Christening..?

Sligo1

lazygal wrote: »

Only one school within a reasonable distance of us doesn't limit enrolment on faith within the first three categories. And it's a school I would not consider great which is why it's able to let anyone who applies in. We're currently considering our school options and its depressing reading over and over that Catholic or protestant children from other areas in the country can get a place before our children are even considered for a place. That's before the indoctrination is taken into account.

Eta the school closest to us, which I attended, changed its policy recently. It used to be based on living within the area and we live two minutes from it. Now it's siblings, followed by Catholic children in the area, Catholic children from any other areas, then all other Christian faiths, then others. This was in the past couple of years, and apparently because too many non Catholic children were getting in according to a teacher I know in the school. They now look for a baptism cert which was not the case when I was there.

That sucks for you guys. It does seem very unfair. Hope you find a school that ye like. Must be pretty stressful .

byhookorbycrook

lazygal wrote: »

All faith schools, and there's lots of them where we live, have siblings first and then those of the faith in the area, those of the faith outside the area, and then any other faiths. .

Our school is Catholic and there is a huge demand for places, but religion is not part of our admission policy. We have children of many different faiths and none.

lazygal

Thanks, its really stressful. Friends of ours had their child down for a school at a few weeks old and only got a place a week before the child was due to start. All other schools had places only for baptised children. But the school hasn't a siblings policy so they'll go through the same again.

lazygal

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Our school is Catholic and there is a huge demand for places, but religion is not part of our admission policy. We have children of many different faiths and none.

Is the school in Dublin? I know it's not an issue in all areas but as I've said I'm familiar with the enrolment policies in schools in several areas we're looking into moving too and only educate together schools don't prioritise faith after siblings. And from communication with schools many have tightened up on looking for baptism certs. Including the closest one to us that I can see from my house.

Sligo1

lazygal wrote: »

Is the school in Dublin? I know it's not an issue in all areas but as I've said I'm familiar with the enrolment policies in schools in several areas we're looking into moving too and only educate together schools don't prioritise faith after siblings. And from communication with schools many have tightened up on looking for baptism certs. Including the closest one to us that I can see from my house.

Lazygal, There's a new educate together school opening in Dublin 14 next year. They started taking names only a few months ago I think! You could consider putting your names down for that school if you are near that area?

lazygal

Sligo1 wrote: »

Lazygal, There's a new educate together school opening in Dublin 14 next year. They started taking names only a few months ago I think! You could consider putting your names down for that school?

We have names down in a few places. It's just difficult to plan for anything when you can't be sure your children will have a place in school! We're seriously tempted to move abroad for a few years to avoid the system here.

dori_dormer

pwurple wrote: »

Most admissions? Where?

All of the 8 Cork schools I applied to gave me their admissions policies, and not one of them looked anything like that.

They generally went in this order:
1) Siblings of children already attending
2) Children within x area
3) Children of past pupils
4) Grandchildren of past pupils
5) children of larger area y.

1 of the 8 also had religion at the very bottom of their admission policies, it was a COI school, not Catholic.

I meant from a religios stand point as that was the topic we were talking about. all the schools I've looked at for my son in South dublin, and North kildare other than educate together have pretty much followed that formula. I don't know about other areas obviously.

Very few actually had a catchment area also.

uck51js9zml2yt

We're not RC. My son started in the the local RC school this year without issue in Dublin.
We were given 3 options on RE.
Let him participate, let him do drawing during the class or take him out of class.
We've decided to let him participate. Communion year will be different.

lazygal

dori_dormer wrote: »

Very few actually had a catchment area also.

Same here. Our local RC school refers to Catholic children in 'the area' followed by all other Catholic children outside 'the area'. The school can't tell me what 'the area' involves. The Dept of Ed refers to all schools in 'an area' catering for all children in 'the area' but hasn't clarified how 'areas' are defined.

Mac0783

I've been reading this thread with interest, my child hasn't been baptised. I would like for her to go to the local Gaelscoil but they're a Catholic school, the only other option bar English speaking Catholic schools is a Church of Ireland school.

I really want her to go to an Irish school but am concerned about the amount of time devoted to religion. I've nothing against Catholicism but from what I hear from friends, it's all the masses. Then Christmas and Easter nativity plays and practicing for I don't know hymms and choirs and masses etc.. If my daughter wont be going to mass, even if she sits out the stuff in class she'll feel like she's missing out on something her friends get to do.

For example, a friends daughter is in senior infants, there was a "blessing of the school bags" at the local mass one of the first Sundays back at school, and they all learnt a prayer and went up and said it at the front of the Church. All the kids sat together at the front of the Church with their bags. Sounds lovely and great for the kids to meet outside school and good for them to practice public speaking. But if my child was there, she would have known all about it, heard the kids talking about it on Monday and wondered why she wasn't allowed go.

Is any one else concerned that even if they get their child into a Catholic school that they'll feel like they're missing out, plus missing out on learning about other religions and frankly loosing time that could be devoted to learning other things?

Sorry for the long post.

lazygal

Mac0783 wrote: »

Is any one else concerned that even if they get their child into a Catholic school that they'll feel like they're missing out, plus missing out on learning about other religions and frankly loosing time that could be devoted to learning other things?

Sorry for the long post.

Yes. And the plan for indoctrination through the new Grow in Love programme seems very focused on infusing the entire school day with religion. Nature programmes thanking god for making the world and stuff like that. It can often be down to a teacher and/or principle as to how religion is handled. I've heard good and bad about how those who don't participate in indoctrination are dealt with.

Mac0783

The Gaelscoil I'm looking at don't even ask the child's religion on the enrolment form and they all seem relatively young teachers, which I think are both positive signs. But I need to find out more.

I haven't heard about this Grow with love, I must look into it more. Thanking god for making the plants??

Pawwed Rig

The entire day has religion. From prayers the morning and home time and break times to the x amount of hours a week focused on indoctrination to the greetings that they have to use, forced mass attendance, learning religious songs etc etc. It is not cosy love one another stuff they teach either - it is hard scary stuff. Kids just internalise these things as fact. My nephew (who was born out of wedlock) was upset after his teacher told the class that this was inherently wrong.
We also had to tell him that Noah's ark et al were probably not true stories.
The most dangerous part is the teaching that questioning is wrong. I don't know how often I heard the phrase 'doubting Thomas' in my school days to silence someone who dared to think for themselves.

lazygal

Mac0783 wrote: »

The Gaelscoil I'm looking at don't even ask the child's religion on the enrolment form and they all seem relatively young teachers, which I think are both positive signs. But I need to find out more.

I haven't heard about this Grow with love, I must look into it more. Thanking god for making the plants??

http://www.ippn.ie/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=att_download&link_id=4939&cf_id=24

This is the outline of the new curriculum.

pwurple

Mac0783 wrote: »

Is any one else concerned that even if they get their child into a Catholic school that they'll feel like they're missing out, plus missing out on learning about other religions and frankly loosing time that could be devoted to learning other things?

Depends on what you make of it really. Ours goes to COI. There are hymns and prayers that I'm not familiar with. It's in the homework, I'm sticking them on youtube to learn them myself.

I don't perceive much difference between learning hymns and prayers and learning songs and poems. We don't practice it, so it's just more "learning" in general to me. Music, participation in a group, memory. All useful skills.

When I say we don't practice, we'll go along to the church fundraising bake sale, probably some of the easter events, mainly to meet the other parents (so I know their friends parents) and be involved with the local community.

I don't think she misses out on learning about other religions either by learning about one. We go to the Hiwala celebrations, do some jewish bits, and go to catholic mass from time to time.

School isn't the beginning, middle and end of their education. Parents are educators, so I take responsibility for any extra education we want them to get.

lonestargirl

My son is in school in South Dublin and is the only non-Catholic child in 60 junior infants. He got his place being the child of a past pupil. The enrolment policy has now been amended to specify that children of past pupils must be baptised to fit that category of enrolment.