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Original poster

Primary Schools: What does Voluntary Aided mean and how will affect our daughter's application

58 replies

Wills · 15/01/2006 13:29

Hi, We're about to move house and will be a quarter of a mile from a Voluntary aided CofE school. The only other school is a mile away and very poor. My husband is almost religious in his agnostic views about religion. Will his views prevent our daughters from attending this school?

OP posts:

RTKangaMummy · 15/01/2006 13:34

Why do you want her to go to C of E school then?

If you don't want her to take part in church services or prayers etc.

tamum · 15/01/2006 13:41

My dad used to be Head of a school with exactly that designation, and it was just the bog standard state school that all the kids in the town went to. There certainly wasn't any kind of pressure for parents to hold any particular views, although we did go to church for services occasionally (I was a pupil there). It may be different in different areas though, so I may be talking rubbish.

harpsichordcarrier · 15/01/2006 13:59

no not necessarily
it depends on their criteria for admission
why don't you contact them and ask them?
hopefully they will go on proximity

TeddyRobinson · 15/01/2006 14:12

I can't understand why you would you send your child to a school of a particular religion if you are not of that religion.

Anyway, if it's anything like the ones around here, they are quite strict on that. I guess you'd have to get a copy of their admissions policy to find out.

Blu · 15/01/2006 14:26

Wills wants to send her child to that school because it is the nearest - quarter of a mile away, and the other option is a mile away. Walking a half mile return journey a day with a five year old is quite different from a two-mile return journey.
And she hasn't actually said she doesn't want her child to be involved in any of the schools activities, just that her dh is agnostic, and will that prevent them attending the nearest school which is paid for by the state.

Walking half a mile to a good school, or two miles to a poor school? What would anyone else want to do?

Blu · 15/01/2006 14:28

Teddy Robinson - in some rural and suburban areas ALL the primary schools wihtin miles are CoE voluntary aided, so you have no choice!

Klauz33 · 15/01/2006 14:30

Wills - I am agnostic and would be incensend if my son could not attend the local C of E middle school which is round the corner.

Lets be honest all state schools which are not muslim etc have prayers and teach you about religion. There is really very little difference between that and a designated C of E school.

Teddy Robinson - don't you think that this is discriminatory?

RTKangaMummy · 15/01/2006 14:31

So how will DH feel if your DDs are playing Mary in navity or reading prayers in the church?

What about if they come home talking about Jesus and God and he says there is no God

Won't it confuse them?

It is one thing to not mind about these subjects but to be sooooooo against them it IMHO seems a strange choice of school

What about if they want to be like their friends and go to church on sundays or go to the church youth club?

DS school is a VA CofE primary and quite alot of his class go to the youth club on sunday afternoons and to church and were confirmed last year

They have church services at end of each term and also in between. The vicar comes into school to do asemblies at least once a week. He runs an afterschool club on wednesdays learning more about Jesus and God

What will you say to your DDs if they want to join in with their friends

Klauz33 · 15/01/2006 14:38

Well, RTKangaMummy - I went to a C of E middle school and we had to sit through interminable church like things. Both my kids at non C of E nursery and primary school have just had nativity plays. There is really little difference.

Also being agnostic does not mean that you deny children the right to make up their own minds and allow them to go to sunday school with their mates if they so choose. Unlike being religious where you are told what to think as you are taught your parents "faith".

Part of lifes rich tapestry is meeting people of all different colours & creeds and then wending you own way and making your own decisions. WEll thats what this agnostic believes.

RTKangaMummy · 15/01/2006 14:39

Oke doke

RTKangaMummy · 15/01/2006 14:43

IMHO WHY?????????????

RTKangaMummy · 15/01/2006 14:44

ooooooooops {wasn't shouting}

Klauz33 · 15/01/2006 14:52

That was a bit rude of me sorry.

Yes I would prefer it if my kids didn't have to sit through nativity plays and prayers in assemblies. But on the other hand there is not much I can do about it and they will deal with it in there own time and no doubt will have religious phases, if not infact become christian, buddhist, muslim or devil worshippers.

I'm just a bit unclear as to what people think is the alternative for those of us with no religious beliefs. And why those parents with religious beliefs should get an extra bite at the educational cherry. Though in my experience C of E schools are not as discriminatory as catholic schools.

Cabe · 15/01/2006 14:58

Wills - which ever school you decide upon there will be some form of gathering for reflection and prayer within the school week (lots of talk of this on Radio 4 over last week or so) schools are obligated to provide this.

My dd is at a Catholic Voluntary Aided school and even here the religion isn't rammed down their throats - I wouldn't worry too much about the denomination... the actual education is far more important!

In my experience it's wise to give all possible school options in the area a visit - the 'best' school might not be where your daughters will be happiest

uwila · 15/01/2006 15:33

Ummm... are we confusing agnostic with atheist? We seem to be jumping to the conclusion that Wills husband is opposed to his children participating in christian rituals at school and outside of school... this might be true, but it might not.

Wills, to answer your question, I think most COE schools have a set number of places reserved for kids who live close to the chool, and then a set number reserved for active members of their church, or possibly another churn in the same parish. The COE school Ihope my kids will go to reserves 30% for proximity and 70% for the active church members. Just ring up the school and ask them to send you the admissions policy and ask them how far away kids who got in last year lived from the school. That should give you an idea of your chances.

RTKangaMummy · 15/01/2006 15:38

Wills DH obviously has a prob with it being a church school

Otherwise why ask the question????

RTKangaMummy · 15/01/2006 15:39

Yes there are places at DS school for children who live near to the school called community places

BUT that wasn't the question asked was it????

tamum · 15/01/2006 15:44

I thought it was entirely relevant to the question actually- Wills asked whether her dh's views "will prevent our daughters from attending this school". If there are community places then no, his views won't affect their chances of getting places, surely?

uwila · 15/01/2006 15:51

I think, Kanga, that Wills is wondering if her DH's view will prevent her children from gettng into the school, and not that she wants to know if the school will cater to her DH's views.

Also, an agnostic is someone who is searching for the truth. It does not mean that they do not believe in God. Someone who has made up their mind that they definitely do not believe is an atheist.

TeddyRobinson · 15/01/2006 16:10

Klauz - yes, I do think voluntary aided church schools are discriminatory and in principle I don't agree with them. They are 90% funded by the state yet are allowed to largely discriminate against those that are not of that faith.

I'm just saying that, for example, I wouldn't send my children to the local catholic school because I'm not catholic and don't particularly want them going to 'mass' every week. As far as I can see, from the schools round here, the faith is quite strongly woven into the whole ethos of the school and if you don't subscribe to that faith it seems a bit strange to me to send your child there. Each to their own though - if you don't mind it then go ahead!

Original poster

Wills · 15/01/2006 17:21

Hi, Sorry to have not been present through this as its been interesting. We're moving house (to a rented place) on Wednesday and then hopefully again in the next few months to the house we found yesterday. DD1 (Yr1) is currently in an ordinary state school and yes I would say there is loads of God, Jesus etc. He struggles (there is nothing as funny as listening to your dh reading the nativity story to his girls without saying god once ) but he accepts that they need to get to their own beliefs on their own and the broader their horizons and exposure the better. My mum remarried to a Jewish man so my youngest brother is strongly Jewish and this christmas I encouraged him to introduce my 5 year to Chunaka.

No my question was as some have interpreted. Both my girls have been christened because of my beliefs but the vicar was happy that my husband didn't believe and wouldn't attempt to lie or pretend. His view to a CofE school would be the same. We would not lie about our beliefs but at the same time I am hoping this will not prevent her from going to a good school that is literally a five mintue walk as its the top of the road where the house is. Because its Voluntary aided I was asking whether this allowed the school to pick and choose who they want. We are practically its next door neighbours so location would not be a question. The school seems to have an active PTA something I would be keen to join so that we can fully participate in school life. We're moving 100 miles from where we currently live and I'm desperately hoping that the school will provide a means of getting to know people in the local community. The school dd1 goes to at the moment is truely the heart of the village and I would really hope to find another like that. So... I'm concerned that our religious beliefs will stop US becoming part of this schools life.

OP posts:

Prufrock · 15/01/2006 17:41

Wills - I doubt it will.
My village voluntary Aided C. of E bases it's admissions critera on
1)Statemented SN specifying the school
2)regular attendees (at least once a month) at the village church
3)non regular churchgoers who nonetheless want their children to attend the school becuse of it's Christian ethos
4) proximity.

However I know that option 3 is only used to prioritise people within catchment (so if you don't tick it a place might be given to someone else who did, even though they lived further away, as long as tehy were still in catchment.

I did tick that option, even though I am very agnostic, because I do try to live according to Christian values even if I am too cynical and (IMHO) rational, to actually believe in what I see as the myths of Christian faith. I would think that you would have a moral right to tick a similar option, regardless of what your dh believes.

I also think that in rural areas where C of E aided schools are the norm, there does tend to be a bit less radicalism in teh C of E - many vicars are happy to have their church be a community resource for everyone, not just the commited religious.

Celia2 · 15/01/2006 17:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Prufrock · 15/01/2006 18:26

Celia- I hate to disagree but they don't - they might do in London or other areas where non-christians have a choice of schools, but as Blu said, in many rural areas all local shcools are C of E aided. Where I grew up all the nearest villages had schools attached to the village church, and the nearest non C. of E was 8 miles away in the town. My sister only left the school recently and had Muslims and Hindus in her class. In such areas (which I think is similar to where Wills is going to) the churchs and church schools are very open to accepting non-believers - they have to be.

Original poster

Wills · 15/01/2006 18:28

That is hopeful. If they accept our offer on the house then at least I'll feel more positive about phoning the school up and discussing it further.

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