To that expect DDs Non Denominational community primary school should NOT make her say prayers??

[DabblesInDarknessWithALightOn]

They do.

I specifically did not choose a church school as I was brought up catholic and I do not wish to inflict that upon my children (each to their own this is not an attack on those who are religious)

butm they make her say prayers, to 'god' to be thankful (before lunch time, etc)

I don't like it. I want to say something but am not sure how to apporach it as I think her teacher is quite 'christian' as she mentioned 'God' during a recent meeting (with regards to harvest festival)

Children in C of E don't have to be 12 for confirmation. I think the age is actually 7 but our church they invite the children who will be 10 at the time.
My DD 10 is having confirmation classes at the moment and will be confirmed in a few weeks time. The classes are only for about 3 months not 6 months.

I should not have remove my child.

Religion is constantly pushed in this country. Should people not be allowed to choose for themselves how this personal subject is presented to their children?

Sorry just found out there is no minimum age, it is up to the Bishop to decide.

Prehaps the issue is with the nature of the assembly. The current school I work at sings pop songs in their assembly. They also use the assembly time to teach the children about issues like fairtrade, breast cancer awareness week. There is no relgion, hymns or prayers whatsoever. Harvest festival was an activity workshop to teach children where different foods came from.

The school in question got a brilliant OFSTED so they must be complying with the law.

The previous school which I worked at which was a non secular state primary was VERY religious. Its assembly was like an evangelist christian church service. I wonder what the parents would have thought if they had known. There is a difference between being 'broadly christian' and outright indoctrination.

I think that schools should make it clear what their assemblies are like in their prospectus and what provison there is for parents who do not want their children to attend.

Shocked Reallytired!
Was this just a normal state primary?? (the one with the evangalist leanings, I mean)

aha, so we must put up with it or take our children out of lessons
excellent, that old Christian tolerance for other points of view &c
I would, personally, just speak to your dd and tell her she doesn;t have to join in
and have a word with the head about why prayers are used and whether it can be reconsidered.

My DD has just started reception and due to having a tracheostomy i have to go with her until the TA is fully trained.The school is about half muslim but all the prayers said in assembly are Christian.They also sing the same hymns i sang at school from a book called Come and praise(lots of God ,Jesus and biblical stories).
All the children join in and i was quite shocked as i thought non christian parents would object .
The school does also celebrate Eid and my other DD is the only non muslim child in her pre school class which i admit made me a little uncomfortable at first.In fact i started a thread about it which got about 600 posts so it is obviously a very emotive subject.
I don't think i would like my dds to participate in daily worship of a non Christian religion so i can understand why some people feel as they do.
However i think Layla has a very valid point when she says we do still live in a Christian country.

She will not have been "made" to day prayers. However, given her age it is up to you as a parent to inform the school that you do not wish her to take part in acts of worship.

I spoke to my daughter's school about this issue after she came home saying she had celebrated Eid. I told them that whilst I did not mind her taking part in lessons where she was learning about other religions which meant she could listen to a classmate talking about how her family celebrated and sample the special sweet she brought in, I did not want her taking part in non Christian acts of worship.

A nativity play, or performing a song from another culture can be seen as a performance rather than an act of worship depending on your point of view, so it is not necessarity all or nothing, but you do need to let the school know where you stand on this issue.

well if everyone else is saying them, and the teacher is telling her to, then unless she wishes to draw attention to herself, cause unfavourable comment from the teachers then she is being made to say prayers, effectively.

ds has told me that children who don't say grace (in the classroom before they go for lunch) have to stay behind until they do say it. Not sure how much of this is true, but I am going to speak to the teacher about it as he is unhappy about having to say it.