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

[fideline]

Just that really.

How can you keep religious teaching out of schools? You can't understand history, current affairs, art and literature without them. They teach about all religions.

One of the problems with 'faith' schools is that they don't have to follow the SACRE so they don't have to teach a balanced RE curriculum.

Hey sovery!! We agree on something!

State education should be impartial. That is all.

There are evenings and weekends for religious study.

YANBU

I have an active faith, but would not want my son going to a single-faith school. Religious apartheid is only going to store up trouble for later when kids have had no opportunity to encounter different worldviews growing up.

And, of course, it's totally unfair that kids of one faith in certain areas have a choice of many more state secondary schools than kids of other faiths, or none.

I live next door to a state primary school. Literally next door. There is a brick wall dividing us from the school playground. This state school, funded by public money (including mine), refused to even give me an application form as I was not Catholic, and there was "no point". My son from the age of four had to walk 40 minutes every morning to a secular primary school in another borough, and not the three minutes it would have taken to go to the school next door. There is no universe in which this is a sensible way to organise education.

As a teacher, I have made the personal commitment to never teach in a non secular school. Yanbu!

I am totally in agreement for a class that covers different beliefs and also the fact that sone people don't believe in anything. There are some fecking awesome discussion points for children there. The history of religion, the veil, why do we celebrate Xmas, kosher and halal foods etc etc

bromdad where exactly do you teach then, as there are no secular schools in England?

Yanbu. It is totally discriminatory that a child cannot attend their local school because they are the wrong religion. The state should not be funding discrimination. Makes me so very angry that my taxes support this system that discriminates against me and my family.

Faith schools can discriminate on religious grounds when employing staff.

Yes - it's astonishing that in the 21st century a state-funded institution can be exempt from religious discrimination laws.

The school I teach in became a C of E High school three years ago. Nothing has changed massively, RE is taught, but as ever it teaches understanding and respect of all religions and moral issues. The biggest difference I have seen is that the Christian children are proud to say they are Christian, which was not the case before.

There are a wide range of religions in the school.

I wasn't confusing anything, I was replying to the person who said 'keep religious teaching' out of schools . If you are only going to teach in secular schools you can't work in England, there are no secular schools. They are non denominational and can be more religious than a church school.

Hup so it was essentially just a name change then?

I think that people ought to understand the history of education and study the various education acts and then they wouldn't be under the impression that there are such things as secular schools in England!

But again Delph 'Religious teaching' is VERY VERY different from 'Reigious Education'

Which country do you teach in Bromdad?

Hup - how and why did that happen? Were the parents (existing and potential) consulted?

I was reading religious teaching as religious education which is different from religious practice.

I know what you meant Bromdad.

Where do you stand on 'daily act of collective worship' BTW?

I think she meant the opposite Delph

Possibly she did, it wasn't how I read it.

YANBU

Kim within five miles of my house we have state schools affiliated to the following religions/denominations;

Catholicism
C of E
Sikhism
Islam
Judaism
Methodism (? could be Baptist)

Dozens of schools (and I am sure I have missed some affiliations off the list)

DS1 goes to a non-denominational school but someone their must be flying the religion flag because he bangs on about it all the bloody time and told me the other day that "everyone at my school is a Christian, including me"

I'm not impressed but guessing he'll grow out of it!