Atheist in Roman Catholic Primary - experiences sought, please.

[ScaredHeart]

We have relocated and been advised that our two options going in at this stage to Year 3 are the Roman Catholic school, which is a very quick walk from home, or the no-religion school which is over an hour's walk away (traffic dire at peak times, I don't want to drive anyway). We could home ed in the hope that a closer non-religious school comes up for September - the LA says there is often movement at this stage in this borough.
DD is happy to see out this term home edded, as am I, but equally, ok to start if a preferred place is offered.

I am vehemently atheist. I cannot stand the religious imposition in schools. But the prospect of a short walk every day, Vs a very very long one, are giving me pause. I'd like for DD to make local friends, not ones who live over an hour's walk away, or further.

I wonder how seriously pushy most Catholic primaries are in this regard. Atheist patents with any experience or views? We will not go to church. I don't want DD being told god is real. (Unless during now and then, proof materialises.)

Other considerations.
RC school is one-form entry.
Non-religious one with current space is SIX-form entry.
Non-religious one with no space but may have space in September is four-form.
Would you pick the tiny RC school or the much bigger ones, if you had the choice?

I have no input, other than to say good luck!

@ScaredHeart I'm with you on the Bible stories. My son hated the Good Samaritan one because the poor guy gets attacked and left on the road. And the crucifixes - yuck.

Don't get me wrong, I would have preferred a secular option and I don't think teaching kindness etc is peculiar to Catholic schools. I'm just saying, despite me being a convinced atheist, the day-to-day reality of my kids' Catholic school is not that hard for me to stomach.

We are going tomorrow! I actually feel I'm going to like it, APART from the religious aspects. I have a meeting with the head, too, so will just have to sound her out and see how things feel.

Thank you, that's really good to know.

Most of the bible is pretty horrific really. The Easter story is obviously one of the worst but at least that's acknowledged as being sad when Noah's ark isn't.
Abraham and Isaac is another unpleasant one. I mean nowadays if a religion told you to kill your own child you'd think it was some kind of awful cult. Then you have Herod killing all the 2 year olds.
However I think you will get these in all schools, all state schools are supposed to have a daily collective act of worship which obviously varies in its format, but will often present Christianity as true. Often they will have people from local churches coming in to present Bible stories, pray and sing hymns. I think people who have grown up with these stories have got used to them to the extent that they don't really think about them .

A daily colllective act of worship?!? Surely not? Is that actually adhered to, in secular schools?

@PassTheDuckie "A daily colllective act of worship?!? Surely not? Is that actually adhered to, in secular schools?"
There is no such thing as a secular state school in England or Wales.

Doesn't look good if its tiny but undersubscribed in an area where theres a school place shortage.

I really can't see that it's right for you with your views.

My ds does 45 mins to secondary school by bus. Its fine and he loves it. I think abike is the answer here.

There is a difference between primary and secondary school in London.

If your primary school is more than about 20 minutes away then you don't get to have them as local friends outside school.

In secondary school your friends can come from further a field and as you get older you take yourself to visit them.

Just a little update, as DD and I viewed the school today.

It's lovely, has a lovely vibe, great location, the kids were all absolutely charming, and the teacher who showed us round was very chill about our lack of faith. It's possibly top on our list so far.

Sadly so. I found most of the stories in it as a child baffling and/or awful. But I had a mother who was full on religious, (Sunday school teacher), whereas DD has an atheist heathen for hers, so hopefully some balance.

It's not just the daily commute though. It's the associated lack of very local little friends for DD, and as we are quite new to the area, that feels quite important for her.

I do think it being so undersubscribed is a bit concerning, yes.

I had a very long commute at secondary (had to leave the house at 7), and primary was a bit of a trek too (though we were driven), and I really don't want that for DD. And time-wise for me, I need to be as free as possible within school drop off/collection times so I can work more hours.

@PassTheDuckie this Guardian article explains the legal requirement.

https://amp.theguardian.com/education/2022/dec/03/schools-call-for-end-to-archaic-daily-worship-following-uk-census-resultss*

humanists.uk/education/parents/collective-worship-and-school-assemblies-your-rights/

@PassTheDuckie

That's useful, thank you, @ChocChipHandbag .

I haven’t read the whole thread as I find much of it a offensive. I wonder whether people would choose the same kind of tone if it the religion being discussed was Islam or Judaism?

Beyond that, a general point. I am shocked at some of the very outdated views on Catholic education on here. Please actually go to the school, talk to the head, talk to parents to get an accurate view of what they do.

@hystericaluterus If there were state funded Islamic or Jewish schools that were able to exclude a child who lived next door because they were not a member of that faith, and if they sought to indoctrinate 5 year olds into their faith then you bet I'd be speaking out against the mx

@CurlewKate i don’t want to have an fight with you. I just think that often arguments around this lack congruence.

If people think that Catholic education is terribly backward etc. then don’t send your kids there. Why even pose the question? Equally, if it’s all indoctrination then surely the non-Catholic kid who lives right next to the school is better off not going. That exclusion is only a problem if you think that the kid is missing out. And btw, after Brexit catholic schools don’t have enough Catholic kids to fill them, so often non-Catholic schools in London do have lots of non-Catholic skills from the local area.

Thanks for this, good to know.

Maybe read the whole thread then, before you comment. 🙄

Genuinely interested in which comments you have found offensive though.

op has already said she was going to check it out, and then did.

which outdated views? Surely religion itself is the outdated view.

We had the Angelus at 12 in my school too, in England but run by the ill named 'Sisters of Mercy'.

@hystericaluterus "If people think that Catholic education is terribly backward etc. then don’t send your kids there"

It is entirely possible that the nearest state funded school is a faith school.

@CurlewKate the operative word I your post is ‘nearest’ , very different to ‘only available’ .I agree with what @FL0 and others said earlier. It’s just a bit baffling why someone with the OPs views would even consider sending their child to a RC school.

@PassTheDuckie idk Christ on the cross being gross?! Or this ‘Abraham and Isaac is another unpleasant one. I mean nowadays if a religion told you to kill your own child you'd think it was some kind of awful cult. Then you have Herod killing all the 2 year olds’ from some posts up (sorry don’t know how to quote on here). It’s so obtuse that it borders on the offensive. It’s like saying that little red riding hood endorses eating grandmothers.

Do you think it’s reasonable to have a 7yo add an extra hour to their commute each way? She’d have to get up an hour earlier than usual every week day term time, and not get home til an hour later at the end of a long day. No local friends. Mother restricted from working longer hours due to needing to escort child to school and back. May as well consider the catholic one as the only one available in these conditions.

those examples ARE awful though. Seeing an instrument of torture and death on display? We don’t have galleries of electric chairs and shooting ranges at school, yet Christ on a cross, often bleeding, often graphic, is acceptable? I’d call that traumatic.

those stories (father willing to kill son, drawing of everyone bar Noah abd his fam, etc,) they really are absolutely horrible stories, yet we fill young minds with them and present them as evidence of gods love. It’s quite insane, if you actually think about it.

No one is saying red riding hood is true though. Nor is anyone saying look, god saved little red riding hood, isn’t he good, let’s worship him.