to not want my kid to go to a mosque ...again!

[moaningminnie2]

We live in North Yorkshire and every year the village Cof E school run a whole-school trip to Bradford.First they went to a mosque, then the following year a Gurdwara and then a Hindu temple, and now this year back to a mosque again.They do that in the morning, then have lunch and a run around in a park, and then in the afternoon a quick visit to 'Bombay Stores' and then back home for school pick up. DD and her friends don't want to go ( they went in Y2) and I resent having to pay £13 for each of my 2 kids at the school.Whaty is the point of going to the same place again, and do the school get 'Brownie Points' for doing this sort of RE trip.

Of course it is Chaz that wasn't my point my point was that on mumsnet its seems fair game to pull the catholic church to pieces but not other religions as soon as anybody mentions anything about Islam or judeism sp?they are called bigots or racist but catholics and most forms of Christianity are routinely slagged off.

Most kids are just delighted to be out of school for the day and to get to mess around with their mates at the back of the coach and compare packed lunches. Speaking as a veteran of many many school trips (as an accompanying parent) I'm honestly amazed that any year 4 children are SOOOO jaded that they actively 'don't want to go' on a day trip away from the classroom, spending half their time playing in a park and visiting a shop! Are they picking up an attitude from somewhere?

Rafflesway - what's your view on the OPs school going to church every month then? She doesn't seem to have a problem with Christian worship being a standard part of the school policy.

The children are not going to these other places to worship, they are there to learn about another faith, and see the place of worship for real rather than in a book or video.

There is compulsory worship of the broadly Christian nature in ALL State schools. Hardly discriminating AGAINST Christianity. Some might say that it was, you know, massively discriminating against everyone else. Some might say...

grocklebox
oct 2011 mosque
oct 2012 Sikh
oct 2013 hindu
oct 2014 mosque

How old would a baby born on 1/10/11 be today? Three years old!! 3 years have elapsed since his/her birth

Taking children to visit a religious building is hardly indoctrination, it is education about another religion.

I went to visit the science museum (every year) from school but didn't turn into a scientist, nor did the visit to the Wwt centre turn me into a duck!

x2
The difference is that quite often the people criticising Christianity are Christians themselves. I might complain about RC schools but given that I was educated in one for most of my school life I feel entitled to have my say.

I suspect that quite a lot of the posters that have issues with religions like Islam / visits to mosques are not members or former members of the religion they are having a pop at.

I wonder if schools in inner city Bradford (which are attended by mostly muslim children) visit a CofE church for their RE?

Yes they do Cheese

When I was teaching we used to take the whole school to the seaside at Filey every year. I wonder if you would have complained about that OP?

If you don't want them visiting the mosque (again) then keep them off school that day. If it's about the cost, have a word with the school as they may be able to subsidise it if you are struggling to pay. If it's about the faith involved, well, Laurie's post had the right response to that before it was pulled.

That's OK then.

Must say I find it amusing OP that you're worried about being accused of trollery but not at all concerned about being thought to have bigoted views.

My dc regularly visits gurdwaras, mosques and churches with school but has never had to pay and thankfully they are all within walking distance, so no cost( and usually a free yummy lunch)

However at the previous school they attended I was expected to cough up £4 for a visit to the local park!

I think the school ought to perhaps chosen a different place of worship ie synagogue or Buddhist temple to justify the £13 they are asking for.

I live in a place not dissimilar to Bradford lol" Bombay Stores".

ACheesePuff - I can't speak for Bradford, but when I taught predominantly Muslim children in Leeds yes, we did take them to visit churches (Catholic and C of E, plus synagogues and gurdwaras).

Have you asked what the learning/teaching objectives for the visit are versus those in the earlier visit?? Are there lessons planned afterwards which will relate to the day out?

If there aren't any, which are age and curriculum appropriate then by all means keep them at home.

I also live in London and my kids have been to the same museums etc repeatedly. We generally find something new to talk about or relate to them as they get older.

A mosque is obviously not a museum but school trips are not what I would consider a doss day for the staff. There must be some reason for the trip ?

People are allowed to have choice that isn't necessarily 'being bigoted', you know.

Education is the point not conversion!
Why wouldn't you want to find out about other religions and cultures?

I feel the urge to link to . Mainly because I like it.

I said school years.
1st school year mosque, 2nd school year sikh, 3rd school year hindu, 4th school year mosque.
So TWICE in FOUR school years. It's not twice in 3 school years is it? It's a yearly school trip. What's hard to follow here?

Laurie - you're getting yourself in a right old tizz trying to paint OP as a racist and yourself as being right on. She doesn't want to stump up £13 for her child to visit a mosque again which is fair enough. I don't think any religion should be taught in school as all faiths treat women has second class citizens.

I am chuckling a bit at the OP's ire at her children being taken to a mosque twice in 3-4 years. It's like, 'that's enough Islam now, you saw it when you were 5'...

They're not 'teaching religion' they're teaching about religion.

Just like they don't teach people how to become a duck, they teach about ducks.

You don't appear to understand the difference Cate.

I'm not in a tizz and there's noting wrong with being 'right on' as you put it.

This thread has too many people on it who don't understand how the curriculum or education works.

They're not visiting the mosque to convert to Islam and they're not visiting there to fit in with some uber liberal 'right on' agenda.

They're visiting the mosque to learn about different faiths and cultures as part of the curriculum.

When people object to it it's usually because of ignorance because they don't understand education or it's thinly veiled prejudice.

Begonia I went on a visit to our local Gurdwara as a parent helper. Id been told how amazing the food was by a friend who had been before. I was gutted to find that out school had declined us having any aan they couldn't guarantee it was nut free :(

Also our school have a trip to lego land in year 5 and 6. I've never heard of anyone complaining that we visit the same place twice.

Well said Cate, it isn't about Religion is it?
It's about stumping up £26 for a trip to a place they've been before.
I doubt OP thinks her kids are going to be brainwashed or anything .