What do you think of the current policy developing regarding faith schools? Is this fair?

Question

The British government is planning to enforce a rule that will force all faith schools to enrole a minimum of 25% of different faiths. Most catholic schools already have more than this as non-catholics and they will be uneffected but the catholic bishops are unhappy about the enforcement of this rule. I am unsure of Jewish and Muslim beliefs on the matter... Any ideas?

Answer 1

It was announced last week that the government has now dropped the idea. I do not think Jewish or Muslim schools are bothered because there is hardly going to be a rush from the rest of the population who does not share their faith to put their kids there.
Faith schools are partially financed by a particular faith. Depending on areas and the school, they do accept children of other faiths, but you cannot blame them for giving priority to those who share the faith in question.
All this debate has arisen because there is such a huge number of muslims schools being opened and the fact that it is feared that children there will be brought up in too narrow a fashion and indoctrinated against the rest of the world. Sadly the fear has arisen due to the actions of extremists who frequent the ever growing number of mosks in our cities. The case of the veiled teacher is an instance. She was compelled to make a stand by a Fatwa issued by an Iman at her mosk, which happens to have been also that attended by two of the London bombers.

Generally speaking, faith schools are good. Discipline is better than in other establishments, and since teachers are, on the whole, recruited from the same faith, there is good cohesion amongst the staff. There also is an exceptionally high degree of support from parents when there is a problem. I have taught in two Catholic schools in my career and they were brilliant, whilst in non denominational schools some parents sided with their children against teachers, and aided and abetted them to flout school rules.
When will this government realise that religion and politics are separate issues?

Incidentally, can I correct some of the misconceptions in above posts. Faith schools are not a drain on tax payers money since their cost is shared between the education authority and the denomination of the school.
All schools in France are not non-denominational. There is a large number of religious establisments which work like Public or Private schools in UK. I should know, I was brought up in one, and several of my nephews and nieces too. Incidentally the religious bit did not influence me in any way.

Answer 2

It was a ridiculous policy, and one that would be very tough to enforce. Can you really see the government bussing kids over to Muslim and Jewish schools that are far from their homes but need to make up their multi-faith quota.
Just as well they've scrapped it then!

To be honest, I think the real problem is having faith schools at all. I can see how the policy was part of an attempt to balance out the fact that the vast majority of faith schools we have our Christian, but I think in an ideal world most people would prefer not to have any state-funded faith schools at all. Unfortunately it's hard to work around that issue now, since Christian faith schools (not sure about others) seem to perform better in many cases than their secular counterparts, so scrapping them might cause outrage (even if you're just scrapping the faith part, not the whole school). The other problem I see is that since we are a nominally Christian country, and the head of state is the head of the church, it would be hard to win the argument for scrapping faith schools if the religious folks put up a fight.

Not sure what to do really, it's worrying. To me there's something wrong in a country where religious studies is a mandatory class but science and languages are not.

Answer 3

Didn't they recently drop this idea as being unworkable?

Having just checked it isn't going to be made law just a 'voluntary agreement' were 'local circumstances' demand it, ie in catchement areas with a high proportion of non Christians - so inner city London, Birmingham and Leeds and similar then. They aren't going to be able to enforce such voluntary agreements anyway, if 25 percent of places are reserved but arent taken up by kids of different faiths and there are kids who are of that faith who want the place, then what's the point? It's going to create an admissions nightmare for the state schools.

Answer 4

Let's faith it Oliver Cromwell, just spin in your round hat and eat your heart out.

But if encouraged would such policy be accepted by the anti Catholic schools of hard Knox?

Praps, with original royal assent, the idea might be given Stewartship, if that closet Jesuit Wm Shakespeare's paraphrased thoughts on 'a Mary of true minds' were given currency, or Scots courage at least.

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Answer 5

I may be just another voice in the wilderness but I don't that there should be any so called faith schools at all. All faith schools teach their own beliefs in such a way as to indoctrinate the children towards their own religion. In other words, their leaders try to brainwash them, and religion, in my view, has always been at the root of the worlds problems. It's the power that their leaders hold over them by threats of dire consequences if they disobey their orders that should be stopped before the damage is done to young innocent children.

Answer 6

I'm of the opinion that religion should be kept out of schools - as in the French system. If people want their children to have a faith, they should do it in their own time, not at the expense of tax payers. Faith schools cause division and midunderstanding at a time when we need cohesion and tolerance more than ever.

Answer 7

I don't really see the poin tin sending your child to a Muslim or Catholic school if you're not Muslim or Catholic.

The kid might find themselves being the "odd one out" and being made to feel they don't belong.

I suppose the only reason peopel do it is because they think the schools get better results.

Answer 8

I think the British government is trying to kill a fly with a sledgehammer.
by trying to integrate the Muslim community into the larger British community they are hitting at the rights of the whole citizenry

Answer 9

good on the government at the end of the day we live in a multi cultural society and so we should be proud of the fact. and no this doesn't say the goverment is racist it is giving the total opposite mesage that we should be living in harmony with each other and not let faith get in the way

Answer 10

Religion has no place in the education system. It just adds another problem that schools can do without. Religion should be taught outside the school curriculum, this would ensure equality throughout.