School residential is religious

[Stephthegreat]

Dcs school is CofE and as there are four faith schools closest to us we sent dcs to the nearest one. Neither me or dh are religious but we support the values of the faith and the school.

The school used to go to a really fab place for residential and it was full of activities, adventuring, just a really fun weekend. Ds is due to go on camp soon and the new residential the school have chosen looks extremely religious. Ds really doesn’t enjoy this side of school and has his own ideas about faith.

The programme involves daily bible study and ‘getting to know jesus’. There are bible related games and quizzes and prayer sessions. It looks like they do bushcraft and have a bonfire too which is up Ds street. He’s a bit put off by the whole idea and I also think it’s quite serious!

AIBU?

It's highly inappropriate when it's a school that receives even one penny of public funding. I absolutely despise faith schools. I've no problem with private faith schools, but I find the idea that people could be allocated one of these establishments abhorrent.

Op, I'd have no qualms about not sending him on the residential if he doesn't want to go.

Unfortunately all our local primaries were C of E too. There was no secular option. Luckily my children recognised the nonsense for what it was.

I strongly believe that ALL state funded schools should be secular. If parents want a faith school they should be the ones going private.

The church owns the land and buildings that these schools are on. If we want secular schools, the taxpayer would have to buy that land. I’m not sure we can afford our atheist principles right now. I would just tell my kids to enjoy the trip.

It's mostly not a choice whether you end up in a faith school or not.

Only one of the five nearest primary schools to me is a non-faith school. The second nearest is a COE where, the last time I looked, 90% of the pupils were Bangladeshi, so presumably mostly Muslim. I don't think their parents deliberately chose a COE school so their children could learn more about Jesus.

Round here, moving house to be near a different school would cost tens of thousands in stamp duty alone, it's an absurd idea.

We are religious and sent DD to a faith school for that reason. However I would not be impressed with this residential. Far to much like ramming Jesus down the throats of young people imo. School residentials should be fun as well as educational.

Have you gauged what the other parents think OP?

I’m very surprised they can actually do this and make it the only option. What about any children who practise a different faith? You are allowed to withdraw your child from religious education and collective worship in state funded faith schools.
As many have said, in some areas a CofE school is the only choice.
I work in a Cof E school we are the only school in our catchment area. Same goes for the local school my children attend.
I think you need to speak to school and find out what the options are for those children who do not wish to take part in the faith based activities. Are there no Muslim/Hindu/ Jewish etc families in your school? We have families from all faiths and would never dream of insisting they attend this kind of thing. Making the only available residential starts to tread a thin line between ok and discrimination on faith grounds.
It seems a very odd choice.

YANBU this sounds totally over the top! Daily bible study?!
I am a practicing Christian and mine have grown up going to Sunday school but they wouldn’t be interested in a residential with daily bible study. I would imagine that there will be lots of children who decline to go.

Lots of people have no real choice about sending their children to a faith school. Our local school is CofE , if you live close by and didn’t put it as one of your options you would likely be allocated one quite some distance away that would be completely impractical for lots of parents.

Maybe it’s good OP - they will see the other side if the debate (I assume you tell them your point of view on religion) and can make up their own mind rather than only having a one sided view.

Ridiculous comments by some people. In our area 95% of the schools are faith schools. We'd have been looking at a long drive to go to one that wasn't and wouldn't have got in as they're out of catchment. I'd be very unhappy if my dc ended up with a religious residential

@PuppyMonkey

Yep, all the schools round here are C of E, but tbf there’s not much pushing Jesus. Not like my Catholic school upbringing anyway.

I’d send DC but just make sure you give the background that it’s a story some believe but most people think it’s bollocks.

This sort of thing really doesn’t do atheists any favours. It makes atheists appear nasty and childish, ridiculing something that is so important to many. Why not let your children make up their own minds?

we support the values of the faith and the school.

I'm guessing things like believing in Jesus

@Qwill

Where does their funding come from?

The same as any state school. Historically these were voluntary schools set up before free, compulsory education. They were then taken on by the state and became voluntary aided or voluntary controlled. They are not particularly committed to teaching a faith. Often the only available school is CofE.

I'm not sure most people understand that you haven't 'chosen' a faith school - it's just your local catchment school. Where I live there are about 15 infant/primary schools to cover the entire town. All except for 1 are CofE or Catholic. They are all just local schools and you attend the one in your catchment- there is no real ability to go to sleep non faith school unless you live next to the one form entry primary that is secular.

All my DC have attended CofE schools until secondary and there was an element of faith but nothing too serious. Think assembly in church for special occassions (Easter, Carol concert, leavers etc) weekly assembly by the vicar, discussing morals etc but nothing significantly religious. I really wouldnt hsve been happy to have them attend a residential like you're describing.

I would speak to the class teacher & raise my concerns directly with the school & ask why they have chosen this type of residential which is so different to previous years and not something your family is keen on. Unless they know parents feedback they won't know if it's suitable or not.

Good luck

Why not let your children make up their own minds?

Yes like a Christian residential would encourage this.

I would imagine not all children will be attending the residential anyway. I would speak to school to see what they are doing for the children who don't or can't go to the residential. It maybe then that your son would prefer to go on the residential.

Yanbu, it’s not appropriate for a taxpayer funded state school to have a residential including evangelical/ missionary type work like ‘getting to know jesus’ and bible study especially if the school community is used to a secular activity. Yes it’s a faith school, yes that means religious songs and then occasional prayer, but it should ensure that children of other faiths and atheists are not made uncomfortable / targeted for conversion.

Some very smug responses on here 🙄 not everyone gets a choice of school people!

I accidentally went on one of these camps with a friend when I was a teen. Thought it was a normal activity holiday. There was bible study twice a day, and prayer meetings 3x a day, it felt like a cult / brainwashing camp. Pretended to be sick the last couple of days to get away from the mad people.

Your child has a right to experience a residential as part of the National Curriculum. As a parent, you have a right to withdraw your child from religious activities. Gently write to the noting these two facts and enquire what provision they will be putting in place for the children whose parents don't want them to participate in Christian activities.

This is very sensible advice.

OP you are not being at all unreasonable to expect the required legal provision to be accessed by your child.

We are a very strict CE school, you really can’t miss the fact that we are a faith school. However, apart from prayers before eating and a gentle bit of reflection on how fortunate we are to be spending time together in wonderful surroundings, our residential isn’t faith-based in the slightest.

We leap around in trees, zip-line, shoot arrows and sail rafts- just like all the other schools in the area.

I went to a hardcore religious CofE primary school. Some of the things we experienced were tantamount to brainwashing. I'm now an atheist and look back on my years there as the time I learned to think critically and not just blindly accept what the grown ups were saying. Let him go. If you encourage him to develop a life and activities outside of his school, he'll avoid being indoctrinated 🤞

@MadMadMadamMim

Don't send your children to a faith school, then complain when they share their faith.

If you object to a religious message being part of school events, choose a secular school.

It is basically that simple.

It's not that simple in a rural area like where we are, when there is only one school in catchment and it is CofE, with the nearest 5+ miles away in another village. Also CofE.

YANBU I think my dcs would not look forward to a religious residential! It sounds like the church is hoping to recruit young people to keep it going. Most people I know don't go to church any more.

Definitely leave it up to your son. If enough families don't want it and abstain, they'll hopefully change the trip.

Also YY to cubs/scouts as an alternative although we have to go to church to support our group (we're Hindu but are welcomed).

We were lucky enough to be able to move away from the faith schools.

Why do so many people not understand that lots of schools are called e.g. St Andrews C of E school, and in some areas are the only school available, so people can't opt for something else. Usually they aren't particularly religious, just with a broadly Christian ethos. Sending your child to one is not like actively choosing a Catholic school.

Children should have the right to an education free of religious indoctrination. That it is not available to all children regardless of geography is discrimination. Even if you as parents are religious, your child might not be. No child should not have to attend this activity if it makes that child uncomfortable.

Surely the point is that children going on a (year 6?) residential want to do climbing, abseiling, caving, kayaking, bodyboarding, team-building activities etc. and certainly don't want to take part in bible study. It's not even that it's to do with religion -they wouldn't want to be having sessions on politics or history either. I'm over 50 and go on residentials and always join in all the activities -I'd be opting out of bible sessions.