Educate Together schools petition (1 Viewer)

[beattre]

For anyone considering getting their child baptised for the
sole purpose of getting them into a primary school

Trying to get my "non-denominational" child into a primary school for September in this country
has made me wonder what exact century this country's education system is currently operating in.

 

[coraline]

Whereabouts are you Beattre ?

I'm a primary teacher, I work in two ( Catholic ) schools and in both we have non denominational children, as well as Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc etc, and as far as I know its not made an issue of.

Schools all have an enrollment policy, have you seen a copy of the one you're hoping to get a place in ?

 

[beattre]

Greystones. There's no planning going on here for more primary schools. I wanted to send my daughter to the local COI school I went to as a kid, which is a 2 minute walk away. They state on their enrolment policy that they give preference to (a) parish children first, COI children from outside the parish next, baptised Catholic children etc... Option (f) reads "Children who are members of faiths, cults, sects or of no denomination".

Since my option (f) isn't baptised she's bottom of the list and didn't get in - despite the fact we can see the school from our front door, both my sister and I attended the school, my mother taught there part time and my family have lived in the area for 35 years.

The next nearest school is 2 miles away. It's not a big deal really, I just have a problem with baptising my child for the sake of appeasing a school board. I know this school is offering places to children who live miles away over children who live on it's doorstep. It reeks of discrimination and I niaively imagined that this sort of thinking was on its way out in this country.

 

[muffin]

jeez thats harsh..like coraline ive taught in a few catholic schools and they usually have a mix of religions..then the kids just have different activities while the others have religion class.that said i dont think that what is obviously a staunchly catholic school giving priority to catholic kids is that much of a shocker or super reprehensible..

 

[mamul]

shit, that is fucking ridiculous. i'd get onto joe duffy if i was you. this cuntry sux

 

[pete]

what's the story with non denominational schools these days? I don't want my hypothetical brat(s) getting brainwashed with any of that voodoo mumbo jumbo catholic bullshit.

 

[Squiggle]

Wow! Weird. I went to the COI school that my Dad went to, as did all my siblings, and they've just said that they've a place for my niece (who's 2) if my sis wants it and none of us were baptised as kids (and we're not COI). But I guess maybe it is different in the country.

Greystones. There's no planning going on here for more primary schools. I wanted to send my daughter to the local COI school I went to as a kid, which is a 2 minute walk away. They state on their enrolment policy that they give preference to (a) parish children first, COI children from outside the parish next, baptised Catholic children etc... Option (f) reads "Children who are members of faiths, cults, sects or of no denomination".

Since my option (f) isn't baptised she's bottom of the list and didn't get in - despite the fact we can see the school from our front door, both my sister and I attended the school, my mother taught there part time and my family have lived in the area for 35 years.

The next nearest school is 2 miles away. It's not a big deal really, I just have a problem with baptising my child for the sake of appeasing a school board. I know this school is offering places to children who live miles away over children who live on it's doorstep. It reeks of discrimination and I niaively imagined that this sort of thinking was on its way out in this country.

 

[Pantone247]

I think it's worth considering that a lot of schools are suffering, or looking at suffering in the very near future, from massive (*massive*) oversubscription and need a vetting policy, basing it on yr faith is probably as good as anything else, and a lot of the old school schools (heh) would have something like that in place... I guess what I mean is I wouldn't just put this down to over zealous fanaticism...

though that's a pretty cleary defined policy... so... um...

In any case that's really harsh beattre, you have my sympathys

 

[beattre]

Yeah - it's got a lot to do with the population explosion (out here in de cundry) which is down to bad planning - loads of new houses, roads and shops - no schools. I just object to the whole baptismal rule - surely it's discrimination under EU law? I wrote to Mary Hannefan about it and got a half arsed "it's up to COI schools what their policies are" reply but I would have thought they were answerable to the Dept of Education too.

My missus heard of a parent ,who is Muslim, that was told by the primary school she was trying to get her child into that they had their "quota" of Muslims (5) and wouldn't be taking in any more thanks very much. Something to do with them "talking to each other in class in another language". They took it to the Dept of Education under Section 29 and won.

I think the more multi/non denominational schools there are the better, they count for only 1% of the primary schools in Ireland at the moment and that's not going to change a great deal over the next 5 years really. By which time we'll be having the same problem with our second category (f) heathen wretch.

And if another parent says "sure what harm, why not just get them baptised.?"...

 

[Corey]

Repent sinner, God is great.

 

[Pantone247]

By which time we'll be having the same problem with our second category (f) heathen wretch.

next time someone asks about my religion I'm saying

"Well I used to catholic, but I recently converted to category (f)"

 

[billygannon]

Apparently Camilla Parker Bowles is a Category F-ist.

So is celebrity chef, Keith Floyd.

 

[Dromed]

My son is in an Educate Together school (cos we're Pagan) and i couldn't recommend it highly enough. They have a festival wall where each month a new wall collage is made celebrating all the different religous festivals and holidays happening that month. So they get an education in religons of all kinds and not instructed in any one religon. It's appaling that there are so few and that the waiting lists are outrageous. They follow a very different ethos of teaching as well and because of the eclecticness of the backgrounds of the kids they have a very strong anti-bullying campaign in place. Any of yous thinking of sending your kids to one should get their name down as early as you can.

 

[Anthony]

same here, educate together schools are great.

 

[niallmc]

my kids go to local catholic schools. the schools are great. we felt it was as important to have them part of the community we live in and prefer not to have to drive to school. They were baptised for grandparents sake rather than ours. some other kids in the school are non-denominational. i guess it comes down to demographics.

 

[frona]

My son is in an Educate Together school (cos we're Pagan) and i couldn't recommend it highly enough. They have a festival wall where each month a new wall collage is made celebrating all the different religous festivals and holidays happening that month. So they get an education in religons of all kinds and not instructed in any one religon. It's appaling that there are so few and that the waiting lists are outrageous. They follow a very different ethos of teaching as well and because of the eclecticness of the backgrounds of the kids they have a very strong anti-bullying campaign in place. Any of yous thinking of sending your kids to one should get their name down as early as you can.

Seriously though, it is shitty, and I too thought that kind of stuff was on the way out.

 

[snakybus]

homeschooling

bring them up as young neo-cons

in ireland

that'll show 'em

 

[Pantone247]

homeschooling

ha ha ha ha, I was wondering who'd be first

I'd be deadly at home schooling

9am - The History of Rough Trade Records 1984 - 1991
10am - Basic Concepts in Folk Music
11am - They Might Be Giants Lyrics recital
11.30am - Maths (How much do you charge to break even at the Boom Boom Room)
12pm - 4 Track Demo recording
1pm - Lunch
2pm - Physical Education (Basic Moshing and Crowdsurfing)
3pm - Art and Crafts (silk screened posters and covers for 4 trk demos)
4pm - Storytime (Hammer of the Gods)

I'm taking names for enrollment in 2008 now guys

 

[hugh]

I was thinking of starting a thread about this.

I can't understand how a school can be allowed prioritise their enrollments on the basis of religion. Surely this is against some sort of discrimination law? Or am I being totally naive here?

We have our little one down for an Educate Together school but it's heavily oversubscribed so I'm not all that optimistic about getting a place. Of course, they are not going to know if there is a place for her until March of the year she is due to start (2010) .... great.

So we may be faced with trying to get an unbaptised heathen into a catholic/COI primary school. I am kind of heartened to hear that it is possible but I've no idea what the enrollment policies are for the ones in our area.

 

[hugh]

My son is in an Educate Together school (cos we're Pagan) and i couldn't recommend it highly enough. They have a festival wall where each month a new wall collage is made celebrating all the different religous festivals and holidays happening that month. So they get an education in religons of all kinds and not instructed in any one religon.

As I said, we are hoping to get our daughter into our local one but ... you know .... I initially thought that ET schools didn't have religious stuff at all. Only recently I found out about the sort of things you're describing above. Fuck's sake ... could someone set up an atheist school please???!!!! In the ET school they seem to get bombarded with religious craziness from all corners of the globe and not just our own homegrown variety

Anyway ... still sounds better than the alternative ...

Apart from Pantone's school. That's definately the best. Any teaching jobs likely to be coming up there soon?