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Education

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Original poster

Going to see a Church School Thurs, but am not religious. Can you see a problem with this?

83 replies

Mum2Ela · 12/12/2005 14:33

Bit of background: we have just moved house and so we are not in the catchment area for the school which DD and DS's names are down for. They prob won't get in as I think the school is oversubscribed.

There is a Church School literally a 2 second walk from our house. Thought this might be the road to go down as the primary school which is our catchment area school is a bit scummy (sorry, not being snobby although it sounds like I am).

I am really trying to find out if anyone has any experience of this? Will they ask me about religion and how often we attend church (wedon't)?

OP posts:

Blossomgoodwill · 12/12/2005 14:38

My children don;t go to a religious school. However I do know people that do and it is very hard to get in and you do need to attend church quite regularly. They can choose who they take in as usually privately run wheras a counil run school has to go by admission policies.
HTH

QueensSpeechEagle · 12/12/2005 14:38

dd is at a Catholic Upper school, it wasn't our first choice, they know we have no faith and don't have a problem with it at all. No problems with it so far a nd dd has settled really well. Last week she was offered a place at our first choice school but dd turned it down.

Don't see that you should have a problem.

LadySherlockofLGJ · 12/12/2005 14:39

They will expect you to bring the children up in the ethos of the school and expect you to fully suppport them in this job. In Ds's school this means no exceptions, every child goes to assembly,every child says their prayers, every child goes to Mass when there is a school mass.

In our area, you would be very far down the criteria list, regardless of location. The headmaster at our school is very good at sniffing out people who just want to use the school for it's convenience.

ItllBeLonelymumThisChristmas · 12/12/2005 14:40

I would imagine it would depend on how oversubscribed (or not) that they are. My children went to a church school until we moved this year, but it was the only one in the village, and no, no mention was made of how often we attended church. But their admissions policy stated that priority would be given to people who were regular church goers in the parish church.

Also, bear in mind that they might take the children to church a few times a year (ours went at harvest, Christmas, Easter and the leavers went in the summer). If you are going to object to your children going to church, consider another school.

QueensSpeechEagle · 12/12/2005 14:42

Forgot to say that priority is given to catholic kids, when all of those have been given it is open to first come first served as dd's school is not full. She is also expected to take part graciously in all the religious aspects of school life AND RE at gcse is compulsory.

WigWamBam · 12/12/2005 14:43

You may find that the selection process automatically means that your children won't get in - in our area you'd be well down the selection list because priority is given to baptised children who attend the parish church, then to baptised children who attend other churches, then to unbaptised children who attend other churches, then to those with siblings already at the school ... unlike state schools there's no catchment area.

You also need to think about whether you want your children to have such a religious upbringing if you have no faith yourselves - there's lots of religious activity during the school day.

Original poster

Mum2Ela · 12/12/2005 14:44

LadySherlockofLGJ all those things you list (assemble, mass, prayers etc) happen at every school in Wales. Do you know how a Church School is so different?

I am happy to bring DD and DS up understanding Christianity, as my parents did with me as a child. I am Christened and I used to attend Sunday School regularly as a child, but now I have made up my own mind.

They statement of entry to the school says they will accept anyone so long as there are the spaces, and then after this they have avrious criteria which obv starts with 'reg. attend mass in local place of worship'.

Do you think they will ask me Thurs about my beliefs etc? Should I be honest or gloss over a bit?

OP posts:

PeachyPlumFairy · 12/12/2005 14:44

My kids go to a Church School (it's the catchment school, as opposed to a school we chose) and yes, at times it has been a problem. I think it depends on the school though- ours gets funded by the Church which means that they are extremely devout as the Vicar is Head Governor, other religious schools are less fundamental I believe. I'm finding it ewasiest to let the kids go with the teachings, they can choose their own path later in life. DS1 even attend bible club and he loves it.

The school has pt DS's down as Christian although we're not (DH is Atheist, I'm sort of thinking about Buddhism)which annoys me, and they won't let me help in school as my beliefs don't comply with theirs, and if one of the kids asked I couldn't look in their eyes and say I believed in God.

Most selective Religious schools IME will ask (and check) about your Church attendance.

PeachyPlumFairy · 12/12/2005 14:46

Oh, and the kids attend church weekly, with prayers 3 times a day and the Teachers were promoting Genesis over evolution, which was what got my goat initially.

Original poster

Mum2Ela · 12/12/2005 14:51

Do you think if I was honest and said we didn't attend church, perhaps say due to lack of time, but we would be happy to try and fit it into our schedule if the children had the opportunity of attending the school. Bearing in mind DD won't be going to school til a year sept?

Would that work?

OP posts:

Caligyulea · 12/12/2005 14:53

Mum2Ela what sort of church schools? The ones in our area all have to serve the local community as well as members of their faith community.

ItllBeLonelymumThisChristmas · 12/12/2005 14:53

I don't think they will necessarily ask you about your beliefs. The church school my children went to certainly didn't. You have to fill in an admissions form which, as WWB explained, typically lists their admissions criteria and you have to tick the box that applies to you (in your case, presumably, living in area but not a church goer or with siblings in school). If the school is very popular, you may well not get a place, but if it is more like our school and the only one in the village, you are pretty much guaranteed a place.

LadySherlockofLGJ · 12/12/2005 14:54

Well it wouldn't around here, but give it a try, don't be surprised if it does not work.

All of this is academic if your children have not been baptised.

Original poster

Mum2Ela · 12/12/2005 14:55

Caligyulea its a Church of Wales school (is that what you mean?) Its not the only school in our community, there are several others but as I said (again, not being snobby), the others aren't that great.

OP posts:

PeachyPlumFairy · 12/12/2005 14:58

Yes, ours is a Curch of Wales- as I said below, very religious indeed.

LadySherlockofLGJ · 12/12/2005 14:59

Have your children been baptised ??

marialuisa · 12/12/2005 15:01

I think it depends on the area TBH. I used to live in Cardiff and have friends doing the school application thing. The CinW schools in some places (e.g. Cathays) will take all comers but others (e.g. in Llandaff) are really picky and you have to have the kids baptised, have attended for at least 2 years prior to application etc.
Friends in Llandaff have admitted defeat and decided to shell out for the Cathedral School as they would have had to attend all through primary as well and the commitment asked was just too great for their not especially religious selves.

Cardiff ouncil publishes the church schools admissions criteria online, does your local authority do the same? At least you'd get an idea of how likely it is you'd get a place.

Original poster

Mum2Ela · 12/12/2005 15:04

No children haven't been baptised.

We are under Cardiff Council too.

Getting a bit scared now!

OP posts:

marialuisa · 12/12/2005 15:11

sorry, you're not in Llandaff are you!! Seriously, the CinW admissions criteria is on the web and each school is different so you may be fine!

falalaala · 12/12/2005 15:24

you asked whether you should be honest about your own beliefs. i think if you say what you've said here about being happy/wanting to bring up your children understanding Christianity and that you are christened that should be fine. they may ask about your beliefs now and in your position, I'd have a response ready for that one.
i do feel for you. i live up the road from a church school that i very much want my dd to go to but i'm not prepared to pretend that i'm a committed church-goer, or to go to church temporarily to get her in. i'm christened, confirmed and was an active part of the church until i left home but i have personal family reasons for not going now which i don't want to discuss with anyone, let alone the school! hope it works out for you.

Kelly1978 · 12/12/2005 15:42

our closest school is a cofe but they get priority on area first and then religion. I suppose it varies on location. dd is in the infant school atm, but the junior is cofe. I'm a nit worried now after reading some of this thread. I want my dd to learn at school, not spend half the day praying, or learning christian religious beliefs. She can pray and learn about god at home.

noddyholder · 12/12/2005 15:48

I am a bit of a hypocrite as are most people when it comes to their own child's education and would do whatever it took within reason to get them into the better school even frquenting church which I haven't done in years

grumpyfrumpy · 12/12/2005 15:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

tortoiseshell · 12/12/2005 15:53

Don't know about in Wales, but in England it is entirely dependent on how the school is funded. Ds' school is VC (voluntary controlled) which means the admission criteria is exactly the same as for any other school in the area - i.e. SENS, siblings, distance. Church attendance doesn't come into it. If a school is VA (voluntary aided) then they set their own criteria and church attendance is usually an issue then.

Klauz33 · 12/12/2005 15:56

We are down the road from a C of E primary school. They see themselves as serving the community and the catchment area is based on proximity.

I am an athesist and have no qualms about sending the boys to a church school. If they want to become religious that is fine but on the other I can give them all the akward questions to ask

I think it is incredibly divisive in a multi faith state to allow religion to dictate education. Also totally discriminatory against parents who have no faith, the non religious schools aren't allowed to discriminate based on "no faith". Another reason to dislike Blair

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