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Original poster

do catholic schools take non christened children?

62 replies

lynsey2510 · 19/05/2006 16:11

does anyone know if catholic schools will take children who havent been christened? its just that we dont want to get our dd christened, its up to her when shes older but the really good schools in my area are only catholic!

OP posts:

Original poster

lynsey2510 · 19/05/2006 16:12

any advice?

OP posts:

fsmail · 19/05/2006 16:13

Yes they do but normally catholic children who have been christened are given priority. Really it depends on the school. I would phone them and ask for the details of their priority listing to find out where your child would come.

fsmail · 19/05/2006 16:14

Go and see them. If you are practicing catholics and take her to church you may go higher up. I would warn you though that they do their first communion and confession in Year 3 normally and she may feel abit left out because you have to be christened first.

heavenis · 19/05/2006 16:18

It depends on the school and their policy. Some catholic schools give preference to those already catholic.
My two go to a catholic school and neither of them are catholic. They asked if I was aware that they would be taught the catholic faith and if I had any problems with that.

geekgrrl · 19/05/2006 16:19

My dd went to a Catholic school for a bit and we're atheists - it wasn't a problem (and she had a lot less religion rammed down her throat than at her current, bog-standard state primary school but anyway..)

jamiesam · 19/05/2006 16:19

Our local CoE and RC schools look for regular church attendance (by parents!) rather than the child having been christened.

Try searching school name in google, most schools have a website where you'll find their admissions criteria.

QE · 19/05/2006 16:25

dd attends a catholic school. She has never been christened and it was staed on her application form that she had no religion. It's never been a problem to date. Very good school too.

Priority obviously given to catholics, any spare spaces are up for grabs!

KTeePee · 19/05/2006 16:27

Depends on how over-subscribed they are - if they have spaces left after they have allocated to the baptised kids, you may have a chance - the school should be able to give you an indication of this but it probably depends year on year, number of children with siblings, etc.

Don't really understand why you are willing to send her to a Catholic school and presumably join in the same RE classes, etc. but that you would have an issue with baptism - kids are going to be far more influenced by what they learn at school than by a ceremony that usually takes place before they are old enough to remember what went on...

figroll · 19/05/2006 17:08

Schools around where I live take children who worship, whether they be catholic, sikh, hindu, etc. These are catholic schools I am talking about. It depends, I suppose, on how many children they have applying for places.

SSSandy · 19/05/2006 17:08

Ours doesn't (but we're overseas so may be a different story in the UK). Here they take siblings, then they're obliged to take every Catholic child that applies no matter where they live, after that they take Christened non-Catholics and I doubt there are any places left over TBH.

Go for an interview and see how you go.

fairyfly · 19/05/2006 17:19

Isn't it wrong?

TheHun · 19/05/2006 17:23

with most catholic schools baptised children are given priority. Catholic schools are partly funded by the church so in theory children who attend the school also attend the church with their family and will financially contribute to the school via church collections. The church and school usually work very closley together so you must be happy with your child recieving teaching of the catholic faith.

sykes · 19/05/2006 17:24

Sorry to interrupt ... but FF, your threads are so much more fun when you've had a few. Where's the profanity? You are proving to be a huge disappointment today.

sunnydelight · 19/05/2006 19:21

Depends on the school. Be warned the popular ones often insist that children are baptised before they are 2 to stop the miraculous conversions that seem to occur when it's time to choose schools

Witchycat · 19/05/2006 19:35

My ds is not christened and we got him into the local (popular) RC school. I think they have a policy of taking 15% non-Catholic kids each Reception. You need to check with the schools what their policies are and what the chances are. Also find out what the consequences are if you apply & don't get in - i.e. does that adversely affect your chances with your 2nd choice school?

I had to write a letter to explain why we wanted him to go there given we are not Catholic and it was quite clear he was way down the pecking order because they go for siblings, Catholics, other Christians, other faiths first.

notasheep · 19/05/2006 19:37

Each school is different
dd is at a Catholic primary and its 50% Catholic 50% not

fsmail · 19/05/2006 19:40

At the local school my DS goes to you need to get a letter signed by your local cleric whether catholic, jewish whatever and this just states that you are a regular churchgoer. It does not guarantee a place but you go higher up. Most catholic schools in Birmingham near us have predominantly catholic or muslem children. The other faiths help in all the ceremonies and are welcomed in to get involved, although a muslem friend of mine mentioned a couple of catholic schools close by where are faiths were simply not embraced.

bubble99 · 19/05/2006 19:42

Around this way they don't.

The catholic church will usually pay the initial capital to set up the schools but the running costs are then down to the taxes of non-catholic and, of course, catholic taxpayers.

All wrong, IMO.

I'd like to see the reaction if the local council funded the running costs of a catholic/jewish/muslim only playground, for example.

bubble99 · 19/05/2006 19:47

I wonder how strong a discrimination case would be, if brought by a taxpaying non-catholic family, for access to a state funded catholic only school?

pepsi · 21/05/2006 20:15

My ds goes to our local catholic school, we are not catholic nor have I or he been christened and we were accepted.

Mercy · 21/05/2006 20:38

My old primary school took mainly Catholic children but any vacancies could be taken by an regularish church goer. It may have changed.

Bubble99, there aren't many faith schools in this country. The majority of them are C of E/Anglican. The number of non-christian schools is negligible. i don't really understand your point re playgrounds etc.

bubble99 · 21/05/2006 20:52

Mercy, my point is that our local Catholic primary school if funded by the LEA which is in turn funded by my council taxes. My children, however, cannot attend this school because they are not catholic. I object to my taxes paying for something that my children have no access to, hence the playground analogy.

bubble99 · 21/05/2006 20:53

is funded by the LEA.

Tommy · 21/05/2006 21:02

bubble - how about single sex schools? I only have boys - does that mean I shouldn't have to pay my council tax to fund a girls' school where my children are not allowed to go?
There must be plenty of other similar situations.
Catholic schools were historically set up and funded by the Church and gradually were brought under the LEA's juristriction.
I don't know of any Catholic schools that don't accept children of other faiths or none.

Mercy · 21/05/2006 21:07

Catholic schools are state-aided, not totally funded by the LEA. And Catholics only make up about 5% or so of the UK population anyway.

I still don't understand why you seem annoyed.

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