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

[fideline]

Just that really.

I don't see how the state could afford to buy the land and building from the church. The church doesn't have a problem, they could sell it elsewhere,at a huge profit, if the state didn't want it. It will all be prime building land.

yes, agree

"It is really frightening to see the ignorance and aggression of atheists/secularists and to see how intolerance is growing."

Fuck me sideways. Are you on the same planet as the rest of us.

The Crusades. Ireland. WW2. The Lebanese War. The Thirty Years War. 9/11.

All those Athiests and secularists causing all that aggression, eh?

Fuck me sideways (again).

It is only in cities that there is an admissions problem, in rural areas it is often the only school.

Which causes a lack of choice too doesn't it Delph?

On one hand I agree.. but then on the other!
The area in which I live (London) has schools for every faith. In lots of them, there is actually a mixture of children, so they are not only multi cultural but multi faith anyway.
I do admit, I feel a bit odd about the non Jewish children in the Jewish school choosing to opt out of certain religious times, but more because if you choose a school where such practices are integral to their day, why send your child there if you disagree with them.

That was an uncharacteristically daft contribution from Niminy.

Yes. But as I said the state can't afford to buy the land from the church.

I don't see how the state could afford to buy the land and building from the church. The church doesn't have a problem, they could sell it elsewhere,at a huge profit, if the state didn't want it. It will all be prime building land.

Huge profit?

I feel a tax bill coming on!

In fact the state may not want all the buildings and given that it is only 10% which is owned by CofE it is quite possible that this could be paid by giving some buildings back to the church in their entirety.

Also, land is only prime development if planning permission is granted.

I don't see how the state could afford to buy the land and building from the church. The church doesn't have a problem, they could sell it elsewhere,at a huge profit, if the state didn't want it. It will all be prime building land.

I thought the Anglican church was wealthy? Can they not afford to run their own schools?

Would a ten year phased plan towards secularisation ease any of the practical difficulties?

It's all about the parents rights isn't. What about the children's rights to select their own faith when they have the maturity and knowledge to make that choice. What about their choice to grow up in a school that is inclusive and tolerant rather than one that is separatist and divisive?

For example some people chose to home school their children, others prefer forest schools or steiner schools.

Exactly and when we do, we pay for them.

The OP is talking about voluntary aided schools , but most church schools are voluntary controlled CofE schools.These were bought by the church and bequested to the then equivalent of education authority with the condition that it must retain its religious character.These schools make up about 1/3 of schools in England.To make them all secular would involve finding sites, funding and building over 8000 new schools just in England.
so while it's a nice idea to secularise schools it would be nigh on impossible in practice

Our local Catholic school does exclude other religions, due to its large catchment area and the local population. There's a priority list - 1 Catholic children in care 2 Catholic children with Catholic parents, etc. Number 9 is CofE and 10 is where non-Catholics/non-CofE starts. The catchment area is huge. Due to the large proportion of Eastern European Catholics in the area, admissions never reaches 9 on the list, yet alone 10.

If a parent has made the choice to send their children to a school that has religious observance etc then I don't see a problem with it. There is a problem when parents do not have that choice.

No parents have a choice to send their children to a totally non-religious school. ALL schools, CofE or community schools, are required to have a daily act of worship which is supposed to be broadly Christian in nature (enlightened heads in schools where most children are not Christian may choose to have a more inclusive act of worship but it's still an act of worship and not necessarily appropriate in today's society).

So It is like insisting homeopathic and herbal treatment must have NHS funding.

Sorry, all state schools. Of course, there may be some independent schools that do not have an act of worship, but this isn't common.

grin @ Corus

Ahem

Sovery please tell me why the tax-payer should fund faith schools.

Exactly, pixiepotter. I don't think that many people have an understanding of the history of education.
It would be nice but not possible. I can't see why the church should just hand over the land. They are all in places where they would get planning permission easily if the state couldn't buy it at the going rate. It is only fair to pay tax on it, but it would still raise a lot if money. The C of E is only wealthy because it owns land.