Juan Mourep
Vital 1st Team Regular
http://www.parentdish.co.uk/kids/schools-and-religion-why-i-am-losing-faith-in-the-education-system/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cukt1%7Cdl17%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D238427
Schools and religion: Why I'm losing faith in the education system
By Georgia James
I didn't think I'd be the sort of parent to get caught up in the politics of catchment areas and Ofsted reports – not for a primary school. We would find somewhere nice to live and send our son to a local school - as long as the place was safe, caring and had a decent ethos and effective teaching methods. Simple.
I don't have unrealistic expectations about him going to the 'best' primary school in the city or even one with an 'Outstanding' Ofsted rating. 'Good' with a couple of 'Outstanding' areas would be nice, of course, but essentially just one that feels right.
What I do expect is my son – and every other child in this country – to be given a fair chance of attending any of the state-funded schools in his local area, without discrimination and irrespective of religion and cultural beliefs. But it turns out this isn't possible.
"In every area we researched, there were a disproportionately high number of faith schools, significantly limiting the choices open to families who, like us, do not adhere to a particular faith – or who wish to encourage their child to choose his own path by learning about all religions and cultures, irrespective of our own personal beliefs"
I know it is still possible for children of parents "of no faith" (don't we sound awful?) to attend faith schools. But it is more than a little off-putting that they are discriminated against at the outset and sent to the back of the queue, while those practising the faith are given preferential treatment.
It is even more off-putting that those schools also have the legal right to teach a skewed curriculum. Call me radical but I thought it would be good for my son to have a diverse education and be encouraged to think for himself. I certainly won't be indoctrinating him with my own beliefs and opinions. I will share them with him but I actively hope he questions and challenges them. It will be a proud day when I find my own beliefs being swayed by his.
"It is incredibly unfair that children are unable to get into a local school because their parents are not of the right religion or have no religion," Pavan Dhaliwal of the BHA told the BBC.
"In a healthy society children should be able to interact with each other regardless of their background. Segregation, racial or religious, causes distrust and disharmony," he added.
Last week, the Republic of Ireland's Ombudsman for Children, Emily Logan, called for the law to be changed so state funded faith schools are no longer able to discriminate in their admissions policy against children on faith grounds.
She argues: ''... children should not have preferential access to publicly funded education on the basis of their religion"
I'd add to that, we're not even talking about the faith of these children – we're talking about the faith of their parents. An overhaul of the admissions policy of faith schools would certainly be a huge step forward but I question whether state-funded faith schools that teach a biased curriculum should exist at all.
More at the link.
The poll question is this.
Are you happy that you are paying into a system where your child's education can be held back if they don't follow one of the government backed cults?
Schools and religion: Why I'm losing faith in the education system
By Georgia James
I didn't think I'd be the sort of parent to get caught up in the politics of catchment areas and Ofsted reports – not for a primary school. We would find somewhere nice to live and send our son to a local school - as long as the place was safe, caring and had a decent ethos and effective teaching methods. Simple.
I don't have unrealistic expectations about him going to the 'best' primary school in the city or even one with an 'Outstanding' Ofsted rating. 'Good' with a couple of 'Outstanding' areas would be nice, of course, but essentially just one that feels right.
What I do expect is my son – and every other child in this country – to be given a fair chance of attending any of the state-funded schools in his local area, without discrimination and irrespective of religion and cultural beliefs. But it turns out this isn't possible.
"In every area we researched, there were a disproportionately high number of faith schools, significantly limiting the choices open to families who, like us, do not adhere to a particular faith – or who wish to encourage their child to choose his own path by learning about all religions and cultures, irrespective of our own personal beliefs"
I know it is still possible for children of parents "of no faith" (don't we sound awful?) to attend faith schools. But it is more than a little off-putting that they are discriminated against at the outset and sent to the back of the queue, while those practising the faith are given preferential treatment.
It is even more off-putting that those schools also have the legal right to teach a skewed curriculum. Call me radical but I thought it would be good for my son to have a diverse education and be encouraged to think for himself. I certainly won't be indoctrinating him with my own beliefs and opinions. I will share them with him but I actively hope he questions and challenges them. It will be a proud day when I find my own beliefs being swayed by his.
"It is incredibly unfair that children are unable to get into a local school because their parents are not of the right religion or have no religion," Pavan Dhaliwal of the BHA told the BBC.
"In a healthy society children should be able to interact with each other regardless of their background. Segregation, racial or religious, causes distrust and disharmony," he added.
Last week, the Republic of Ireland's Ombudsman for Children, Emily Logan, called for the law to be changed so state funded faith schools are no longer able to discriminate in their admissions policy against children on faith grounds.
She argues: ''... children should not have preferential access to publicly funded education on the basis of their religion"
I'd add to that, we're not even talking about the faith of these children – we're talking about the faith of their parents. An overhaul of the admissions policy of faith schools would certainly be a huge step forward but I question whether state-funded faith schools that teach a biased curriculum should exist at all.
More at the link.
The poll question is this.
Are you happy that you are paying into a system where your child's education can be held back if they don't follow one of the government backed cults?