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Secondary education

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

Original poster

Creationist faith schools?

33 replies

Macwomble · 20/08/2011 15:57

I'm not a religious person but I do encourage my children to be open minded.
I have just received the application for my sons secondary school in September 2012.
There isn't a great choice of schools as the money that was meant to invigorate the schools in the area has been taken away there is a C of E comp which is the school his primary is a feeder for or there is one a bit further away which is falling down but not a church school, however there seems to be money available for a creationist church to build a multi million pound new school on the town's industrial estate.
Would you send your kids to a school where all the teachers believe that the earth is only 6000 years old and that dinosaur fossils are a test from god?

OP posts:
kakapo · 20/08/2011 16:05

not a chance if they were teaching an unfounded belief as fact.

seeker · 20/08/2011 17:43

No.

Corvax · 20/08/2011 17:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

jgbmum · 20/08/2011 17:53

Op are you certain of this?
It sounds very odd that either the council or the government would be willing to fund such a school. here is a link that says explicitly that the government will not support applications for creationist schools.
I would be really interested to learn more about this proposal (disclaimer: I am not nor ever have been a creationist!) Can you tell us where this is?

GetOrfMoiCarbsClaire · 20/08/2011 17:55

Isn't there a creationist academy in the north east?

I would NOT send my child there. I would rather dd went to a sink school with no agenda.

sue52 · 20/08/2011 18:00

No. I would have chosen to home educate instead.

BirdOfPassage · 20/08/2011 23:45

Good God NO!

ninedragons · 20/08/2011 23:48

Absolutely no way. That sort of "education" could do life-long damage. I would move.

lifechanger · 21/08/2011 07:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Dillydaydreaming · 21/08/2011 08:03

I don't get the creationists and the strange beliefs. I am christian and have no problem with creation theory but DO have an issue with the "only 6000 years old" stuff. Personally I cannot see why they have such an issue with creation in an evolutory manner....it makes much more sense.

spout · 21/08/2011 08:05

why not the C of E school? the religious aspect of state C of E secondaries is pretty mild IME.

If it's a good school I wouldn't mind the odd hymn in assembly, esp if it was the feeder to which all his friends are going to.

seeker · 21/08/2011 09:40

This is what happens when people insist that religion has any place in the education system apart from as an academic subject.

If a child can be legitimately taught as fact in a state school that Jesus died for our sins on Good Friday and rose from the dead 3 days later, why are people surprised that there are state schools that want to teach that the world is 6000 years old and God made fossils as a test?

freerangeeggs · 22/08/2011 18:13

I might send them there, over my dead body.

twinklytroll · 22/08/2011 18:19

I would not, mainly because the creationists I know - and I know quite a few - have views on sexuality , social issues and attitudes to other faiths that I would find very difficult

twinklytroll · 22/08/2011 18:20

free range if you asked them nicely they may be able to resurrect your dead body.

LynetteScavo · 22/08/2011 18:22

I agree with seeker.

If the school was fantastic I would send my DC there.

My 12 year old has managed to survive two Catholic schools, and a confirmation without believing in God. Hmm

twinklytroll · 22/08/2011 18:29

That is a fair point Lynette and seeker, where is this school?

beckybrastraps · 22/08/2011 18:35

Pretty certain it will teach about natural selection in Science. My understanding is that 'creationist' schools in the UK teach about natural selection in Science lessons and creationism in RE.

One of my colleagues is a creationist Physics teacher. He teaches what he is supposed to teach, which is Physics, and that is not affected by his own religious beliefs (although we have cracking conversations in the staff room!). Parents would also be unaware of his beliefs, and therefore presumably unperturbed that he is teaching their children about the evidence for the Big Bang theory, for example.

beckybrastraps · 22/08/2011 18:44

Made me think of this...

TalkinPeace2 · 22/08/2011 19:42

And just to be up to date
www.emmanuelschools.org/thefoundation/news/article.php?id=3923

kakapo · 22/08/2011 20:26

but lynette, the school cannot be excellent if it is teaching something that has no evidence as fact - the scientific method has completely bypassed them!

TalkinPeace2 · 22/08/2011 20:37

kakapo
look up the OFSTED reports of any othe four schools (you can put their names into the BBC or OFSTED if you do not trust Wikipedia)
they get excellent because they tick the right boxes
and there has been no political will to admit that state funded Faith Schools are a recipe for social dysfunction

LynetteScavo · 22/08/2011 21:01

I personally wish they would stop opening up new faith schools.

Isn't England a CofE country? Why are schools, which aren't CofE, state funded at all?

maypole1 · 22/08/2011 23:19

C of e schools consist of payers un assembly, harest festival and talking about lent and the vicar gets invited to give out prizes Ect

Very very tame creation schools not so they teach it as fact c of e school do not teach in that way it's a very hard American way don't to it

C of e every time