Church school or non-church primary.

[welovesausagedogs]

We're not that religious but we do go to church at christmas/easter. However i would feel it wrong to go to church purely to get my child a place at school. However our nearest school, an outstanding church school, is expanding and will have a brand new building for september 2012. For 2012 they will have 30 in a class as opposed to 15 church-goers they will now have 15 church places and 15 local. Our other option is further away and we would need to drive this school is also outstanding but is not a church school. The main difference with this schools is that it has two classes a year rather than one. My husband and i liked both the schools a lot, which would you go for????

if you like both schools, attend church (even just twice a year) you clearly have no problem with a faith school, nad its closer, so just apply for the faith school if the single class appeals.

peaceloveandcandy, you are comment has some truth to it, i know that for church senior schools who have more than 50% of government funding they have to accept those of other faiths. But for primary schools in general they are supported by the church. It is only now with the expansion they are getting funding from the local education authority to build the new school and that is why they are now having specific places for non church goers who live locally.

From what you say, I'd go for the local option, as half the class will be there as they are local too

For new building projects church schools have to find 10% of the cost, all the rest of the funding comes from the government, PTA or other outside sources, just like a non-church school. (And not all types of church school have to find even that 10%).
I am assuming you are talking about England btw.

I faced a similar dilemma when I was choosing my children's primary school. We had a choice between CofE and non-CofE. Both were good schools but the CofE one was closer and larger so it could accomodate our twins in separate classes which is what we wanted. This is the one we opted for. Overall I haven't had a problem with the 'Christian' aspect of it and I am open-minded enough to listen to the 'Churchy' point of view even though I don't agree with a lot of it. One word of warning though - I have come across a lot of other parents who hold quite strong Christian beliefs and I have found some of them to be quite judgemental which has been a bit of an eye-opener. Fortunately I've met a lot of other people who are a bit more broad-minded - thank goodness.

As for my children - well it doesn't seem to have done them any harm but all four of them don't enjoy the termly church-service as they find it 'very boring' - their words! Quite a few religious discussions have cropped up over the years which have been quite interesting and I'm very careful to explain to them that there are lots of different ways of looking at the world. I'm a strong believer in letting them make up their own minds about these things when they've got the emotional maturity to do so.... Just my opinion!

If I was you I'd probably go for the closer one (church school) as it sounds as if it will have a good balance of believers, non-believers and in-betweeners! Good luck with your decision. x

Thank you for the advice, i think i am more swayed by the church option too. It's two streets away from our house so we could walk to school and it's near my parents house so my mum can walk to school to pick them up when i am working rather than having to drive. Also a lot of DS's friends will be going both for church and non-church places, so at least he will go with people he knows. And yes the school in the UK, London actually. I take DD to the toddler group in the church and i saw a sign for their Easter Fair, do you think volunteering for the easter fair might give me a better idea of the parents and children and the feeling of the school. One thing i also did not realise till one of the parents at DS nursery who is applying told me today, is the school is also opening a nursery class for 2013, which will be a good option for DD and baby no.3 as in our local area all the nuseries are private, so an outstanding nursery that is free would be a good thing.

Hi welovesausagedogs - sounds like a very similar school to the one near me - maybe even the same school as ours is also starting in a new building in 2012 with a nursery in 2013. However ours just has 1/3 so 10 places for the community. However this is after special needs places and I know of a few this year so may only be 8 places! Anyway, could be a different school we are talking about but I agree that opening it up, even a little to the wider community means it is likely to be a much more diverse school which is good if you aren't too interested in the church thing. Do you know what the criteria for a church place is? At our local school you have to have been going to church once a fortnight for two years to go down that route so depending on the ages of your children it might not be an option

Only thing I would say is that I think a 2 class intake is better. Our school has 3 classes and it is nice to have the option to move, and mix around a little. It also gives you a much bigger pool of potential friends. Ds1's class this (and last) year is a bit odd in dynamic. Next year they're mixing round and I'm looking forward to it as ds hasn't really found the best friend he craves. I hope he will next year! I also think you need to see where the outstanding areas are in each school and whether they are things you hope to foster in your child, things which are important to you.

MerryMarigold, you have a point about the 2 class intake, however if DS goes to the church school he will be going with his friends from nursery, so is likely to settle in quicker than if he went to the non-church schools where only one child from nursery has applied. I think we will be going for the church option, because it will be easier, will be local - we can walk to school, he will go with children he knows and it has a more nurturing atmosphere. Lets just hope he get a place know.

And GoldysMum is private messaged you about the school, to see if it's the same one.

Yes it is the same one - how funny! About 3 other posters have been asking about the same school in different thread on here too! It is very popular. Anyway, good luck, let me know which school you get a place at.

Remember the price of petrol in your prayers. I'm a evangelical atheist, but after 10 years of the school run, I'd be tempted to see the light.

The intake of children will make no difference to the religious ethos of the school. It is the head, teachers and governing body who will determine this. I attended a church school as a child and so had no objections to sending my children to a church school.

What has caused concern is the growing obsession with religion in the school. Almost all singing has a christian angle, every play is religious in some way. There is a monthly communion with altar, robes, candles, altar servers - that is for the whole school and takes around 45-50 minutes on top of the usual trips to the church.

This morning we had to send a note to request that our children not be marked with ash crosses at the service. This was for the parents to request, the children were not able to decide themselves. I asked him what he wanted to do before sending in an opt out note.

My child loves to sing but regularly gets told off for not singing - he has decided that he is not a christian and does not want to sing words he doesn't believe in.

Find out a bit more about the nature of religious observance in your local school and be prepared for the mumsnetters who will tell you to put up with everything your school decides to do because you chose to send them to a church school.