The NUT says state schools must allow children to practise their faith
Posted on 03/25/2008 8:56:01 AM PDT by Stoat
The NUT says state schools must allow children to practise their faith
They should make arrangements for pupils to be given "instruction" in their own religion during the normal school day and rights to pray and worship instead of attending regular assemblies, the National Union of Teachers said.
Schools should also allow different uniform rules, serve meals that meet religious requirements such as halal and kosher, plan holidays around festivals and special days and provide private prayer rooms.
The call comes as new research today shows the numbers attending mosques in England and Wales will outstrip Roman Catholic churchgoers by 2020.
Christian Research expects Catholic worshippers at Sunday Mass to fall to 679,000 but Muslims at Friday prayer to increase to 683,000. The figures also suggest the number of Muslims at mosques will overtake Church of England members at Sunday services.
Under today's radical plan from teachers' leaders, designed to overhaul faith-based education, the NUT called on ministers to abandon the historic daily act of Christian worship in favour of "inclusive" school assemblies.
Existing faith schools should be stripped of rights to select pupils on the basis of the religion they practise to prevent them "discriminating" against others and fuelling community tensions, the document said.
The blueprint, from the most left-wing of the three main teaching unions, is aimed at undermining faith schools by encouraging religious parents to consider non-faith community schools instead.
NUT leaders argued that requiring schools to cater for all religions would limit demand for faith schools and bring children of different backgrounds together.
However the proposal, effectively creating a rival system to faith schools, sparked a furore last night over the extent to which schools should be required to accommodate different religious beliefs.
The Church of England, head teachers' leaders and campaigners for a secular education system condemned the plan.
The Muslim Council of Britain welcomed calls for imams to provide religious instruction in schools and moves to accommodate Islamic beliefs but said many parents would still prefer a faith school.
Tory MP Douglas Carswell, a member of the Commons Children, Schools and Families Committee, said the plan amounted to "social engineering" and accused the NUT of attempting to impose an "aggressive multi-cultural agenda".
Launching the paper, NUT general secretary Steve Sinnott said the dominance of England's Christian schools was "unjust and unsustainable" amid growing demands from Muslim families who want their own religious state schools.
There was now "every argument for the curriculum and staffing to respond positively both to the diversity of faiths within schools".
The plan meant "more than simply religious education" but "religious instruction", Mr Sinnott said.
"I believe that there will be real benefits to all our communities and youngsters if we could find space within schools for pupils who are Roman Catholics, Anglican, Methodist, Jewish, Sikh and Muslim to have space for more religious instruction in schools," he said.
"You could have imams coming in, you could have the local rabbi coming in and the local Roman Catholic priest.
"If there were opportunities where they all talked together to the youngsters, what a fantastic example that would be."
The policy paper went on to call for "reasonable accommodations" including "provision of adequate private prayer space within schools" and "recognising religious holidays which embrace all faiths".
It added: "Inclusive school assemblies must replace 'collective worship' with separate optional prayers and worship for those that require them."
Schools are still required by law to stage a daily act of worship of a mainly Christian character, although it is not widely enforced.
But a spokesman for the Church of England said: "Religious instruction belongs with the religious institutions, the churches, the mosques, the temples.
"It is for religions to teach their faith to people; it is for schools to teach about religion."
John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "This plan could compound the problem if the people coming into schools were offering extreme views.
"How would you have any control over what was being taught in your school?"
The NUT document was formally adopted by delegates at the union's annual conference in Manchester yesterday but there was ignorance among some as to its content.
A scheduled debate on faith schools, on a motion calling for an entirely secular education system, will no longer take place due to time constraints.
Mr Carswell said it ran against the grain of attempts to tackle segregation by promoting common values.
"This is social engineering. Ideologues in the NUT whose ideas belong to the 1960s and 1970s want to impose an aggressively multi-cultural agenda.
"In case the NUT hasn't heard, multi-culturalism is generally regarded as a failure and even central government is abandoning it."
About 7,000 state schools in England are faith schools - roughly one in three of the total - educating 1.7 million pupils.
The large majority are either Church of England or Roman Catholic schools which have control over their own admissions arrangements.
A spokesman for the Department for Children said: "There is no policy to increase the number of faith schools – it is up to local communities to decide the kind of schools they want."
I really don’t know what to think on this one. If it’s truly inclusive, and you get all the major holidays for all the major religions off, and students have a set-aside time to pray, meditate, or just do homework if they’re not religious, it doesn’t sound that bad. I go to a college where we get all the major religious holidays for all the major religions off, and honestly I absolutely love it, cause a full day off with nothing to do is a huge help academically, especially if it comes in the middle of the week. If the religious instruction comes as an elective, that’s cool with me - it’s got to be better than ‘computer science’ electives that consist of 2 people actually coding and everyone else looking at weapons on eBay behind the teacher’s back.
But if it’s just Muslim stuff, or there’s a mandatory ‘multicultural’ religious studies course, then that’s absolutely ridiculous.
Powerfull and Spot On!
Too bad they won't assuage their guilt by moving to Zimbabwe, and going to work into slavery on black farms, instead of taking it out on the rest of civiliztion.
I am one of those who left with my family.
I looked around after I left the military of 8 years, I saw how the country had changed in such a short time.
Muslims are taking over the country, islam appeasement is ruining the country and the govt is just making it worse.
My mother grew up as a child in the 2nd world war when the bombs were falling and cities were being destroyed but everyone came together, everyone made sacrifices.
Now the country has been ruined, islam is dictatiing the laws, the govt and the police seek the IMams view when considering to do a law and , they ignore killings done in the name of islam, they ignore arranged marriages and the police don’t even go into muslims areas anymore.
Whites have been killed for just getting lost into their areas, they have burned churches, pubs shops etc.
It is ethnic cleansing but of course the BBC the guardian etc don’t report this.
There was a woman who disappeared in Blackpool, it was found muslims had killed her, chopped her up and sold bits of her in food at their takeaway, the news was only in the local paper on page 6
I called the police and asked then about it and they said they had nothing to say about the incident.
Look at kosovo and the same is going on in the UK, mass immigration, high birth rate etc and then when they are the majority they will seek to take the country over and when brits uprise they will say brits have no right.
the same happened in Israel except it was called Judea, it happneed in Lebanon and kosovo and now it is happening to Europe aided by the media and the govt
It is sickening and of course when pointing all this out you are a racist, bigot etc
Every time I visit the country now I am saddened to see how it is turning and tell my kids that it was not always like this.
Here’s something which people are outraged
I come from a place called salford, walkden to be exact, recently the labour govt thought it was a good idea that to giveblacks of the boat from africa a house to live, actually many houses, they pay no rent, no electric no bills no nothing
the locals found out and said something but of course it was too late a few hundred had already been moved in on the quiet
so later they find out that these africans were being given 3,000 pound around 6,000$ so they could buy a car, they now drive with no license, no insurance no tax disc no nothing
all at the cost of taxpayers
one day the islamic flag will fly over the UK, and I hope I am never around to see that day and I bet the likes of queen elizabeth and henry the 8th would be turning in their graves if they saw what was going on
to think veterans and people have fought for thousands of years to have Britain as it was but no muslims seem to think it’s their country
Bradford riots and Oldham race riots a few years ago
some far right men went for a drink in the town centre
the BBC of course along with the libs said they had no right, they interviewed local pakistani’s about it and they said that those English have no right to come to their town
UNbelievable English are now being told they have to ask permission to have a drink in parts of England.
It;s not toom late to stop this madness and reverse this but so long as the libs the media like the bbc the guardian defend and ignore then this loonacy will carry on
you want to hear how PC has gone mad in the UK
we have many pakistani’s
Now eevrywhere in the world we all have abbraviations, turkish, are turks,
british are brits
australians are aussies
kurdish are kurds
afghanistan people are afghans
but get this
In the last 10 years or so PC crept in and now the libs tell us that saying an abbraviation for pakistani’s i.e. paki’s is racist
Now how on earth can just one abbreviation for one people be classed as racist
yes paki’s to some in England is racist they are now reffered to as asians
Of course ignoring that Asians can look very differently to one another
I mean japs don’t look like Vietmanese
thai’s don’t look like indians
so when the police put out they are looking for an asian male what exactly is his look supposed to look like
It’;s pathetic
one thing though is that more and more people are seeing what is going on and hopefully things start to get done, like close the borders
stop arranged marriages
stop welfare handouts
stop honour killings ands stop the building of mosques
I mean we only have over a thousand of them more per square mile than anywhere else in the country
I’ve seen houses what say they are mosques yet the police don’t do anything about it instead they go after the football fan sorry soccer fan
Well these proposals (all they are) are from a Trade Union-hardly a barometer of mainstream UK opinion. Secondly, the Mail has yet again phrased the article to make this news story far more controversial than it really is. The NUT (a daft name) proposals were for segregated faith schools (be they Jewish, Muslim, Hindu etc) to be abolished and all these groups educated together to avoid the sort of cultural segregation that exists at the moment. The Daily Mail could well have phrased the same story:’Muslims forced out of Islamic Schools and into state schools’. In the NUT plans, Imams, Rabbis, Priests etc would be all welcome in the schools to help the needs of different faith groups.
As for the story about church attendances in 2020: less than 700,000 muslims praying on a Friday in over a decade’s time is hardly alarming demographically. Britain is 92.5% white and only 2% Muslim. Furthermore, most immigrants to the UK are decnt, loyal and hard-working.
Sir, I have absolute respect for your military service, but I profoundly disagree with your views on Britain.
The UK has a Muslim population of between 2 and 3%. That is statistically tiny. Britain is 92.5% white. More than 9 out of ten people in the UK are white British. Islam has dictated no laws in the UK whatsoever. If I am mistaken, please name one. Police and the government do not consult Muslims on laws before passing them. Again, if I am mistaken please give me an example. I have not seen or heard of any churches being burned in the UK by any other ethnic group. (An attack by drunk immigrant youths on a priest dominated the headlines the other week that is how rare these sorts of incidents have been). As for police not going into Muslim areas: again, please give me an example.
There seems to be a lot of hysteria in the UK these days, not supported by evidence.
Of course, I don’t deny there are problems. The vast majority of immigrants to the UK are decent and hard-working. But I don’t deny there are ghettos. Immigrants groups tend to stay in certain areas of the country: causing segregation. But compared to places such as the US our problems in these areas are miniscule.
there is a police force down south where they now are asked to seek the local imam before making an arrest in the community
they have to take their shoes off
they are not allowed to take a dog into the school
they are not allowed into bedrooms or bathrooms because a woman might be there
if the person is praying the police have to wait before they make the arrest
my brother had to move out of oldham due to that mmany racial attacks against him and his family , he moved to heywood
Now I am not sure where you come from but I would hazard a guess it is no where near me and not in a place where it is diverse or where you are a minority
I forget which force but it is down south and I believe around the luton area
The figures you state are from the offical figures , I would bet my house that it is much more than that
everywhere you go now, from birmoingham to luton, to manchester, to burnley to coventry you are in the minority, including the east end of london
as for churches being burned
go to oldham , glodwick, go to mannigham bradford
one church was set alight, the army had to be the fire brigade as they were on strike
when the church was on fire, the vicar ran over to try and stop the flames only to be met by about 30 pakistani’s throwing fireworks and stones
when the army got there they too was met with the same thing
Now for the police force not going there
I know a few police officers and one in the CID of manchester, they have been instructed not to go into glodwick, on EID they are not allowed to go to rusholme
nearly forgot
I have seen first hand churches and pubs burned out from muslims in oldham , roachdale etc
You think it is rare as the bbc does not report all these attacks , many of my mates have been attacked on EID in rusholme , burnley and leeds.
Did you ever hear about kriss donald, the lad was on his way home when he got abushed, beaten up, stabbed , pissed on and set alight then dumped on the street dead, allm because he was white and british
The people who did it fled to pakistan and then some have faced court back in england
chris yates killed by 10 muslims youths because he was white only 3 have been arrested this was in the east of london
How about the world war vet who was attacked because he was white by a group of pakistani’s, as they beat him to a pulp they kept shouting allah is great and then told him that he has no right to be there as it was their area now, this happened in Oldham
a soldier came back from Iraq and was out drinking when he too was killed, the only news about this was a small article in the manchester evening news, imagine if he had been killed in Iraq it would have been covered by the bbc and guardian
google anthony farrell this was near where kriss donald got killed
I forget the name of the lad who was killed in roachdale but this is what happened , he and his mate was walking to get a taxi after the clubs had closed, where they were set upon , beaten and told they had no right to be there
There are many more but they are the few I remember for names
Take a trip to leeds glodwick, mannigham , parts of brunley and tell me you feel safe because you arew white if you are
My dad came to England as an immigrant as I have come to america, he told me that we adjust to the English way of life, we speak the language, we take their customs, because if we didn’t then it would be hard for us to fit in plus why move to the country if you are not prepared to adopt the ways of the new country
Now I have no problem with anyone as I am an immigrant like my father but you do not go to a country and then tell the natives how to live, what to speak and cry because you do not get everything you want
England is a free country and people are free to leave as I have done but don’t say it will be changes to suit your old country or the country of your heritage
Thanks for your repsect in the military.
ah the name of the old fella in oldham was walter chamberlain I believe but I will let you google it and correct me if I am wrong
incidently where are you from and where are you now?
as for racism in America I have lived in Boston, newyork , and near detroit but now live in Florida, st augustine to be exact, I have travelled well around the world and well aroiund America .
I notice the most racism down south is actually from blacks.
Because of my darker looks and when I have a suntan I have been mistaken for an hispanic and told off a few blacks to go home and that I am taking their jobs even though most seem they have never worked iin their life
I will not shit up and tell others of what I have seen nor will I adopt the PC view
I believe in the truth not a view from people who live in their white surburban areas and just know a handful of minorities or have gone to college with some
When you have seen the mass graves, seen racial violence, been to the likes of northern ireland, places like crossmaglen, been a victim of it verbally though, then I will tell people what I have seen not what is reported by the bbc, guardian and the tabloids like the daily mirror
In quincy massachusetts where I lived for a bit I got to know my mechanics, they were from Lebanon.
Anyway we got on the subject of religion, world events etc
He opened his shirt and showed me his chest and belly
it was scarred all over
why
because he was a christian who got forced out by members of Hizbullah, they put petrol(gas) over him, luckily he survived and brought his family to America where he now works hard and where he is safe.
After 9/11 we was asked to look into this so called religion of peace and I did only to find over 150 verses of verses calling death to unbelievers, slay then , change them, spread islam etc etc etc etc
Now we are told to look into race in America off obama a man who is the racist, hangs around with racists, is married to a racists yet the media won’t cover all this in depth
why
because most of the media is far left and it does not fit their agenda
I apologize for not being more clear. It means "For Your Information". Based upon the numerous insightful, reasoned and thoughtful comments of yours that I've seen here at Free Republic, I thought that you might be interested in seeing the two posted articles.
Sorry again about my lack of clarity, and thanks very much for adding your perspectives to this thread as well as others here; they are sincerely appreciated :-)
Thanks for that stoat and yes I appreciate you informing me of this.
Nearly everyone I know back in England including lads I was in the military want to get out of England.
Guarantee if America opened it’s borders over a million English would be wanting to move here.
I think Australia has a good tactic of immigration
they go on a points system, so if you have money, you have a good trade, a education you get more points but if you have nothing to give the country then you just don’t get in.
You're quite welcome, and I'm delighted that you're finding it worthwhile, although in a very sad way.
Nearly everyone I know back in England including lads I was in the military want to get out of England.
How absolutely, crushingly awful. Admiral Lord Nelson and millions upon millions of others throughout the centuries gave everything they had for England, and now it's come to this.
Guarantee if America opened it’s borders over a million English would be wanting to move here.
There are many who say that America already has open borders, although they are open only to criminals. Good, decent people still have to wait in line for years and years.
they go on a points system, so if you have money, you have a good trade, a education you get more points but if you have nothing to give the country then you just don’t get in.
Indeed they do seem to have a good system. Delightful, friendly people for the most part as well...I loved it when I visited, and would enjoy going again one day.
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