C of E schools...thoughts and experiences
Discussion
My son will be starting school soon, and as (separated) parents we need to pick one. One looks like it ticks a lot of the boxes, but is C of E and seems quite religious on the website.
People are entitled to whatever they want to believe IMHO, however like many people I'm a science and evidence based kind of person, and I don't believe you need to underpin decent human values and behaviours with a "god". I feel bad enough about the fact that for the last two months "Father Christmas" has been monitoring my son over the house alarm system PIR detectors and sometimes flashes his LED light to show he's watching. At some point in the next few years I'll need to thank him for being so good, but also come clean that there is no actual evidence of Father Christmas existing and it was just a ploy to get him to be good, so he will have to research and make up his own mind on whether the big man in red actually exists. Hmmm...parallels perhaps?
So...for any parents with kids at C of E schools, how, erm, brainwashy is it? When I was a kid we had assembly, sung hymns, did scripture classes, said grace before meals etc and I'm fine with that. But I believe that the fact that the moon and sun pull water around the earth and cause tides, should be taught with a whole lot more conviction, science and evidence than Moses parting the Red Sea.
I'd leave him to make up his own mind on stuff, but if I was helping with homework I'd be saying "the story goes that Moses did xyx...". If I'm not a believer am I likely to be at loggerheads with the staff or do children come home from school free to decide if a woman fashioned from a spare rib (responsible for the world's problems so therefore punished by painful childbirth) is more credible or less credible than a man in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer dropping billions of presents down the chimneys of the world?
Any experiences very welcome...and please, this is not a "does God exist"/religion bashing thread, it's specifically about education of young minds. Thank you!
People are entitled to whatever they want to believe IMHO, however like many people I'm a science and evidence based kind of person, and I don't believe you need to underpin decent human values and behaviours with a "god". I feel bad enough about the fact that for the last two months "Father Christmas" has been monitoring my son over the house alarm system PIR detectors and sometimes flashes his LED light to show he's watching. At some point in the next few years I'll need to thank him for being so good, but also come clean that there is no actual evidence of Father Christmas existing and it was just a ploy to get him to be good, so he will have to research and make up his own mind on whether the big man in red actually exists. Hmmm...parallels perhaps?
So...for any parents with kids at C of E schools, how, erm, brainwashy is it? When I was a kid we had assembly, sung hymns, did scripture classes, said grace before meals etc and I'm fine with that. But I believe that the fact that the moon and sun pull water around the earth and cause tides, should be taught with a whole lot more conviction, science and evidence than Moses parting the Red Sea.
I'd leave him to make up his own mind on stuff, but if I was helping with homework I'd be saying "the story goes that Moses did xyx...". If I'm not a believer am I likely to be at loggerheads with the staff or do children come home from school free to decide if a woman fashioned from a spare rib (responsible for the world's problems so therefore punished by painful childbirth) is more credible or less credible than a man in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer dropping billions of presents down the chimneys of the world?
Any experiences very welcome...and please, this is not a "does God exist"/religion bashing thread, it's specifically about education of young minds. Thank you!
Both Mrs Hinds and I spontaneously combust within the walls of religious institutions. Our little boy is at the C of E school in our village, partly because it's local, partly because almost all the others nearby are C of E and partly because it was the least preachy of them. We openly asked the question at every school we visited "how much of a part of school life is religion and the church?" The responses we got were everything from "a huge part, we say a prayer before each lesson" to what our school said which was "it's more about the principles than the specifics. Yes we do Harvest/Nativity/Easter but otherwise not really". There was one school that I didn't have a good feeling about at all and that was the most preachy one. The difficulty will be if it's a mile apart from other schools around then it's hard to not go for it... you can always teach the scientific view at home. One thing I'm utterly convinced of is that if you leave education to the school your child won't be educated in my view. James learns just as much taking things apart and repairing them with me or playing the piano with Mrs Hinds as he does at school.
I went to one albeit many years ago now, You had the usual assemblies, religious studies and a mass every religious festival in a local church.
Apart from that it was all pretty normal, most kids there were told they were religious by their parents to just get them in the door, 95% of us though it was b
ks.
It was a really good school mind you.
Apart from that it was all pretty normal, most kids there were told they were religious by their parents to just get them in the door, 95% of us though it was b
ks.It was a really good school mind you.
Many of the teachers and pretty much all of the children had no interest in religion at my C of E.
I did have to go to church for a while to be considered, but once I was accepted, apart from the weekly R.E lesson and the odd event at the church just outside (which most of us didn't go to) it was much like any other school.
I quite enjoyed my time their because the R.E lessons made me realise how easily people could be brainwashed and how little people were prepared to ask questions about laughable information they were fed.
I burst out laughing numerous times during R.E lessons and fired off numerous awkward questions. It ended up being my favourite lesson.
I did have to go to church for a while to be considered, but once I was accepted, apart from the weekly R.E lesson and the odd event at the church just outside (which most of us didn't go to) it was much like any other school.
I quite enjoyed my time their because the R.E lessons made me realise how easily people could be brainwashed and how little people were prepared to ask questions about laughable information they were fed.
I burst out laughing numerous times during R.E lessons and fired off numerous awkward questions. It ended up being my favourite lesson.
Edited by Digby on Monday 6th January 20:36
Jamie VTS said:
I’ve worked in a CofE school, to be honest it was very mild. A service at Easter, Christmas and harvest and the odd assembly from the local vicar. You’ll probably find a lot of the staff at the school aren’t religious (I certainly am not). Really a non issue in my opinion!
I'd go along with this.
Our two went to a CofE school. As Jamie says, they recognised the main Christian festivals. Prayer at assembly each morning and that was it. Pretty much how I recall my school in the 70s which was just 'a school'.
StevieBee said:
Jamie VTS said:
I’ve worked in a CofE school, to be honest it was very mild. A service at Easter, Christmas and harvest and the odd assembly from the local vicar. You’ll probably find a lot of the staff at the school aren’t religious (I certainly am not). Really a non issue in my opinion!
I'd go along with this.
Our two went to a CofE school. As Jamie says, they recognised the main Christian festivals. Prayer at assembly each morning and that was it. Pretty much how I recall my school in the 70s which was just 'a school'.
Our kids school, the headteacher was an atheist.
It’s more about values rather than any religion.
The school has many muslim kids too.
Jamie VTS said:
I’ve worked in a CofE school, to be honest it was very mild. A service at Easter, Christmas and harvest and the odd assembly from the local vicar. You’ll probably find a lot of the staff at the school aren’t religious (I certainly am not). Really a non issue in my opinion!
This pretty much mirrors the experience my two had when they attended a village C of E primary school. mark beavan said:
Jamie VTS said:
I’ve worked in a CofE school, to be honest it was very mild. A service at Easter, Christmas and harvest and the odd assembly from the local vicar. You’ll probably find a lot of the staff at the school aren’t religious (I certainly am not). Really a non issue in my opinion!
This pretty much mirrors the experience my two had when they attended a village C of E primary school. 
ben5575 said:
mark beavan said:
Jamie VTS said:
I’ve worked in a CofE school, to be honest it was very mild. A service at Easter, Christmas and harvest and the odd assembly from the local vicar. You’ll probably find a lot of the staff at the school aren’t religious (I certainly am not). Really a non issue in my opinion!
This pretty much mirrors the experience my two had when they attended a village C of E primary school. Step-lad went to a catholic primary school before we moved away from Bristol and that seemed just a little more heavy with some daft jumps to get them in.
My experience of C of E is that they get a minor amount of religion which focuses on being a nice person, without being too Bible heavy. Won’t harm in any way.
Once they are old enough to make their own mind up they can bash the bible or become quietly agnostic, as I am.
Most people are very keen to get their kids into one as they tend to be full of nice middle class kids who give good OFSTED results, which is (rightly or wrongly) the name of the game.
Once they are old enough to make their own mind up they can bash the bible or become quietly agnostic, as I am.
Most people are very keen to get their kids into one as they tend to be full of nice middle class kids who give good OFSTED results, which is (rightly or wrongly) the name of the game.
Our kids don't go to a C of E school but it might as well be one. It got absorbed into a MAT (Academy) a few years back that has some C of E funding / Christian leaders on the board. They do harvest, Christmas, Easter and so on though as far as I know they don't actually pray at school. Every year the school does their carol concert at the cathedral, it's a nice occasion and gets you in the spirit but the reverend who's essentially attached to the school delighted in telling us how all the children had been give a gift - a book on the origin of Christmas, from a Christian prospective.
I jokingly said to the wife and the few friends we were sat with as to when the kids would be getting booklets on the origins of Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, etc.
I jokingly said to the wife and the few friends we were sat with as to when the kids would be getting booklets on the origins of Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, etc.
When Fox jnr was 4yo we started looking at the local schools. One was RC ( nothing wrong in that but we were not!)
The local one on the estate was to say the least a bit kitchen sink then
That left the local church school
Went fro the interview, no happy clappy and was pleased to see there were a few non christian ( based on the parent clothng) although the Church was involved a lot. Visits from he Vicars etc.
Normal Christian celebrations.in school lots of visits to the Church for said services etc.
Whilst is was 'hinted ' that regular Sunday Services Special family one where there was a creche was mandatory, nothing was said when we left following a 'discussion' over the life of Brian and one of the new vicars ripped it to shreds,having never seen it, Plus one of the others went into the pulpit one Sunday and said how he celebrated Holy Communion at every opportunity. Yet he was the most unchristian person i have ever meant.and due to these two instances began to see that you could carry out a much better 'Christian' way of life even though you never attended a Church ever again.
Grandson is now at a private School with every sect/denomination known to man, yet The Nativty went ahead, with a Chinese Mary, Indian and West Indian Kings Joseph was German extraction,
Over the years it appears that CoE schools have relaxed the religious side of things, in fact my lads school now embraces Diwali, Eid, Hanakkuh,have all be celebrated and explained, although i have yet to hear of a Druid Solstice
Send him by all means he could well get a better grounding and understanding of the real world
The local one on the estate was to say the least a bit kitchen sink then
That left the local church school
Went fro the interview, no happy clappy and was pleased to see there were a few non christian ( based on the parent clothng) although the Church was involved a lot. Visits from he Vicars etc.
Normal Christian celebrations.in school lots of visits to the Church for said services etc.
Whilst is was 'hinted ' that regular Sunday Services Special family one where there was a creche was mandatory, nothing was said when we left following a 'discussion' over the life of Brian and one of the new vicars ripped it to shreds,having never seen it, Plus one of the others went into the pulpit one Sunday and said how he celebrated Holy Communion at every opportunity. Yet he was the most unchristian person i have ever meant.and due to these two instances began to see that you could carry out a much better 'Christian' way of life even though you never attended a Church ever again.
Grandson is now at a private School with every sect/denomination known to man, yet The Nativty went ahead, with a Chinese Mary, Indian and West Indian Kings Joseph was German extraction,
Over the years it appears that CoE schools have relaxed the religious side of things, in fact my lads school now embraces Diwali, Eid, Hanakkuh,have all be celebrated and explained, although i have yet to hear of a Druid Solstice
Send him by all means he could well get a better grounding and understanding of the real world
As an exercise in aversion therapy, it might be excellent. I was subjected to the full-on godbothering routine for my entire (private) schooldays as my father was a keen churchgoer. So for about fifteen years I had school chapel for six days a week during term and church every Sunday. My views were never solicited nor considered. However, as an adult, I have only ever set foot in church for weddings and funerals (and then grudgingly).
My son was not christened and has not been confirmed and I don't think he's seen the inside of a church more than two or three times, although interestingly he chose to attend a boarding school that did 'do' God, rather bigly. I think he simply saw it as a cost of doing the business that he was interested in, although he never evinced much respect for the chaplains or beaks who pushed the religious stuff.
Anyway, he is now an adult and if he wants to follow a religious path, he's a free agent. Which IMO is how it should be.
My son was not christened and has not been confirmed and I don't think he's seen the inside of a church more than two or three times, although interestingly he chose to attend a boarding school that did 'do' God, rather bigly. I think he simply saw it as a cost of doing the business that he was interested in, although he never evinced much respect for the chaplains or beaks who pushed the religious stuff.
Anyway, he is now an adult and if he wants to follow a religious path, he's a free agent. Which IMO is how it should be.
Thanks for all the responses...that's encouraging. I will double check that it's not the kind of place that says prayers at every lesson or ignores other faiths entirely, however in this day and age I think it's unlikely.
As long as there is balance and free thinking that's fine with me and in many ways I'd rather he did look at the evidence and draw his own conclusions rather than being told flatly that there is/isn't a god. Personally, I do not for one moment believe in any kind of god whatsoever, however I have no problem singing a hymm or saying a prayer to keep whoever has been good enough to invite me to a wedding/funeral, happy...and if he chose the same path that's all good with me (as is of course any path he chooses).
Thanks again.
As long as there is balance and free thinking that's fine with me and in many ways I'd rather he did look at the evidence and draw his own conclusions rather than being told flatly that there is/isn't a god. Personally, I do not for one moment believe in any kind of god whatsoever, however I have no problem singing a hymm or saying a prayer to keep whoever has been good enough to invite me to a wedding/funeral, happy...and if he chose the same path that's all good with me (as is of course any path he chooses).
Thanks again.
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