to not want DS to go to school which doesn't celebrate Christmas?

[Clarathemagnificent]

We are currently researching primary schools for DS who is due to start next September.

There is one which is literally metres from our front door which has a good local reputation and excellent results.

However, there is one thing which doesn't sit right with me and that is that the school doesn't celebrate Christian festivals such as Easter and Christmas. There is no school nativity and so on. They have a 'Celebration lunch' at Christmas but the word Christmas is deliberately not used so as not to offend those of other cultures.

This makes me extremely uncomfortable because although I'm not a Christian myself, I feel it's an important part of our culture and identity as a Christian country. I also disagree with the idea that celebrating Christianity can be offensive to others and think this very notion is divisive in itself. It concerns me a great deal especially considering we are from an ethnic minority.

AIBU to consider not sending DS to this school purely for these reasons even though by all other accounts it's a good school?

[MilnersGold]

A school that does Celebration Lunch, rather than the nativity, sounds perfect to me.

[StickTheDMWhereTheSunDontShine]

Why? Are you a bit crap at doing Christmas at home?

Would love it, actually. My kids find Christmas rather stressful.

[peachpudding]

Don't you celebrate Christmas and Easter at home?

Why do you need a school to indoctrinate them in the christian religion? There are religious schools you know? I would pick a school based on a lot more than its religious doctrines but that's just me, I care about education not indoctrination.

[Dozer]

Daily Mail would've been all over such a school by now.

[bumsexatthebingo]

We aren't a Christian country - we're in the majority atheist. It wouldn't bother me in the slightest tbh. I'm assuming they celebrate no religious festivals at all?
The school probably has such a good reputation as they don't spend the last 3 months of the year (yes, I've seen it start in October!) in endless rehearsals for the Christmas play and the whole of December making glittery tat and watching Santa Paws the movie.
Despite sounding like a killjoy I absolutely love Christmas and we make a massive deal of it - panto, carol services, home made decs, crafts, baking etc so I think we would more than make up for it at home.

[x2boys]

It would put me off wether you believe in the religious aspect of Xmas or not as a country Xmas is a big festival most people celebrate and I have lots of ex collegue s friends etc that celebrate Xmas that are Muslim ds2 goes to a community special school and they learn about and celebrate all religious festivals Xmas ,Eid etc ds1 goes to a Catholic school so obviously the emphasis is on Christian festivals.

[Dontlikejam]

I am definitely for not sending children to imaginary schools.

[LaurieFairyCake]

We should definitely send kids to imaginary schools.

The desks could be made out of chocolate. Puff the dragon could teach science.

Twould be fab.

[x2boys]

And I m all for children learning about and celebrating all religious festivals ds2 got sweets etc from his teacher as a celebration of Eid I think it's great they get to learn about other religions and cultures that are different from their own.

[CrowyMcCrowFace]

I quite fancy teaching in an imaginary school. Could do it from under the duvet I think.

I'm actually at an international, overwhelmingly Muslim school in a Muslim country & we very much rock Xmas.

I would be astounded to hear that any UK school is getting away with banning celebrating Xmas. Sounds v Winterval style urban myth.

[Standingonmytippytoes]

Sounds great. Why should schools celebrate Christmas surely that's one thing they can learn at home.

I do think they should unbiasedly learn about other religions and cultures.

[Crocodillian]

I dont think that the failure to observe any religious festival would bother me (as I would be doing it at home with friends and family anyway) so long as RE was being taught.
What would concern me would be the school's policy making and how decisions are made. I would check through the prospectus and website and try to gather the facts as to whether or not things such as Christmas will be acknowledged properly in the future and if not, why not. If the official given reason is genuinely that they think celebrating Christmas would offend people of other cultures I would be concerned. I think that taking that stance does more harm than good and doesn't create an inclusive environment. It is also often completely misguided, you hear things like "yeah, they'll be no nativity scene in town cos it offends Muslims. We aren't having St Georges day cos it offends Eastern Europeans" half the time it's not even true, and the rest of the time it's people deciding what people from other cultures will definitely be offended by (and getting it so wrong). I would be worried that I would send my dc to that school and at Easter and Christmas time there'd be lots of school run murmurings about pc gone mad and a totally unnecessary atmosphere created, making students and parents of other cultures feel far more awkward and offended than Christmas dinner ever could.
I'm surprised it's the school's policy really. Dh is a teacher and had to attend a British Values course 2 weeks ago. Most of his students, and my friends, and dh for that matter, are from other cultures and aren't offended by British culture in Britain.

[AcrossthePond55]

I'm a Christian (in the US) and have no problem whatsoever with our separation of church and state. Public schools can do 'Winter Holidays', but no religious overtones to activities of any kind. It certainly didn't kill my faith in Christianity, just as it didn't kill the faith of my Jewish friends.

It makes me crazy to hear talk about a 'Christian Nation' and the Good Lord knows that talk is rife here. We are a 'Spiritual Nation' in that we should encompass all beliefs (as well as no belief at all). We need to be inclusive and not exclusive. And acknowledging one religion's traditions and not other religion's, IS excluding others.

[SouperSal]

We aren't having St Georges day cos it offends Eastern Europeans" half the time it's not even true, and the rest of the time it's people deciding what people from other cultures will definitely be offended by

Pretty sure only schools in 1 of the 4 countries in the UK do anything for St George's Day. ;)

Hell would

[peachpudding]

LOL what idiot said this was an imaginary school? There are schools like this all over the UK.

They do celebrate Santa, presents and a family holiday, they just dont ram religion down your throat. Why is it important to spend three months replacing Maths and English with giving birth in a cave with a donkey and sheep herders?

What about replacing SATS with May the Forth?

[Crocodillian]

Exactly SouperSal, and what I wonder is whether it's because those of other cultures are so offended or because someone somewhere has decided that other cultures would be offended.
What if it was celebrated in more schools and everyone (or most) people happily joined in? At ds school they try to observe all kinds of things, St George's day, Diwaali, harvest festival, Eid, Chinese new year, black history month (they do 1 day), Christmas etc. It's a primary school so it's usually an assembly and some colouring in on a worksheet (save for Christmas and harvest festival which are celebrated over several days), but if anyone's offended they've not been very vocal about it. I think it's working better than the school deciding that everyone's offended by everything

[MarthaElf]

The thing is these things people in power decide they won't do so as not to offend others doesn't offend anyone usually anyway!

Like someone above the school I worked in was 75% Muslim. None of the kids were withdrawn from Christmas celebrations and many 'celebrated' it. The only issue we had was a Muslim boy wanting to be Jesus in a play but his parents refusing (I think it was to do with not impersonating a prophet?) but he took another part.


DDS new school has a week off for Eid and a week off for Christmas.

[peachpudding]

Given the current state of affairs I do not feel comfortable with any children acting out religious ceremonies at school. Would rather school was a place of learning that we didn't have to worry about this kinda crap.

[RebelRogue]

Meh your choice but it definitely wouldn't be one of the things i'd base my decision on.

[ItsABanana]

What's so wrong with teaching about the celebration of Christmas?
It would put me off, certainly if it was ignored. Who exactly is it offending?!
I also have no problem with schools teaching my children about Ramadan, Eid, Diwali etc. They visited a mosque earlier this year too. Yet still put on a Christmas nativity too.
I'd rather they broadened their horizons and learnt about all religions/beliefs.
Makes for more rounded and tolerant beings if you understand others way of life in my opinion.

[Italiangreyhound]

Would put me off.

And I feel it is also a very unfair thing to say we don't do it because some people may be offended. I think many people of other faiths are actually happy to see Christianity celebrated because there may well be more tolerance for religion generally.

Our school is not a faith school but the kids learn about a number of religions.

Even if parents and their kids are not at all 'religious' it doesn't seem fair or sensible to not teach these things at all.

There is likely nothing quite so appealing about a 'thing' as to tell kids it is off bounds and they can't know about it. I expect those kids will be the ones who may sneak off to churches (or where ever) to find out more! I certainly wasn't brought up in a Christian home but have been a Christian for 33 years!

[whatamockerywemake]

Do you live in Birmingham, OP?

Whatever, I think what's more important for your child is WHERE the school is located. As long as you're generally happy with it, a short commute is important because it makes life easy for your family and generally means the friends your child makes live locally so playdates work easily. i know that's proabably a crap reason for choosing a school, but as long as the school isn't rubbish then - trust me - having local friends will be a blessing in the years to come.

[geekymommy]

If it's a school affiliated with a religion other than Christianity, YABU. Would you expect Christians in a majority Muslim country to celebrate Muslim holidays? A lot of us non-Christians really don't celebrate Christmas or Easter. They are Christian holidays, even if some people downplay the religious aspect in their celebrations.

[Beeziekn33ze]

In Brum when a head of 90% Muslim state school decreed that Christmas would be 'low key' a Muslim TA was angry and upset. She said how she'd loved Christmas in that school as a pupil and looked forward to it each year.