Cant get DC into a faith school

[angelfireabbey]

I know this is possibly the wrong place because it seems the whole of MN is atheist or totally secular. However, there is a lot of discussion by MNers here about getting intofaith schools ( often without any faith because they are good schools).

I am a little bit fed up with it. I take my faith seriously. I take my DC to church and we believe. I wanted my DC to have a faith education. There are only two faith schools where I live. They are oversubscribed by parents who seem to have suddenly aquired a need to attend church to get a vicars signiture.

I had my pastors signiture but we didnt get a place. So instead my DC is stuck in a state school where the teachers and other children laugh and say that they have " imaginary friends" ( or simply they are nutters!) and that they believe in fairly stories etc. Sound familiar MN parents? ( I bet you wouldnt say it if someone were of say Jewish or Muslim faith though would you?). It is offensive you know.

They have an atheist teacher who clearly knows next to nothing about Christianity.

I would settle for any faith school although there are no others ( of any faith ) within 40 miles of us.

So how do I get into one? I have asked my church community. I know they are doing their best and we are praying hard but I am sure some savvy non religious types must know more here. So I am asking.
I see thread on thread where parents are scamming the system.So how does a genuine person get in?

Thanks.

3kids and equally I know a lot of people who are not Christian - they are Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, secular - I know multiples of each and have a wide circle of friends. Nothing arrogant about my statement either - census data tells us that since the last census in 2001, the proportion of people identifying as Christians fell, while the proportion of people identifying as not having a faith and people identifying as Muslim rose. The UK is changing - you don't have to like it, but it's true. Meanwhile Bishops have a seat in the House of Lords as a matter of course - why not senior Imams then, given the changes in demographics?

I use the term 'real' because a lot of people who identify as Christian never, ever go to church.

3kids, I simply don't believe that anyone who identifies as atheist would support compulsory teaching of Christianity to all students in state schools, while advocating freedom of religious instruction to private school students on the grounds that their taxes don't pay for private schools.

I call bolleaux.

going to Church has nothing to do with Christianity. I advocate teaching the religion of the country. I pay my taxes to the state. I feel that I should not expect to have a say in what private schools do because I do not pay for them.
We have bishops in the House of Lords BECAUSE WE ARE A CHRISTIAN COUNTRY. We don't have Imams (nor should we) because they are not Christian. I have no problem at all with the UK changing, however it is still officially Christian, and you don't have to like it but it is true.

It doesn't matter how loud you shout on an Internet forum, 3kids.

We are a post-Christian country. Get used to it.

TalkinPeace, you live in a weird part of the country that magically has a Haredi community in amongst no other ethnic groups
oh yeah, except the magically appearing moslems

There were no magically appearing anything.

You asked the question.I wasreticent to answer. When you pressed as you have a nasty habit of doing, I amswered.

The facts, which you seem to have missed are because they do not fit your schema are

a) My local area is largely white ( but not all are ethnically British, some are from the EU) . There its been said. Religious background to that is largely secular. There are few/ no moslems who live in my locality. I do not know of any anyway. Certainly there are none in my local comprehensive state school. The EU minorities are largely RC btw.

b) There are a larger number of ethnic minority groups ( SE Asia, European and African mainly) in my DC's independent school. Again most have no religion to mention. A few girls do come from a Moslem country although they do not appear to be practicing.

c) There is a small group of Orthodox Jews locally. They have been here since c. 1700.They do have their own school although a number of non practicing Jews do attend the local comp.

So nothing has magically arisen.

I actually resent your approach. You do your utmost to get an answer because I think you have some idea in your head and want to "out" me as whatever that is ( I have my suspicions as to what that is).

When you get an answer and it does not fit what you want, you then throw wild accusations (unfounded) of telling lies around. Its not nice. Its not conducive to a good discussion either.

You know, I think you're a little bit of an intellectual snob, wuzzup

You might be on the money with that comment Rhonda. Yes, I would own that label and consider it a compliment. Thank you. That is certainly one reason I have chosen a school which offers a classical education for my DC.
But what is wrong with that? IMO a classical education offers the skills which transend momentary changes in society or the world. It is equipping my DC with the ability to adapt to whatever changes we currently cannot foresee.

We are a post-Christian country. Get used to it

That seems to be a media and politically driven fallacy.

Aside of the fact this country does have a Head of State who is also Head of the Church, and aside of the fact we are Christian historically so it is tied up with our culture and our politics, there are still around 60% of the population who claim to be Christian. Of the minorities by far the biggest claim "no faith" and the rest are other faiths. Given the EU immigration is mainly RC, that may well change the demographic of Christian far more shortly.

But this is still culturally a Christian country and that is why I feel it is important my DC learn that.

One of my roles as a responsible parent is to guide my dcs not just "leave them to it"

I agree with this. It is also true that DC who are guided are more likely to have improved outcomes by occupation, economically, socially and spiritially (ie materially and in well being) than those who are left to it.

There are a number of typo's in that post to you TalkinPeace but that does not make the content any less valid or any less honest.

Being an intellectual snob isn't something to be proud of, wuzzup, and shouldn't be confused with being someone who values so-called traditional education.

It means being a certain kind of snob, not a certain kind of intelligent.

Just a small point. "Secular" is not a belief system. Many people of all faiths and none are secularists.

How do you know there are no children from Muslim families in the state secondary school local to you?

How do you know this to be true:

There are a larger number of ethnic minority groups ( SE Asia, European and African mainly) in my DC's independent school. Again most have no religion to mention. A few girls do come from a Moslem country although they do not appear to be practicing.

Being an intellectual snob isn't something to be proud of, wuzzup, and shouldn't be confused with being someone who values so-called traditional education

It means being a certain kind of snob, not a certain kind of intelligent

I never said I was proud of it, I said I would own the label. My background is educationally bereft in many respects having spent my primary and secondary education in classes of over 40 or more and subjected to the modern practice of educational "child centred" and "discovery" philosophy.

I know my short comings and want something more suitable for my DC and in that respect I am a snob. I think there is a correspondence between a certain type of education and "worth" in this society and want my DC to have a chance in attaining that.

How do you know there are no children from Muslim families in the state secondary school local to you?

I work there.

I never said I was proud of it

Yet you consider it a compliment ?

I work there.

I thought you said you were a teacher? How come you have access to the students' personal details records?

And what about the religious beliefs of the students in your DC's private school? How did you find out those details?

When I use the word secular Hakluyt I mean it in its sense of worldly or temporal, being separate from religion, or religiously neutral. I think you will find that is a reasonable definition and usage of the word in any context I have used it.

I thought you said you were a teacher? How come you have access to the students' personal details records?

I do. What planet are you on where teachers are not allowed access to pupil details and records? I have to know about my pupils in order to teach them. In terms of the school that will also include statistical information about the school demographic. I have access to both. I do not understand your comment. It is normal to have that access.

Secularism is a principle that involves two basic propositions. The first is the strict separation of the state from religious institutions. The second is that people of different religions and beliefs are equal before the law.

From the National Secular Society website.

And what about the religious beliefs of the students in your DC's private school? How did you find out those details?

In case of the school where my DC attend, the information is in the public domain.

It is not normal to trawl the database to find out the personal religious beliefs of students in order to use those data to make a point on an Internet forum.

What, students' personal religious beliefs, as well as whether they are practising adherents, is in the public domain?

Really?

I take it as a complement because you actually got something right in your assessment of me - for once.

What "assessment of you"? Get over yourself.

Any answer yet as to why you are using students' personal details to make a point on an Internet discussion forum?

It is not normal to trawl the database to find out the personal religious beliefs of students in order to use those data to make a point on an Internet forum

You are a nasty piece there arent you? Whatever I do has to be wrong.
You have to make comment. You have to find some criticism. You have to find something to score the points.

No, firstly I have not trawled the records as you put it. I am interested in my pupils and so I commit to memory information. It does not take much for me to remember things like this. I have a turn of mibnd for remebering such things. I do it because it is polite to know who you are talking to and what you are talking about when you meet someone. It means I do not go around making accusations about individuals and calling them liars or assuming things about what they think on very little information. I actually bother to find out.

I have not splashed it about an internet forum because none of it is in sufficient detail to make me or the school or any student identifiable.

No you can take the bones out of that , as I am sure you will .But doing so says more about you than it does me.
I feel I am not going to you further. I do not like your typeface Rhonda. I have seen enough to recognise you are appearing here as not a nice person.