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Primary education

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Original poster

Is it usual for primary school children to be taught that god created the world?

121 replies

strandednomore · 13/01/2012 16:25

Dd1 is in Yr1 at our local primary school. It is a church of England school but very much our local, community school, walking distance to the house, where a lot of her friends and neighbours go etc.
She has come home from school today with information about what they will be doing this term. This includes "looking at god as the creator". I hadn't realised that "creationism" was being taught in schools. Ok if taught "some people believe..." but I fear it is being taught as the "truth" to a class of 6-yr-old sponges.
I will probably speak to her teacher about this but before I do does anyone know if this is normally taught in UK schools?
Thanks

OP posts:
DiscoDaisy · 15/01/2012 21:38

The town where I live has 5 primary schools in total. All of these are either CofE or Catholic. The nearest non faith schools are over 15 miles away.
Even if I could get my children into them (highly unlikely as they only have enough spaces for children in their area) I certainly couldn't afford to get them there everyday!

ashamednamechanger · 15/01/2012 22:29

Blimey, it's times like this I thank God (if there is one) that I live in a very quiet backwater.
OP, why don't you just have a chat with your DC's and tell them what YOU believe in. Then they can make up their own minds. They are not actually being brainwashed at school are they?

bebanjo · 15/01/2012 22:51

I do home ed, and one reason is to make sure there is no indoctrination, religious or other wise.

exoticfruits · 15/01/2012 23:22

A huge disadvantage of HE IMO-they get the world according to mother. Much better to get everyone's views and make up their own mind.
I agree entirely with ashamednamechanger-people think their DCs are so stupid that they can't think for themselves! Talk to them! Have discussions over the dinner table. Ask them what they think as opposed to what they say at school or mummy tells them they should think. I think that you would be surprised.
I also doubt very much that creationism is taught-as I said way back. It still seems to be rumbling on without having had time to do the sensible thing and have a chat with the teacher.

VikingBlood · 16/01/2012 13:57

My parents took me out of RE classes when I was at school for this very reason. I loved it because I was free to sit in the school library for an hour a week.

mumsneedwine · 16/01/2012 14:43

Mine are or have been at a C of E primary school and have one assembly a week from the local vicar. We are not religious but accepted this as part of going to this school - our local state primary. My eldest is now an atheist and the others are heading the same way. They have learned all about other religions, visited mosques, temples and synagogues through school, and have friends of many different faiths. If you leave your kids to make up their own minds they will have a much more tolerant view of others beliefs.

igggi · 16/01/2012 15:01

I don't know how long ago you were at school Viking, but would you really want to miss out on the kind of things Mumsneedwine describes?

seeker · 16/01/2012 15:08

Kids get taught this sort of stuff at all state schools- not just. faith ones.

But being taught that god made the world is not the same as being taught creationism. Find out which it is- state schools are not allowed to teach creationism, but they have a statutory obligation to have q chunk of Christiqnity in the curriculum. Outrageous, but there you go- blame Margaret thatcher.

exoticfruits · 16/01/2012 19:01

There is very little difference between a faith school and a non faith school in England. Has OP been in and questioned it yet? I would be amazed if it creationism.

feelingbullied · 16/01/2012 19:05

please tell me that someone has come along with the wisdom that says if you send your children to a church school, dont be surprised if they teach the children about christianity?

mrz · 16/01/2012 19:09

second post

EcoLady · 16/01/2012 19:10

I'm on placement in a [very strongly] CoFE primary at the mo and they are due to look at Creation in RE tomorrow. As someone with no religious faith of my own, and a strong science background, I shall watch with interest!

snowball3 · 16/01/2012 19:13

I think the OP has some confusion over the difference between God as creator and creationism!

Greythorne · 16/01/2012 19:25

Idem Ecolady!
god the creator is not creationism.

Creationism is the teaching that the story of creation is Genesis is fact.

God the creator is a belief that God createf humans in his image and that evolution is fact, just that God is the divine creator behind it all.

exoticfruits · 16/01/2012 19:26

It just seems to be rumbling on without anyone looking. I am just linking to the first one I looked at Salisbury

Note that it says 'creation story.

Later on I am sure they study other creation stories from around the world.

ByTheWay1 · 16/01/2012 19:26

Mine came home from school after a God the creator talk saying "mummy - did you know some people believe the world was made by God and that he only took a week to make it - and.......... he didn't even have Bob the Builder to help him" I had to totally stifle the giggles!!!

exoticfruits · 16/01/2012 19:30

Another here Croydon Again 'creation story'. (scroll to page9) I'm sure the rest are similar-I chose at random.
After all Genesis and Adam and Eve should be general knowledge.

seeker · 16/01/2012 20:07

There is a big difference between being taught about Christianity and being taught Christianity as truth. And again between being taught about Christianity and being taught to practice Christianity.

Being taught about Christianity, and about all other religions is a vital part of a civilised person's education. The other things aren't.

Original poster
strandednomore · 16/01/2012 20:34

Hi - I spoke to dd1's teacher and I think she has put my mind at rest. She assured me that they are taught "these are Christian beliefs" rather than "this is the truth". They see RE as a "reflective" period, which sounds quite nice. I am still slightly confused as per my original message about "looking at god as the creator" but assume it will be along the lines of Christians believe that god created the earth (although still unclear as how this is not creationism....).
This mostly comes down to poor communication from the school, it's a shame we don't have more chances to speak to the teachers about these things but we get two 10 minute parent/teacher meetings a year and these are mostly taken up with things like reading and maths!
Anyway thanks again for all your input, nothing has changed my mind about wishing that all schools were secular but it is interesting to hear about others' experiences.
By the way someone somewhere on this thread asked whether I hadn't asked about this when I first looked around the school. Well, I did but it was a different head teacher and I suspect the new head is more inclined towards the church than the last. Even so, when I asked whether they would be visiting mosques etc and got a slightly embarrassed looking mumbled reply (to be fair we don't get a lot of mosques round these parts!), it was the one thing about the school I didn't like, and I did think long and hard about applying instead for the only non-church affliated school in our area. However, in the end, being able to walk to school over having to drive won out and - as I said before - I wouldn't have got her into the other school anyway!

OP posts:
NoWayNoHow · 16/01/2012 20:41

OP, I haven't read the whole thread, but I do think it would be slightly ludicrous move to complain to a Church of England about them teaching Christianity (yy to others who have pointed out that saying God creating the world isn't the same as Creationism, a whole different kettle of fish).

TBH, you can have a hundred reasons why you want your children to be at this school, but if you really are desperate for them to remain there, then you need to accept the school for what it is. Otherwise move the DC's out of there.

You can't have it both ways...

NoWayNoHow · 16/01/2012 20:45

Sorry, just saw your last post.

Re: difference between God creating and Creationism.

Most Christians accept the notion of God creating the universe in the terms of creating matter/big bang/setting evolution on a path to where we are now. Most believe in intra-species evolution (but not many in inter-species evolution, iYSWIM)

Creationists literally believe in the story of creation in Genesis - universe/world created in 6 days; animals created as they are now (so now evolution) and man created at the same time. This also therefore leads into the fact that they believe the earth is only 6,000 years old.

Original poster
strandednomore · 16/01/2012 20:45

Can I suggest you read the thread then?

OP posts:
Original poster
strandednomore · 16/01/2012 20:47

Ok thanks for your explanation of the difference between crationism and god as the creator.

OP posts:
Greythorne · 16/01/2012 21:30

stranded
i think we could reasonably ask you to "read the thread"
Various people have explained the difference between "creationism" (God created the earth in 6 days and then rested on the seventh) and "God the creator" (evolution is fact, but we believe that God is the creator of the universe, and black holes and everything else, including humans.

nappysan · 16/01/2012 22:17

Why choose a church school if you do not wish your child to learn the teachings of the church? Many people would like a place in a church school but have not been lucky enough to get one.