To email school AGAIN re religious assemblies

[pineapplepenthouse]

I have twins in year 4 both in different classes. I have expressed my feelings about not letting them be involved in religious assemblies or having anything to do with religion. My children are in different classes. Today for the third time my DDs has come home saying he has been included in the religious assembly.
I have strong feelings on this but other mums just say 'it's not a big deal' and 'it didn't do us any harm'.

AIBU?

RomanyRoots, the OP knows they can provide for children whose parents don't want them in these assemblies because the child in question has a twin in a different class whose teacher respects the OP's wishes and who doesn't attend.

They don't want to go.

if you arrange with them to either go in late if first thing or collect if it's later, you may receive a reply sooner.
They can't help if they don't have the staff, no matter what your rights are.

To answer the original question, OP, I would definitely email again yes. I would email the class teacher and ask for clarification as to why your child has been to these assemblies when they don't want to go and you have requested that they don't. If you don't get a satisfactory answer and reassurance that they won't have to go again, I would email someone else, as seems appropriate e.g. head of year, deputy head or head.

Wouldn't bother me. Easy enough to 'educate' them to your way of thinking at home whatever that may, or may not be

Exercise for their young brains.

FWIW, my 3 siblings and I went to schools where religious (C of E) assemblies were held every single morning. This was the norm then.
None of us has turned out remotely religious.
I think the fact that our parents weren't at all religious, at least not outwardly, and never went to church, had at least something to do with it.
Most of the of influence one way or the other surely comes from home and parents, though if parents have strong feelings in either direction, some kids will often go the other way in their teens, out of typical rebelliousness.

if you think it's a clever idea to ignore something that built the world as it is, explain people behaviour even today, then I pity your children.

I pity children who are being told the Christian religion built the world.

“Bertrand I get the difference. I think it's so small I don't care. Now do you think you could stop patronising posters.”
I’m glad you do. Sadly most of the other posters on this thread don’t seem to.

I think you are making your beliefs (personal beliefs ) a priority over the school running and your children personally

A school that can't be run in accordance with the law shouldn't be running at all.

if you arrange with them to either go in late if first thing or collect if it's later, you may receive a reply sooner.

Parents have a duty by law to ensure their child are in education full time. And how would that work if the assembly happens in the middle of the day?

They can't help if they don't have the staff, no matter what your rights are.

If they have sufficient staff to supervise OP's second child, why on earth would they not have the staff? And, again, refusing to employ enough staff to comply with the law just isn't an option for schools.

Well done OP. You've given Bertrand another chance to discuss her favourite subject. Just go up to the school and sort this out in a reasonable manner. It shouldn't be too difficult.

If they really don't want to go, why haven't they said something?

Ginger

Could the reason possibly be that some people do what they're told by authority figures, without arguing?

I don’t know much about 8 year olds. I know a lot about teenagers though. I genuinely don’t know that many teens who would feel confident approaching a teacher about this. I imagine it’s only in his head when they are about to go. Then it’s all lining up and instructions to be quiet - busy busy busy. Teacher issuing instructions and sorting everyone out. It takes someone pretty tough to put their hand up and say “I am not to go” especially when everyone else is going.

if every young person of secondary age was able to navigate being able to speak up when an authority figure has got something wrong or misunderstood then I would have a lot more time to do other things!

Are people genuinely expecting an 8 year old to take full responsibility for this? I am asking honestly because I don’t know any 8 year olds.

@Janedoe5000- You must not be Catholic yourself and not many. I come from a predominant Catholic country, did RE based on that for the whole of my school. Never felt oppressed, watched, judged, or whatever. All of my friends and me are normal adults. It pissed me off big time how people who must get their intel on Catholicism from The Sun or something think they actually know anything about it. The Bible is an allegory btw, not met many people who treat is as a history book.

There is a negligible difference between learning about a religion and practicing a religion?
So when I teach about Ramadan it’s almost the same as fasting, and when I discuss humanist funerals it’s like I’ve just cremated one of the class? Er ok then.
I agree re morality being possible without religion. We study ethics from a whole variety of stances - utilitarianism is particularly popular with students. But it’s a fact that in the country I live in the majority of people identify as having some form of religion - why is that not relevant, interesting and worth studying?

It’s irrelevant what the child says or doesn’t say anyway, because at 8 years old it isn’t his decision about whether to participate in religious worship or not, it’s his parents. While his parents should consider his wishes, they are the ones who make the decision to withdraw and the school are required to enforce that decision - whether or not the child actually wants to go and whether or not the teacher disagrees.

It’s irrelevant what the child says or doesn’t say anyway, because at 8 years old it isn’t his decision about whether to participate in religious worship or not, it’s his parents. While his parents should consider his wishes, they are the ones who make the decision to withdraw and the school are required to enforce that decision - whether or not the child actually wants to go and whether or not the teacher disagrees. Exactly.
It was all working fine last year. The school are flouting guidelines so why the HT is letting this happen I have no idea.

“The school are flouting guidelines so why the HT is letting this happen I have no idea.”

Well, judging by the majority of posters on this thread, the Head probably thinks the OP is being a controlling snowflake (there’s a concept for you) and is over ruling her for the good of the children.....📚

Well, judging by the majority of posters on this thread, the Head probably thinks the OP is being a controlling snowflake (there’s a concept for you) and is over ruling her for the good of the children.....
In my experience HTs are sticklers for the rules in case the inspectors come calling. I know it's not Ofsted in Scotland but equivalent.

If the twin sister is sitting out then it’s nothing to do with the head. And HMIE would look extremely dimly upon a school ignoring a perfectly legitimate request from a parent.

It’s irrelevant what the child says or doesn’t say anyway, because at 8 years old it isn’t his decision about whether to participate in religious worship or not, it’s his parents.
It's irrelevant to the OP topic, but relevant when some posters have a go at OP on the grounds that the DC will be desperate to join in the fun religious assembly and feel horribly left out.

Or imply that the child wants to go to the assembly because they didn't argue when told to go. Mine didn't when they got forgotten one time, and she was really quite cross about having to go.

It isn’t the case here anyway it seems but I think it would be wrong to ignore a child’s wishes with regards to religion either way - and most likely counterproductive!

At 8 ds was sure he didn’t believe in anything and views it as nonsense. I am Christian but what would me trying to push my view achieve? Same works the other way.

The school is wrong to ignore your wishes. If the school is a no faith school then you should have the right to opt out of religious assemblies.
Wether your son wants to attend these is a different issue. If he wants to be included I would allow it but that's a different issue.

If this helps, pineapple, my husband avers that the best way to keep a child from growing up religious is to expose them to religion young. Defo worked with ours😁

Your DS prob just wants to keep his head down and blend in with his peers

All joking aside though that's crap by the school. If the kids were allergic to dairy would they stilll let them eat cheese so they could "fit in" with their peers?

If the kids were allergic to dairy would they stilll let them eat cheese so they could "fit in" with their peers?