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Do parents have too much choice over their child's Religious Education?

Right now, parents are allowed to withdraw their child from all Religious Education lessons if they choose. Once 18, pupils are allowed to do this too.

It is also the choice of parents as to which school to send their child (be that a faith school or otherwise).

That's a huge amount of control that parents have over their child's exposure to Religious views - do you think this is wise?

Share your thoughts below...

More curriculum conversations like this

Reply 1

_Rusty_

Volunteer Team

Original post by 04MR17

More curriculum conversations like this

I was sent to a CofE and Catholic school without much say in it. Tbh it didn’t change my views of religion and I very much enjoyed the ethical debates :tongue:

I don’t think my choice would’ve change in retrospect because at the end of the day what you put in you get out. Whether it’s wise is a really hard point because everyone has a different opinion on religion. Personally I think it should be the parents decision but the parent should discuss it with their child. Whether they do and take it into account is different. Maybe if 1:1 meetings were set up with children who express that they don’t want to do RS with their parents and a member of SLT could help but idk how practical this is. Also it could ostrisise the student and finally the student would already be in a faith school.

Definitely a hard question and I have barely touched the surface as I’m typing this on the way to work but would like to read other peoples opinions :smile:

Reply 2

EBluebear

I think we should all be taught about different religions - so RE should not be optional but should not allowed to be just one faith. However, I don't really agree with faith schools - I used to be vehemently against them but the majority of them have become more inclusive and tolerant of people who do not share their faith and all parents indoctrinate their children to some extent (I brainwashed mine into giving blood and not dropping litter) so allowing them to pick a faith school probably doesn't make it much worse. As long as no one expects you to participate the endless prayers just slide over you after a while.

However, the current law that states All maintained schools must provide religious education and daily collective worship for all registered pupils https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/collective-worship-in-schools should definitely be abolished and pupils from the age of 13 should be able to decide not to attend any religious worship at their school - I don't see why this remains with the parent until 18. Despite the legislation, barely any non-faith schools do have daily collective worship and even the couple of times a year they sneak a bit in there is generally some resistance.

Reply 3

gjd800

Original post by EBluebear

Despite the legislation, barely any non-faith schools do have daily collective worship and even the couple of times a year they sneak a bit in there is generally some resistance.

The categorisation of what counts as 'collective worship' is so free, easy,a nd loose that they can blag allsorts to qualify as this. Even a non-dom (or secular!) 'reflective moment' of a morning qualifies.

Reply 4

becausethenight

I'm not sure parents should be able to pull their kids out of RE, but I guess the counter to that is then some parents would do it anyway or force their children to be homeschooled.

As regards choice of school I'd say the opposite - there are very few non-religious schools or non-CofE or Catholic schools in the UK, and mostly in the private sector! So unless you are CofE or Catholic, it is often just not possible to actually send your child to a school sharing your religious beliefs. And it can be really stifling - I did some volunteering teaching in a CofE primary and despite the school and class being very religiously diverse, I was asked to please not tell the children that some people didn't believe in Jesus (for context, this was in a Latin lesson on the Roman pantheon, so not just at random :lol:

)

Reply 5

londonmyst

I agree with parents & legal guardians having the legal right to choose to remove their consenting child from religious education, sex education and assemblies with any worship element that everyone else has to attend.
But if the child disagrees and wants to attend, the child's decision should be accepted by the school teachers or local authority.
Plus kept confidential, if that is the child's request.

But there should be no parental right to opt out their child for any classes that they object to connected with: science, pshe, law, music, dance or art.
In many of the schools I went to a small number of zealots present within the teaching staff/board of governors/parent rep groups were openly seeking to impose their own favourite dogmas or religious traditions aiming to indoctrinate malleable children to fit their mould.
Usually aiming to ensure that the children regularly participate in communal religious worship, fear the consequences of not complying with the 10 commandments, automatically take overbearing militant atheist or vocal anti-theist positions whilst on school premises.

So many JWs, fundamentalists & ultra-traditionalists of all different religious backgrounds with obvious separatist religious agendas are in the habit of insisting upon forcing their children/other peoples out of educational classes.
Trying to prevent the child from knowing the law of the land or experiencing national mainstream public opinion during their youth.
So that the child will not see nor hear the alternatives to ancient family tradition and parental favourite religious teachings verbally challenged or directly opposed by school staff & specialist professionals.

Reply 6

tazarooni89

I don't think it's "wise". Personally I'd never want to deprive my child of education; I'd want them to have as much knowledge as possible, including about people's different religious beliefs and practices, especially given the huge level of influence they have in the world.

Having said that, I also think that it should be the parents' right to decide what their children are and aren't taught - especially at a young age.