Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

I have just read this and was wondering if it is true or not. I am pretty sure we were not allowed to opt out of RE lessons or political lessons at school.

If you come across this issue at your school I've just seen this posted! I found this, I don't know if it will help.
Parents do have the right under Section 25 of the 1944 Education Act to withdraw children from lessons in religious education, collective worship and sex education. If parents wish to exercise this right, they are asked to write to the headteacher.

Section 25(4) of the Education Act, 1944 gives the right to a parent to withdraw his/her child from both collective worship and RE. This right remains unchanged in the 1988 Education Act.

Write this to your school ;

Sir,

I hereby give notice to you as Head Teacher that I wish to withdraw my child from all Religious Education lessons as is my right under Section 25 ( 4 ) of the Education Act 1944 and under the Education Act 1988.

I wish you to take legal note of the fact that I do not wish my child to have any lessons, lectures, religious or social lessons that concern in particular Islam and all associated religious / secular lessons of a political or religious nature that in any way mention Islam either as a religion or as a social / political movement or presence in Britain.

Can you please confirm in writing that the school has removed my child from any and all of these religious lessons and that alternative education arrangements have been made to ensure my child is in a safe and secure environment whilst at school and not in those lessons whilst other children in his/her class or classes receive their Islamic indoctrination via the school as ordered by the British state.

Jamz3k

I went to an integrated secondary school and this was commonly done by the more diverse religions that attended.

mart360

Lets face it, we went to school, and took what it delivered whatever the outcome.

The people who who invoked this right .....

you could work it out


Mart

tarmac terror

iTrader: (2)

Yep there were two kids who were Jehova's witnesses who sat in the Library during morning assembly, did not attend Christmas Carol Services etc.

They didn't opt out of RE as far as I can recall, but RE was more about understanding world religions than focussing on any one faith or religion.

CREWJ

I went to Christian Church school so it was mandatory for all to attend. If you didn't want to then you could go to another school.

DYK

This is old news really,my dad pulled me out of of RE because we were not learning Christian religion,we were learning about Ramadan etc,when he found out he contacted the school,and even spoke to the RE teacher.The teacher said its not our choice what we are set to teach,we are told what to teach.
I didn't attend another RE class again.that were back in the early 90's ...

SRSport

Why was that? As a Christian I personally appreciate learning about other religions. The more I hear about other religions the stronger I become in my Christian faith as I have yet to hear anything convincing from any other religion.

dpb

RE was the only lesson you could genuinely sleep through when I was a at skool. ( mid seventies )

Chip

And history for me as well.

hodgy0_2

I,m not religious, but I have no problem with any of my children being taught any sort of religion in school

Like it or not religion his part of the human experience, why would you deny your children the teaching of this (note, teaching not indoctrination)

And I do not indoctrinate my children one way or the other, they are free and able to make up their own minds, having free will and the right to exercise are essential

It just seems to me that your children will be ever so slightly less well equipped to deal with the complexities of life

DYK

It wasn't the fact about learning other religions,we were not learning Christian religion at all.
I remember him asking me about it,and i said we're not learning about Christian religion in school,they teaching us Ramadan etc.
He were on the phone to school that very moment,and spoke to the teacher.He said to me the teacher agrees we should be learning about Christianity,but the teachers are told what to teach,and he has to teach what he is told too.

Just to add,my dad came from the 1940's era,went too Grammar School,was a scholar and all that,very clever.And i suppose the type of school back then taught nothing but Christianity.

Chip

I wonder if the kids who attend Muslim schools learn about Christianity?

When I was in school it was all about Jesus and his merry mob. Now, I presume their is legislation telling teachers they have to teach all religions, yet if, as I suspect this is the case, then surely schools of all faiths should be doing the same.

Chip

Hmmmm! A quick search resulted with this:

http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/in...waId&Id=203785

Turbohot

Were there more Muslim kids in your school that the Christian ones?

Even then, I disagree with your school teaching more about Ramadan and less about Christianity. This country is predominantly a Christian country. Christianity should be taught in school, and no other religion should be intentionally given more school time (like air-time).

I don't think it was in primary school for you, was it? Because in my experience, primary schools essentially provide Christian teachings. I may be wrong, but in Christmas concert, all kids sing Little Donkey and Bethlehem songs regardless of their race, colour and religious backgrounds. My kids have been in such concerts and they have been very colourful Mary, donkey and fairy god mother etc., and I thought it was great.

I thought they'd grow up with the belief in Christianity, but they have decided not to believe in any god and any religion. Free country, I think. They have a strong faith in humanity, which happens to be my religion, so all good.

As to OP's post, IMO there should be no problem with any kid learning about different religions. RE isn't a brain washing exercise. It is aimed to develop pupils' knowledge about the religions around the world, cultures, and belief systems. Like SRSport says, one can pick and choose, like he did. Or even reject the lot of them. Knowledge is power, and it should be enhanced in every area. Any parent stopping their kids from gaining religious education needs to be educated about education.

DYK

Was all type of kids at my school,White,Sikhs,Muslim etc iF Christian teaching were on the list,then it must of been at the bottom,you know like you pick up a leaflet,and it has every other language and English last.

Turbohot

That's terrible. Christian teachings should be on top IMO. That's regardless of any particular faith in majority or minority.

DYK

Junior school was nothing but Christian teaching,even at assembly we had the hymn book with prayers in it,and dinner time the Head teacher would come into the dining hall and we all had to stand and all that.
Secondary School was totally different.
Didn't like the school anyway,it wasn't my choice of school to go to,but the other i did want go to were full.I just stuck it out for five years and hated everyday of it.
Couldn't do Geography in my third year,a subject i was really good at,and really enjoyed learning about.All because out of five sets in maths,i was put into set three maths,and could only do geography if you were set 1/2 Maths.
Had to Drama instead,which i hated and used too Wag that lesson.

stilover

Same here.

cster

Who cares?

SRSport

The school I worked at in Bradford wasn't an official Muslim school as such but 95% of the children were Muslim. Everything was based around their religion. The food would be halal, the assemblies were led by a Muslim teacher. I remember one assembly they told the children that they had to put the left foot forward when going to the toilet. I have not heard that one before but he challenged them and asked "how many of you do that to honour Allah"?
If you weren't a Muslim they had a room for you to wait in until it was over.
The 'quiet rooms' are in effect prayer rooms with their mats everywhere yet it is supposed to be a room for everyone but you still had to take your shoes off.
RE lessons focus mainly on Islam with teachings telling them what is right and what is wrong, something that they are not supposed to do, but no dare challenge them about it.

salsa-king

you do have a very good point there.


We go to CoE church, the more I hear and see other religions (even RC) the more I see the CoE being that easy going and tolerant it's unreal, we have two re married divorced vicar's, gay clergy and even woman vicars at our place!!!!!!

you wouldn't get that anywhere else

SRSport

You are right. I dont know of many other churches where you would find that. Unfortunately most CofE churches are appearing to be become more and more politically based these days, tarring other churches along with it as many people actually think that the CofE are the definitive church and the authority on God.

Turbohot

If the school you worked at in Bradford had 95% Muslim students, then it might as well be a Muslim school without the officially given Muslim status. I have seen schools in India that have 95% non-Christian students, but the runners and educators for that schools are 100% Christians. They don't just teach you Christianity, but make you breathe drink and eat it. If you don't like it, you could go to other school, simple. There are schools with 95% Christians and 5% Indians where everything is done in Christian way. So, the model you are talking about isn't any offence tbh. Curriculum is not standardised in a sense that it can't be tweaked, so the school you worked at makes the best of it, and teaches Islamic teachings for the majority. IMHO they should be taught Christianity as well. it's not fair that Christians and non-religious have to learn about their religion, and they don't learn about Christianity.

About challenging their beliefs and practices that you don't understand, tolerance isn't about tolerating one another from the 'likes of us'. Tolerance is about tolerating others for whatever they are as well, as long as they don't harm anyone. About that left foot-right foot business, obsessions and compulsions often serve a purpose of providing sense of safety. It's up to the OCD sufferers if they want to do it, as long as it doesn't harm anyone. There are a lot of twisted practices in all religions i.e. Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and all sorts of -isms and that could be challenged. All these -isms and -ities are coloured rays coming through one prism imo. I have to agree that some rays are more bent and twisted than other rays. How and why? That's another debate for another time.

You know the room where non-Muslims went while Muslims prayed, did they have Playstations and toys for the non-Muslim kids there? If not, I'd find that offensive. Non-Muslim kids should have been even provided with a Christian chapel to go to, for that time. Just because that school was overcrowded by Muslims didn't mean that Christians didn't exist there. You see, in India, if a non-Christian students wanted to visit a temple while the nuns prayed in the chapel, it was no problem. Every road has a temple or a painted stone on the roadside to worship. You could even look through the window, and do your meditation from there. Or a cow could be walking past, so you could mumble 'Hare Rama, Hare Krishna' to yourself, and focus on the cow for her blessings.

Jamz3k

My RE was bang tidy and the fact she had an equally bang tidy twin just made the forbidden fruit evening more of a temptation to a puberty stricken young boy.

salsa-king

this post is no good without pix!

Leslie

When I was as school we were taught the basics of all the religions which were around at the time. It was done absolutely fairly and the teaching was done without any kind of bias to any of them.

We were left to make up our own minds how we regarded religion in particular and whether we preferred any one above the others if any at all.

I can't see fairer than that. I believe that children should be taught the meaning of religion etc. such that they can work out their own thoughts about it all.

Les