To ask if anyone else has converted faith to get into a school?

[JumpingJunipersBatman]

OK. So I know people have but what does it actually entail?

I was raised rc but am atheist. We are looking at getting our agnostic 8 year converted (is that the right word?) to open up school choices but I'm not sure what that would mean in practice.

I'll make an appointment with a preist to discuss but what should I expect and for those who have done exactly this, what did you tell the preist when he asked about your reasons?

I know this may be seen by some as disrespectful or playing the system and it possibly is.

Ds1 goes to a catholic secondary school hes baptised and has done his first holy communion etc also went to a catholic primary but apart from that they dont require a regular church attendance , the C/E high school do though and need at least two years regular attendance signed by the Vicar/Priest , lots of people find their faith around year four here but tbh most of our local high schools are crap(ds school is good with outstanding features and the C/E is outstanding) and we dont have a Grammar school system so you do what you have to do .

@stopfuckingshoutingatme our local priest signs all the forms too. But he makes a note of the ones that he's never met before and then submits that list to the admissions committee so they don't necessarily get places even if the form is signed.

Our only options for primary schools are faith ones, we aren't in the catchment for any non-faith. We go to church, always have, but I'd still have chosen a non-faith school if we'd have had that option.

People like you take a place away from people who genuinely do believe and want their child educated in accordance with their faith

I don't think I can get too worked up about that when faith schools are taking hundreds of places away from people who simply want their children educated.

Love how people object to faith schools on the grounds that they are not available to everyone but think the Grammar school system is just marvellous (despite them not being available in most of the UK)

Deepan with the free school system there is nothing stopping any organisation starting up their own school.

Perhaps starting their own school is what people need to do instead of fraudulently taking places in faith schools?

My mum bribed me to be confirmed, to get me into the local church grammar. Six months of Sunday mornings.

My 10 year old self regarded her as a complete hypocrite. But I got my place - I aced the entrance exam so she should have had a bit more faith in me to get in under my own steam.

I lead the Baptism Programme for our church. Lots of children are baptised when they are older - we don't bat an eyelid. It's not up to us to judge!

For our church school choice, you have to attend a CofE church for a minimum of 40 weeks in the preceding year of application. So it's not just once a month with cubs, but a full on commitment. The vicar also has to fill in a form where they can state if you've just arrived 40 weeks before the application date!

We are Christian and have attended Church for years. I would be cross if someone faking their faith got a space ahead of our DD and would hope our (lovely) vicar would write us a nice reference highlighting our long term commitment and genuine faith.

However that doesn't stop you applying by fulfilling the minimum entry requirements, or indeed applying with no faith although you would be lower on the entry criteria.

@scarydinosaurs I am one of those complaining about faith schools. What I realise is that, since the mid to late 1800s, free schooling has been provided by the State. I am happy to support that, but I don't want to fund religious establishments.
I should also point out that I am a teacher of R.E.

You need to check the admissions criteria- every school is different!

For some near us, the oversubscription criteria would put a child baptised at 8yo way down the list.
She also wouldn't have the required number of years of church attendance in time for secondary applications. However, it depends how oversubscribed your preferred school is- some RC schools in my LA are under not over subscribed.

I know one Muslim family who ‘converted’ to Catholicism to get into a very very good school. Yes playing the system but just as much as people ‘refinding god’ as soon as they get pregnant or renting next to a good school to be in the class catchment area.

What is the admissions criteria of the local faith or church school? Start there. A CofE school (a church school) generally asks for attendance for twice a month for two years, but this may vary - this can be the child or the parent. This is generally proved by the signing of a register at the back of the church.

It all depends on the parish - some priests are pretty reasonable and would welcome you back, others would be very sniffy and probably send you packing (our old parish priest was very much in this camp). In terms of high schools, agree If you are going down this route you need to crack on.

At my parish if you are at a non-catholic school and you want your child to make their communion you have to do an additional Saturday class for a year beforehand and then it is another year preparation through communion classes.

I have no qualms about people doing this because the system is utterly mental and unfair. How can a state funded school discrimate against local children because of the religion of the parents? Makes no sense and is a historical hangover.

Our friends did it when they were in London they are a brilliant couple and ended up running the Sunday school everyone at the church adored them then they moved out of area before their child even started primary

No but i did go to church for a while and had to get them christened at the church connected to the school to get them in.

Quite a few parents did it at the same time, the vicar knew and was just happy that it had brought new members to the church. As it happened I really enjoyed it and go fairly regular now (not religious though)

Op I think it depends on the your choices. Are the other schools really rubbish or are being ultra fussy.

Tbh I think it's more disgraceful how bad many schools have got in the UK, that's the disgusting thing here. Why do any parents even have to contemplate this sort of thing?

Morning all.

I forgot to say this is a secondary school. The criteria is:

• RC LAC
• LAC
• RC children
• RC siblings
• Siblings
• Within a certain distance (not a catchment area as such though)
• Others

The distance varies by years but we would probably just about squeeze in. Otherwise we are last on the list so wouldn't get in.

Good point about finding out what the school needs. I didn't even think it would vary by school and just assumed a blanket requirement of baptism and regular church going.

Funnily enough I became an atheist as a direct result of my primary school. There were a couple of incidents that even as a primary school child made me uncomfortable. Some of the things they did just wouldn't be allowed now eg we all missed lunch once because the head dinner lady kept making us say grace over and over until we did it correctly. Plus the priest was terrifying and regularly told us we'd go to hell!

Despite this I was very happy and loved my primary school. I remember hating having to do the stations of the cross and being made to feel like scum during confession (my confession was rarely more than arguing with my siblings). I think that was the preist as much as anything though. The vicar at our local CofE is lovely.

I'm sorry if people think I'm acting appallingly but I don't think doing what needs to be done to get my child a good education is appalling. Believing in God should not be a basis for what education a child can access.

I absolutely know we would need to accept and respect the religious aspects that would come with attending a faith school.

He would have to attend baptism classes...at least in my area.where they would lay the whole religion as truth thing. If he hasn’t been brought up in any faith then he will question what they say,

Have faith in yourselves and in him, he will be fine in another school with your support.

Until a few years ago we were in the catchment area of an absolutely appalling school. It was the type you move to avoid getting into! Anyway, they closed that so now we're not in a catchment.

The secondary schools in the area are awful apart from the RC one and an all-girls. The all-girls is just a little too far to be practical really but is on our list. We're not genuingely not just being fussy. A faith school (even if we were religious) would not be something we'd chose if we had other options.

1. State church schools are wrong in principle.
2. People should not be put in this invidious situation where the desire to do the best for their child educationally involves them in this nonsense.
3. However, since the system is corrupt and just plain wrong, then folk who play that system cannot be blamed.

Shameful. And what are you teaching your kids? That it is ok to lie to get what you want? That being true to yourself is unimportant? That deceiving others a good basis for friendships and relationships?

And you are making your child a player in that deceit.

They don’t do Confession anymore...it’s called Reconciliation and is much more about making amends and drawing a line. My son worries about his anger and spoke to the priest about that who was lovely with him. Then he and DS took his written “confession” and just set light to it afterwards they had a laugh as they did it, it was about the amendment being made and all was forgiven.

But O stand by what I said earlier, your DS will get just as good an education in another school as he has supportive parents, you don’t need to do this,

Hypocritical and grim

Can't abide this kind of behaviour

Awful example for your dc

I absolutely agree the system is not fair, but that still does not condone lying and going against your beliefs. You become hypocrites.

Just because churches historically were involved in creating schools does not mean it is right that the state should support them Scarydinosaurs - this is the 21st century not the 19th! The church got involved to spread the "word" - do we want that sort of indoctrination?

What are agnostic parents supposed to do? It is a disgrace that non-aligned state schools are so hard to find. So very wrong. My taxes go towards this indoctrination and I have no option in this.