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Primary education

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

Original poster

How far would you go to get your dc into 'that' school?

29 replies

billyog · 01/01/2009 20:09

My ds is 2.5 and we're starting to think about pre school/ primary schools. There is a school around the corner which looks fine (altough I haven't been in yet), ofstead report is ok. But alot of the other mums in the area are sending their little ones to the catholic school. Its got a better ofsted report and is highly thought of. I was brought up a catholic and am now a non believer. Ds has not been christened and I've been steadfast on my decision not to indoctrinate him into any religion ( untill now). Now I've started thinking that I'm doing him a disservice and his education will suffer because of my ideology. I'ii be banging down the preists door soon (my mum will be sooo smug). I have no intention of bringing him to church. What does anyone else think? Dh thinks I'm being unreasonable and that the local school is fine.

OP posts:
TotalChaos · 01/01/2009 20:12

If you have no intention of him going to church I don't think you will find your views compatible with him going to catholic school as a catholic. But no harm in checking the admission criteria - to see if he might get in as a non-catholic.

TheFallenMadonna · 01/01/2009 20:12

I think if you have no intention of taking him to church you have little chance of getting into an oversubscribed Catholic school.

LadyOfWaffle · 01/01/2009 20:14

Our admissions policy is that you have to be practicing. By this they mean once at fortnight at least.

Original poster
billyog · 01/01/2009 20:23

ooh once a fortnight!! maybe his education isn't that important afterall! . I'ii check the admissions criteria.

OP posts:
thisisyesterday · 01/01/2009 20:34

our local catholic school have a 14 point entry criteria. they are very, very strict about who gets a place and you do need to be regular church goers and you would need references from the priest etc.

i think you would struggle a lot, as a non-believer toi have your child in a catholic school as most of them are very much religion based

spongebrainbigpants · 01/01/2009 20:45

As an atheist I wouldn't send my child to a Catholic school in a million years as I would not want them exposed to such an ideology.

As other posters have said you wouldn't stand any chance of getting him in unless you were prepared to go to church regularly and probably participate in church life beyond that too.

As a primary school teacher I would say that, within reason, your input into your child's education is as important if not more so than the school he goes to.

I would go and visit your local school and see what you think.

unfitmother · 01/01/2009 20:49

Bit hypocritical IMO

anotheryearanothername · 01/01/2009 20:58

Not worth it! Children only spend about 15% of their life at school. The main influence on their education/ life/ happiness is parents anyway. As long as the school isn't falling apart/ a complete disaster your DS will do just fine. I know this because I am a teacher and have seen the situation from the reverse- children who struggle, whatever you do to try and help, because of the home influence.

UnfortunatelyMe · 01/01/2009 21:02

Go see the school, see which one you like best, then see how you want to play your cards, I think you would have to be seen to be attending though. Its 3 times a month for the catholic secondary school here.

LovesTents · 01/01/2009 21:05

Mine are christened Catholic but I don't practice or believe but I'm in Ireland where it's more of a traditional thing to be christened anyway.
I find the whole religon thing in school annoying though, and mine are quite devout little catholics now

Wish I had had the option of sending them to a non-denominational school.

ScummyMummy · 01/01/2009 21:12

I think good enough is fine in a primary school and would go with the local one, personally. My feeling has been strengthened after my children moved from an excellent primary to one which has some strenghs but is more ok than good. They've settled fine and are still learning things and seem happy enough.

lalalonglegs · 01/01/2009 21:16

It sounds very like my area: I did have my dc baptised (get the terminology right if you're going to suck up to the priest ) and went to mass every week but in the end it did no good, the Catholic school had too many applications and we didn't get my dd in. She is now at the "ok" school which turned out not to be ok at all so I am still going to mass and praying for a few forced relocations. TBH, if the school is very popular, the priest will probably be very about baptising a 2yo and, if you do get in and want to continue at a Catholic school for secondary education, it could well count against an application that he was so old when it happened.

Having been very disappointed not to get my dd1 into the good, Catholic school, I will be taking no chances at secondary school and will simply rent a place at the best local school's gates because I really cannot go through this a second time.

MollieO · 01/01/2009 21:31

If yours is anything like our local Catholic schools you will need to be practising and have your ds baptised. Quite a big step to consider imo.

Clary · 02/01/2009 00:04

A catholic school will have a lot of emphasis on the catholic religion. Frankly that's fair enough IMO it's in the title - but if you are not per se catholic you may object to that. Have you looked at it from that point of view (mass, ashes on Ash Wednesday etc)

Also you might want to look round the schools and make your own mind up rather than going with what "a lot of other mums" are doing.

seeker · 02/01/2009 00:15

I just can't believe that people are prepared to be so incredibly hypocritical. Well, obviously, I do believe it, but I don't know how people live with themselves!

And I don't understand how people who have left the Church are prepared to let their children be indoctrinated into it.

Quattrocento · 02/01/2009 00:18

Good lord

AccidentalMum · 02/01/2009 00:19

Lala, won't that be terribly awkward at the school gate?

UnfortunatelyMe · 02/01/2009 00:22

I can see exactly why people do it. I couldnt do it myself I would feel dirty and shameful, but when coming up to the secondary school TERROR of sending my PFB to the local sink school I can see EXACTLY why people do it.

dietstartstomorrow · 02/01/2009 00:22

I would not send my child to a catholic if I didn't go along with that faith.

We have a brilliant secondary school in the same town, and my kids will not be going there.

dietstartstomorrow · 02/01/2009 00:23

to a catholic SCHOOL

LovesTents · 02/01/2009 02:20

UnfortunatleyMe what a catholic thing to say !
Could you have been a convent schoolgirl girl by any chance

jabberwocky · 02/01/2009 03:21

Well, I guess it depends on just how much better you feel the academics are and how you will handle the religious indoctrination that will go along with it.

FWIW, I was baptized and raised as a Methodist. I have long considered myself a non-Christian. However, now that we have moved to a new town (we are in the US) one of the best pre-schools is at the Methodist church. I have moved my membership to this church and am a member in the handbell choir My husband thinks it is hilarious. I am actually enjoying the experience and as a final joke I may wind up sending ds2 to a different pre-school anyway, lol.

JollyPirate · 02/01/2009 07:25

Depends what the criteria for entry is. My DS goes to a catholic school - we are not catholics. However, it was the only school which had a place when we moved here and DS is very happy there. It's also over-subscribed I believe.

UnfortunatelyMe · 02/01/2009 08:13

Lovetents Just an inner feeling of my own, wasnt drummed in by anyone

Metella · 02/01/2009 09:20

Our local Catholic primary only accepts children baptised before the age of six months so you would be too late round here!!!