To think a full day trip to a mosque for 6 year old school trip is a bit much?

[Jint]

I'm all for comparative religious education, learning what other religions believe and what they're about, but my daughter is in year 2 and, with her (non denominational) school, has probably been in the Anglican church for maybe 2 hours (1 hour each year for a carol service), never been to a Synagogue or any other place of worship, but is spending a whole day in a mosque. School trip that we have to pay for, and the girls are 'welcome' to wear headscarves, but not compulsory. This is not in any way an issue with the religion, but not sure why it's such a big investment in one religion. There are 3 muslim pupils in the 60 in her year.

I have two six year olds, I'd think it was fantastic if they were offered a chance to spend the day at a Mosque.

The teachers and staff at the Mosque will no doubt have a carefully prepared schedule of activities, just as they would for any other school trip.

I genuinely don't see why that would be boring?

Unconscious prejudice makes me sad I don't subscribe to any religion, but would be totally happy for DD to visit a mosque (or any other place of worship) for the day....and feel it's totally irrelevant how many Muslim children are in the class btw! It's really that comment that suggests the unconscious prejudice, for me.

I've taken my children to visit York Minster and St Pauls, nothing boring about those, why would a mosque be any different?

Perhaps you could find out whether, over the other year groups, she will go to other places of worship? DD and DS (local state primary, not very ethnically mixed) went to a local church in reception, Mosque in Year 3, Synagogue in Year 4, Sikh Gurdwara in Year 6. There isn't a Hindu temple anywhere locally, but they did come with me on my fact-finding mission for a school trip i ran to one with the school was teaching in at the time.

It may seem unbalanced in any one year group - in the same way that my school's RE syllabus does one main 'other' world faith in each year group - but over the course of their primary education they got a very good overview. And having the trips separated, and very much tied in to the RE syllabus / topic - Sikh trip was as part of an overall india topic -meant that they clearly understood / expeirnced them separately, rather than as a big 'placeofworship' mush.

I adon't understand the issue about the head covering, either, tbh. As children and as adults we frequently change our dress to 'conform to the norms' of where we find ourself - we wear school uniform, the football strip of our favourite team, a Scout of Guide necker and woggle, a veil at our wedding. We also change what we wear as a mark of respect - formal clothes to a formal occasion, black to a funeral. We take off our shoes in houses where that is the houser rule, we don't in houses where it isn't, etc etc. The headscarf simply means 'I am showing respect to your 'house rules'. It doesn't mean 'I believe in your religion'.

Would you object to a son having to cover their head at a synagogue?

bluegreen because it's boring to a lot of people. My kids did the visits to the mosque, and one to a sikh temple and found them boring. Just like I found being dragged round cathederals boring as a child. Good for you if you find religion interesting but some people don't.

It's a day out it'd be exciting for the kids wherever it was, what with the coach (walk/crocodile/whatever), and the packed lunch in a clearly marked carrier bag with 2 cartons of soft drink not fizzy and all the rest of it

Not really sure what the problem is TBH. Sounds quite interesting really.

I'm not sure I've ever been in a Mosque, now I come to think of it.

I'm sure the children will have a lovely time and learn a lot.

How to spot racism:

"I am all for comparative religious education.....BUT...

bearleftmonkeyright, I'm not in the slightest bit irate. I have repeatedly said I'm interested in why. I am not in any way angry. A big part of the reason for posting was to see if anyone else had been in the same position, i.e is it a curriculum thing. Perhaps I've posted in the wrong section, I don't post here much. But I'm genuinely curious as to whether this is normal and if so what the objective is. Asking the school is not as easy as you'd think. There's a lot of 'we know best' in this school, and I have looked at the curriculum plans on their website and doesn't mention this at all.

I am totally with the OP. Half a day would be fine for a 6 year old but a full day in the same place far too much. Take it from me with even slightly older children, especially boys, a full day would be more than the average teacher could cope with!

I'm slightly depressed by the thought that presumably no one would bat an eyelid at their child being taken to a theme park for a whole day for a school trip but a nice educational, culturally enriching experience with the lovely people at the local mosque is somehow both offensive and boring.

Of course YABU. Your dd is probably studying Islam at school so it makes far more sense than a trip to a synagogue or temple. Ask the teachers but maybe not in the tone of some of the other posts here. Also, teachers aren't stupid; they wouldn't plan a day trip somewhere without enduring there is enough to do to keep children occupied all day. At my school year 1&2 go on a day trip to a Hindu place of worship as that's the world religion they study.

Couple of hours would be more than enough in any church.Any more is overkill imvho.

I wouldn't be happy with an all day visit to a church if no other place of worship visit was being planned.

This particular place of worship has probably been chosen for the whole day because that is what it is offering, the teachers think the children will get something out of it, and because it's logistically convenient. They may well organise a trip to a different religious place every year, and by the time your child leaves primary school it's likely she will have covered all the main religions.

FFS, your child is only in year 2, and you seem to be complaining that this type of trip is too much for her because she's only 6, while simultaneously complaining that she hasn't done enough of other religions to do this one yet.

Your complaint makes no sense to me, I honestly can't see what you have found to complain about or why you would want to.

A whole day does seem a lot, hopefully the teacher and whoever sorts out trips around the mosque will have an itinerary planned and there will be enough variety and activities though, some mosques are huge and have lots of community resources in them. I'm an atheist, and was generally quite anti religion at that age but one of the few school trips that really stayed with me was a trip to a synagogue when I was at primary school. There was a member of the congregation who was a holocaust survivor, he came to talk to us and showed us all the number tattooed on his arm then spoke about his experiences. We were all transfixed and wrote very sincere letters afterwards thanking him. Sorry gone off at a bit of a tangent there, but he was amazing and it was a very significant lesson, I guess I'm saying that I hope the trip is a useful experience for your DD and confounds your expectations.

Ahhhh the old racism card.

Personally I think all religions are by and large a crock and something my dc have to endure,which is why I like equal endurance.

I recently spent a whole day at a cathedral with 100 kids. They loved it, would cheerfully have spent MUCH longer there. Believe me, with a good Education team, wherever you are visiting can very, very easily fill a day trip!

My older one had a visit to a synagogue in Yr2 and found it really interesting, incidentally.

I don't think they should plan class / school trips on the basis that no child in the entire group must find it boring, as there'd never be any trips anywhere. That seems like an odd complaint.

Yes it was a really big BUT next it will be some of my best friends are Muslim

mushy I'm not going to go anywhere near your 'especially boys comment.

I have two 6 year olds. They spend all day learning in school. They and their classmates are perfectly able to spend all day learning somewhere new and interesting.

(I have been on school trips to places where my own family might spend an hour ... and come away after 4-5 hours with many things left unexplored. I think that it would be entirely reasonable to ask the school what specific things they are doing at the mosque, wherer there will be workshop / education sessions, what the different activities might be. Wheeas for an adult 'wandering in to see', there might not seem to be much of interest, with a carefully planned programme of workshops and activities led by specialists, the time really flies by.)

How big is this mosque? Is it also a sort of cultural centre? I think the thing I'd be most pissed off about was the fact I have to pay for it.

Plus if a teacher can't cope with a day trip for their class then yes I'd agree they are distinctly 'average'

Jint, you are clearly not prepared to ask the school, but I would imagine you are going to get a lot of posts telling you that yanbu. I am a TA and have some insight into the planning that goes on in these school trips and if any parent asked me at the school gate about a trip that I had knowledge of I would be more than happy to discuss it. But you won't ask and clearly are not prepared to even try. That's fine and I am going to bow out gracefully from this thread and hope you seek the confirmation you are looking for that yanbu.

If what you want to know is is this normal? Yes, ds & dd went to a mosque for a day (1/2 day really, after travel & lunch time!) in y2. Neither thought it was the best trip theyd ever done, but both liked the patterns, and both survived -although they both preferred the Hindu temple. Hth.

I know what you mean OP. Mine's going to the Museum of Childhood next month. He's only going to be a child for 18 years. Why can't they take him to the University of Grown Ups? He's never even been.