School going down religious routes

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Name change here : school in question is meant to be non religious however im hearing more about religion at the school. Think teachers talking about their own religion in their classes with those pupils who have that faith, religious songs being sung in music. Its not as simple as covering all religions, its veering to one. I dont want to pull child out because this might be the same elsewhere. Has anyone experienced this?

Well I think it depends on what the religion is.

The UK has an established church, the Church of England. Acts of “broadly Christian Worship” are mandatory in all schools, not just those of a religious ethos. “Broadly Christian” is widely interpreted so in schools with a non Christian majority tend to be more about ethics - being kind to other people, helping etc.

The UK legal system, European art, music, literature etc are pretty much all founded in Christianity and Christian values. UK and British history is dominated by Christian teaching. How can you understand the struggles of Henry VIII and the Reformation without an understanding of Christianity? The conquest of the New World etc. So to not study Christianity in a UK school - whatever your religion - would mean you had a limited understanding of the society around you.

With globalisation, people also understand the importance of understanding other world religions, or atheism etc. That is why those religions should also appear on the school syllabus.

I do not have any issues with people talking about their own religious beliefs, or lack of religious beliefs, in a school setting provided they are not trying to convert the children. And what is appropriate will depend on the age of the students.

HeatonGrov has put it very well.

I wanted my DC to have a grounding in Christianity. They've rejected it as adults but at least it's part of their general knowledge.

Hi, its not Christianity, and I agree with what you are saying. I grew up singing hymns myself. This is more a school moving towards a certain religion.

Well, if what you are saying is that teachers in secular, UK state school are pushing a particular religion as a religion of choice and trying to convert the students, I would address this with the school and governers. This should not be happening.

But I would make sure I had my facts straight first. Who is the source of this information? Your child? How old are they? How accurate is their reporting? I live in an area with a large Moslem majority for example and they are not big on music! But they are very keen on telling others about their religion. I personally find that a bit sad/irritating - but I react with polite disinterest as I would with eg Jehovah’s witnesses. I would find it irritating in a primary school setting where children lack judgement but there might be a place for it in a secondary school setting.

I think many of these things depend on context. Is it a school with a few children from a minority religion who might be feeling excluded? In which case it might be nice for them to hear that one of their teachers shares their beliefs whatever they are. I would see it in the same light as a gay secondary school teacher being open about their sexuality as there might be gay students in the class. Is it a school with a large majority of children from a particular faith? And one in which the majority of teachers are also from that faith. In which case, it is probably a big part of their life and it will come out in discussions of “what we did at the weekend” But they need to be careful they are not accused of proselytising.

I have always taught my children to beware of closed systems of reasoning whether religious or political and to look at the facts for themselves. Examine things from different angles. Do not be afraid to swim against the tide. Challenge other people when they say “this is true” “this is false” Ask yourself how likely it is that an all powerful God decided to reveal himself through Abrahamic religions in the Middle East in the last 4000 (or 2000 or so) years. Does one political system fit all irrespective of levels of development? etc etc.

By the way, I am not a Christian or a Labour party member but I do love Christmas Carols and a loud rendering of the Red Flag!

This is in the Private school forum - do assume not a state school.

Well, if it is a private school the OP could vote with their feet and take their money with them I guess. Quite strange though if this is happening in a private school. Unless market forces in the area favour a particular religious ethos.

This is North London. I dont want to admit to the religion in question. Im unsure whether to move child in case its the same everywhere.

It is not the same everywhere. We have changed schools recently and have been to a fair few schools when we were in the process. There are schools that have a reputation for veering towards a certain religion, there are schools where there is clearly a certain majority of children and teachers. We have seen a couple of Catholic schoos where I think maybe 1% of children are Catholic. We have seen a school where both me and my husband said - gosh, it’s such a white school. We have seen a school that was absolutely a mixed bag - English, Welsh, Scots, all sorts of expats from all over the world, all religions and skin colours. It all depends on the area. Can you find a decent mixed bag school that you can get into? (Hopefully without moving house).