Vent about primary school ds is due to start in sept :(

gauly

mspig wrote: »

All catholic schools have to intake a percentage of non-catholics, i went to a catholic college and there rules were that 20% of the students had to be non-catholic.
What a catholic school is, is a school that teaches the catholic values to the children including mass etc not a school that every pupil attending has to be catholic.

Not true. The Catholic primary near us takes an all Catholic intake if they can - there is no quota for non-Catholics. In fact, I remember the last government tried to introduce a system where religious schools had to take some people of other or no religion and it failed, mainly due to the opposition of the Catholic church. I think it's a shame really, a school where every child is of the same religion is rather boring at best, and at worst could breed religious intolerance.

Rainey_LB

Have you had a tour of the school? I would phone the office and ask to come and have a look round, it shouldn't be a problem, I work in a school and we do this quite regularly for new starters, applicants. Also contact the other schools and see if they actually have places and get a tour of them too, you might change your mind. If your child is starting this September places will have been allocated so they will be able to tell your straight away if any places are left.

The teachers normally have a morning or afternoon out of class each week as PPA time - lesson planning/marking time, there are also other times they are out of class, for example phonics groups taken in smaller groups, PE lessons with a specialist teacher etc, playtime, assembly, training etc

It could be that the school has just run out of uniform, we changed supplier recently (to make it cheaper for the parents) but it took a long time for the new stock to come through and some people were waiting a while.

The school I work in is a Catholic School we do have a few non-Catholic children who attend (there is no quota for non-Catholics just if there are any spaces left once the Baptised children have been allocated - not often), who get on well at the school, but there are regular masses with the priest in assembly etc, so it depends how comfortable you with your child taking part in religious activities as part of general school life - its not rammed down their throats but evident around the school etc.

......and as the old rule says, a person who is unhappy will tell a least 10 people, someone who is happy may tell 1 or 2!!

poet123

They may not have to by law, but in practice many do take around 10%, and even if they don't because they are oversubscribed with catholic children, or non catholics do not apply, I can assure you that religious tolerance and acceptance is held as an ideal.

In any one year visits to Mosques, Synagogues, interaction with the various religions of the Indian community are all undertaken by the RC school where I am a Governor.

Rainey_LB

poet123 wrote: »

They may not have to by law, but in practice many do take around 10%, and even if they don't because they are oversubscribed with catholic children, or non catholics do not apply, I can assure you that religious tolerance and acceptance is held as an ideal.

In any one year visits to Mosques, Synagogues, interaction with the various religions of the Indian community are all undertaken by the RC school where I am a Governor.

I agree, the school I am at has a full social cohesion policy, most of the families at the school are practicing Catholics and as I said the religion is evident in school, but the children are taught about other religions and to be tolerant.

kunekune

We are atheists and had no alternative to sending our children to a C of E school - at the time we were new in town and it was the only school that wasn't overssubscribed because it had a dodgy ofsted report. I tried to appeal on the basis of atheism but was told that wasn't a ground for appeal because all schools had to do RE. The school worked out ok, and my 8 year old has now withdrawn herself from all RE and assemblies anyway, at her own request and we never told her it could be done. I'd prefer she wasn't in a faith school at all, but sometimes needs must.

Takoda

mspig wrote: »

That is seriously uncalled for, some school arn't up to the job of teaching our children and some ofsted reports have proven that. Totally agree - some Heads are eminently unsuitable for the role.

Some teachers are not up to the job of being teachers either. Again yes but I have to say that I haven't worked with any but the same is true of every job whether someone is a doctor or just working in a shop.

I removed my son from his school not long into year 2 because the school was useless, the headteacher was pathetic and i for one didn't feel my son was either being taught properly or was safe whilst there, and it seems my feelings were right as the school has just been put into special measure. But the OP's son is not actually at the school yet which is why I don't take her pathetic rant seriously. <shrugs>

Just because some parents speak up against what they feel the school is doing wrong then i see no reason to call them interfering busybodies.That's because you are not a teacher.

I have seen both sides of the school system bad with my middle child, but my eldest went to a lovely primary school and i never had a bad word to say about it, and his high school is great too.

Some teachers actually make the childs and the parents life miserable for the 7 years and should find a different career. No, they could only actually spoil things for one year - no child has the same teacher for the whole of their Primary career.

But to the OP i would go on gut feeling, whilst their little the kids have a chance to make new friends somewhere else, but one thing though check out the other school properly first as you don't want to move him and have the same problem. She will most likely have the same problem again as she will constantly question any school's policy, judgement and ethos. Some parents are just like that regardless of the quality of the standard of education. You can always apply to the catholic school aswell as they do have to take a percentage of non-catholics in.

So for very different reasons we both want the OP to move her kid! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

dktreesea

If you have a bad feeling about the school, then surely you should give yourself credit for realising it isn't what it should be and find a better school for your child.

Having said that, we sent our children to a "good" primary school. Some of the teachers at that school are dreadful. The head teacher is abysmal. And the school, which used to be in the top ten primary schools in our area five years ago now doesn't even make the top 50. A case of what goes up must come down....?

geordieracer

I didnt know handheld computers made by nintendo went to school

Storck

nzmegs wrote: »

it is a shame that the only good schools in an area are associated with a particular religion. I am an atheist and would never allow my child to go to any school with a religous based education. it is bad enough that so called secular schools must teach this nonsense. problem is that the decent school in my area is also catholic. I had to choose the next best. it seems very unfair.

Maybe the good schools are those that are religious based because they have more freedom from the local authority and are also partly funded by those religious bodies, eg local parish.

In my area the Catholic schools have to set aside 15% of places for non catholic children. But also they do not get full funding from the council, the local parish church has to pay a certain amount into the running of the school. This money comes from the collection plate in the parish church.