Secular schools

[TeddyBare]

My dd will be starting school in 3 years (yes I know I'm worrying about this far too early) and I'm really hoping that there will have been a change to the law which makes collective worship compulsory before she starts. Was the religious-ness of schools you looked at a factor in your decision? How can you find out how seriously the school takes its obligation to provide collective worship? If they will get bad ofstead reports for not providing collective worship, I'm assuming that most schools wouldn't advertise it even if they were not. Do your dcs attend the collective worship? Are there many who don't in your school? and do they miss out on much? Does anyone know of any schools which don't provide collective worship - dh and I are considering a German school in the UK because of this, but I would prefer an English school.
DH and I are atheist and are uncomfortable with our dcs being encouraged to pray or believe the bible. I'm more than happy for dd to learn about all world religions in a detached and informative way, I'm just uncomfortable with her worshipping or having to miss out on whole school activities. Obviously if she makes an informed choice to follow a religion when she is old enough to understand it then we would support her, but in the mean time I would prefer for her not to be taught to follow Christianity or any other religion.

I have found a few campaigns against collective worship being compulsory for a school to provide if anyone else would be interested:
Humanist association and Government website". I'm also considering setting up an e-petition.

I would be happy for schools to be secular, no problem with that. But would have been thoroughly pissed off if my parents had told me that "we don't pray", as in "we take it for granted that you will not be doing anything that we adults don't". They may not have prayed, but I did, on my own, from an early age, as soon as I found out that some people do believe in God and realised I was one of them. By the time I was old enough to make my own way to church, I went. No pressure to do it from anyone, we didn't really have assemblies at our school. But I still think I had the right to find out that there was such a thing as religious beliefs and the right to make my own mind up about them. And very grateful that my parents accepted that and did not expect me to mirror their beliefs in everything.

And on the flip side I have know many people who were indoctrinated inyo the Catholic religion and they are feel too guilty to walk away, too scared that if they turn their back on religion that something awful is going to happen to them.

I would never stop my kids from praying - I'm guessing that would be impossible but it's perfectly reasonable to ask them about why they were praying when it's not something they do at home, that's how you get to know your child...asking them about their beliefs and why they think that way. I have mentioned to them on more than one occassion that if they wanted to go to church I would take them - thankfully they don't.

I am really pleased, cory that someone understands! As a DC a blanket statement of we don't would have made me do the opposite too! You set by example, quietly, and if they wish to follow they will. I am not a vegetarian but I easily could be-in fact I might some time in the future- but my parents saying we don't eat meat would have made me determined to eat meat! How can they possible use we when they mean I?

I don't know any adults who attend a Catholic church, ICFAGNN,(sorry, can't write it in full!)because they are frightened something awful will happen. They work it out as DCs. I have a friend who was told by the nuns that she would fail her exams if she didn't go to mass! She didn't go to mass and she got into Oxford. That is what I mean-trust your DC to work it out for themselves.

Piscesmoon - I think we're probably complaining about the same thing. I want my dd to be exposed to lots of ideas so she can make her own mind up eventually. I don't want her to be taught to see Christianity as the default option, which is something which I think will happen if it receives more teaching time and a more prominent place in school than other religions or beliefs. I think there is a danger that some dcs might think that they should pray, if the school is saying "we pray".
Encouraging children to pray in school is no longer relevant to the UK today, and I can't see what it achieves. I think it is bordering on offensive, as there are religious schools of non-C of E religions, but no non-religious alternative. To me that looks suspiciously like a criticism of non-religious beliefs, as their ideas aren't worth enough to be respected in the same way religions are. If teaching Christianity is an important part of our culture and has some tangible benefits to dcs, then all schools should be doing it and there shouldn't be schools of other religions. As there are schools of other religions the state is clearly accepting that this isn't the case and is just discriminating against non-religions beliefs by refusing to set up non-religious schools. A secular school is no more the parents forcing their views on their dcs than any religious school is.