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

[Mum2Ela]

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)?

Moondog

Our HeadMaster has a wonderful radar, and he does not hesitate to use it.

Not read all the thread, but my ds is due to start school next Sept, my nearerst is a church school, and I so want him to go there.

I've even started going to church

We all want the best education for our kids. It's not fair to rule chilren out because of the beliefs of their parents.

Moondog, we'd love not to be at a C of E school (though we do value it's educational standards, just feel like hypocrites) bt it was the only one available when we moved here mid school year.

I honestly don't see why that should be admirable, to use state funding to discriminate against on the grounds of their PARENT'S religion.
PLEASE tell me WHY that's admirable because to me ut just screams WRONG WRONG WRONG

against CHILDREN should be

LGJ..sounds like my kind of guy.

If more parents put effort into state school then there wouldn't be so many shite ones.

Harpsi

I can't be bothered to explain it, I have done so on here on more than one occassion.

I have a strong faith, my child is growing in faith,when will the secularisation of this country stop ?? When we are all worshipping at the altar of the mighty dollar ? When the fabric of society has totally broken down ??

Harpsi, hear your point and agree 100%.

If your taxes go there, so should your kids if you want.

I agree with moondog - if the other schools were improved then parents wouldn't be so 'desperate' to get their children into a school which teaches somethig they don't believe.

Quite right lgj.I want my children to learn about and respect other culture part of the reason we travel so much) but we are Christians and I want my daughter to know it.

I do put my money where my mouth is too,so to speak-attend chapel and help run the Sunday school.

LadyS

It's great to have a strong faith but that doesn't mean children should be excluded from the better schools. If the parents are willing for the children to be brought up within the ethos (and I have no problem with individual schools choosing their own ethos- that's part of the choice system in itself surely?), then the kids shouldn't suffer because parents can't or won't go to Church. My leanings are towards Buddhism yet I cnnot send them to a Buddhist School as there isn't one, but I would like them to grow up within the moral system that is alrgely sahred with Christianity and indeed all major religions. My sister is deeply religious (Christian) but as an on call vet nurse cannot always make Church (her Dh works every Sunday) so cannot attend the Faith school they would like. Indeed, that same faith school would not have considered my kids even though at the time I was a practising Christian running a Church group (the Rainbows) because I had not lived in that area (and hence not attended the Church) for long.

I believe that all schools should be able to choose and publish their own ethos and parents (within distance etc criteria as per all schools) should be able to select the one they want their children to grow up with.

I do think though that Christian schools should be forced (if necessary) to adopt a more open attitude to other religions in their teachings- I am studying World religions but when I offered to help at school, I was told that they only teach the TRUE religion and Judaism, Judaism only because they can do the Old Testament and it fulfils requirements for a second religion. I want to teach RE when I graduate, and I thought that this was sad, especially for the Muslim kids in the school.

My children go to a school run by nun and my view rightly or wrongly is there isn't a problem if you are just not religious. The only problem may be if you are strongly anti religion.

moondog I must say I don't understand your point
yes of course it is a womderful thing to leanr about and respect pther cultures
so why then restrict this to one religious group?
i.e. the one they're learning about
sorry doesn't make sense to me
in my view religiouis discrimination, like race and sex, is just plain wrong

my son goes to a c of e school we recently moved and it was the closest one so we could walk the school is lovely and the teachers are
they didnt ask me about my religion but we do get asked to attend church for services every half term to be honest I enjoy them and I am looking forward to christingle a lot

Mum2Ela - since it is your nearest school, and funded through your taxes, and is only a 2 second walk away, I cannot possibly imagine why you should not apply if you are happy with the school, and you should have a good chance of getting in because of proximity.

I've been very lucky. my kids go to a c of e school - we were not in the catchment but it was the nicest school I visited. I was very worried about having to 'lie' to get in, as it is oversubscribed. but that never happened. I merely asked to be allowed to send my kids on social grounds and the fact that we were prepared to walk to school (it' a mile away from us, but they are very concerned about the amount of traffic generated by parents driving to scjhool). I don't 'do' organised religion but I am a spiritual person, and wanted my kids to go to a school with a good ethos. We don't go to church, but my children have been brought up to respect other people, other religions, not to lie, cheat or steal, to be kind and considerate and we are as a family very 'community' minded and involved. Obviously our school thought these qualities were as worthwhile as those who started attending church for a couple of terms before admission procedures (which happens a lot, apparently). Many other parents at the school, once thir child is 'in' take no interest in the school, the PTA or any of the community events the school gets involved in. In my opinion, the 'good' within is more important than playing lip service to God. I must add tho' that the school is very tolerant of all faiths. My kids enjoy attending church with school, and I have offered to take them to church/Sunday school (and go with them! ) but they don't want to go.
Secondary school however, is a whole other issue. That's when, in this town, the kids get judged on their parents' church performance. Not sure what I'm going to do then!

Ela2 isn't a user and abuser - she just wants to use the school next door!
AND secularisation doesn't have to mean worship of the dollar, on or off an alter!

Sorry, with Aloha et others. Just done two nativity plays, very sweet. But what the f**k is it doing in a state education.

Not a problem in deepest Surrey where I live now, but when I used to live in London I knew some practising catholics who had this access to a second education system - the normal state one and a secondary catholic state funded system. And, god did they know how to manipulate the system.

They used to say that Catholic school tended to be so good because the parents were very committed to their childrens education and they were very much tied into the local church and community. Is that right? Or is it just those parents who are manipulating the system just happen to be the pushy, determined sort who know how to use their faith to get the best for their kids.

Comprehensive education for all its many flaws is a great ideal, an education which allows all classes and faiths to work and grow together. That is more likely to teach you about compassion, understanding and tolerance than segrating your kids in a sterile "one faith" vacumn. This is really the only time that our kids get to mix with people fundamentally different to them.

Now don't get me started on private education

my child goes toa church school and we are a genuine church going family.At our school we have to have a reference from the minister saying for how longand how often you attend church? The children pray 3 times a day, mass is compulsory and there are lots of R.E projects and homework. So mum2ela if you get in you'll need to start reading the bible!!to help your kids!!. our school is very keen to keep the christian ethos and so doesnt want to accept non church goers. if your child is not babtised forget it. But spare places do go to children who have been baptised but dont attend church. However if they wont allow to many as then it defeats the object of it being a church school, if it full of non christian children.
Dont lie about your church attendance. the minister is nearly always on the board of governor and you will look silly. they are silly. They know who goes to church and who doesnt.Give it a go, be honest( one of the 10 commandments).. Good luck

I can't bear the underlying discrimination of church schools. Fine if they're private but not state schools. Someone asked when the secularisation of this country is going to stop.I'm afraid that in a multi-cultural country in which most people choose not to have any faith at all then the state should be secular. As someone with no faith I am deprived of the right to send my children to the STATE school round the corner. And they have the nerve to send me a prospectus saying they welcome people of all faith and colours.

Mum2Ela - church schools can set their own admission criteria, but these are criteria for PRIORITISING who they ACCEPT. They are STATE schools and they cannot reject you, if they have a place, on the grounds that you do not go to church, or on any other grounds. Most give preference to church goers and siblings and then allot remaining places on the basis of proximity. You would need to get information on previous years to find out what your chances are.

church schools might not want to accept non church goers but they are STATE schools funded by taxes from church goers and non church goers alike and if there aren't enough church goers to fill the places they can't turn you away.

well our head is a very devout Christian - but in the school they currently have

1 Ba-hai follower (his mum is a very active member of the group round this way - and runs sessions)
2 Sikh's
1 Muslim
Several of "no religious affiliation"

and the rest are Christians in varying shapes and sizes (CoE, Pentecostal, Methodist, Baptist etc etc) - there are 180 children in the school.

Only a set number (not sure how many - but it's not a lot) of places are set aside soley for church goers (and it doesn't have to be the local church either).

The mother who practices Ba'hai - frequently goes in to help (she's very 'arty').

And only last week at the open evening I was looking at some fantastic photo's of last years Diwali (sp) celebrations - when they had a group come into the school and everyone got dressed in traditional (and gorgeous) dress.

So - they're not only learning about "one" religion.

Last time I checked - the state and the church had not been seperated.

If (as moondog said) other schools were brought up to scratch - then there wouldn't be an issue. But as it is it's become more of an issues that it actually is because there are fewer decent schools around - so everyone is fighting for places.

Our local church school accepts non-church attending children. (In same town as LGJ lives actually but think hers is Catholic as opposed to CofE. It is nigh on impossible to get non-catholics into Catholic schools here

yes - it does appear that the Catholic Schools tend to be the stricter - I wouldn't have had a cat in hells chance of getting DS1 into the Catholic Primary School (not that I'd want to either).

we sent dd to Catholic School as its such a good school(now with 2year waiting list)Luckily we live in Wales so there arent many catholics here,school is only 50% catholic intake