To think it is time to secularise all state-funded education?

[fideline]

Just that really.

I agree times a kabillion. I can't understand why such an old fashioned and bizarre situation is allowed to continue. How can a child be excluded from a state funded school because of their parents religion. It's just ridiculous.

(I'm not a fan of grammar schools either but I'll save that for another thread and it's not coz I'm bitter my kids got in to our local grammar )

I agree wholeheartedly. At the very least all church schools should accept students on the same basis as any other state school, that would shake up their demographic a bit.

YANBU in the least.

Far better for society that children of different faiths mix together.

This

I agree completely.

I've signed up to this: Fair Admissions Campaign

Far better for society that children of different faiths mix together.

I agree with this so much, now more than ever.

Yes I agree.

I agree wholeheartedly. Religion has no place at all in state schools.

For the older schools the real estate is owned by the church, as might be original buildings. I don't think the state can afford a buy out of the proprty interests (which are held by churches or charitable trusts).

Are you planning to buy the school buildings off the church or build replacements? Which services will you cut to find the money to do either of these?

There must be ways Amiccisimma.

Just cut the state funding with ample warning and let the school choose whether to go private?

There seems to have been a recent increase in religious schools being founded (not just academies) when the truth was we had too many anyway.

If that kind of minority demand exists, the governing bodies will surely have the energy to fundraise and manage the transition to private status.

However, I think the truth (as PP has said) is that an awful lot of children end up in religious schools due to lack of choice.

YABU.

Families should have access to state-funded religious and moral education according to whichever faith they hold. Currently you get it for some faiths and not others.

Amici a new generation of sectarianism will cost us a lot more.

YANBU
what is BU is the fact that schools which are supposed to educate the new generations are allowed to discriminate on the basis of religion in Britain in the 21st century. Frightening!

YAcompletelyNBU.

I think it a massive anomaly that state funded education can be allotted or withheld according to the religious beliefs of the parents. Or that state finding should pro-actively support and enable religious practice.

But I can't see he problem with Christian values, WhoseCourtenay. As an atheist I would say most of my values are the same as Christian values. (I don't think the discrimination against women bishops or the wide-held objections to same sex marriage are actually Xian values)

Totally agree, we still have schools selecting on ability too here, so after religion and ability take their pick, the rest go to the crap school for the rest.
Not sure how to deal with the fact that the church owns the buildings, maybe councils could pay rent to the church or purchase - though that would be expensive. Or maybe the church could still run the schools but not be allowed to discriminate on parents religion any more, or promote their religion? Ideally they would just hand them over, but it's unlikely I imagine .

Which faiths don't have the access chateau?

In London we have schools for most faiths.

Surely the truly religious can continue to use Sunday schools, Madrasas, Hebrew schools etc?

Yep. In my small town there is a catholic primary (v selective based on how often you go to mass) and a CE primary, for everybody else provided you meet distance/sibling/sn criteria. You're welcome to choose a secular village school but my cm only delivers to th CE school so no choice really. I don't like the christian focus & songs about jesus that come home but we try to instill the notion of choice where belief is concerned.

Why is school the appropriate place for any sort of religious observance, though, Sovery?

Please explain it to me.

Why should we segregate our children at not-yet-five in accordance with their parents' religions?

a new generation of sectarianism will cost us a lot more

Yes, I worry about this too. It is really frightening to see the ignorance and aggression of atheists/secularists and to see how intolerance is growing. It is really worrying to think about what the long term effects of this sectarianism will be.

I find it astonishing in the modern era that schools in England are all non-secular, just astounding. The sooner religion is removed from state education, the better.

What is even odder is that other, far more religious countries already have this separation (US, France, etc).