Learning about other's beliefs

No Craftycat I don't think you are wrong, you have a very sensible outlook.I believe children make better judgements in life if they have as much information as possible about all aspects of life, it helps them to cope in diverse situations . I was brought up in the Baptist faith in a village ,which also had a Church of England Church & the school was Church of England , one gran was Cof E the other Baptist , they never got on! Absorbing all this gave me an inquisitive interest in finding out about all faiths & I would now class myself as a humanist, such a shame that your son & his wife are so scared to let their children have access to the diversity of the world we live in, which in my opinion would equip them with the skills to get on in life as well rounded adults a BIG HUG for you Craftycat , it's not easy being a granny X

One thing accurred to me: could this school have been marked down by Ofsted because their RE isn't diverse enough.

There have been a few mentions of the National Curriculum and RE. I have just checked that my knowledge was up to date and it is. RE is locally organised and supervised by a SACRE
Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE)

What is a SACRE?
SACRE is a council which is set up by each Local Authority.

What does a SACRE do?
It is required by law that Religious Education (RE) be taught in schools, but RE is not part of the National Curriculum, instead RE is a local responsibility. SACRE oversees RE and collective worship in Community Schools.

Who makes up a SACRE?
There are 4 committees on a SACRE:
Committee A: Representatives of religious groups other than the Church of England;
Committee B: Representatives of the Church of England;
Committee C: Representatives of teacher organisations;
Committee D: Representatives of the Local Authority.

They meet at most 3 times a year.

What are its duties?
Its main function is to advise the Local Authority (LA) on matters relating to collective worship in Community Schools, together with ensuring that good quality RE is provided in all schools in accordance with their agreed syllabus.

The SACRE can require the LA to review its agreed syllabus
It must consider applications from Headteachers that their school be released from the requirements for collective worship to be wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character. This is known as a determination;
The SACRE must publish an annual report of its work.

What else can a SACRE do?
A SACRE's broad role is to support effective provision of RE and Collective Worship within its remit by:
Giving advice on methods of teaching the agreed syllabus of RE, including the choice of teaching materials;
Monitoring reports on RE, collective worship and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development (SMSC);
Considering complaints about the provision and delivery of RE and collective worship referred to it by the LA;
Providing support and advice on any issues regarding religious education and collective worship that might impact on schools.

Great Guys.

Gaggi3 Many years ago out NWR had a Jewish member was asked to give a talk about her religion. Most of the historical input was done by a Northern Irish protestant who had been very well versed in old testament history all her life.

You talk a lof sense Bags

I think the NI troubles were as much tribal and political as religious. The tribalism still occasionally rears its ugly head in Glasgow between football teams. But, yes, religion props it up, or rather, stupid misconceptions about religious differences (i.e.tribalism) prop it up.

Religous customs are mainlt about controlling how people behave. So are tribal customs. In our not so distant past it was important for survival to be able to recognise members of one's own tribe. As a species, we've still got a bit of civilising to do.

x posts, absent.

Yes, what you say is true, but in most UK schools now, there is a much wider mix of cutlural heritage and differences are far less polarised.

I say most, but increases in the number of faith schools, which I blame on ALL the main UK political parties, is worrying.

And to make it a choice, like other university subjects.

bags Aren't lots of customs of behaviour within families and among children informed or at least shaped by religious practices, even if children merely mimic the beliefs of their parents? Northern Ireland springs to mind where children (and some adults) regarded the differences between Protestants and Catholics as insurmountable and paramount in the Troubles but remained unaware of political implications. I agree that primary school children aren't ready for deep analysis of different religions, but a broad picture can explain why some differences exist in the way families live – differences that can easily be misunderstood, such as personal dislike, stand-offishness (is there such a word) and other children's concerns.

There is another important factor in children learning a bit about other people's religious beliefs. They may find out they have more in common than they have been led to believe.

I agree about the need for understanding of the seeking of guidance or authority through religious faith, absent, but that's a topic for adults, not kids. Like some other subjects, I think it would be perfectly allright to leave study of that kind of religious belief and societal involvement to university level.

At school level the simple acknowledgement of different customs of behaviour (which needn't involve beliefs at all) is sufficient, I think. Schoolkids, especially primary school kids, don't really know what their beliefs are. At that stage they just mimic the adults in their lives.

Lily, FMG is practised by non muslims in Africa and muslims, christians and animists in the middle east. It is a culture practise not a religious one.

Today's world has surely been at least partly shaped by the past and much of that past was shaped by religious beliefs. The present is also being shaped by religious beliefs from the distortion of Islam by extremist Middle Eastern terrorist groups to the prospect of the reversal of the Roe v Wade decision led by an extremist Christian. I believe it is extremely important to have an understanding of major religions, especially the three Abrahamic religions, that continue to exercise powerful influences on politics, politicians and society in general.

I do not for a second dispute that having morals and ethics is not dependent on having a religious belief. How could I, as an atheist? Nevertheless, I maintain that there is a difference in the personal and the political (in the sense of the people) and it is vital to understand those who seek guidance or authority (or both) through religious belief.

Good post bags

Does it matter if people grow up in ignorance of religious beliefs? Surely it's ethics and morality and what counts as principled behaviour that people need to know something about? You don't need religious faith or knowledge of religions to learn about that stuff.
Religions do incorporate ethics and morality but ethics and morality don't depend on religion; they exist independently.

A lot of what kids learn in school is about customs and rituals associated with religions, e.g. what someone mentioned about the muslim prayer mat being aligned a certain way so that the prayer faces Mecca; that's not a moral or ethical thing (no-one would be hurt if it didn't happen); it's just tradition.

Pamish "^its more important for schools in white ghettos^. The definition of a ghetto: apart of a city, especially a slum area, occupied by a minority group or groups.
We are not in the minority.
Barmyoldbat. "^FGM is not part of islam^ . Maybe not, but most perpetrators of this barbaric practice and the innocent young girls and babies are.

My experience too Gaggi3. DH was head of a very large secondary school with so few Christian pupils they were not required to have a Christian act of worship. However their RE GCSE results were the best in the authority because these pupils had an excellent knowledge of their own faith, mainly Sikhism and Islam as well as a thorough knowledge and interest in Christianity. Hope for the future?

I respect the views of the atheists here but will ask, do you not care when you speak of imaginary friends or believing in the sky fairy you are mocking some posters? Why not be satisfied with - I don't believe in any faith or similar

My daughter's childminder had an excellent OFSTED assessment. The only criticism was that there was a lack of cultural diversity, quite difficult to provide in her area. Perhaps the school is trying to address this.
When I was a head, in a Middle School, my Muslim pupils were an asset in assemblies,knowing far more about Christianity than those who were supposedly Christian, Jesus being one of Mohamed's prophets.

Jalima my personal,experience is that primary school children are taught about all the major religions in a factual way.
My DGS attends the Cof E primary school that I attended in the 1950s. Then there were no children of other faiths in the school and very few in our small town. Sixty years later, the school has many children of different nationalities and faiths, reflecting the community it serves. I believe it is important for children to be equipped for the world they will grow up in. I hope OP's son will voice his concerns to the school, to allow them to explain and allay his fears.

There are so many beliefs. YOUR'S are absolutely correct. Therefore the others are wrong. But we pretend to respect them. This is even more silly than believing in a Sky Fairy in the first place. Why does any of this get inside a school's front door, beyond mentioning "Some people like to believe some pretty odd things"?

You cannot judge all Muslims that is extremely wrong and the children will grow in ignorance about the people and the religion. Our grandaughter is in year 11 and her school believ s in children understanding and respecting other religions. They have debates in her class and the students in her class are from all different races and colours we are very proud of her understanding and respect for other students in her school. It's imperative that children learn to understand these religions. We are not religious but we are against racism. My gd is mixed race and we are white.

religious !

Just wondering if a Catholic priest or Cof E vicar would be welcome in a Muslim school to talk about their religios beliefs -I think not .

This is a primary school so I am not sure that comparative religion is taught until secondary school age.

I gather from children I know who have passed through a catholic school of late there is less indoctrination going on
I do hope there isn't Terribull, of any religion.