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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To become Catholic in order to ensure decent schooling?

92 replies

catholicschool · 10/02/2011 10:04

dcs both attend Catholic schools and we are a christian family and attend a CofE church.

youngest son is in year 1 and we want him to go to Catholic secondary but that is only guaranteed if he is Catholic Hmm

I now have a dilemma. I am baptised Catholic and am strongly tempted to take youngest son over to the Catholic faith and part of that would be to ensure he gets into the school that his brother currently attends.

I was thinking of returning to the Catholic faith last year after the Pope visited the UK and it inspired me to consider it.

I know I will probably be flamed for this but the only decent schools in our area are Catholic and it's not as though we're atheists who are just planning to pretend to be something we're not iyswim.

I love the fact that our children are receiving a christian based education and that can only be found in Catholic schools as the state secondary schools are secular.

OP posts:
pjmama · 10/02/2011 10:09

If you already a family of faith, you are a baptised Catholic yourself and this is something you were considering anyway, I don't see a problem.

I'd like to think the church would spot any athiests who were going through the motions for no other reason than to get into a particular school, although perhaps that's naive of me?!

cantspel · 10/02/2011 10:10

Is your son baptised catholic or are you willing to have him baptised?
And can you say the creed and mean every word of it?

If so i dont see a problem.

zingzillachinchilla · 10/02/2011 10:11

Sounds like you have it all worked out, TBH. What's the AIBU? Are you seeking endorsement?

cantspel · 10/02/2011 10:11

Forgot to add my youngest is having a catholic education (we are a catholic family) but around 20% of the son is non cathoilic

cantspel · 10/02/2011 10:12

son = school

faeriefruitcake · 10/02/2011 10:12

Transubstantiation! As you are already a person of faith you must believe that God will know and if you can live with that then why not?

FabbyChic · 10/02/2011 10:13

People like you take the piss.

We are CofE but we might go Catholic, what an absolute piss take.

Your faith obviously means fuck all to you.

TheButterflyCollector · 10/02/2011 10:13

Regardless of how you do it, there is nothing wrong with obtaining the best education possible for your children. Good luck.

taintedpaint · 10/02/2011 10:14

I think YABU, but I suspect this thread will be split right down the middle.

I'm not a fan of faith schools at all tbh, but regardless, I don't think it's appropriate to falsify a religious change for this reason.

CockularDepravity · 10/02/2011 10:15

So let's ignore our strong religious beliefs we have because we want to make sure Timmy goes to the best school possible.

I don't even know where to begin.

Stac2011 · 10/02/2011 10:15

is your first child already catholic? If its the school you want him to attend the go for it.

CockularDepravity · 10/02/2011 10:16

Actually, I do. If your religion means so little to you, it's probably best if you ditch it and be open with people that you only used it as a social and educational tool to be used as and when you felt like it.

Foreverondiet · 10/02/2011 10:17

If you believe in the substance of Catholicism, then why not?

If not then YABU.

OhForBoonessSake · 10/02/2011 10:17

"Regardless of how you do it, there is nothing wrong with obtaining the best education possible for your children. Good luck."

rubbish.

so anyone can go to any lengths in the name of good education for their dcs? what if their actions mean your child loses out on a place they are properly entitled to? are they stil entitled to go whatever they want?

GwendolineMaryLacey · 10/02/2011 10:22

I was thinking of returning to the Catholic faith last year after the Pope visited the UK and it inspired me to consider it.

Hahahahahahahaha! Very moving.

So which is it then OP? Are you a newly revived Catholic who wants to bring up your children in this faith (which isn't the same as CofE btw Hmm) or are you going to lie and cheat to wheedle your way into the school? Only you claim to be both.

Actually don't bother answering because I'm going to hide this thread. People like you piss me right off and are the reason why I, as a practising Catholic, have to sign a form every week at Mass to prove attendance. And why I, having missed Mass for 7 weeks before Christmas due to pneumonia and a week in January due to a miscarriage, am now having to face maybe not getting DD to the school attached to the church because I can't claim to have been there every week. Thanks for that Hmm

Original poster
catholicschool · 10/02/2011 10:22

Neither of our children are baptised Catholic. They were baptised in the CofE church. I am not planning on becoming Catholic just to get the youngest into Catholic secondary. I was seriously thinking about returning to the Catholic church last year after the Pope visited. It would benefit the youngest to become Catholic in terms of education but I do believe in the faith and the children are free to make up their minds when they get older.

OP posts:
cantspel · 10/02/2011 10:26

You will need a baptism certificate to get in to most catholic school unless you apply for a a place set aside for non catholics.
Most catholic schools have a pecentage of places for non catholics as they get some goverment funding for doing so.

littlebylittle · 10/02/2011 10:26

I'm sorry, but I can't see why god would want his schools full of believers. Nothing I read in the bible persuades me that religious admissions criteria are right. For believers, let alone pretend believers.

curlymama · 10/02/2011 10:27

On principle I wouldn't agree with doing this, but you have to do what you have to do to get your child the best education possible. I don't think anyone can reasonably critisize you for doing what is best for your own child, and you have to work within the education systenm we have. If you had a good alternative then presumably you would be open to using it, but if you don't, you are doing nothing wrong.

TheButterflyCollector · 10/02/2011 10:28

Rubbish only in your opinion, OhForBoonessSake.

Yes, if I were faced with a sink estate school or a better one I would go to (and have gone to) whatever lengths necessary to obtain a decent education for my child. My children, my priority, which is why people buy into good catchment areas, why people prefer the private sector, why people walk for miles in all weathers to access a decent school, why people home ed and sometimes too why people bend or break the rules to avoid their children being given a third-rate academic and social education.

In many schools we are not just talking of a poor academic education but of bullying, violence, poor standards of English (NOT a reflection on racial intake but of uncorrected ain'ts and 'avents), drug use in schools and the like. So, no, I have nothing but understanding for the parent who does whatever they need to in order to avoid that.

MorticiaAddams · 10/02/2011 10:29

WWJD?

MrSpoc · 10/02/2011 10:29

nothing wrong with securing the best education for your child.

theRE aint much differance between the two faiths anyway. it is still the same god.

splashyy · 10/02/2011 10:30

I think what is more unreasonable is that good state schools are allowed to exclude people on the basis of religion. I am not against religious schools, but they should be inclusive.

Children benefit from mixing with people from different faiths.

OhForBoonessSake · 10/02/2011 10:30

so shruggy, you would be totally accepting of your child losing out on a place in teh good school and ending up in the sink estate school because of another family's bending and breaking of the rules?

Litchick · 10/02/2011 10:31

OP give the hand wringing a rest.

There's a good school near you and you want access to it. End of.

You want the best for your kids and are prepared to put your morals aside.
I don't blame you.

Not worse than sending DC to private school, tutoring for grammar, buying an overpriced house in a good catchment...not worse at all.