Religion to Get Into School?

*~Zephyr~*

Pixie5740 wrote: »

I'm a staunch atheist and think faith schools should abolished so there's no way I'd ever send my children to a religious school.

I'm a staunch atheist, but I don't want to abolish faith schools. Just because I don't believe in something is no reason to stop other people believing in it. It's no skin off my nose if people choose to believe in something I find ridiculous, is it? No reason to abolish them.

Pixie5740 wrote: »

What makes a school top rated anyway? I went to a school that year after year is in the top 5 schools in Scotland. The majority of my peers had tutors getting them through exams which improved the exam results and bumps the school up the list so I take any school rankings with a big pinch of salt.

I agree wholeheartedly with this. The best rated school in my area is only the best rated school because the wealthy parents whose children attend the school pay for private tutoring so their little darlings get A grades. The (frankly average) teachers know this, and have become lazy and under motivated because they know the tutors will pick up the slack. The fact that the school feeds Oxford University is the main reason people want their kids to go there.

Pixie5740 wrote: »

If I was really concerned about my children attending the local school id either move or send them to a private school.

This isn't an option for everyone. Not everyone can afford private schools and the properties in the catchment of the so called good schools are artificially inflated, often way out of the price range of average-earning families. I know of some parents who sold up and rented close to the best school because they couldn't afford to buy. What they will do once the child leaves school is anyone's guess.

As I said, I couldn't send a child to religious school. I would find it incredibly hard to deal with a child of mine spouting religious nonsense. I have a hard enough time with the basic CofE stuff that gets crammed down their necks in your average comp. I don't believe religion has any place in state-run schools and it should be removed from the curriculum entirely. Leave more room for the basic 3 Rs that many children seem to be sadly lacking in.

If I couldn't get them into a decent school with decent teachers or if I couldn't afford private school, I would home-school.

Pixie5740

*~Zephyr~* wrote: »

I'm a staunch atheist, but I don't want to abolish faith schools. Just because I don't believe in something is no reason to stop other people believing in it. It's no skin off my nose if people choose to believe in something I find ridiculous, is it? No reason to abolish them.

Perhaps I should have been clearer. I don't think there should be any state faith schools. If people want to send their children to a fee paying faith school that's up to them but they shouldn't be state funded.

reehsetin

Pixie5740 wrote: »

I don't think there should be any state faith schools. If people want to send their children to a fee paying faith school that's up to them but they shouldn't be state funded.

That would be better than we have now, but in my eyes there are no Christian/Sikh/Muslim/Hindu children there are just Children, by all means teach comparative religion but to teach one religion as fact is indoctrination and should not play any part of any school. Every child deserves and equal and honest education there's plenty of time for people to learn more and make minds up when they're older.

Gloomendoom

Tlg1991 wrote: »

There are also 2 parents.

Apparently, both atheists... or potential hypocrites.

Jagraf

Tlg1991 wrote: »

personally i don't want my child going to a religious school, my partners little sister is in a catholic school at the moment and spends more time in religious classes rather than science and maths. and she has not been told anything about sex education yet they have been told about prostitutes & rapes and all kinds. I find it very disturbing how science classes can be affected because it is a religious school, it is disgusting.

Really? How old is she? What type of religious classes? My DD went to a catholic school. They all do RE as a GCSE but they only allocate the applicable time to this.

bouicca21

If the parents have religious convictions then they are surely able to secure the religious education of their children. Religion has no place in a state funded school, except as part of teaching comparative religion, and understanding cultural values held by different religious groups.

LilElvis

What's the point in fretting about this now?

You don't have any children to baptize or send to school so this question won't be an issue for 5 years minimum, by which time the school could be in special measures for all you know.

silvercar

Pixie5740 wrote: »

Perhaps I should have been clearer. I don't think there should be any state faith schools. If people want to send their children to a fee paying faith school that's up to them but they shouldn't be state funded.

Problem with your view is that faith schools do well, even allowing for the areas they are in and the number of supported pupils etc So there is no way the government is going to abolish the state schools that are performing well and keep the sink schools going.

We need to learn why they do well and apply that teaching to all schools.

If I couldn't get them into a decent school with decent teachers or if I couldn't afford private school, I would home-school.

I am certain my ability to prepare my children socially for the adult world would not be possible by home schooling. I am certain that it would be far easier to educate your child not to believe everything they hear in school than to home educate.

thorsoak

Tlg1991 wrote: »

I am getting to the age where i can see myself have kids with my partner and myself am an atheist i suppose although i have been christened i do not follow the religion what so ever, my partner is catholic and she is the same as em she is a non believer / atheist.

i have seen a lot of things about getting your kids christened to get into a good school, to be honest i really would like to avoid that and let them mainly make up there own mind when they are older. but at the same time education if very important to me for my kids as im sure it is with the majority, so i want them to get into the best school possible.

I would just like to know peoples opinions on this. near our house is a school that is in the nations top ten (primary) but it is a catholic school.

So you learned nothing about morals/ethics in your secular schooling/education? Pah!

GlasweJen

My sister went from agnostic to rabid catholic to get her kids into a frankly mediocre catholic school.

I'd rather sacrifice my kid to the Flying Spaghetti Monster than send it to a catholic school my education was appalling but the school was one of the better in the area.

We spent am unhealthy amount of time doing RE
sex education was part of the RE syllabus not science
The standard grade biology required that we knew how the contraceptive pill worked - we just skipped that part
We also skipped the higher biology module that talked about evolution
Only catholic teachers were department heads meaning we had loads of talented teachers working under morons
Career advice for girls was "you'll have babies soon, don't worry about uni"
The school had more religious statues than it did educational posters
I wrote an essay about Galileo for my standard grade English and got told to write another

I could go on.