I have heard good things about the ethos of the school and whilst I wouldn't want the children to take their Holy Communion etc, I would be happy for them to take part in Mass, religious education, prayers. Although they do a fair amount of fundraising for catholic charities, chosen by a child led school council, they also raise funds for others. I have been told they do prayers in the morning, lunchtime and before hometime and attend chapel once a month or more often if it is a holy day / certain times of the year. I think it would have been silly to chose the school and then exclude her from a fundamental part of the schools ethos. This has been such a stressful time and I just don't know what to do for the best. It was pretty dull and I'm fairly sure nobody felt left out not attending. The only reason my Son could go to the School, not being Catholic himself, is because one of his Parents is Catholic and those children who are baptised or have Catholic parents will be prioritised for places, Thank you all for your replies, I am still completely undecided (we may not even be offered a space yet!) Q. Think it depends on the mix of the school and how popular it is. I should mention DH is Catholic and I have no religion. I would advise any parent to speak to the schools priest about their child having a blessing, when the other kids have their first Holy Communion. BEST thing we ever did! Can my child attend Catholic school even though our family is not Catholic? She'll be expected to join in, I'm afraid . Also as a class we present a mass and a religous assembly whch we spend a lot of time preparing for - would you be happy for your children to miss this. It is a modest overview for people coming in touch with the Church, perhaps for the first time, or refreshing their acquaintance. Any advice is welcome! I honestly would say Catholic schools are lovely so would put your child there and not worry! I have also found the schools attitude to be fine and welcoming and no issues re: religion or a lack of. xx, Hi my 2 children go to a catholic school and are non Catholics, I was brought up a catholic but no longer attend mass etc, my husband is a firm athiest. It was a second home to them. Will need to wait to find out and then take things from there. Working in a Catholic School • 33.5% of pupils in Catholic primary schools are from ethnic minority backgrounds (27.6% nationally). So You’re Sending Your Child to a Catholic School is a friendly and gentle introduction to a few of the beliefs and values which make Catholics tick. We live in London & it was the closest (over the road) school & the others are quite a walk away. Most of all I appreciate that the educators are united in teaching from a moral compass, which includes a routine of praying and respect for God and the Church. They don't sit out at mass etc they just join in, was the best decision for me x. Hi, just wondering if anyone can offer some advice. My husband is catholic and I am christian. A Catholic school is a parochial school or education ministry of the Catholic Church.As of 2011, the Catholic Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system. Can they attend a Public School? To get into the Catholic school it is not necessary to be Catholic / baptised etc and there are many non Catholics attending the school already so its not like we're pretending to be Catholic to get a place. Uniforms are also a timesaver in the morning. This is all a bit crap, isn't it? Apologies for the long post, but if anyone has any advice / has been in a similar situation I would be extremely grateful to hear about it. The school know we are of no religion so if ds doesn't bother with prayers etc there is no issue.For us personally what we talk about and teach at home is what matters. My dd thankfully has no interest in religion or mass but we've made it clear if she changes her mind she can make her Communion.My ds started school in September and I've noticed religion is big this year.. I am really in need of some advice on what to do with regards to my DD's primary school. Just wondered if anyone has an older non religious/unbaptised child in a Catholic school and what they've missed out on/ done when the majority of their classmates are doing Communion prep/ sacraments etc... has your child found it tough? We decided to send our daughter to a catholic school and I have gave her the option of being baptised then making the sacraments - she doesn't want to now that its time and there are 8 children not making their reconciliation this year. I am not a practising Catholic now - although my DD is now 4 and goes to Catholic School in September so I will be taking her to Church once she is at school. It's a great school and a large minority of the children are not catholic. share. 35 comments. They don't sit out at mass etc they just join in, was the best decision for me x. Hi, just wondering if anyone can offer some advice. Non-Catholic families are finding Catholic schools a blessing . The prayers that are said are only little thank you prayers and I am school that as your child gets older they will take there own decisions about Church just like I did. They are also at mass almost every week. A couple good and some bad. The religion book is being sent home everyday. I’m talking about K-12. Although uniforms can be expensive, most Catholic Schools participate in a uniform exchange program. I'm not religious at all but think it's nice that they are learning about a religion. Is there still a place for one religion to retain control over Irish schools?Sharyn Hayden discusses & we'd love to hear your views.RaisingIreland.com Can anyone give advice on how non-catholic children today feel at catholic schools? NON-CATHOLIC SCHOOLS. they do 3 prayers a day and attend church next to school 1 a week on a fri morning for 1 hour so not that much really. … Do you have questions about creating positive bathroom habits and routines? I am a Catholic and was brought up going to Catholic Schools and Church. The reason that non-Catholic parents send their children to a Catholic school is that they believe that the Catholic school is better than the the public school choices that they have. Catholics school have to teach catholicism for 10% of the week - that a whole afternoon minimum. I think the way it's looking at the moment she will choose not to. This is on top of class prayer times, hymn practice and assembly time. He wants to send our child to catholic private school. Would you send your child to a religious school even if you weren’t practising? Ask Quick Lane, Find out what Mumsnet users thought of Echo by Lloyd’s Pharmacy. Your best option will be to go and have a meeting with the school/s as some Catholic private schools have a closed enrolment policy where only practicing Catholics can enrol and admitted. I would say the same as with any other school, go and see for yourself. Suspect people will drop out when offers are made and she might get an offer in time but not a given as they are good schools and the one in our locality has a great name for itself. Desperately need advice to get rid of nits/lice. For Catholic parents, getting their children into Catholic school is an important decision that impacts their children's education. We have to teach 2 hours 40 mins a week of re. to Primary School cannot afford to send their children to Catholic High Schools. However the school has very few minorities. Your child will have Religious Education lessions, but they so do all schools. and wealthy parents to send their children to the High School and thus water. A. We have no family support in the area at all and had a terrible time finding our childminder in the first place (long story!) on his first wek he learnt how to do the cross across his body which i was like hmmm maybe ive donr the wrong thing in this school but i know i havent the teachers are lovely and the head teacher is faultless. In other areas with declining numbers of baptised Catholic children and fewer children from other faiths, Catholic schools are increasingly filling their rolls with children of no faith at all. • 20% of pupils at Catholic secondary schools live in the most deprived areas (17% nationally). I know if she did make the choice to get baptised and do communion then MIL would be ecstatic and has offered to pay for the communion dress etc. I am also pleased to see that the students embody so much diversity and multiculturalism. Fair enough we live in a Catholic country, but I find it hard that religion can inform whether or not you get a decent education in today's day and age! I don't think that you can generalise about what RC schools are like any more than you can generalise about non denominational, CofE or any other kind of school. We have to teach 2 hours 40 mins a week of re. I do not know much about catholicism and my husband does not know the answers to the questions that I ask. Parents can compose these letters to outline their desire to enroll their children in the school and begin the application process. My own high school seemed more like a prep school with a very strong Catholic flavor rather than a Catholic school as such - I mean, we had school-wide Mass every month or two, and confession and communion available every week, but we also employed a lot of non-Catholic teachers. :) xxx, Hi the prayers that are said are normally something like an 'Our Father' or 'Hail Mary' and yes they say a grace at lunch time, in the classroom before going to lunch, any other prayers that are said in school other than them would just really be a blessing for the day/evening etc nothing too dramatic :). To use this feature subscribe to Mumsnet Premium - get first access to new features see fewer ads, and support Mumsnet. After a year of , quite frankly HELL !, we moved my son to a small village catholic school. Im not sure what you mean by intense prayers. Secondary School: There is no requirement to be Catholic in order to attend a Catholic secondary school. The education seems to be better too. Personally, I wouldn't send my child to a catholic school, but this is because I would be concerned about what my child was missing out on in the 2 hours 40 mins that is dedicated to RE. My daughter attends nursery attached to a non-denomination school and Catholic school they are all in the same building. In order to be a catholic school, the school is validated by its diocese. I don't think that you can generalise about what RC schools are like any more than you can generalise about non denominational, CofE or any other kind of school. They have had a new headteacher this year and it seems like the school is a bit less strictly Catholic now. How this came about was that my son has a long term health condition and his local catchment school were not prepared to deal with it or make any allowances for his disability. She is in yr3 & won't be making her first holy communion, none of the teachers expect her too & everyone is happy with that. It varies diocese by diocese. I've been having sleepless night over this! We are in Scotland so it will be different than the way things work in Ireland (or the rest of the U.K.), but I know you can request your child be excluded for religious activities. My son went to a Catholic high school. About 1/10 of this time is spent on multicultural units of work like learning about other faiths. For me, it's lovely that he comes home talking and asking about God, but I'm pretty sure my atheist friends would not be happy with it. About 1/10 of this time is spent on multicultural units of work like learning about other faiths. Is your family looking into becoming Catholic or is it purely due to wanting to send your kids to a Catholic school? I am not Catholic and it would be hypocritical for me to send Johnny or Jane to a catholic school. With regards to first communion I know that will be something we will need to look at next year. I've been having sleepless night over this! We decided to send our daughter to a catholic school and I have gave her the option of being baptised then making the sacraments - she doesn't want to now that its time and there are 8 children not making their reconciliation this year. Hi Louise We want DS to have the best education but the nearest outstanding ofsted rated is 2 miles away for a catholic school but for a non religious school it’s 5 miles (where we live that’s about a 20 minute drive). Catholic schools are always happy to welcome children from all backgrounds whose parents seek a Catholic education for them, where there are sufficient places to … By Ann Rodgers-Melnick, Post-Gazette Staff Writer . In 2016, the church supported 43,800 secondary schools, and 95,200 primary schools. I was wondering if anyone was in this situation or had any advice. Would say the same building and then exclude her from a fundamental part of the top grammar... Mandy, despite not being religious, says she thinks it 's ok diocese! 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