Baptised to get in to a school?

[mummy21boy]

So there is a very good catholic school in our catchment area but to be in with a good chance of getting in you’d need to be a baptised catholic. Dh was brought up catholic but isn’t religious so we haven’t had ds baptised but dh thinks we should now to get him into this school.. aibu to think this is morally wrong?

A lot of people where I live do this, then complain that the school is too religious.

People have been doing this successfully for donkey's years. My mum had my brother and I baptised at the ages of 10 and 13 so my brother could potentially get a place in a good local CofE school if he failed his public school entrance exams. Also made us to attend church, Sunday school and in my case, confirmation classes. He got a place...but then passed to go to public school and so it was all for nowt! If your husband is Catholic and you have no objection to your child being brought up a Catholic, I don't see how it's morally wrong. Presumably the church wants new worshippers?

The resurgence of religion in schools makes me very uneasy. I think Christianity would be largely dead by now if not for religious schools. All too often people have no choice but to use them. They do brainwash, and ensure that any spiritual or moral leanings at all are identified as Christian. Mandating church attendance on any part of the population through schools is thoroughly medieval. Why has it come back? Who's gaining?

All people have choice, go to another school!

Allowing state funded schools to choose people of one faith over any other criteria is ridiculous. If you live opposite a Catholic school but outside distance criteria for any other schools in your area, you have no choice and will be at the back of the queue for school places.
Catholic or any other religion based schools should be additional resources funded outside the state provision. If you choose to send your child there, that's fine but it shouldn't be part of the LA provision.
So within the silly situation, why not game the nonsense?

Why is it wrong? They are a public aided school aided by the Catholic Church it's no coincidence that catholic schools are all good schools. They are funded by the church of course they only want catholic kids in!!

I disagree with a school being allowed to discriminate against children because of their religion (or lack of). Any state school who receives state funding should not be able to discriminate.

They are funded by the church of course they only want catholic kids in!!
What proportion of funding is by the church and what proportion by the tax payer?
it's no coincidence that catholic schools are all good schools
That's not right. One local to me has a progress 8 of "Well below average"

My husband is a catholic though rarely attends mass. We live right in the edge of the catchment area (literally our street is the cut off) for a very good catholic primary that feeds a very good catholic secondary. All the other schools are round here are poor. I am not religious but we are having our two dc baptized soon, and for me it’s more about getting them into a decent school. One of the requirements for baptism is that one parent is a catholic, which is the case, so I don’t feel too bad about it ! And like others have said, as a parent it’s natural to want to do the best for your children. The alternative for us is to move to get into a better school.

From my understanding the Catholic Church subsidises the schools. So why can't they have their own schools?

Because they only subsidise 10% and they don't have to follow equality law for employment.

OP Have a look at the school, you might not be happy with the RC content which will not just be in RE classes.

As for baptism to get in, if you are white, native English speaking MC you stand a better chance than a child from a Polish family.

Call me cynical but before mass immigration from the EU the baptism requirement was not before 12 months. In poland and other former Eastern European countries it is traditional to baptise at 12 months, and even if you want to do it sooner you probably want to do it where your family are so that involves getting a passport, flights or a long drive.

Sameish situation husband is Catholic but not practising. We go to my church each week but he thinks we should get son baptised Catholic for school. He says means he will go to church in school and learn more about the Bible which is a giant positive. But it just seems like a lie? I told the priest I go to my church at the baptism meeting and he said he would want husband and son at his church after baptism!

It probably is morally wrong but I think when you’re talking about your child it’s very, very hard to take the moral high ground sometimes. If you had an amazing, outstanding school nearby you’d be able to stand by your morals but there isn’t. Give yourself a break 💐

Why is it wrong? They are a public aided school aided by the Catholic Church it's no coincidence that catholic schools are all good schools. They are funded by the church of course they only want catholic kids in!!

No they are not! There are Catholic schools which are or have been in special measures. The oversubscribed ones appear to be good precisely because the can pick ad choose who attends - children of people like who us sufficiently invested I education to do something she would not otherwise do. The undersubscribed, less desirable Catholic schools definitely don't only want Catholics, they will take anyone, even those who practice other religions!

Honestly, the funding given to catholic schools from the church is paltry. The church owns the land/buildings and then schools have to bid for maintenance money to stop the places falling down. That’s it. No money for teachers, supplies, support staff, utilities, nothing. I think there is a fund that you can make a bid for so you can stick crosses and Jesus’s all over the place, which is obviously a brilliant way to spend money . It’s so archaic that education in this country still runs like that.

Perhaps religious schools should only be able to prioritise in direct proportion to the religions funding of running costs.
So if they pay 10% of the running costs the can give 10% of places on religion, the rest follow ordinary LA rules.

I think it's a bit hypocritical really...but many ppl do it.

I'm catholic and our DC were baptised the year they were born. You can be questioned on why you didn't baptise as a baby.

My DN was baptised at 10 months and the school wanted an explanation for why it took so long!

Regular mass attendance and a priest reference form are usually required as has been said.

As a school (high school) governor we look at applications and would cotton on to late baptisms and late holy communions, so if oversubscribed it would be a factor.

A state-funded religiously biased education system is inherently immoral. I see nothing wrong with gaming a corrupt system to get your children an education they are entitled to

This.

The system is hugely biased against non-religious low-to-middle income families. I have no issue at all with people doing this to secure their child’s education.

I’d dig a bit deeper though, most churches do require some attendance (even if that’s not stated explicitly).

NewMum19344567

The RC church recognises baptism in other Christian denominations. It depends on the words used and whether water is involved.

You would not be the first nor probably the only parent of a child in the class your child would be in to have done this.

This is extremely morally wrong... if I were you I would send him to another school if you aren't religious. It might be odd for your child to only hear about Catholism when he isn't religious.

Perhaps religious schools should only be able to prioritise in direct proportion to the religions funding of running costs.
So if they pay 10% of the running costs the can give 10% of places on religion, the rest follow ordinary LA rules.
I agree with this and until that happens i think it's fine for people to game an immoral system as much as they like.

This is extremely morally wrong

Bullshit. The system is rigged against her. Why should she just sit back and accept that when her child’s education is at stake?

If it hasn't killed your DH to be catholic, it won't kill DC either!

I'd go ahead and do it, and celebrate the event, too.

Thank you all for your replies

My son attended a Catholic primary school and now at a Catholic secondary school,neither require regular attendance at church ,just a baptism certificate, the CorE secondary school however requires regular attendance for at least two years prior to admission and forms signed by the minister, what tends to happen is parents and children"find religion" in year four and we soon as they have secured the place they become far less devout ......

I don't seethe problem with it. Your DH is a catholic. It's not as if you are completely changing religion to get into a school.

As parents, we have a moral obligation to do the best for our children, and if that involves the next 2-3 years, every Sunday morning, then so be it.

A couple of points up the thread, our Catholic secondary's have between 33% and 25% of places to non Catholics, they go on the usual criteria - looked after children, siblings, other religious observants, then the non believers.

As for baptism to get in, if you are white, native English speaking MC you stand a better chance than a child from a Polish family. Also locally our catholic schools are mainly West African children, they are either Catholic or religious observants - not a naice middle class amongst them. And the other places are East European, either Catholic or Orthodox. Odd how the dreadful snobbery manifests on MN, so many stereotype come into play.

People generally want their children educated like-with-like in the same way over my dead body did my children go to the school populated by 'erberts from the local sink estate where drugs and knife crime are rife. I want my children to broadly mix with people with my values and outlook, this does not mean they had a restricted social mix.