Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

if my kid was withdrawn from compulsory worship

20 replies

ebwy · 12/05/2015 14:27

... at the start of Reception class, do I need send the school another email at the start of year 1 too, or will it carry over?

(please let's not turn this into a thread about why/why I shouldn't have done it in the first place - they have been done to death in AIBU)

OP posts:
Unexpected · 12/05/2015 14:43

Can you not just ask the school if they require notification each year?

NynaevesSister · 12/05/2015 14:49

It depends on the school. But I would do it every year and every change of teacher (if that happens) anyway.

soapboxqueen · 12/05/2015 15:29

They'll probably pass the information on when they do class handover but it won't hurt to check.

TheTroubleWithAngels · 12/05/2015 18:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ebwy · 12/05/2015 20:43

It seems that very often asking the school gives one answer, then reality gives a different one.

I'll send one and mention it at the trial day when he spends the day in his new class too, I think.

Thanks for the answers.

OP posts:
twinklesnows · 12/05/2015 21:40

ebwy can I ask you what your DS does/where he goes while the other children are in, what I presume to be an assembly? My DD is due to start reception in September and I wish to withdraw her too. I haven't asked them yet but just curious.

LL0015 · 12/05/2015 21:52

The message traveled well year R through to Y2. When Dd started Y3, the message got mixed and she was withdrawn from RE lessons which is not my wish.
DD thankfully told me so I popped in to clear it up.
Meanwhile, DS started school and his teacher asked me early on, I know he is withdrawn but can I clarify what. Great teacher.

They go to a classroom with a TA mainly and play Lego. Happy children.

I only withdrawn when my non religious school bring the vicar in. His children attend the school. I wish he'd sent them to the CofE in town.
No other faith leader comes in which is why I have an issue with it.

ebwy · 15/05/2015 23:52

reception in his school only go to the one assembly per week for school announcements and prize giving (writing awards, star of the week etc), so he attends that part and then goes and colours or something similar in his classroom while they sing hymns and pray.

obviously next year he'll be missing an assembly per day so I'll be asking what he'll be doing and where (for example, making him sit at an isolation desk is not acceptable as he'll have done nothing wrong)

OP posts:
Admiraltea · 15/05/2015 23:59

When working in faith schools the children didn't miss the whole assembly, just the collective worship part at the end, few minutes only, sat near door, mooched out and had a chat in nearest classroom. Nowhere near enough time to get out the lego!

BackforGood · 16/05/2015 23:33

When we had a family do this in a school I taught at, they came into assembly each day for any stories, notices, celebrations, etc., then slipped outside the door if anyone said a prayer or sang any song that might be deemed 'religious' - didn't need to sit in isolation anywhere, they just loitered outside the door for 30seconds.

OffTheBackOfALaurie · 16/05/2015 23:39

They never did anything religious in DC primary school assemblies!

SavoyCabbage · 17/05/2015 00:01

I would just write another letter.

My dd was withdrawn and then one year was missed off the list and ended up going as the teacher told her she had to. She ended up going for half a year at least, until it was in the newspaper that our RE 'teacher' was both racist and homophobic. (I'm not in the UK and our RE lessons are taken by volunteers).

Then my dd revealed she had been going! The reason I withdrew her was that I had heard this woman 'teach' when my dd was in reception and she was totally over the top.

All this is totally irrelevant!Grin But I would send another note!

mrz · 17/05/2015 08:27

Our reception children don't attend school assemblies which rarely have any "religious" content (Easter and Christmas). Only one child is withdrawn (only on the occasions there is any Christian content ) and he takes a book to the school office where there us someone to supervise him.

AuntieStella · 17/05/2015 08:39

I've found that it's always worth going over any particular things about your child with new form teacher at start of the year. Even the very best of systems break down sometimes.

And if your DC is the only one opted out, then s/he'll be in de facto 'isolation' wherever there is someone who can supervise.

ebwy · 17/05/2015 18:43

De facto isolation is different to being put at an isolation desk which have a negative implication.

He is the only one (afaik) in the school, until his siblings start.

OP posts:
calzone · 17/05/2015 21:55

Are you sure it is a religious assembly?
Unless you have sent him to a catholic school, I doubt much religion is done.....

ebwy · 17/05/2015 22:41

I morally object to compulsory worship. Let's not get into that discussion, as I said in the OP it's been done to death.

Hymns are sung, a basically religious talk is given, and prayers are said.

OP posts:
calzone · 18/05/2015 16:26

I just wondered that was all.

None of the schools I have worked in do acts of worship.

TalkinPeace · 18/05/2015 17:29

I know its been done to death
but
you are stigmatising your child

mine sang about little baby cheeses and the vicar never ever noticed
they picked their noses while praying and generally thought it was all a load of tosh
AND
any school will do loads of stuff about religious festivals around the world as part of curriculum so they will not avoid the god stuff anyway

the song "our god is a great big god" had the word "god" replaced with "digger" for the whole of the Juniors

Blu · 18/05/2015 22:17

The assemblies in DCs primary were always secular, but I wrote to our MP about compulsory worship in the NC anyway Grin

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread