Incredible shananigans to get kids in chosen schools?

So far as I can recall, I've not have previous experience of agreeing with soon2be or even roses are red. Just logging in to say on this occasion I agree with them. Goodness me, off to make a restorative cup of camomile tea.

Before I do though, a word of support for Luckygirl's post about teacher at those schools where they are presented ith a high proportion of pupils who don't speak English, or for whom it isn't their first language. That would be one of my daughters who last year had a class of 6 year olds who had never previously attended school and only one of whom had English as a first language. On top of this challenge, the school serves an area of very high deprivation and her class wasn't full of aspirant parents, there were the challenges we associate with white british families - drugs/alcohol/domestic abuse/neglect. No, she doesn't plan to send her own children to that school…… she loves it, loves the children, the inspirational head teacher but doesn't want that environment for her own children. Is she selfish? No she certainly isn't.

I am filled with admiration for the teachers at those schools where they are presented with a high proportion of pupils who do not speak English or for whom it is not their first language - they work their tripe out to give their pupils all the possible help they can, and hats off to them. But this must make it very hard indeed for them to offer a high standard of education to every pupil - they are only human and cannot move mountains. Of course I understand the importance of the tolerance and open-mindedness that such a school can impart to all its pupils, but I cannot see how those teachers can hope to keep up standards in comparison with a school that is not presented with these challenges. It is such a mammoth task.

Unconnected with the above, some schools struggle with parents who do not back them up, whose behaviour standards are low and who take no interest in supporting their child's education. The children who wish to learn are confronted with others who think it is just not "cool" to do so, and disruption becomes the norm. I would not want my child to go to a school where this was the case - why would I? I am sad for those children, but would not see it as a help to my child's education and would seek to find a place elsewhere.

I agree with Alea, Luckygirl , Jane ainsworth and several others on here about what we do to try and make sure our children have a good education.
Silly sanctimonious posts about ' other children' do not come into it, who doesn't wish all our schools were excellent? We hope the system, whatever Goverment is in place will try and improve things, and hopefully it will in the future. we all have the right to do what is best for us and ours.
I am also not at all sure that our schools are terrible, some will be, but that is likely true of a lot of countries.

Indeed Tricia- it was for me as a child growing up, and felt that was so important for our children too, and as you say, they still have many of the friends they made at primary school all those years ago.

But do you know, I've just re-read this, to see if I was being over-sensitive, so was that incredibly rude:

To have missed the sign at a village school gate which would have shown the C of E ness of the school or failed to read it in the paperwork takes some doing!!
wink

or not. I think it was.

Granjura - you've been very unlucky for your daughter to have comments like that.
All our 4 went to the nearest primary school which was C of E . None of them had been baptised, and never had any comments made. At least they didn't tell me of any.
Then they all went to the local comprehensive which was quite a good school.
One of our priorities was that they stayed with the friends they had grown up with from age 5, and now at 40-50 are still in regular touch with many of them. I think that aspect of choice of school is often overlooked, friends are so important.

Soontobe, for me, being part of a community and going to the local school with other children- was the norm, and an essential part of growing up. Taking kids by car to outside community to school would have been totally alien.

Alea I totally agree that personal attacks and comments are way out of order. Your too, perhaps? As a young mum from abroad- I am afraid that, yes, I had no idea that state village primary schools could possibly be Church Schools- how could I have known or even suspected that our local village school was religious affiliated? Call me naïve is you wish- but for me, the state village primary just down from our house was just that, the local village school.

The Vicar told my daughter she could not possibly not be Christened- when she told him. She asked us and we explained simply why she was not- and when she told the Vicar next time he visited the school, his reply was 'Just do not believe that can possibly be true. Your parents would never deny you baptism, as it would mean you would not be part of God's family' - oh yes, to a 5 year old. Tears and nightmares for a long time.

Alea. We agree on something!

I guess that it then comes down to priorities.
For me, I would not do some things if I felt strongly, end of.

I come from a place that parents send their children to schools that are miles away and dont think much of it.

I don't always agree with you Soontobe but do this time!!
To have missed the sign at a village school gate which would have shown the C of E ness of the school or failed to read it in the paperwork takes some doing!!


Our Rector, a dear old chap, used to pop in to assemblies from time to time, but indoctrination was not his style.
I had no arguments with either the caring atmosphere or ethos. Maybe just lucky, but I would have done my research first before applying.

Soon, I agree. But for many, there is little choice is a CofE school is your village school. I had absolutely no idea that could be the case- I only discovered this when DD1 started school- and that it meant the Vicar had direct and uncontrolled access to the children, and that he had such a huge influence on the school. The next 2 village schools were also CofE- we would have had to pluck DD1 and then 2, away from the local community and drive out of the area to avoid CofE schools. For me, sending our children to the local school, with the local children, was very important. We later moved away to a much more mixed community, and DD2 went to a non CofE school as it was our local school.

I find it strange that people make use of, or use, be it teach at or send their children to, a belief system that they do not approve of, and are active in trying to do away with.

Perhaps that is just me, but I would be running away hard in the opposite direction.
100%.

If say I didnt like Nestle, I wouldnt then work there. If I was active against Amazon, I wouldnt work there.
I wouldnt have anything to do with them personally, no matter how many free gifts they gave me.

I suppose it comes down to how much you dislike something.

The diocese has only specific additional funds available. They do not fund individual children's budget allowance

Ah that explains it. I couldnt remember seeing lines of figures in the budget from a diocese ever.
I think I am right in saying that in the 4 years I was a Governor, no money ever came from the diocese. It may have done afterwards of course.

It depends also if you are talking about capital funding or revenue.

The diocese has only specific additional funds available. They do not fund individual children's budget allowance.

I have campaigned for an end to faith schools since the 70's and would not choose onefor my children though I have taught in them. My DDs have limited choice for primary schools as majority in the area are faith schools.
DH & I did make educational choices for our DDs based on our political values. We have many friends who did the same. Not to would have been living hypocritically . We both worked hard in tough inner city schools.

That is the basic formula, but there are funds available to faith schools that are not to others, not from the LA but from their faith organisations.

x post.

What is not true Anya? Our school did get funding?

Church schools are funded in the same way as all state maintained schools. Capital and revenue are devolved to the school via a number of routes.

Revenue funding for all schools is operated via LA formula devolution schemes.
Capital projects for voluntary controlled (VC) schools are managed by the relevant Local Authority.
Capital projects for voluntary aided (VA) schools are usually overseen and managed by the Diocesan Board of Education.
Devolved formula capital (DFC) is received annually by VA schools for small scale improvements. Schools can determine how to spend this money in line with their asset management plan.
Locally Controlled Voluntary Aided Programme (LCVAP) is an additional fund to support capital projects across a local area, co-ordinated by the LA.
Basic Need and Targeted Capital Funding (TCF) enables LAs to submit bids on behalf of the VA sector for funding large scale capital work (TCF), or for capital work to meet an exceptional growth in pupil numbers, usually referred to as Basic Need.

When I, as a governor, sought funds to deal with a situation at school, I was told it was a shame that we not a CofE school or we could have applied to the diocese for funding.

Not true.

Is that true of all CofE funds that they get diocesan funds? Having been a school governor at one, I dont recall that being true of ours, but I could be very wrong.

soon - parents "make use" of faith schools because some of them have high educational standards. That is all.

The reason that many faith schools have higher standards at present is because they can tap in to diocesan funds that are not available to other schools - at the same time as we, the tax payers of every faith or none, are paying too.

I don't really see the connection Soontobe.
Many village primaries were once Cof E schools but are now LA with a very nominal connection with the village church if there even is one, we are not talking what you refer to as "God stuff"
I just don't agree with what you say at 10.37 about people wanting to get rid of them "after they have served their purpose". That would indeed be hypocritical.
That has not been my experience, small village primaries are constantly under threat because of low numbers and if they do not provide a caring atmosphere, a positive nvironment and an ethos that " every child matters" as well as a sound education, they just do not survive

While what you say may or may not be true, I dont see what that has to do with I wrote.