Catholic school?

[Emsicle24]

Primary school applications closing shortly and still debating choices....

Anyone who isn't religious any experience of sending dc to a catholic school? Our closest school (5 mins walking distance) is Catholic and a good school. Hubby keen to have this as first choice as we can walk and it's small intakes but they do have mixed year classes.

What experiences have you had? TIA

It depends on the school, but if this one has a few children who aren't Catholic it will be fine, and I wouldn't have any qualms about it, except ...

My advice would be to make sure you answer your child's questions about religion openly and honestly from day one. They will have lots in the early years. Give them your perspective on religion, whatever that might be, and tell them that there are many people in society with different views. Make sure they know the their school is a Catholic school and so has a Catholic perspective, but that if they were at another school they might get other perspectives. Don't gloss over the answers and assume you can come back to it later, because children often stop asking questions of their parents as they get older.

If your child expresses doubt about anything he/she is told at school, don't tell them to keep it to themselves for fear that they'll get into trouble or be disapproved of. That is incredibly unhealthy. Unlike in the past schools have a duty to deal with all views expressed in the classroom, and should be equipped to do so. It is healthy for the Catholic children in the class to hear "other" views, so they will be benefitting from your child being there.

Good luck!

Depends on the school. You need to find out how Catholic is is- they vary a lot.

Will you get a place?

Thank you for the good advice. It is a school that actively participates with the church rather than a token nod like my primary school was.

We may not end up getting in but if we did then I think you are right about being open and honest about different views and helping my ds think about what his views are as gets older.

I'd actively participate in school activities and if this included going to church for key events then so be it but we wouldn't be going every week/month.

As I said, have you checked your chances of getting a place?

I wouldn't.

I'd actively participate in school activities and if this included going to church for key events then so be it but we wouldn't be going every week/month

But your child might be attending mass, how do you feel about that?

And writing 'bidding prayers'. What happens when the rest of the class prep foe first holy communion?

Also check what happens on holy days of obligation, it's more common for schools to include mass in the school day but some still close, how are you going to cope with a random day off in May or December.

If the school does shut for HDoO then the half terms will be shorter, so you can't go away at 1/2 term, well you can but it might only be 1 or two days.

I remember one 1/2 term where out holiday was Monday and Tuesday, we were back in school Wednesday, off for a holy day on the Thursday and then back for Friday!

Finally check any mission statement they have, some RC schools put RC faith above education.

Yes, expect your child to participate in mass, if you send them.
My experience is that not all children do their holy communion these days. One of mine did, the other didn't (his choice). He still goes to confession once a term and attends mass.
I actually really like their class mass. The priest comes and they do it in the classroom, with altar servers, bidding prayers etc. But it's very Catholic and if you aren't you might not be so keen.

Ours don't shut for HDoO but the holidays are different. They finish later at Easter, which knocks on to have a slightly longer summer holiday.

I went to a catholic primary school, and though it was a long time ago and things may well have changed, the religious aspect there was strong.
Praying several times a day. Going to mass/ church at Christmas and Easter. And there were nuns of course. It may get a bit much for a child bit of that faith.
But like I said it may have changed.

Oh and religious things like hold communion as another poster said. It's a big part of being in a catholic school.
Your child would be learning about something they won't actually be doing.

Chances of getting in are up in the air....everyone who put first choice has got in over the past three years but if this year is over subscribed then we wouldn't get in as we would be in the final category as not baptised or have a faith reference.

There is a mix of catholic and non catholic kids, there is only one year where all 20 kids are baptised catholic and that's year 4 or 5. The other preferred choice is a CofE school that is as religious as the catholic school or nearly as but it's not walking distance. At worst he would end up at one of the tiny village schools but we are lucky as they are all good schools.

Thank you for the input will do some reading up on bidding prays

Personally I think the more non-Catholic children go to Catholic schools the better. Bearing in mind my earlier post, it's good for a child's critical thinking skills to be in a minority environment, provided they can learn to express their own views in an articulate and respectful way. And it's also good for the Catholic children - you will be doing them and the school a favour.

My DD goes to a catholic primary school. There is mass at the school at the start and end of every term. Each year group participates in their own mass at the church one per term. The school's ethos is that the children live and learn by the example of Jesus. Traditional Nativity play at Christmas and additional carol concert at the church. The Priest is on the board of Governors. Priest regularly comes in to visit the children in their classroom for religious education lessons. Parents are issued with religious lessons and topics to talk through with their children at home.

We are practicing Catholic so are more than happy with the level of religious education being taugh but I can understand why it wound be everyones's cup of tea.

Sorry children crawling all over me for that last para! Should read; we are practicing Catholic so are more than happy with the level of religious education being taught but I can understand why it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea.

Schools don't shut for HDoO. They will have mass in school.

I did. I'd be more worried about mixed classes to be honest. My ds didn't join until Y4 by which time he was fairly resistant to RE. I would have liked him to have the opportunity to learn more about a range of faiths. Mass fortnightly, 2 hours of RE a week minimum plus collective worship. Prayers 3 times a day. He survived. He learned more about sex and pornography from his peers than I was happy with, to be fair.

Also, why the small intake? do they have a small PAN or are people just not applying?

Most of the schools in the area are small so it's the exception to not have mixed classes.

Catholic school in village 20 intake
CofE school next village 30 intake
Council school 14 intake next village
Catholic school 2 villages away 12 intake
Council school 3 villages away 14 intake

My dc go to a Catholic school and we're not religious at all, it was just the closest school to where we lived when I applied for dc1.
I quite like the religious bits that they get involved in. They have a school mass each Thursday instead of assembly, they get a few children to do a reading each time so all children get a chance to practice their public speaking skills.
Dd asks occasionally to go to mass on a Sunday, I say no and she drops it.
The main downside I can see is that the other schools locally don't seem to stick rigidly to the logoed school uniform, but ours does. Every single child wears the proper jumper. They are £17 a jumper which is a bit painful!