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Sorry for vague title but I couldn't fit my question in.

What I was wondering was if your child is not baptised into the Catholic Church, were you refused a place in a Catholic school. I have seen posts here where people say the only reason they got their children baptised was so they could be sure of a place in school, but has anyone actually been refused? I mean did you go to the school to check the situation and then make your decision on the baptism based on the school rules?

There are a few Cathlolic schools around here but they have children from all backgrounds and they certainly don't seem to refuse anyone so I'd be interested to know if these refusals actually happen (and not to someone's cousin's granny's nephew )

Our kids were baptised in a COI church and go to a RC school.

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I'll get back to you in 3 years time when I know where DD ends up attending!

If DD doesn't get into my school of choice (quite possible), the other local catholic and COI schools have similar policies as listed below. Both schools are over subscribed, so I very much doubt she will be offered a place in either of them as she is bottom of the 'preference list' even though we live in the area As far as I am concerned, not offering her a space is akin to a refusal.

Welcome to equality and religious freedom - Irish style!

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May the force...Live long and prosper!

not my children, for primary, because we chose an ET school, but I would be aware of quite a few children in our area who did not get into the local catholic schools because they were not catholic - but I live in an area where there is an undersupply of school places in general. All the RC/COI schools in this area prioritise those of their faith first or they did last time I looked at their enrolement policies about 18 months ago.

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"I guess that's just the circle of life: our parents faked their way through it,you fake your way through it and hopefully you don't raise a serial killer" Phil Dunphy - Modern Family

Torbeck, that's why I'm interested in hearing from those who have already been through this to see if they have actually been refused a place.

nbgb, I think in my area there is enough places to go around at the moment but I could be totally wrong, but I definately know of children of other faiths who are in the Catholic schools.

DD1 was refused a place in the CoI school.

IIRC their order of preference is CoI/Methodist, other Protestant, Catholic, other religions, no religion.

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Jean

"In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe" - Carl Sagan

Not sure I was refused per se, but I sent the forms into the school for enrollment for 2014 (this was in 2010) and it was sent back saying I needed to enclose a baptismal cert with it.

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I'll never be a good example, so I might as well be a fabulous warning

legally you cannot be refused a place because of your belief system, or lack of it, if there is space BUT where it comes into play is if there are more applying for places than the places you have, then you can prioritise places offered base on a selection criteria, some, but not all, faith based schools do this on basis of members of that faith having a higher priority.

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"I guess that's just the circle of life: our parents faked their way through it,you fake your way through it and hopefully you don't raise a serial killer" Phil Dunphy - Modern Family

Hmm even our local COI school has Catholic children. Maybe we're just lucky around here.

Pseudonym, did you contact them to say your child was not baptised and if so what did they say. I'm wondering if schools ask for the cert as a matter of course but don't have a problem if there isn't one.

There are Catholic children attending the CoI school, DD1 was not baptised therefore fell to the bottom of the order of preference after all children with any religious affiliation at all, Christian or not.

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Jean

"In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe" - Carl Sagan

you'll probably find that in your area there are enough places in schools to accomodate anyone who wants a place and so everyone gets a place somewhere, when it usually becomes a problem is when there are too few places for too many children and then some criteria must be used to prioritize who gets offered these places, then it is pretty common for religion to be one of deciding criteria - and in that case, those of no religion tend to be at the bottom of the pile

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"I guess that's just the circle of life: our parents faked their way through it,you fake your way through it and hopefully you don't raise a serial killer" Phil Dunphy - Modern Family

Yes, I think especially in the last few years a lot of families have left the area, so there are spaces for everyone.

I suppose what I was really trying to see was if people are using the "I got them baptised for school reasons" line when really they do it for other reasons Maybe this should be in unpopular opinions

wtf priorities by religion ?my kids are not catholic and go to a catholic school funded not by the church but by my
taxes. I would have fucking dared them to refuse/knock them to the bottom of the list on religious grounds. I would have shouted to anyone who would have listened how my children were being unfairly treated.
my children go to this school because of the small class sizes not because of the religious aspect.

ah get where you're coming from....


well my own experience is I had no pressure about school places, becasue they were all enrolled in an et school very early but I did come under huge pressure from my parents and my pils to baptise. There is huge cultural expectation that these things are done, in my experience.
It is very deeply in-grained here - the default assumption is that you are catholic - you get asked in the hairdressers if you mention you have an 8 year old if they are making their communion, the GAA club have a mass as part of their 25 year celebration, you get raised eyebrows when filling out forms in hospital - "sure I'll put down catholic anyway" was what was said to me , you get asked pointedly at work on Ash Wednesday why you are eating meat.....

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"I guess that's just the circle of life: our parents faked their way through it,you fake your way through it and hopefully you don't raise a serial killer" Phil Dunphy - Modern Family

most denominational schools DO prioritise on the basis o relgion, so I'm not sure why you are so shocked.....do me a favour, go check out the enrolment policy of your children's school and see if yours is one of the few that doesn't

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"I guess that's just the circle of life: our parents faked their way through it,you fake your way through it and hopefully you don't raise a serial killer" Phil Dunphy - Modern Family

I can't answer the poll but I suspect the pressure from family/society plus assumption that you just go ahead and baptise the child as a normal part of life plays more of a part in non practicing catholics baptising their babies than school places - even though it can matter in some areas. Interesting question.

Oh do join in on Unpopular Opinions thread! Religion and education is one of the truly few UO left these days

My neighbour got her 6 year old and her 6 month old baptised together - so the 6 month old could get a place in a preferred school and so the 6 year old wouldn't feel left out and could do FHC. They are not regular attenders at mass and the parish priest sent some local (bona fide) worshippers to their house to 'talk to them' about the importance of FHC and going to mass regularly! I kid you not.

Do the churches cross reference their baptisimal databases? I could always hedge my bets and get DD baptised in RC AND COI and then I could moan about which school will we choose. If you can't beat 'em...

edited for typos

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May the force...Live long and prosper!

I know this goes on but I wouldn't stand for it and I don't know why parents do. if the school was private I could understand but when my taxes are paying for it my kids are as entitled to go there as much as any catholic child.

my kids school welcome all denominations. there are 12 girls in dd class and only 9 made their confirmation. she told me only 6 girls are making it next year. as far as I can see they welcome everyone equally. I will fine out if the school was under pressure would they priorities Catholics but even at that I would have my td on to fine out why my taxes are paying for a school that are clearly discriminating against my children

should say find out not fine out damn auto correct

Torbeck, you might be on to something there, keep all your options open

OH and nbgb, yes I think expectations and pressure play a big part in it.

I don't see how you wouldn't stand for it though? They are legally entitled to discriminate and that's it. (I am totally against them being allowed to discrimate BTW)

Would this not be breaking some European law or something? Haven't a clue, but I'd love to know if you could take a case for discrimination against them - it should in no way be allowed to discriminate based on religion in a state run school.

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tbh I'm surprised that you're shocked, it's legally permitted to descriminate on the basis of religion both in terms of enrolment and employment in schools - a derogation from the equal status act was sought to do this. The UN HRC have taken us to task on this and the availablity of non denom education but as far as I know the govt are heading back into it on the 15th to AGAIN defend this discrimination.

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"I guess that's just the circle of life: our parents faked their way through it,you fake your way through it and hopefully you don't raise a serial killer" Phil Dunphy - Modern Family

Jaysus - I must not be jumping around on my soapbox enough......

it is perfectly legal to descriminate in this way

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"I guess that's just the circle of life: our parents faked their way through it,you fake your way through it and hopefully you don't raise a serial killer" Phil Dunphy - Modern Family