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Original poster

If your children were catholic....

21 replies

sea74 · 28/09/2011 19:27

I am roman catholic.
My husband is not.
My children are baptised into roman catholicism.
I am not british and, althought i have my beliefs, i have never ever studied in a religious school in my country. I have always thought that it will be the family to teach the religius believes and not only to my childre.
Now, i have always heard that here in uk catholic education (or schools?) are generally of better quality.
If you were in our position, woukd you send them for a catholic education.
What i mean is....nowadays, what does mean to have a catholic education on your CV?
I hope you dont think i am too brutal, but i just want to understand how the whole system works (so many of my acquaintances said, when talking about education "oh, you dont have any problems with the children being catholics").
Thanks to whoever will want to reply.

OP posts:
jenfraggle · 28/09/2011 19:41

I went to a catholic primary school as it was the closest one to home and the best in the town. It is thanks to them that I am now atheist as even then I thought they were talking a load of nonsense but it was a good school.

An0therName · 28/09/2011 20:34

No one will care if a child has a catholic school on their CV. lots of non catholics go to catholic schools - as often they are good
I would go and visit the relevant schools -and decide - it might be the catholic school that you could get into isn't that good - or might not suit your child

  • also are you planning to bring them up catholic - eg holy communnian as catholic schools tend to do that kind of preparation I think
mindgone · 28/09/2011 20:49

You really need to research the schools in your area. I would go for the better school, with the right "feel" about it, rather than just looking at whether it is Catholic or not. My children have been at Catholic schools since they started, and we have been really happy with our choice. I think that one of the reasons they are often seen as better, is that the parents that send them there make an active choice, it is much less likely to just be the nearest school. For secondary schools, it's generally much harder to get in, and you have to prove mass attendance etc. Therefore, the other children are the children of the parents who jump through hoops! Therefore, in theory, more likely to be actively interested in their children's education, and hopefully you get less "messing about" in class! That's just my theory though! Good luck!

cory · 28/09/2011 22:02

What an employer will be looking for is actual qualifications, that is GCSEs and A-levels. Maybe you stand a better chance of getting top marks at a good school, but it will be the marks that matter not the school.

(Until you get to university level, that is; what university you attend does matter to employers.)

QTPie · 28/09/2011 22:48

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Joolyjoolyjoo · 28/09/2011 22:58

I am catholic and Dh is not. Our dc were baptised, probably, if I'm honest, more to do with my parents and because I wanted them to have some kind of spiritual dimension to their lives, and catholicism was all I knew. They go to catholic school, and I am happy with it in general, but I had forgotten just how catholic a catholic primary school is. I am catholic, but I am not a great example of one, tbh. I do tend to pick and choose the bits I believe. But the dc take on board everything they are told at school, and I find myself harangued if we don't make mass on a Sunday, as the school tell them they should be there every Sunday, and question them about the readings etc. I feel the school has more control over their religious development than I do, which I don't really have a huge problem with, and I know I have chosen this path for them, but sometimes...

The school is, however, lovely, and I have a sentimental attachment as it's the school I went to myself as a child. Just sometimes feel I am not catholic enough for it!

TheFallenMadonna · 28/09/2011 23:00

I am in your position. I don't send my children to Catholic schools because I think state schools should not have religious affiliations.

Original poster
sea74 · 29/09/2011 07:18

Thanks girls. Allvery useful.

OP posts:
sunnydelight · 29/09/2011 08:20

Nobody in the future will give a toss what primary school your children attended. Send them to the school that you think will suit THEM (and be realistic about the ones they will actually get into when filling in the form). If you want to send them to a Catholic school of course the fact that they are baptised is an advantage but most Catholic schools nowadays will look at current church involvement so if you want a Catholic school you will need more than a baptism certificate.

Talker2010 · 30/09/2011 19:54

My children went to RC schools even though they are not the best schools locally in terms of results

We thought that they would benefit from the holistic approach to education that both the Primaries and Secondary offered

qumquat · 27/10/2011 10:12

Catholic schools vary as much as any other kind of school. Research the schools in your local area and go for the one which feels the best fit.

mummytime · 27/10/2011 10:36

What other parents maybe expressing is envy because either the local Catholic school is great or you have a choice which a lot of non-Catholics don't have. Some Catholic schools are great, and highly fought after, especially secondaries, but they do have their own entry criteria over and above being Catholic.
I always am amused when people talk about C of E schools as being elitist, as the two closest C of E secondaries to me are the ones people don't particularly want their kids to go to.

The only schools on a CV which have ever made a difference are certain public schools, and the difference can be negative as well as positive.

Michaelahpurple · 01/11/2011 11:01

There is no prejudice or other issues to worry about catholic schools on the CV, especially for state schools.
You are really lucky - you have the option to look at all the schools in your areas. Do your research (visit, read inspections, tap into the word on the street etc) and you may find that, like our area, half the good primaries are Catholic, and thus more accessible to you than others (hoorah!) or that they are horrid sink schools, in which ignore them (no worse off!).

Colleger · 01/11/2011 15:24

The only thing wrong with catholic independent boys schools is that they have an unnatural obsession with Rugby! Grin

leosdad · 01/11/2011 19:12

catholic schools still have a low oxbridge entry despite excellent results (compare eton and westminster with stonyhurst entries) would that be due to bias by the university

Colleger · 01/11/2011 20:16

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet.

teddyandsheep · 01/11/2011 21:19

Colleger - what an unpleasant generalisation

Colleger · 01/11/2011 21:53

And you are so dumb to think i was being serious!

teddyandsheep · 02/11/2011 10:40

????

GrimmaTheNome · 02/11/2011 10:48

leosdad - we live near stoneyhurst so looked at its results along with all the other independent/state schools - its results are actually not particularly good. If you live in the area and have an 'academic kid you send them to Bolton or Clitheroe/Lancaster GS

GrimmaTheNome · 02/11/2011 11:17

OP - my impression in our county is that there are good cofE and RC schools but equally there are poor ones - fairly predictably 'nice' areas have good schools and other areas don't.

You need to look at what's available in your area - and you may get a little more choice, but then again if a lot of the 'good' schools are CofE you may be in the same boat as people of other religions or none

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