My 5 year old niece was told to go home and pray

[freyjasauntie]

I am really upset that my 5 year old niece was told by her school teacher to go home and pray at bedtime. Although she goes to a C of E school, this is due to logistics of living in the country, and the school are aware that she is being raised atheist, (she was enrolled as such) with a view to letting her decide her own path when she is ready to understand what that entails.

If a Muslim teacher had told her girls to go home and wear hijab, there would be uproar, but it seems to be accepted that schools can promote Christian ideology. I have no problems with my niece being taught about Jesus, about being kind to each other, about truth telling and other so called Christian Values (which can be found in almost any religion) but I strongly object to her being told to give up something for Lent (she had no idea why she should do so), and to pray at bedtime.

Religious Education should be EDUCATION, as a qualified RE teacher, I have always presented all world religious as equally valuable, but there is a real difference between education and what I believe is insidious indoctrination.

It's different though if you live in a city and have a choice of faith or community school. If you live in a village and there is one school, you don't really have a choice. We are lucky our village school is community, but other nearby villages have CofE schools. Children can't easily travel between these villages, so it's not really any choice at all, especially if you care about them being able to walk to school, have local friends etc.

i'll ask again... do her parents care? or is it just you?

cos really i want to remind you that it is not your child and if her parents are happy with the school then you just need to let it go!

Is the niece to be withdrawn from the Christmas and Easter celebrations? If not, YABU.

a child will develop skills of reasoning with regards to their own personal beliefs. they will also consider their own values, and attitudes. They will develop an understanding of Christianity, as well as developing respectful attitudes towards the beliefs of other member of faiths.

Which is what she is doing.

"They will develop an understanding of Christianity"

Surely, though, this includes Lent and giving stuff up for it, and praying!

Our DD goes to a non-denominational primary school where they pray to God (other faiths are also respected, but the school follows a Christian ethos).

My son's Scout group gave up something for Lent en masse.

We don't pray, attend Church with any regularity or give stuff up for Lent, but they are developing an understanding of Christianity and so I don't really see what the problem is.

Still don't get what the problem is.

her parents are split on the issue. It surprises me though to be told it is not my business. She is my niece and I am involved in all aspects of her life, including her school and her education. Also, as a qualified professional teacher and lecturer, I believe that I SHOULD be concerned with what is happening within our education system; especially if religious ideology is being taught as fact.

Frey - when you are in a hole, stop digging

Religious ideology will be taught as fact in a faith school or it wouldn't be a faith school anymore.

So just because you are a qualified professional teacher and lecturer that some how gives you the right to dicate the teachings in a faith school?

Faith schools exist to teach about that faith, that's why they exist.

What do you seriously expect them to do? Change the whole purpose of the school, just to suit you? Add except for you at the end of every religious instruction?

I don't think I have the right to dictate anything! I just believe that someone who is in the profession should be aware of some of the problems within the education system. I'm not advocating a ban on faith schools, I'm not suggesting that her parents pull her from the school. I'm just concerned that she is being taught religious practice as fact, rather than faith. if she came home saying the world was flat, or that 2+2=5, I would be equally concerned. The fact that I focus on "religion" as the problem is almost irrelevant - it just makes people miss the essence of my objection.

giddypickle - i have come across it before, sadly. Their Christmas production was amazing - they looked around the world at different celebrations, and I'm excited by the majority of her religious education that she does - she has an amazing understanding of different cultures and faiths, and is genuinely interested. It's just the - go home and pray - that I'm struggling with.

Yabu. She isn't your daughter. It is a faith school,suck it up!

Its a CofE school - the clue is in the name.
Yabu and a bit of a twit!

nojustification - I have taken classes of children and adults to mosques, and am in no way inciting sensationalism; it is called an analogy.

Well that's because you think religion isn't factual, I doubt a faith school thinks that.

No faith school is ever going to teach their faith as something that isn't or may not be true... The whole point is that they believe it is.

How are you surprised it's- so ridiculous!

Its a FAITH school and it is fact to them.

there is no school in my area that isnt either a catholic or C of E primary school therefore no skyfairy pushers opt out. So it may not be a case that the mother deliberately chose to send her child to a faith school and then moan about it, I would have had to send my chidren out of area (tricky to get a place and then theres the transport issues) or home ed which I couldnt have managed with work/studying.

It is a C of E school!!! What do you expect? They don't make any secret of it. They will have a school ethos, mission statement etc all clearly set out.
If your DC went to a Muslim school you could hardly have uproar because they were asked to follow Muslim practices at home.

Oh God (if you'll excuse the phrase) You sound like every teacher's worst nightmare OP.

So you're a teacher...big whoop.

That doesn't make your teaching ability and ideas any more valid than the teacher at your DN's school.

And quite honestly you should butt out. You may be involved in every aspect but you don't need to be interfering.

Just leave it up to the girl's parents.

exoticfruits - i paraphrase the mission statement earlier on in this thread - I didn't expect this much opinion. fantastic, first time I've posted, and great to get people's views.

I'm a card carrying atheist whose child goes to a CofE school where he's taught, as fact, about Christianity and their beliefs. If I sent him to another faith school, I'd expect them to do the same for whatever their beliefs are.

There is a private Islamic girl's school in our town. If I sent my DD there I would expect her to wear the hijab as that is part of the Uniform.

If you send your child to a faith school, expect religion. We just balance it out at home.