Would you baptise your child - school

Indeed, while ensuring that the underperformance and underachievement in those areas doesn't damage the education of others who are performing or performing highly already.

I'm also a strong believer that not everyone is suited to academic study, and we should stop trying to make it appear they are by reducing standards until everyone passes, because in the real world, employers don't make the same allowances. We need to be teaching people to excel at what they can do and want to do, rather than trying to fit them all into the same box.

Yes. You're correct. Parents are trying for it now with "faith" schools. But schools are selecting based on class, not ability.
 
Wow, you atheists must have incredible faith in the mental ability of your children to resist the allure of religious teachings. So, on one hand we have atheists complaining about the indoctrination of children into religious belief, and on the other, we have parents willing to send their children to faith schools to get the best possible education. All of which serves to increase the probability said individuals will find faith because they were exposed to said material as a child. Faith teaching, indoctrination of you prefer the term, is a long term strategy, it cares not whether you convert right away.

Child goes to faith school
Adult life collapses
Adult remembers learning as a child
Adult finds faith.
 
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Problem is, as contentious as it may be to point out, ability and class are invariable linked.

Of course they are. But the link is not absolute. Class is who is likely to have the ability. Ability is ability. One is usually right, one is right.

You could argue that ability isn't the right word, since a lot of it will come down to support at home. The kid might have a better natural ability but without good parents it won't translate to anything.

You get my meaning though I'm sure.
 
Wow, you atheists must have incredible faith in the mental ability of your children to resist the allure of religious teachings. So, on one hand we have atheists complaining about the indoctrination of children into religious belief, and on the other, we have parents willing to send their children to faith schools to get the best possible education. All of which serves to increase the probability said individuals will find faith because they were exposed to said material as a child.

What is important about faith schools is that the children are already religious when they begin attending the school, that's the whole point. In my CoE there was no 'Religious Teachings' there was our normal subjects, science, maths, geography etc. None of these subjects had anything religious about them, even RE was about other religions. The only religious things our school did was a prayer following assemblies and attending the church as a school on first/last day of the year and for christmas.

This notion of atheists sending their kids to religious school and being converted to faith is nothing of what a faith school is about.
 
Of course they are. But the link is not absolute. Class is who is likely to have the ability. Ability is ability. One is usually right, one is right.

You could argue that ability isn't the right word, since a lot of it will come down to support at home. The kid might have a better natural ability but without good parents it won't translate to anything.

You get my meaning though I'm sure.

I understand and agree in principle, but the schools who are selecting don't have the opportunity to test the children for ability, so they go with the next most 'likely' test they can get away with, 'social class' to obtain the best result.
 
I understand and agree in principle, but the schools who are selecting don't have the opportunity to test the children for ability, so they go with the next most 'likely' test they can get away with, 'social class' to obtain the best result.

Exactly. And that's why they have to be wiped from the face of the UK and the whole system replaced with the old grammar system. For the good of everybody.

What must not happen though is the removal of everybody with any prospects at all, leaving the no hopers all grouped together in a hellhole of a school going through the motions but learning nothing.
 
I see another side of this. I would feel that, as an atheist, I would be insulting their beliefs if I got my child baptised under false pretenses. Wrong on all counts I believe.
 
I see another side of this. I would feel that, as an atheist, I would be insulting their beliefs if I got my child baptised under false pretenses. Wrong on all counts I believe.

The issue is though you'd be the only one taking the moral stand and everybody else would send their kids regardless. Is it fair to your kids to do that?
 
I went to a C of E primary school (like you, best around), I was never baptised...

From what I'm told it went something like this:

Headteacher: So he is baptised I assume?
My dear Mother: Err mm hmm! (looking guilty)
Headteacher: (looking suspicious) You're positive?
My dear Mother: (now VERY sheepish and about to crack horribly) /nods weakly
Headteacher: (now with a big grin) OK then, excellent!

So the moral of the story is, as a blaspheming atheist with no morals... is it a possibility you could... circumvent the silly ritualistic requirement? I always assumed there was a register somewhere, but I certainly went to a school with that requirement and I have most definitely never been baptised!

Churches keep registers of baptisms, so if they really cared they'd ask where you were baptised and when and then ask the church to check their records.
 
What is important about faith schools is that the children are already religious when they begin attending the school, that's the whole point. In my CoE there was no 'Religious Teachings' there was our normal subjects, science, maths, geography etc. None of these subjects had anything religious about them, even RE was about other religions. The only religious things our school did was a prayer following assemblies and attending the church as a school on first/last day of the year and for christmas.

This notion of atheists sending their kids to religious school and being converted to faith is nothing of what a faith school is about.

Of course it isn't, but the point is, those parents who send their children to a faith school under false pretences believe they are duping the system, I would argue the faith school is duping them. It is not the duty of the Christian to make converts, it is the duty of the Christian to spread the gospel. You get to send your child to the best school, the school gets to inject some religiosity into the brain of your child. That is the cost of your decision, and if you don't like it, rather than trying to ban it, don't do it. :p

So in assemblies, week in, week out, you prayed? You don't think that might have affected you?
 
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The issue is though you'd be the only one taking the moral stand and everybody else would send their kids regardless. Is it fair to your kids to do that?

So is it better to teach my child (I have a daughter) that morals are there to be manipulated and forgotten when convenient?
 
Exactly. And that's why they have to be wiped from the face of the UK and the whole system replaced with the old grammar system. For the good of everybody.

What must not happen though is the removal of everybody with any prospects at all, leaving the no hopers all grouped together in a hellhole of a school going through the motions but learning nothing.

I'd support a return to Grammar schools, however many grammar schools have a faith ethos anyway.

Provision for education must be able to allow those with innate ability to excel whilst targeting and helping those who do not. Also Education is not just about academic ability and the sooner we realise this the better.
 
Wow, you atheists must have incredible faith in the mental ability of your children to resist the allure of religious teachings. So, on one hand we have atheists complaining about the indoctrination of children into religious belief, and on the other, we have parents willing to send their children to faith schools to get the best possible education. All of which serves to increase the probability said individuals will find faith because they were exposed to said material as a child. Faith teaching, indoctrination of you prefer the term, is a long term strategy, it cares not whether you convert right away.

Child goes to faith school
Adult life collapses
Adult remembers learning as a child
Adult finds faith.

Exactly!

Get your tin foil hats people.
 
Of course it isn't, but the point is, those parents who send their children to a faith school under false pretences believe they are duping the system, I would argue the faith school is duping them. It is not the duty of the Christian to make converts, it is the duty of the Christian to spread the gospel. You get to send your child to the best school, the school gets to inject some religiosity into the brain of your child. That is the cost of your decision, and if you don't like it, rather than trying to ban it, don't do it. :p.

You're right but you have the wrong conclusion. Try to ban it, don't make your kid suffer by opting out.

It's better to subject them to mild CoE/RC/CoS/whatever indoctrination than it is to put them in a bad school.

It's not an ideal world, things aren't perfect. You can't make the "right" choice.
 
I'd support a return to Grammar schools, however many grammar schools have a faith ethos anyway.

Provision for education must be able to allow those with innate ability to excel whilst targeting and helping those who do not. Also Education is not just about academic ability and the sooner we realise this the better.

I'm in complete agreement.
 
I'm not religious at all and neither is my wife, we're wanting to move soon and are having to do grown up things like consider schools.

Looking at official reports education in Bristol seems to be pretty naff. All the best schools are C of E, where the child has to be baptised before being allowed to enrol.

It would be hypocritical to baptise our son, but if it means he gets a better education then I am considering it.

I think my parents did the same thing when i was 9??, although i was already in the catholic primary school and i dont think they were even allowed to kick out someone who wasnt baptised.

Either way part of the interview to my secondary school was reciting some prayers :rolleyes:

It would not be hypocritical, the whole do what i say not what i do.

If a doctor while smoking, tells a patient who is a smoker to stop smoking because it is bad for you, he is not a hypocrite..
 
I only know of one grammar school in Bristol and had assumed it was private as it's very posh. Plus it'll be about 3-4 miles from the areas we're looking at

I thought grammar schools were free to attend (providing you pass the entrance exam)?

I'd say it's worth looking into.

BGS is a private school with fees of £10,590 per year.

It's confusing but not uncommon for a private school to have "grammar" in the title.
 
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