[Closed] The abolition of faith schools

The most fundamental argument against faith schools is NI.
I’ve said on here before that, growing up in NI, I didn’t knowingly meet a catholic until I was a teenager. Its still true there today, and just as tragic.

That was fairly weird and extreme situation, but I fail to see how state funded sectarianism (which would be illegal in any tax funded sphere outside school) has somehow come to be seen as the magic sauce to improve educational attainment

This and the "what school do you go to?" question (as asked by a group of lads to a kid on his own) really should end the thread. I could mention parent protests at that Birmingham school but nah...

I wasn’t having a pop at mods.

I didn't think you were. Rather, I thought you were suggesting that religious discussion is treated / handled differently from other conversations. It isn't. It's subject to the same rules, and afforded the same non-censorship, that anything else is.

More pointing out that this place self-governs pretty well for the most part…. Pie’s without bases, Mumford and sons and sweeping statements (apart from when in a religion thread, it would seem) are quite rightly meet with derision.

You're welcome to provide your own derision if it's not forthcoming from other quarters.

And for the record you’ll not catch me ever reporting anyone….

Well, the system is there for you to use, it's been in place for years and it works well. If you choose not to use it then that's your call of course, but you can't then complain about posts you don't like. Moderators actively censoring content based on there own personal biases isn't a forum I want to be a part of, and I doubt many others would like that much either.

I don’t like the thought of an all seeing, omnipresent being casting down damnation and ban hammers from up upon high.

I see what you did there.

Different places in different problems shocker. I assume by "up here" you are talking about somewhere well north of Ayrshire? FWIW plenty of non-catholic schools have been closed or amalgamated under the SNP and their drive to centralise everything.

FWIW I don't disagree with your stance in the scenario that only certain schools are being targetted, we should be "diluting" and distributing rather than actively closing schools unless there is a compelling reason to do so (low numbers or building fabric). NAC wanted to amalgamate all three schools on the new campus but the diocese refused to have anything to do with it, in the end they ended up with their pathetic plaserboard segregation.

Maybe it’s ignorance or maybe they don’t care but how would you explain to your five year old daughter that her friends from nursery are going to a different school, with a different uniform, different teachers and a different head in the same bloody campus with literally a plaster wall between them? Its **** insane!

That’s exactly the conversation I’ve had to have with all three of my kids who went what they call a “mixed campus” primary school. They’ve never really understood why. I cannot adequately explain it to them.

I don’t think it helps the efforts to drive out the stupid, ingrained  horrors of sectarianism when you hammer it into kids  from their first day at school that they’re somehow different and not allowed to mix with their Catholic / Non-Denominational friends.

Yes

Maybe it’s ignorance or maybe they don’t care but how would you explain to your five year old daughter that her friends from nursery are going to a different school, with a different uniform, different teachers and a different head in the same bloody campus with literally a plaster wall between them? Its **** insane!

I had no idea such places existed. I am additionally scandalised.

Why the hell don't we in Britain ever take the chance to stop navel-gazing, and look at how other, far more successful systems, work, and just copy them?

I've no problem with them as long as they are forced to become private (with no tax advantages, obvs). If people are willing to pay they can send their kids to whatever school they like, for me.

I witnessed an assembly in a non-religious state secondary school where the (baptist) deputy head spoke of how he'd banned his wife and kids from seeing The Life of Brian and how exorcism was a useful tool if used properly (someone had recently died whilst being 'exorcised'). I was astonished. Religion should be taught as an aspect of cultural anthropology or sociology and proselytising should be banned in all schools, and at school gates.

 proselytising should be banned in all schools, and at school gates.

Amen to that brother.

We're agnostic and my kids went to the local non-denominational state primary. There I had to ask permission so that they didn't have to attend the end of term traipse to church, they were put in the nursery class or had to sit in the school reception for the duration. They also faced regular bullying due to their heritage and economic status.
There was no other school in the area which had space in both classes apart from the local Catholic school, I had my apprehensions about sending them there for the reasons mentioned in the above posts but decided that it would be better than them feeling suicidal.
I have been pleasantly surprised. The school is much more diverse and inclusive than the local village school. Less than half of the kids are catholic and it's they who are taken out of class for specific religious education. Instead of prayers they have a daily consideration, so if someone is feeling ill or is having a tough time they talk about how to support that person, bullying is practically non existent and issues are delt with swiftly.
They share classes with people from a variety of backgrounds and countries and are encouraged to question, understand and respect other peoples views. The school fosters a sense of community and provides a good learning environment, which is a stark contrast to the village school. Both schools were rated "very good" by HMIE but it's the nondenominational school which marks the divide between the mainstream and minorities

No problem with faith schools but they shouldn't be funded by the local authority. You can't teach in a catholic primary school (in Scotland) without a catholic teacher certificate but it's funded from the public purse.