To think schools shouldn't teach religion as absolute fact?

[PoesyCherish]

DSD is 6 and is learning about Christianity in school. They're teaching her Jesus is the Son of God rather than "some people believe he is". Everything about the religion is taught as fact. They've also failed to mention anything about any other religion.

AIBU to think they shouldn't be teaching it as absolute fact? How are children supposed to be understanding and tolerant of other people's beliefs if they're taught one world view as fact?

[WelcomeToShootingStars]

Whether or not people agree with faith schools, they exist. If you choose to use one then you can't really complain about them teaching their faith.

[catherinedevalois]

Yes, Catholic schools might have their own RE curriculum but other religions are definitely covered in KS1. It's a good age for children to learn about the rituals of their classmates, e.g. those observing Eid and Ramadan

[BoomBoomsCousin]

"Or it's like having two shops near you, one an organic, vegan, rather expensive one 25m down the road, one a much cheaper one with a wider range 2 miles away, and then insisting on shopping at the organic vegan store, but also demanding that they increase their product range and drop their prices, because you quite like cheap chicken."

It's more like the government are paying a business to provide a service to people but the business won't provide what the local people want. There's no problem with a business wanting to stick to their guns, there is a problem with the government paying them to do so and giving them a waiver from requirements other businesses have, especially in the face of dissatisfaction from service users.

[Pengggwn]

BoomBoomsCousin

Faith schools exist because people want their children educated in a faith. That is the very opposite of not providing what people want. The problem with the OP - ignoring the fact that it isn't her child - is that she wants one thing that the existing service provides but not another. The school isn't going to give up the core of its educational practice (Catholic belief) and, in my view, could quite fairly tell the OP to vote with her feet.

[bellinisurge]

It's a Catholic school, op. I'm a rubbish Catholic. I went to Catholic schools. My dd went to aCatholic primary because we couldn't get her into the nearer non- Catholic primary.
She isn't going to a Catholic secondary . You can still talk to your children. They don't stop you doing that.

[Walkingdeadfangirl]

Faith schools exist because people want their children educated in a faith.
Not necessarily true. A lot of faith schools exist because sharp elbowed middle class parents want a 'selective' school that can keep out those pesky disruptive children.

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

The government could stop paying the business but then it would be responsible for finding the land for and then building more business so that people don't start complaining that there's no where to buy any food, let alone organic food. And I'm not sure where we are on the government building more businesses. I think they'd all end up as 'free businesses'.

[Pengggwn]

Walkingdeadfangirl

As true as that may be, the selection criteria for faith schools are about faith. If people stopped sending them, the government would stop funding them.

[PeckhamPauline]

They should be taught that all religions are opinion superstition.

Fixed it for you.

[IceCreamFace]

It should not be legal, even in a faith school, to teach one particular religion as fact. They could reasonably be expected to have more focus on their religion ("as christians/muslims/hindus etc we believe blah blah blah") but they still shouldn't teach it as fact and they MUST teach other religions as pat of RE.

[IceCreamFace]

Many people actually have no option outside of a faith school - if it's a state school you can't use the "well you chose a faith school" line as justification.

[Pengggwn]

IceCreamFace

No, that is the whole point of being a faith school 😂

You teach the beliefs comprised by other religions, but you teach that your faith is the true one.

[Pengggwn]

IceCreamFace

Of course you can. Faith schools are perfectly legal and funded by government because educating your child in your faith isn't considered unreasonable in our democratic society.

[Walkingdeadfangirl]

As true as that may be, the selection criteria for faith schools are about faith Which is very easily manipulated to exclude certain types of people.
If we had an alternative more honest selective system, eg grammar schools, you would fine a lot of faith schools under-subscribed.

[ImAIdoot]

YA kind of BU if it's a Catholic school.

In all likelihood, though, your children can be excused from lessons, mass etc as appropriate if they are of a different faith at a Catholic school. This is a thing, so I'd check it out.

If you do discuss it with them, I wouldn't open with the idea that none of it is true, because getting off on the right foot may result in a more productive conversation.

[Nat6999]

Religion should be taken away from school, it is a personal thing. There shouldn't be faith schools, it's just another way of creating divisions between children, religion causes too much trouble in this world.

[Mishappening]

Absolutely this should not be taught as fact.

It is disgraceful that the church (whichever) is allowed to run state schools, so some parents have no choice but to send their children to church schools.

All schools are however obliged to teach about a variety of religions.

I am governor at a non-aligned school and they let the local vicar in; I am always banging on that this is fine as long as what she has to say is not taught as fact.

[Pengggwn]

Walkingdeadfangirl

Be that as it may, this ISN'T about a school that is failing its community. It is doing what people have asked for, and that is why it is funded.

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

No, they’re funded because it’s too difficult/expensive not to fund them, pengggwn.

If the government stopped funding them, then they’d have to find the money to build new schools to replace the faith schools and then find an additional amount of money each year to cover the small amount of money the churches pay towards the upkeep of each school.

It’s an accident of history more than anything else.

[Pengggwn]

RafaIsTheKingOfClay

But if people stopped sending their children to them, that is precisely what the government would have to do.

So, people have a choice.

[BoogieFeet]

YANBU

If you feel strongly about this you may be interested in the National Secular Society's petition

www.nomorefaithschools.org

www.secularism.org.uk/faith-schools/

[Walkingdeadfangirl]

Pengggwn I am not disagreeing with you. I was just pointing out that it is not necessarily a faith school the community want. The community might want it because it is good/outstanding selective school and the 'faith' route is a necessary consequence.

I wonder how many of the 'community' would choose a faith school if it became a secondary modern bog standard comprehensive faith school.

[confusedandconfuddled]

Try being in Northern Ireland where you have zero choice - every feckin school has to teach to a Christian ethos! Makes my blood boil.

[bellinisurge]

"A lot of faith schools exist because sharp elbowed middle class parents want a 'selective' school that can keep out those pesky disruptive children."

You obviously don't live near me. Not all Catholics are loaded ffs.
In fact, the disruptive children that have been chucked out of other schools were given at chance at my DD's.

[Pengggwn]

Walkingdeadfangirl

And likewise, I am not really disagreeing with you. To me, these are tangential arguments, whether faith schools are popular for X reason or Y reason.

If the OP's DSD's parents didn't want her educated as a Catholic (being told - as Catholics believe - that God is real and Jesus is His son) then they should have made alternative provision for her education. It is totally unreasonable to send her to a Catholic institution and expect the staff not to talk about Catholic beliefs as fact.