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.

They are actually stopping that seeker.

Just one comment:

The Bishop of Coventry, Right Reverend Christopher Cocksworth, said: "The vision of Church of England schools is that we are here to serve the community. They shouldn't just be ghettos for very committed Christians.

Some believe the current system encourages families - particularly from the motivated and educated middle-classes - to start or increase religious activity in the hope of boosting their chances of entry to high-performing schools.

I think the real sadness is that the middle classes manipulate any system to suit themselves. Grammar schools, tutors etc are far, far more unfair than faith schools.

We are in a Christian country with a Christian culture and a Christian heritage

Rubbish.

Modern Britain is predominantly a faithless country where the Church of England is in such collosal decline (and has been for decades) that it is predicted to be obsolete by 2030. It is dying on its arse.

Religion has no place in education other than in an informative capacity.
If a parent wishes their child to be practically schooled in whatever religion they happen to subscribe to then pack them off to Sunday school, or synagogue or whatever.

It is most refreshing to hear from people of faith who recognise that the state should not fund faith schools. It is possible to be a christian and still think that the faith school palaver is unacceptable in 21st century Britain.

NO religion has the monopoly on kindness and compassion and all these supposedly "unique" christian values that are trumpeted in prospectuses. An atheist child is just as capable of doing great good in this world.

My point is seeker-that Christian parents do not have faith at the top of the agenda-they want a good school. They can do the Christian part at home.

Because there are so many variables and you can never remove all of them. In a lot of schools it is the faith ethos that makes them the school they are, generally very good ones and that shouldn't be removed simply because some other schools aren't "equal"

But just becsuse there are otehr unfair things is no good reason for keeping this one.

As I said, start me off on grammar schools and I'll be ranting til next week. I'm not a one trick pony here!

That is fine Esta but the state needs to buy out the church-who could then use the money to build shelters for the homeless or other projects-not just have their assets seized because they are obsolete.

The entire education system needs to be redesigned-just attacking one section will not make it fair.

Op I think YABU.

Our old local primary school was CofE and it was flogged off by the local Bishop to built a Barret Home Estate. Every single Methodist chapel round here has been truned into a holiday home.
Let us not get too dewy eyed about this.
Talk of asset seizing is just hysterical - in both senses of the word.

Exactly-they are sitting on valuable assets-if the state doesn't want them to have any say in education the state needs to buy the building and land-or Barrets will want it!! I would love to convert an old school to a house-if I could afford it.

The bottom line is that faith schools are highly popular.
Parents have it in their own hands, They get together-decide to wihdraw their DCs from the faith part and it is sorted!
How can a vicar come in weekly if he has 12 DCs to talk to and the rest are withdrawn? (I expect he could but they would be withdrawn from class). How could the Head do assemblies with most out?

This is the parent's right-in law.

Why not try it-if you feel strongly?
I just have my doubts whether most parents would join you. You won't know unless you try it-more constructive than moaning on MN, where you can find plenty of like minded people but nothing changes.

Thing is, these Church schools aren't independent. Pupils = money and that money comes from the taxpayer. So those schools must behave accordingly and treat all families with respect, not merely those who worship regularly.

They do treat them all with respect! I know DCs of other faiths (it isn't just GiddyPickle) who go to church schools and go into worship-the DCs make a distinction-they are proud to say how they are different and they are respected. Their parents could withdraw them if they wished-they prefer a broad education.
It will come that going to church won't get you a place at a church school -so you will have the choice-but you still can't expect them to drop the faith part.
The safeguard is that you can withdraw your DC.

exotic - yes there are church schools that behave responsibly, but I'm afraid there are those that don't and insist on indoctrinating children. And many of those that don't still refuse admission to the 'wrong' sort of children.

Not in the schools we are talking about though, edam-they are in villages-no other school and they have to take all.
This is quite different from the towns or places large enough for a choice.

They can not insist on indoctrinating DCs-you can withdraw your DC. However if you live in a place with choice and you got it by 'finding God' you have painted yourself in a corner!!