Too much religion at school ?

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How much does your child's school reference religion in teaching about something else? We don't identify as Christian or any religion and our child just started at our local village C of E school last week. We realised that there would be teaching about different religions, however the second day of school they have learnt Christian songs and the first term 'homework' has a big section to read out about Jesus, using it to explain respect, which in our opinion could have been done using loads of other examples in a secular way. Am I being unreasonable to expect that they shouldn't be pushing this as the first homework example? Is this common with your experiences of C of E schools?

DSs secondary lays it on thick. It's owned by a CofE academy. We had no choice but to go there (was our fourth choice which we appealed). They own most of the schools round here.
Just think of it as a set of useful cultural stories.

We're lucky in that we have had the option of a secular infant, junior and secondary school and this played a large part in our choices because all that religious stuff would have made me cross. It's really rubbish that in loads of areas parents don't really have that choice.

@CurlewKate yes there are. Our infant and junior schools are both "community" schools and don't include any prayers or hymns or other religious stuff outside of RE, when they are taught about all religions. In assembly they had a school poem, and sang non-religious songs. Only other religious thing they did was the Nativity play.

Also our secondary school doesn't have any sort if religious assembly or teaching other than curriculum RE.

@Runnersandtoms There is no such thing as a secular school in England. They are all technically Christian. You're lucky that your schools choose to disregard their statutory obligations.

We're in the same boat. Picked this one as all the schools round here were religious. The other schools were very upfront during the open days about the presence of religion. This one said it was light touch, hence our decision. Turns out they lied and it's a bit of a running joke that they say everything parents want to hear. (They lied about other stuff as well, not just religion.)

If it s any consolation, we're a few years in and religion is so 'subtly' approached DC can't stand the prayers, songs, etc so it s turned out to be perfect immunisation! The other children of atheist parents are the same.

The daily act of collective worship in schools must be: “wholly, mainly, broadly Christian in nature”. This is a legal requirement. There is no requirement for a CofE school to go further and years ago, many didn’t. Now!!! It’s gone too far and the Church is to blame. Not that they are getting any success as those identifying as CofE continues to fall.

The CofE did a wonderful thing by establishing schools for children who, otherwise, had no education. In Victorian times nearly everyone went to church so school and church existed together. Now people don’t go to church so the CofE has started recruiting and indoctrinating via schools. The schools I know have changed to much more religious in nature and are lead by evangelistic type heads. If I had Dc now I would avoid because I can. Many others cannot and don’t like it. It’s not inclusive and it’s going too far making some Dc uncomfortable. It’s not caring or welcoming. It’s exclusive and off putting.

@PotteringAlonggotkickedoutandhadtoreregister Oh yes! Got a while until Easter

What irks me more is that faith schools are almost entirely state funded. That all tax payers, in this country, fund such schools with their taxes. They pay for these schools with their own, hard earned money, even if they do not follow any religion. It’s 2023, and this needs to change.

Haha this made me laugh.
Sends kid to faith school... annoyed about the faith 😂

"Haha this made me laugh.
Sends kid to faith school... annoyed about the faith "

Yes yes, all very funny. Now can we talk about people of faith having a 3rd more choices of state funded schools than people without faith? And that it is up to the Head how much religion there is in non-faith schools? And that schools which do not have daily assemblies of "a broadly Christian nature" are in breach of their statutory obligations?

Why would that make you laugh? There are hardly any secular schools. In most cases, in most areas, parents have absolutely no choice but to send their child to one of these faith schools. No choice at all. So what’s funny about that?

Church of England. What did you expect?

OP, even children of agnostics/atheists benefit greatly from being taught religion.

Developmentally children need stories and shared mythology to make sense of the world. Let them be, and when they start asking more questions you can mention different people believe different things.

My DS went to the village CofE primary school. There is absolutely no other option around here - all the primary schools within a 5 mile radius are CofE. By the time he left at 11 he had decided that religion was "one big fairy tale for grownups ". He was not influenced by us in any way, shape or form - he made his own decision based on what he had been taught. And that included frequent visits to the Church for services with the school, lots of hymns and prayers at daily assembly. I don't think you need to fear that your child will be indoctrinated but you may need to work on discussing alternative views at home.

Why have you sent your children to a CofE school if you don’t want them brought up with a Christian education?

Christian schools teach about all religions, but hymns and the values of Christianity are rightly embedded across the school. If you don’t like it, go elsewhere.

They really don’t. Children go to schools to learn facts, there’s plenty of opportunities for fiction in English lessons. Having a broad understanding of different cultures is absolutely no problem, especially in the context of geography and history, but R.E is a waste of time. In primary it should be redefined as sociology with zero references to one religion being more correct or acceptable than others. My son goes to a non-religious primary and still came out telling me (insisting) how Jesus was a real person, extremely inappropriate.

As for church schools, it’s disgusting they still exist. In some areas there’s only church schools for parents to choose from, when applying for my own son 2 of 3 schools within reasonable walking distance were the same. It shouldn’t be a choice between a local cult school or having travel miles for a normal one.

@Gerrataere you have freedom of movement to establish yourself and your family where it suits your own values. Don’t be the type to move into a tiny village next to a church, then try to get them to stop using the bells on Sundays. 🙄

Because 99% of the time parents categorically have no choice, and parents are therefore forced to send their children to these faith schools, which in 2023 is very wrong, as the choice is not there.

I live in a city suburb. And values have nothing to do with education. Keep your ‘values’ and religious beliefs for the weekend service and out of schools where they do not belong. Imagine in this day and age still trying to find ways and reasons to indoctrinate children in educational settings…

Because, for the nth time, sometimes you don't have a choice.

Sure, use stories and mythology to make sense of the world. No problem with that at all.

The issue is when it gets taught as fact rather than fiction, which is what religion is.

No choice? Ofc you have a choice in choosing where to live (and therefore educate your children). You can homeschool too.

She can live where she wants to and there categorically should be a choice of non faith schools available to people of non faith. It’s actually shocking that in this day and age the choice is not there.

FFS.

Sometimes, no, people don't have a choice. I know it's hard to imagine but sometimes where you live is not a choice, and being able to move is not a choice either.

That's beside the point, anyway.

Socially, the UK is a secular country. The idea that public money goes to church run schools at the expense of inclusive, non-religious schools is patently absurd.