religious education

[jen333]

Has anone exercised their right to withdraw their child from RE classes? If so how has the school reacted and what have they offered as an alternative?

What do you mean "erm Israel?".
I'd rather not have to keep an eye open for indoctrination...I'd rather she is given the option to do something more interesting/worthwhile. Physics is definitely more worthwhile and interesting ...in my opinion. And we do have the right to remove our children, but of course we are generally persuaded otherwise, and made to feel awkward if we do ..as our children must also feel.

Learning about political conflicts is current affairs, politics and history. It does NOT require a GCSE in RE

Listening to Radio 4 is a better teacher than any syllabus on the Middle East, Central America, Northern Ireland, the Congo etc etc

Learning about political conflicts is current affairs, politics and history. It does NOT require a GCSE in RE

^^This. And the same actually applies to things like medical ethics - right to die, abortion and so on.

Okey dokey - you don't see that it has any value and seem entirely unwilling to listen to any reasoning

I shall give up banging my head against this particular brick wall.

I only hope that you are not so dismissive of anyone IRL who may hold a religious belief. That is an unpleasant trait to pass onto our children.

There's a big difference between not wanting our children to be forced to take RE and wanting to see the abolition of the compulsory 'broadly Christian worship' that all schools legally still have to provide and being rude and dismissive of people with faith, Animals And it's a bit PA to suggest otherwise.

I only hope that you are not so dismissive of anyone IRL who may hold a religious belief.

And I wish you were not so utterly dismissive of those of us who do not.

I am an athiest

Ooops ..I think you may have invertantly just proved my point:-)
I am not dismissive of anyone who has any kind of belief, but often those who have faith are dismissive or even aggresive towards people of other different faiths.

I wouldn't say that I am particularly agressive or dismissive - I just think that most subjects taught at school have a value to some people, even if that value isn't immediately obvious.

The UK seems a little too focused on the importance of gaining good grades in English, Maths and Science GCSEs. I feel that being a part of a varied curriculum at school and varied interests outside of school allows children to find their true interests. Getting an education shouldn't just be about the grades that you get at the end of it, especially when they are more a measure of being good at exams than anything else.

I do see the value in RE but perhaps I had good teachers. We had fairly good debates as well as the slightly less interesting 'features of a Gurdwara' iirc. OP has had her opinions clouded by a bad experience, whereas my experience was a good one. This is what shapes all of us I suppose.

I agree that the focus is too much on English, maths and science, but I would value music, the arts and drama over RE any day. All those three subjects can also be used to engage young people with current affairs, morals and ethics.

Just to add - I feel strongly about this, because my DD1 does not have the choice of taking an arts subject because that space is taken up with compulsory RE. She really, really wants to do the academics and has dropped an arts subject because she passionately wanted to do Geography and History. If it had not been for compulsory RE, she might have had the opportunity of doing something that would have been a lot more valuable to her.

I removed my DS from RE after reviewing the syllabus.

A child of a.n.other religion was allowed to do private study in the library, however my DS had to remain in class albeit with other work to do (a syllabus I created for him and even provided exams for at the same time as others were doing RE)

I found the attitude towards me was very condescending - a 'well if you don't believe in a religion, why do you care what he's learning' type of attitude. Initially I was told since he was not being withdrawn because he was of a.n.other religion, that I was not allowed to withdraw him. Which is rubbish.

The mechanics of the opting out were, letter to school, meeting with HOD & RE teacher were the syllabus was discussed, I received a copy of it to look over in more depth and was verbally told it would not be possible to withdraw him unless it was because he was of a different faith.

Then a further letter to school stating the appropriate, correct, guidance about the right to withdrawal and that I was exercising that right and formally withdrawing DS (and would provide an alternative syllabus for him myself)

I did not have to review this every year with them.

I suspect, especially after the DENI link, that some of us are posting from NI were RE, and how it is taught, can vary widely from what is taught elsewhere in the UK.

A generalised RE syllabus looking at different religious beliefs and ethics etc would be fine imo, a syllabus very much based in one religion, or rather often here, in one branch of one religion, is not fine for me, or my DS.

Do ask for the syllabus, do have a chat with the teacher, then decide for yourself, not only if you are happy with it, but also what alternative you are going to provide (if any is asked of you).

I don't regret taking him out of RE for a second.

My own children were not harmed in any way by not having RE lessons at any time during their schooling.

It follows from this fact alone that RE isn't essential for child development or for a good education.

It's true I did sometimes read my children bed-time stories straight from the (King James) bible. As I recall, they particularly enjoyed the plagues of Egypt ("No! No! Not the frogs! Anything but the frogs!"), and Revelations. That's all part of my own cultural background. I used to do some Arjuna/Lord Krishna stuff too, from Bhagavad Gita, went down less well; nothing from the Koran, as it happened.

But all that was on the same footing as Jack's Giant's Goose that laid the Golden Eggs or Red-Riding-Hood's Wolf-in-Grandma-Clothing and so on. Fun and possibly educational in a non-explicit kind of way, but nothing real that you could think of building your life on.

Does any RE syllabus take such an attitude to the Holy Books of christian or other traditions? If not, keep your children far away from it, is my advice. It's only contingent historical accident that makes the parochial British attitude to RE seem at all reasonable; it's actually quite strange when you look on it from outside, as it were.

Thanks so much people for your advice.
Pointy - I too consider the arts and music to be far more valuable and relevant for my daughter's education. I am surprised that geography and history are not both compulsory, but religion is! Where's the sense in that?
SacreBlue - the way you've been treated is incredulous. By law anyone can remove their child, and not have to give a reason or explain themselves. The law is the same for those of a faith or no faith. I am not expecting to have to provide an alternative syllabus or any work of my own choosing!
And thanks Evalyn, my views exactly but in a clear, considered, thoughtful way. I feel more able to stand up for what I feel is right and appropriate for my child.
Thank you everyone.

jen - do go in and have a chat to the RS teacher or go to a lesson

Many people opine on this having no clear idea of what lessons are like. IME kids adore RS these days - it gives them time to think about the Big Questions.

do go in

Part of the reason mine did not do RE was because they had other uses for that timetable slot.