SCHOOL ADMISSIONS

Withdrawing Children from Religious Education Lessons

Advice from the National Secular Society  

Some thoughts on sending a child to a Faith school

*****This is taken from the BHA local development forum*************

This is a personal response from me(James) “ not from the BHA.

I was a teacher for 30-odd yrs and have been a Chair of Governors/Cllr /JP etc (which means I might be wrong on every point!)

Faith Schools are not exogenous to the state system but are integral to it: the legislation would never have got through Parliament in Victorian England otherwise; the faith is supposed to pay a percentage (I think 20%) of the running costs.

It will be described legally as a denominated school i.e. denominated as a Church of England school. It is often the case that such schools have the local Vicar either on, or as Chair of Governors (because of the financial contribution), and / or have reserved Governor places which may “ for example “ be filled from people elsewhere in the diocese. Perhaps from quite a distance away, too.

[It is also the case that the denominated faith does not invariably pay all that it should! You could ask about that point if you wish]

For whatever reason(s), faith/ denominated schools often perform better academically than their non-denominated equivalents.

For that reason able children and concerned Parents tend to choose faith schools whether they are of that faith or not, if there are places available.

In general denominated schools do not turn away children who are not of that faith unless they are chockablock full up to bursting point  because pupil numbers fund schools. Many Parents are more concerned about academic performance than about the faith element being pushed at their children. Faith schools tend to be better funded because they are (often) quite full up  especially in more rural areas : urban areas are quite patchy on that point.

On RE:

You could (should?) ask for a copy of the local LEA Agreed Syllabus for RE which will specify what it is that pupils are to be taught. The head teacher will be able to supply you with one âor you could get one from the LEAs RE Adviser  or it may even be published on your LEAs website.

The BHA may even have someone on the SACRE (Standing Advisory Cttee on RE) who was involved in drawing it up or may not.

Its more likely that we dont so you could ask that question too, if you wish? And to go one stage further -offer to join it!!

You should study the Agreed Syllabus carefully, and decide whether you feel it is acceptable to you.

If it is: you should keep careful track of what it is that is actually taught, against what it is that is said in the syllabus will be taught.

The two are not invariably well out of line, and Parents are actually the people responsible for their children’s education, plainly!!

If what is taught is not in the Agreed Syllabus you could reasonably ask why, and you could evaluate the answer and decide whether

a more formal process of complaint might be justified (or may be more likely to be considered by the authorities as time wasting?).

If it is not  and for whatever reason(s) large or small  you should (in my view) say so to the school and to the authority: in writing.

They will not be easily able to alter it because it will be an authority wide issue, but that will be a matter for negotiation, probably.

It could well be that the different faith notions which you mentioned ARE taught to some extent (in the Primary context), but were not mentioned in the Chair of Governors letter for reasons of space: you can never say everything in full detail in a circular letter.

However  if it is absolutely NOT ACCEPTABLE, to you, then you will need to consider sending your child to a quite different school.

Your wife is right to the extent that if the school decides to label you as far more of a nuisance than a supportive educational influence well, it wont do anybody any good.

The latter is usually welcome, and can probably be accommodated and involved, if willing: the former is all too common and a fact of life for schools which just has to be put up with, along with much else.

I do not believe that it would actually hinder your daughter’s education because it is my view and experience that teachers are far above hurting children’s development in any deliberate, structural fashion  but it may, just possibly, mean that Staff think twice, and more, about being willing to be responsible for her during RE teaching time if they feel that what they do might bring down your wrath upon their heads  even tho they are following the Agreed Syllabus!!

You could, perhaps, offer to help with talking to the pupils about Judaism (which I assume you are well acquainted with)  and about Humanism, too: and see what they say.

Personally, I think it would be a mistaken approach to assume that what the school is doing is necessarily wrong (however wrong it may be in your view, philosophically).

Of course you (and me) might disagree with what is being done, or how it is done, or the emphases which are given to this or that.

But the school is under a range of obligations  to the law, to the Local Authority, to the Governors, to the denominated faith structure, to the national curriculum, to the need to do well with OFSTED and with SATS, to health and safety etc: it’s a big list.

They may be simply doing what they are required to do and also be thought by those in charge of them to be doing it well!!

So, if you start complaining about matters which are both philosophical, and also out of their control anyway: they can do little!

Not everyone is a Humanist (yet!!)  and they have their point of view, too.

I think therefore that you should give the school the benefit of the doubt and see what it is that is taught/what actually happens.

After all  Parents are the first and by far the most important teachers, and the Home is the first and most important classroom!

And if the school gets it wrong – in your view – you have ample opportunity to put it right. Don’t you??!!

Sure , why not stand as a School Governor? Not enough people do so, and by a long chalk. Schools really matter and need people from the outside to come in and take a hard look at what they are doing supportively  and to understand why it is that they do do what it is that they do; and how they do it.

Schools really need the support of their local community if they are to thrive. It really is a partnership deal. It needs consensus.

Without that it becomes ever more difficult to do the job. And Governors need to reflect the local community and its values, and to also have a sanguine view of the needs of absolutely everybody who sends their child to that school.

The PUPILS need to feel that their school is VALUED by their Parents, and also valued by the entire community otherwise, it’s hard for THEM to take it seriously  and thrive there, by valuing their teachers and what they are taught (of which RE is a small part, in a Primary School).

If you stand for election  you are into politics, small p. And with all that that entails; unavoidably. Micro politics IS politics.

It is a matter for YOU to judge how to present yourself to your electors. You will know them and your area better than me.

My view is say nothing which may cost you votes, and especially if the elections are hard-fought affairs. You will probably need to

demonstrate convincingly  that you are concerned i.e. supportive, and reasonably knowledgeable about the school, have visited it, probably been to some morning Assemblies (often these are pleasingly humanistic in stance ( really!), been taken round the school by the Head or someone, understand its problems and have some capacity to deal with these intelligently  and have the votes to get elected!!  and that you can reasonably be trusted with responsibility on behalf of the local community.

But not all Governor elections are contentious. In poorer areas, especially cities, getting Governors are hard; good ones, impossible.

There is no reason to state your religious/philosophical stance because you are not being elected for that reason. It’s off side.

The School knows where IT stands on that point  and it does so with the backing of the law and the faith background  and Parents who send their children to that school because they value it for what it is, and not for what it may be doing wrong (if it is!).

You are surely? being elected, and if you ever are, because you are a person of sound judgement and mature, proportionate views

who can be trusted to take part, with similar others, in the management of what is without doubt a precious local resource/asset.

Governors are not elected because they are of this or that religious or non religious persuasion  but for the reasons stated above.

This is true  even for faith schools; because there is no doubt about the status of the school : it IS a faith school. Period.]

They have substantial powers. You may find yourself dealing with a budget of £1M or more, dealing with Staff disciplinary cases, appointing new staff (not least to teach RE), worrying about the condition of the building, or whether to invest X or Y in IT, and concerned about the number of burglaries the school has had of late  or the number of broken windows or (always) the boiler,

or the condition of the roof, or the SATS results in Science. The list is huge and growing and complex and often difficult.

So in my view you should take as full a part as you reasonably can, including as a Governor if you can get elected, but you need to

bear in mind, always, that the school has requirements set for it, and obligations to fulfil to a wide range of other people : not just to you, and to your child – important tho you, and your child, always are.

These are not easy matters to accept, or live with, and a lot of Parents find them hard.

A growing number are choosing to educate their child(ren) at home but it’s still a tiny minority.

The benefits to a child of being in a community of similar aged friends, and in a valued and supported school are just enormous.

In my view, you should judge your actions and stated views carefully against the need, always, to achieve and maintain that.

No doubt others will have other views!!

Red skies,

James

NSS Newsline 14/05/10 From Amanda Taylor:

My husband and I were careful to choose a community primary school for our children, only to find that part way through their education the school decided to turn itself into a voluntary aided Christian faith school. We opposed the move, as did some other parents, but without success.

We now find ourselves in a position that, although our children are happy and doing well at school, they are clearly aware of a strong difference in the messages coming out of assembly and the beliefs of their parents. They have on occasions found the contradictions quite difficult. 

One thing which we have found to help a little is that after discussion with the head teacher she has agreed to allow them an alternative to prayers and songs of worship in assembly and class. So now, instead of being either excluded from assembly and class prayers, or having to join in along with everyone else, they can, if they choose, take with them a small book of poems and songs which we have compiled together at home from various sources. The content covers themes of fairness, kindness, respect for difference, responsibility, our world etc. 

They are (I think) proud of their books and the independence that they bring. We also have a second copy for home that we use at bedtime. This does not by any means solve all the issues of inclusion and faith schools. It does at least give us the knowledge that our children have some kind of choice. For me that is at least a step in the right direction. I hope this idea might be of help to others.