctrine is not in any way the same as being open minded to learning about other religions.

That was in response to Snoopy

When you say ‘it was run inside the school’ what do you mean? It was part of class time?

It wasn’t a cross stitch of a cross though. They’ve done plenty of religious imagery etc before. It was a written profession of faith. To my mind that’s quite different.

Yes, it was done in class time. It was a session run by the church but inside school and during normal lesson time.

But they’re not required to enter. It’s voluntary.

Christian church runs Christian-themed competition at Easter isn’t something to worry about, imo.

Why are so many posters being wilfully oblivious to what the OP has stated? The children were being asked to make a 'profession of faith' i.e. a statement of their personal belief in Jesus and Christianity. That's quite different to a piece of project work or art about Jesus. I find that quite extraordinary in a secular school.

But it was done in class time.

What did the rest of the class do instead?

It wasn’t a colour in sheet. They had to write a specific phrase- copied from the board- which was an affirmation of belief in Jesus.
They then had to decorate it. If they didn’t want to enter the competition/write the phrase they did a different task which was not part of the competition and obviously there were no prizes etc.

OK, then that’s worth a complaint.

A competition run in the children’s free time, at home, but with prizes given out in assembly, that’s fine.

A competition run in school time should be open to all. They could have provided some alternative format or wording.

Just buy them a chocolate OP. If that's what they were upset about, you can put it right.
Also, good on them for not wanting to lie just to get the sweets. Buy them a second chocolate for having integrity.

Maybe you could run a school competition for the best essay on truth and justice: What are they? Where do these ideas come from? Why are they important?

This. A profession of faith is totally and completely different to talking ABOUT religion. Learning about religions is great, I encourage it. Taking part in worship, professing faith, making children compete to be religious FFS, all wrong.

I’m a practicing Christian and even I don’t think this is ok.

1. Because it excludes children of other faiths and none.
2. Because a profession of faith is a solemn religious act, between a believer and God, in the presence of their church family (and, I should add, varies hugely even between Christian denominations), not a matter for a competition. I think it’s perfectly reasonable for you to raise this with the school.

I do wonder how the Christian religious people on this thread would feel if their children were making sparkly colouring for prizes that said, "God is Dead" or "Praise Allah".

There's a lot of defending blatant discrimination on here this afternoon. Would this be ok: "Hey kids, we're having a competition - make a poster explaining how much you enjoy being able bodied and white! Don't worry if you're disabled or black, just pretend so that you can enter!"

They should have put the phrase in scare quotes - then it wouldn't have been them "saying it".

That's what I'd have done if I was asked to write something I didn't believe and there was chocolate at stake.

The problem is, your family were not able to enter the competition because of the task. It is not like, ' draw your pet' where pupils without a pet could pretend.
I can understand why you are not happy. However, do you want to help the school understand your viewpoint to avoid this happening again, or are you going to choose some way of punishing the school?

Some posters on here are very quick to whip up confrontation. I think you have a fair point to be made but what outcome would you like when you raise this with the school?

Worth noting that, as OP is in Scotland, all schools - even non denominational ones - are attached to a Church of Scotland parish, so not truly secular as in England. We have Catholic schools, but all others come under this. (Not sure I’m explaining well, but the systems are different.)