LilMissHissyFit
Disturbed in a pink bra
Not when the law allows you to be withdrawn from that particular subject. RE is one that children do not have to be taught if the parents dont want them to learn it.
Quick question - can you opt out of RE?
- Thread starter moomoo
- Start date
Not when the law allows you to be withdrawn from that particular subject. RE is one that children do not have to be taught if the parents dont want them to learn it.
LilMissHissyFit
Disturbed in a pink bra
And its my opinion its daft - I assume I am allowed to have an opinion?
In my experience of having 2 kids who have taken RE in the last couple of years there's very little actual religious content. And I think its very arrogant not to have the courtesy to learn what other people believe - you're not entitled to believe it yourself but it gives you a better understanding of people and the world around you.
Or would you rather everyone live in their own little bubble of beliefs or non beliefs, fostering mistrust and hatred?
its not ME with the problem with it- its them
and I respect the parents opinion, its THEIR child.
You made your decisions for your children, they are making their for their children...
BTW here there is nothing else taught in RE but religious cointent.. citizenship is taught seperately ans isnt objected to at all by this family ( who would describe themselves as atheist)
What was it you were trying to say about tollerance?
felixthecat
are we there yet?
Might it be different exam boards?
LilMissHissyFit
Disturbed in a pink bra
Not to my knowedge, no. I did actually look in the course materials I was given for any mention of it- there was none
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
I know that the law does allow you to, I just don't think people should. I think it's meant to allow people to isolate their kids from learning that there are any alternatives to a particular belief system that they've grown up with. It's not aimed at atheist parents, it's aimed at believers.
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
Atheism's not a religion!
felixthecat
are we there yet?
Whats your problem?
Its their opinion that its the wrong thing to teach their child. I disagree but I'm not bloody stopping them or saying they shouldn't be allowed to do it. Am I not allowed to disagree? I disagree with those who don't vaccinate their children, I disagree with Christian Scientists not allowing their child to have medical treatment - oh dear, I'm so terribly intolerant, aren't I?Why so touchy?
1927
Funnier than he thinks he is.
With respect I didnt mention home education, beacuse they are not going to educate her are they? they are just going to exclude her learning a very valubale lesson about life and how other people chose to live it. By not having any understanding of any religion makes it very difficult if not impossible to have any understanding of many other facets of life and the human condition.
LilMissHissyFit
Disturbed in a pink bra
But while the law does its the parents right to exercise it- if they feel striongly about it.
Im happy for my kids to learn it, even happier now Ive personally seen the sylabus which is taught here by WJEC ( the most common exam board)
LilMissHissyFit
Disturbed in a pink bra
No, you asked would it be ok for them to decide not to send her to school
so that was what I replied to- yes its perfectly legal and acceptable not to send your chyild to school and decide she/he should recieve an education as dictated by the government.
Im sure many parents who home educate would argue that sending children to school prevents them learning about life and that the human condition is best leraned about by living life and experiencing it. Not being shut in a classroom for hours every day with children of similar socio-economic background and age to yourself
LilMissHissyFit
Disturbed in a pink bra
I think thats very sad and I think its shameful actually that they wont just come out and admit they have a moral objection to the vaccine..
If you are going to have beliefs that are 'alledgely' strong you should stand up and be honest about them. They ( the governors) have removed parental choice to a degree- yes the vaccine will be availavle via the GP one would hope but if the schools are doinng the vaccination programme they may find it hard to get it
Thats IF the parents want it- you have the right to decide your child wont be vaccinated too
subversplat
writer of wrongs
I always thought that excluding your kid from RE was the reserve of kooky religious parents who'd rather their precious offspring wasn't exposed to critical thought (I say this through the scientific evidence that the only kid at my school who couldn't attend RE or sing in assembly was also the same lad who couldn't watch any television as it offended the family's religion, Anti-anything-interesting-ism)
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
It's their right by law; I don't think they should exercise it, and I don't agree that that single subject should be given an opportunity for exemption, just because some parents don't want their children taught about other religions.
1927
Funnier than he thinks he is.
Exactly. Would it be OK for them not to send her to school. Answer=No, its illegal.
Its a different question all together to ask if they excluded her from school and educated her at home. The home education idea is irrelevant here tho because they do not intend educating her at home do they. They would prefer their daughter lived in blissful ignorance of a subject which has shaped civilisations, has caused and continues to cause conflict throughout the world, has a huge effect on the law making process of this and many other countries etc. But her ignorance is OK because her parents want it that way.
Yes, it's not learning Matthew, Mark, Luke and John off by heart which is what I had to do for O' levels.
The teen wanted to know purely because she says the teacher hates her and she dislikes the lesson.
wiskey
Albatross Admirer
My school (91-96) has about 9 different religions in my class alone, and we learned about all sorts, yes we learned about atheism too. It was mainly about tolerance and the various similarities and differences between religions.
It was one of the few lessons where we got to have a decent argument and all the usual class alliances (secular girls school) were put to one side.
I don't personally believe that you should be able to opt out.
In my primary school we used to sing hymns at the end of assembly and some Muslim kids were taken out for the last 5 mins, no fuss, it just happened.
It was one of the few lessons where we got to have a decent argument and all the usual class alliances (secular girls school) were put to one side.
I don't personally believe that you should be able to opt out.
In my primary school we used to sing hymns at the end of assembly and some Muslim kids were taken out for the last 5 mins, no fuss, it just happened.
LilMissHissyFit
Disturbed in a pink bra
NO its not illegal
The alternative to being sent to school is home eucation- Its a legal and viable option
Many many people who are home educated do no formal teaching, their children dont get 'educated' in the way you are thinking and to see it you would think "But they dont learn anything" because they arent sat down doing lessons
yet its still completely legal.. not to send your children to school.
Its also legal not to teach them any set curriculum or indeed anything about the things you are claiming they supposedly 'should' make her sit through...
even though they arent home educating her they also have the legal right to insist that she doesnt learn it in school....
Sweaty Betty
Hemo rising!
My daughter has just started a catholic high school and like her catholic primary school they teach all faiths during RE lessons........must find out about this cervical vaccination thing though....
Oh yeah .....catholic schools dont just have white kids in them anymore
Oh yeah .....catholic schools dont just have white kids in them anymore
newme
Giant in Pastyland now
Ditto, took what could have potentially been an interesting lesson and turned it into a exercise in memorising facts for which I had no idea of the basis. Several of us basically refused to continue and opted ourselves out, a number of interesting responses on the mock test they forced us to complete at the end of the first year I think helped them decide it was best to just find us something else to do.
Not least the fact we had previously had possibly the most hopeless teacher Ive ever encountered, who eventually quit after crying at at least 10 seperate classes lessons. The strongly pro-christian replacement was less than pleased at the continual debunking of said sky-pixie and took it personally. Even threatening to report me for some answer I gave in a stupid checking how much you know so far type test.
When being asked about various religious responses to certain issues, Something along the lines of "well christians might think x, but if they thought for themselves they might have thought y which might have saved us a few thousand years of men in silly hats"
We ended up having to do a project on drugs instead, which incidentally worked out fantastically as it basically provided me with a giant shopping list of everything I wanted to try. lol
1927
Funnier than he thinks he is.
Jesus fucking wept, which thread are you reading.
Home education is legal, yes I agree, and never sado anything else.
Keeping your child at home, and not educating them, is illeagl. That is the analogy I was making, because that is what your friend is doing. Keepi9ng her daughter at home, and NOT EDUCATING HER!!!!!
LilMissHissyFit
Disturbed in a pink bra
BUT SHE ISNT... shes choosing that instead of RE she will learn something else!!!- as offered in her school and by her school
Gotta ask, are you even reading your own questions or the replies given because you dont seem to be.
Re-read the thread... ALL OF IT, Calmly and in detail then come back to me
Gotta ask, are you even reading your own questions or the replies given because you dont seem to be.
Re-read the thread... ALL OF IT, Calmly and in detail then come back to me
Looby
Well-Known Member
There has been a lot of talk of the parents not wanting their kids to do RE but not a lot about what's best for the child tbh.
At my school (other friends have confirmed this too at theirs) the kids that were taken out of certain lessons or assembly were picked on and taken the piss out of because it was viewed that they were getting special treatment.
Much as I hated a lot of the subjects I did, I would much rather 3 hours of boredom a week that being treated differently to that of my friends.
One girl whose parents were Jehova Witnesses was permanently excluded from everything that was fun about school and she hated it. She wasn't a chuffing JW, her parents were.
School is hard enough already without being made to be more of a fucking outcast than a lot of kids already feel.
I agree with FTC too that being taught about different cultures and faiths will hopefully make for a more tolerant society in the future.
At my school (other friends have confirmed this too at theirs) the kids that were taken out of certain lessons or assembly were picked on and taken the piss out of because it was viewed that they were getting special treatment.
Much as I hated a lot of the subjects I did, I would much rather 3 hours of boredom a week that being treated differently to that of my friends.
One girl whose parents were Jehova Witnesses was permanently excluded from everything that was fun about school and she hated it. She wasn't a chuffing JW, her parents were.
School is hard enough already without being made to be more of a fucking outcast than a lot of kids already feel.
I agree with FTC too that being taught about different cultures and faiths will hopefully make for a more tolerant society in the future.
newme
Giant in Pastyland now
Problem is thats not what they actually seen to be doing. After doing it for however many years before I stopped I could tell you all kinds of irrelevant facts about various festivals and the names of those 7 pillars for sikhs (this maybe the wrong religion entirely my memory aint up to much for things 10 years ago)
but precisely shit all about the actual belief system behind it or how it affected them now, not x thousand years ago.
Looby
Well-Known Member
See FTCs post below, either her kids have got lucky at their school or things have moved on a lot in the last 10 years. I covered racism and medical ethics when I was doing RE and that was 14 years ago.
Thora
Differently Ethical
Quite possibly - I think my school opted for a specifically "Catholic" curriculum/exam. Definitely no philosophy or medical ethics - beyond abortion/euthanasia are wrong cos we have no right to play God.
I wouldn't send my child to a religious school though, so I guess it wouldn't be an issue for me.
scifisam
deleted
Up to GCSE is secondary education. After that, it's tertiary education.
Yes, it's not learning Matthew, Mark, Luke and John off by heart which is what I had to do for O' levels.
The teen wanted to know purely because she says the teacher hates her and she dislikes the lesson.
Well, if she really does hate it and she's not going to do it for GCSE, and it wouldn't cause problems at the school, it wouldn't be a bad idea to let her opt out of RE and spend the time on other subjects.
RE does seem to vary a bit more than other subjects.(Likewise Citizenship, or whatever acronym it has in your particular school). It can be a fantastic, intriguing subject where kids get to talk about all sorts of issues and discuss all sorts of different faiths and get into some pretty deep thinking, or it can be lists of different foodstuffs allowed in different festivals and colouring in pictures of what different faiths wear.
The school my daughter will hopefully be going to also offers different strands for GCSE RE, focusing on different religions, which the kids choose. So I guess it must be possible for some faith schools to still focus mainly on one faith at GCSE level.
If her school offered philosophy as an alternative, and she were more interested in that, I'd let her go for that over RE, though. I think that's the difference at LMHF's friend's school - it's not RE or nothing, it's RE or philosophy.
It's one of her GCSE subjects. She takes the exams next year. So she can't give it up and will just have to learn to deal with the teacher
Sorry, didn't expect this thread to turn into a row!
Dhimmi
Half Man Half HobNob
I agree, I did it to O level and it was purely synoptic gospels at that time, what it taught you to do was to study something and think about it. Most other subjects were too much like parrotry.
Had a top notch master though, which helped, he was an ordained CoE minister who had unshakable faith but not in a chauvinistic way, so as long as your arguments has a decent basis he had no trouble with them. There was something invigorating about hacking out a decent theory on how the Easter events were a sham, and getting top marks for it.
It was nothing he hadn't heard before of course, not that he ever let on, so he'd also recommend books which would support your stance.
scifisam
deleted
Shame she doesn't get on with the teacher, then.
Oh well. There's plenty of interesting stuff about RE GCSE online, if she wants to get a good grade in it.
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