To be horrified ....

Deedaa that sounds like an excellent idea. I agree with you too gillybob

I agree Nelliemoserthat there shouldn't be a need to ask parents permission for lessons, sex education etc. and speaking from a bad experience I wish my parents hadn't been asked permission for me to have sex education, however I feel that school trips are different. IMHO the very fact that you are being asked to pay £10 for a trip to a synagogue should give you the right to say no.

Over the last couple of terms my grandson's school has been asking any foreign parents to come in for an afternoon and talk to the children about growing up in another country. Often they wear their national costume (In my American son in law's case this was a Hawaiian shirt!) This seems a far more suitable (and cheaper!) way of teaching young children about cultural diversity.

Again the head teacher or the school curriculum organisers are not dealing with this effectively at all by making such an issue out of it. I get a horrible feeling the Head teacher is almost playing up to the racist views that some of her parents might have.

There has to be far more sensible ways of doing this, than taking eight year old children to a university exhibition.

Get a teacher who understands the religion and who knows how to talk and present things to children, to go into school, show them things and tell stories etc etc. It would be far more constructive.

IMO there should be no need to ask parents permission about such visits into school (or giving sex education either.) We need to be a bit more French about this, within obvious reason, parents should not be able to veto parts of children's education.

Mind you the parents and children pictured posing "looking grumpy" says something about attitudes. 15 minutes of Fame anyone.

DD sent me this link once!

apiln.blogspot.co.uk/

Do people really have to pull such faces to camera so local newspaper readers will understand they are angry.

is there something in the national curriculum lurking behind this?
My GD who goes to school in Australia was asked in May to take part in a piece of work about "family traditions" (WA curriculum I suspect). The teacher had chosen..... Christmas!!!!
Also is there a lack of feedback from parents to the school management? I think there is generally a problem in many schools which involves the parent body not being adequately represented in decisions and giving their feedback. Parent governors generally voice their personal opinions.
In Australian primaries (and maybe here) the heads seem to live in fear and quaking of the PTA committee (usually a bunch of stay at home mums) who organise a lot of much needed fundraising. A classic PTA event revolved around easter eggs:

All children were asked to bring an easter egg to the school. Then there was a raffle for the eggs - so you also had to send money. My DIL forgot. So her kids did not get an egg, despite there being surplus eggs.

You couldn't make it up could you.

disgusting! agree with LizG who is!!! the racist here!!

Good grief. If this IS genuine then I hope letters of complaint are being sent in every direction possible. This, IMHO, makes the headteacher racist more than the children!

Unbelievable story in the Mail this morning. A head teacher in Huntington has written to the parents of pupils in the school telling them that if their children fail to attend a school trip "exploring Islam" then she will put a note in their child's permanent record to say that they are racist.

I know it's the DM but the letter is there for all to see.

Sadly it is too late Riverwalk the trip has been and gone and yes she did go. I mentioned earlier in the thread that she was thoroughly disappointed with "the trip" as she liked the sound of the word synagogue (she was saying it constantly) and must have thought it was something quite exciting.

Oh I couldn't agree with you more about the parenting classes. I am constantly bewildered (even shocked) at the attitudes of some of the parents and did mention on a different thread some months ago that the school actually sent a letter home with the children requesting that parents and carers "refrain from using inappropriate language in and around the school" you honestly couldn't make it up !

Frustrating doesn't begin to cover it !!!!

gillybob I know you feel that you make enough of your presence at the school as it is but can you not complain about this particular trip as being totally unsuitable for 5/6-year olds - is your GD going by the way?

As for the poor unfortunate kids who live in a seaside town but have never been to the sea - it seems that the money would be better spent on organising parenting classes.

Your DS and DiL are on modest incomes themselves but are cajoled into subsidising other parents, and paying for the whimsical ideas of the teachers.

A very frustrating situation for you.

Thank you Riverwalk you are right . I am actually angry about the whole episode. Paying £10 for my 5 year old granddaughter to be taken on a trip to a synagogue. This is a lot of money to my son and DiL and whilst they /I do not begrudge the £10 I can think of much more appropriate trips for a 5 year old. As mentioned by JessM my grand children's school is in a deprived area in the centre of a large council estate. My grandchildren are very lucky they do go on lots of outings but we live in a seaside town and there are some children in their school who have never even been to the seaside so why on earth the school thought they would benefit from wandering around a synagogue is totally beyond me. The final straw was told that she couldn't wear her usual knee length socks but had to wear tights to cover up her gorgeous little legs. I would like to know what reasons they would give a 5 year old for that? The people in the synagogue don't think little girls should show their legs? This trip may have been appropriate for a group of 14 year olds who were taking religious studies at GCSE but 5 year olds? I don't think so.

Gillybob can answer for herself of course seasider but I'm angry that a British school is teaching 5-year old girls that their little legs are somehow provocative and have to be covered up with tights.

Yes riverwalk that is pointless and silly. Too young and too expensive. The irony of all this tripper-y is that the kids that really need their horizons expanded fall into several camps.
1. the very poor. Kids in "my" school rarely go to their own city centre - London (40 miles away) never. In one class nobody knew that "tube" referred to the underground. They do not need ski-ing trips, they need just to go to different days out as middle class families do. Schemes like D of Ed were very good for getting them out and about in their own country for minimal cost.
2. people from immigrant backgrounds. I suggested to one father of a bright girl that they go as a family and have a wander round Oxford colleges one day (an hours drive away) He looked at me as if I had suggested they go and wander around buckingham palace.
3. The very well off. I have a nephew by marriage that is extremely well travelled. Lots of expensive family holidays. School skiing trips etc. But no experience of so very many other things. Just hotels and resorts. It would do him more good to go and help in the saturday morning school in a very asian area 5 miles up the road.

Gilly why were you angry that the children were asked to dress appropriately to visit a synagogue? Surely the purpose of the visit is to find out about another religion and the associated traditions and beliefs.

I didn't realise how lucky we are here in Queensland Australia. My lads went to a minimum fee Catholic school, and one lad teaches at that secondary school now. (Not that any of us are believers any more, but no-one cares these days)

They have buses belonging to the school so these are used for trips. My lad teaches ancient history and study of religion, so he likes to take the kids to synagogues, mosques, orthodox churches, Anglican etc in order to give them an understanding of the various cultures and relgions. He also invites various clerics to give a lesson/lecture/Q&A.

btw, their favourite cleric among the different religions was the local Rabbi.

Visits are a pointless exercise at that young age.

Do talk about how different religions festivals work etc, but keep it simple and within the comprehension of young children.

I do actually think that is important whether or not you believe anything yourself. It's just general education.

I recently spent a weekend in London during which we took my London grandchildren to St Paul's and the Museum of London then a huge fireworks display. 6 year old pronounced it all "BORING!"
How lucky city children are, so much to see and do and free public transport!
Our village children get none of that unless parents take them, a huge expense for a whole family.

Yes, Jess bring it on ..... a trip to the local mosque/synagogue but not for 5-year olds and charge the parents £10!

I visited the beautiful mosque in Cordoba just this September - truly breathtaking. For those who haven't been:

Cordoba

Far far too expensive - it is very difficult for those parents for whom this is a huge chunk of their weekly budget - and for those children who have to be left out. We keep bit of money by in the PTA fund for these situations, so that no children feel left out, but it is a ridiculous idea to ask for that amount in the fist place.

for many children a trip to a cathedral, or even the local Baptist chapel would be as alien as a trip to the mosque. Bring it all on I say, as how can they understand the politics of the modern world if they are not informed about various religions that hold such sway today? Not to mention understanding history and literature...
I very much enjoyed a visit to a Hindu temple once in Singapore. Leave your shoes outside along with everyone else's. Ogle the bright primary colours and images of gods everywhere. Quake in front of the baby-eating goddess shrine and enjoy the scent of the joss sticks. And just broaden the mind a little in the process.
Also the beautiful mosque in Cordoba which was vandalised horribly by a Christian monarch - by building an ugly cathedral thing inside it . Then go up the road to a little church were there are paintings of the Virgin sailing triumphant, with the sickle moon of Islam beneath her feet. And then contemplate the history of Spain.

I had reservations about GD1 visiting a mosque a few weeks ago but now I'm glad she did because what she picked up on was that there was a much larger area for the men and a small area for the women. She thought it was stupid that they didn't mix and that the women were not treated the same as the men.

Well, we opted minibags out of all religious observances while she was a primary school. She didn't mind at all being left behind to draw (her favourite activity) with a classroom assistant also left behind to supervise. She understood the reasons for our wishing her not to be involved in religious observances too.

I have no objection to religious education where children learn about different beliefs through the ages but I'm not having my kids kowtowing to a supposed superior being. Not on your nelly.

It was at the time when schools were only just expected to teach about other Faiths and parents were given the opportunity to opt out Riverwalk. i was very involved in my own church and when we were told that the children were expected to pray at the Mosque I was unhappy about it.

Given the same situation today I am not sure how I would react but we are talking 30 odd years' ago when such outings were rare.

gillybob I think my GC would have had a tummy bug that day. If they want to teach about other religions show a DVD of places of worship, I wonder who the trips out benefit ?

Why did you refuse Liz?