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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

Considering a Catholic School for a Non Catholic child...

125 replies

VerintheWhite · 10/03/2011 10:48

We are considering sending our DD to a Catholic all girls school because it seems to be the best fit for her, however, we are not Catholic or even CofE. Has anyone had any experience of this situation? The school has mostly Catholic girls with a small minority of other religions.

OP posts:

Original poster

VerintheWhite · 10/03/2011 10:48

For secondary school, just to clarify, Y7.

OP posts:

scurryfunge · 10/03/2011 10:53

Catholics get first choice, then any other religion (and must show that the family actively worships)and then anyone else. If the school is high performing you will have little chance -if they allow non-believers, you will probably find it is not a very popular school.

happygolucky13 · 10/03/2011 14:04

Suggest you find God at once. Buy some rosary beads, cross yourself a lot, bring cups of tea to the local priest, tut-tut whenever you hear about same-sex marriage and/or adoption, and stick a picture of the Pope (any Pope, doesn't have to be the latest one - you'll probably find pictures of former Popes are a bit cheaper) on the living room wall.

Personally, I'm a great fan of taxpayer-funded faith schools. The idea of Catholic children having to sit next to Anglican children, Jewish children, Muslim children or devil children - sorry, I mean atheists - in geography class is just wrong. We have our rights, and our rights are to keep our children away from children whose parents believe in different things, no matter how ridiculous we appear.

sandyballs · 10/03/2011 14:26

wondered how long it would take for someone to say something similar!

sandyballs · 10/03/2011 14:31

Meant to say Verinthewhite - I wouldn't consider it if I were you, what are your reasons exactly, other than 'best fit for your dd'.

Almost all the other girls will have been to a catholic primary school and will be practising catholics, and this faith will be a huge part of their secondary school and how it is run. Your DD will not have a clue what is going on.

I have thought about this myself, although I am a catholic, a lapsed one, and my girls have been baptised in a catholic church, yet haven't been back since . We put them in a local non-faith primary as the catholic one seemed too pushy, too results driven and the school they are in now was more focussed on sport, music etc. However, I've since discovered that the secondary I hoped they would go to in a year or so is so over-subscribed that is unlikely they will get in, despite being only a mile or so away. I have pondered my original decision and wished perhaps I should have gone down the catholic route, despite being lapsed, as they would now be looking at some fab catholic secondaries instead of a failing 'academy'.

happygolucky13 · 10/03/2011 14:39

sandyballs

May I respectfully suggest that you try praying. I'm sure your (lapsed) God will stop what he's doing (preventing earthquakes, stopping wars in the middle-east, punishing Simon Cowell for X Factor etc etc), and make sure that you get the school you want.

Isn't that part of the deal? You praise the Lord and he provides nice stuff for you and your family that other families from the wrong religion don't get?

Alternatively, ask Him for enough money to let you move to an area with better schools, so you can take a place away from a child who has lived in the area all his life.

Hope this helps.

atthecarwash · 10/03/2011 16:51

why would you want to send your child to a catholic school if you're not catholic?

doesn't it bother you that they will be praying every day, attend mass once a week and be surrounded by the religon? would you send her to a muslim school if you weren't a muslim? I find it odd........

happygolucky13 · 10/03/2011 17:00

atthecarwash

Hey, a good school is a good school. Personally speaking, my son did brilliantly at Camden School For Girls, and soon got used to the dress code.

atthecarwash · 10/03/2011 17:54

Tortington · 10/03/2011 17:58

fine as long as you don't complain about jesus stories and stuff

fucks me off when people send their kids to jesus schools and then comlain about it

GrimmaTheNome · 10/03/2011 18:03

Happy.

Seriously though, check carefull on their policies on RE, sex ed etc and see if you are comfortable with them.

I knew a trainee teacher who was pretty by his placement in a catholic school. Physics lesson ending in prayers?

But some are probably ok.

hocuspontas · 10/03/2011 18:11

No. No. A thousand times no. This is not the nod at religion that primary schools practice, this is the real stuff and nonsense. Also agree with custy.

DillyDaydreaming · 10/03/2011 18:16

My son's Catholic primary school is lovely - he is NOT Catholic and got a place when I moved up to the area from another part of the country. It was chosen purely because my sister was a TA there and could collect him from school!

The Catholic secondary school has good results, has been turned round by the headteacher who took over 6 years ago and now has many more applicants than places. The children do not go to Mass once a week or pray after lessons although am sure this might happen in other catholic schools.

The primary school did send DS home with a fetching set of Rosary beads though - he took to "praying" with them "Dear God, please stop my Mum from being cross with me when I keep getting out of bed tonight"

I'd say if it feels the best fit for your DD and you don't mind the religious bias then go for it. My son is happy in his school - which achieves "Outstanding" for "Pastoral Care". As DS has an ASD this is the bit of any OFSTED report I automatically look at.

Mishapen · 10/03/2011 18:17

My DS goes to a CofE first school. We are not religious, at all. However, it is the only school nearby (we are rural) and it is a fantastic little village school with less than 100 pupils. As it is a first school there isn't as much emphasis on religion as there is in secondary school. They do still pray 3 times a day though - I'm trying to drum my own 'spiritual' take on that into DS - and there always lots of invites to church things which get put in the bin.

It is a feeder to a fantastic secondary school. It's amongst the top in the country. However, I will not be sending DS as there is so much more emphasis on religion at secondary level.

happygolucky13 · 10/03/2011 18:23

I like David Cameron's approach. He loves Jesus, but not enough to send his kid to the nearest C of E school, which is full of children who have English as a second language. Or the next nearest, which has lots of children who are living in temporary accommodation. Or even the next nearest after that. No, he loves Jesus so much that he sends his kid MILES away to a really lovely C of E school with lots of smiling white faces, though obviously he tells us it's because he prefers the vicar's biscuits there or something.

fifi25 · 10/03/2011 18:35

Our local Catholic Juniors and Infants are seperate. They can start in the infants if they are not Catholic if places but must be christened or whatever by the time they start the Juniors. I wouldnt even consider putting mine in a catholic school as they are not Catholic and would probably get . Ours is a state one and is very strick. They go to the catholic church for worship etc. Sorry if i sound ignorant being C0fE. I agree with other posters saying they send their kids there as they are all of the same faith.

harvalp · 10/03/2011 19:29

When my brother sat the 11+, because it was a private school, they all had to troop off to some hall where the private and catholic school exams were to be held. The poor little chap found himself with a nun in full habit standing next to his desk, and she murmured and played with her beads all through the exam. He'd never come across a nun before and sadly this totally messed up his concentration and he did not pass. Not keen on catholic schools.

muffinmonster · 10/03/2011 20:16

OP, do you know if the school takes non-Catholics because it can't fill its places with Catholics, or because it's obliged to? My DD is at a Catholic girls' comprehensive where they are obliged to give 25% of places to non-Catholics (though the non-Catholics should be practising members of some other religion - usually Muslim, in this case).

Either way I would look very carefully at the ethos of the school, ideally by talking to other parents - some religious schools are a lot more full-on than others. My DD feels that the non-Catholics in her school get a raw deal in that they are expected just to fall in with everything.

confidence · 10/03/2011 21:56

Well, I wouldn't do it.

I'm having enough trouble getting to grips with the idea that my DD might have to spend four years at the local nominally CofE Juniors when she finishes at infants' school. I could never send a kid to a proper full-on religious school. Religious indoctrination is not just irrelevant to education, it's the opposite of it.

Education = "Here are the facts. Here's how to analyse; use logic; think critically; avoid incorrect conclusions; now go and draw your own best conclusion based on the facts, and be prepared to justify it."

Religion = "This is what we believe, so believe it because we tell you to. Don't think too critically about it because then you'll discover that it's baseless and self-contradictory. Oh, and there are some facts too, but don't worry too much about those because when they contradict what we believe, we just ignore them."

newgirl · 10/03/2011 22:00

go and visit - i was thinking the same but when i went to visit it was full of religious imagery, prayer corners, paintings etc - i just thought if this really is not your belief then it might be very uncomfortable

AllDirections · 10/03/2011 22:05

DD1 goes to a lovely catholic secondary and DD2 will also go there in September. We're not catholic but we go to church (methodist)sometimes which is more than can be said for most of the catholic children who go to this school. There are very few children there who actually practice any sort of religion. There are no prayers after lessons and mass seems to happen only at easter and christmas.

The education is fantastic as is the pastoral care. DD1 has actually become less religious since being at this school but that's probably more about being a teenager.

TheHeathenOfSuburbia · 10/03/2011 22:13

VerintheWhite - I'd have a good search through the MN education pages to have a look at the things people have said about sending their non-faith kids to faith schools, it can all go horribly wrong.

Kind of depends on your own religious views I guess, 'not Catholic or CofE' covers a multitude of sins (as it were )

NormanTebbit · 10/03/2011 22:15

Why do you want to burden her with all that nonsense? Do you believe in hell? Mortal sin? Purgatory? Natural family planning? Original sin?

peteneras · 11/03/2011 01:46

I'm afraid in some instances especially a top grammar Catholic School in north London, all the rosaries in Italy and South America and even Jesus can't help you much if you can't prove you're baptised before the age of two. Some Catholic schools have now gone smart on temporary Catholics.

Original poster

VerintheWhite · 11/03/2011 08:03

I dont think I have ever had so many replies! I feel a little flustered! :o

OP, do you know if the school takes non-Catholics because it can't fill its places with Catholics, or because it's obliged to?

On the criteria it has musical ability above Catholic Faith, and that is why we are looking at it as a possibility. It is also a science academy. It needs a lot of research and thought tho, hence my OP.

OP posts:

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