Would you baptise your child - school

What is the point in the baptism if you can just dismiss it's meaning?

Doesn't the selection bother you? Or am I alone in thinking it's ok to exclude the poorest kids from decent schools and doom them to stay poor?

Yea I don't like that either, however you aren't necessarily dooming them to a life of being "poor" but you may be reducing their opportunities and it sounds very prejudice which is never a good thing.


Good to hear :)
 
Are you certain that the child must be baptised, none of the CofE or Catholic schools here ask that.

In fact my son went to a CofE primary and is now at a Catholic school (both good schools) and he has never been baptised and as regard the Catholic school they know I'm agnostic as I gave a speech to their 5th Form RE class on comparative Religions and Agnosticism/Atheism from a neutral perspective.

If you are within the catchment I think they are obliged to consider your child.


While I support a schools right to have a specific ethos, I don't support forcing children/parents to baptise/convert to that ethos' faith simply to attend that school.
 
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I went to a CofE school, there were plenty of poor kids from the council estate there though that was 30 years ago :p . I really think certain people need to get over themselves a bit on the issue of faith schools. Maybe if faith schools would select more students from poorer backgrounds if the sharp elbowed middle classes didn't falsely baptise their children just to get them into the faith school.

@OP I personally don't think it's right that you make any sort of oath (in front of God or not) that you don't intend to keep. That said, everyone does it these days and you obviously want what's best for your kid so it's understandable I guess. Why not take this opportunity to expand your own view of religion a bit? Maybe the church runs an Alpha course which might help you to understand the ritual of baptism a bit better.
 
What did you and your wife do when you got married, if you're not religious? Do you do the church thing (which as you say would be hypocritical) or do it some other way?
Surely what you did then would apply to your child's baptism?

Registry office for the same reason, we're not religious.
 
HeX, don't be so naive! It's exactly that. They socially select. They may not be able to check bank accounts... but they pick the "good parents" and exclude the bad ones. And some of them even require bribes - very few to be honest and they keep getting caught.

That certainly isn't the case in the north east. Where do you get this opinion from?
 
"Faith" schools - at least a significantly large number of them - socially select the pupils who can attend. There are a very small number of openly selective schools, and I am not referring to those.

It's just the way it is. The newspapers or government bodies do investigations from time to time and turn up the same results - they look for who will be good pupils.
 
Did you get taught about all religions? I'm intrigued.

Was only in CoE schools until I was 10 so can't remember a huge amount but there was far amount of bible reading in RE lessons but not much on other religions. My parents offset it by teaching me a lot about foreign culture (the only hobby they have is travel and we used to a lot, and they still do).
 
"Faith" schools - at least a significantly large number of them - socially select the pupils who can attend. There are a very small number of openly selective schools, and I am not referring to those.

It's just the way it is. The newspapers or government bodies do investigations from time to time and turn up the same results - they look for who will be good pupils.

Going by some of the trash that went to my school I am far from convinced to be honest.
 
"Faith" schools - at least a significantly large number of them - socially select the pupils who can attend. There are a very small number of openly selective schools, and I am not referring to those.

It's just the way it is. The newspapers or government bodies do investigations from time to time and turn up the same results - they look for who will be good pupils.

It's not true Halk, you are correct that some over subscribed schools have been caught selecting by social status by giving questionnaires asking about Parents occupations etc, but that is not the norm and is not legal either.

It is a minority of specific schools and not significant numbers of them.
 
Going by some of the trash that went to my school I am far from convinced to be honest.

Not every school will be highly selective. Some schools may not select at all.

Google search turned out this Daily Fail article. Please bear in mind it's the Daily Mail and they are not exactly fair and balanced. :) Feel free to search for more information on it if you want.
 
It's not true Halk, you are correct that some over subscribed schools have been caught selecting by social status by giving questionnaires asking about Parents occupations etc, but that is not the norm and is not legal either.

It is a minority of specific schools and not significant numbers of them.

Nobody really knows though Castiel.

I think these are the facts.

Some schools do socially select
Some schools do not socially select

But nobody can prove the numbers. I suspect it's lots, you don't.. The reason why I suspect it's lots is that they keep getting caught.
 
Whats the point of them asking people to baptise their children if the values behind the religion are not followed?
Surely its pointless for them to request it?

Having said that, i'd probably baptise mine if this was the best case scenario just for their education.

Some schools will request a letter from the vicar to confirm that the child attends church. My littles girl's school did. A friend of mine has an 11 year old who wants to move up to a C of E secondary and needs a letter saying she's attended regularly for a year.

Infant baptism is a heresy anyway. Drives me mental that churches entertain the notion.
 
If the OP wants to get his kids into a CoE school without baptising them then his best option is to move to a place close to the school that means they will have to consider their application regardless.
 
Nobody really knows though Castiel.

I think these are the facts.

Some schools do socially select
Some schools do not socially select

But nobody can prove the numbers. I suspect it's lots, you don't.. The reason why I suspect it's lots is that they keep getting caught.

From a different Daily Fail article
Sir Philip added: 'It's not in my view fair to pick out faith schools as against any other kind of school in terms of cherry-picking or selection by ability or whatever it is.'

And also

More than 2,000 faith and foundation schools fell down on this, and half of all local authorities, which cover some 10,000 community schools.
5000 > 2000
 
Some schools will request a letter from the vicar to confirm that the child attends church. My littles girl's school did. A friend of mine has an 11 year old who wants to move up to a C of E secondary and needs a letter saying she's attended regularly for a year.

Infant baptism is a heresy anyway. Drives me mental that churches entertain the notion.

Yeah I needed a reference from my vicar for my application, I suspect this is common practice at all CoE schools rather than just being 'baptised', 'christened' and 'confirmed'
 
Some schools will request a letter from the vicar to confirm that the child attends church. My littles girl's school did. A friend of mine has an 11 year old who wants to move up to a C of E secondary and needs a letter saying she's attended regularly for a year.

Infant baptism is a heresy anyway. Drives me mental that churches entertain the notion.

I never did, my wife never did, my son never did. We all went to faith schools of one denomination or another. Neither my Son or myself are Christened/Baptised although my Wife is Catholic.

It would be interesting to know what percentage do select this way.
 
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