Parochial school is one term used (particularly in the United States) to describe a school that engages in religious education in addition to conventional education. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In Secular usage religious education is the Teaching of a particular Religion (although in England the term religious instruction would refer Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency In another, more narrow sense, parochial schools are Christian grammar schools or high schools run by parishes[1]; but this distinction is not universally made. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings A grammar school is one of several different types of School in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries High school is the name used in some parts of the world (in particular Scotland, North America and Australia) to describe an institution A parish is a Local church; it is an administrative unit typically found in episcopal or presbyterian churches
Contents |
United Kingdom
- Further information: faith schools
In British education, parish schools from the established church of the relevant constituent country formed the basis of the state-funded education system, and many schools retain a church connection while essentially providing secular education in accordance with standards set by the government of the country concerned. A faith school is a School that has a particular religious character or has formal links with a religious organisation Education in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the countries of the United Kingdom with power over education in Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland being devolved An established church is a church officially sanctioned and supported by the government of a country e Secularity ( adjective form secular) is the state of being separate from Religion. These are often primary schools, and may be designated as name C. See also Primary education A primary school (from French école primaire) is an institution where children receive the first stage of Compulsory E. [2] School or name C. E. (Aided) School, depending on whether they are wholly or partly funded by the church (the latter is more common).
In 2002, Frank Dobson proposed an amendment to the Education Bill (for England & Wales) which would limit the selection rights of faith schools by requiring them to offer at least a quarter of places to children of another or no religion, in order to increase inclusivity and lessening social division. Frank Gordon Dobson (born March 15, 1940) is a British Labour Party Politician. A faith school is a School that has a particular religious character or has formal links with a religious organisation [3] The proposal was defeated in Parliament.
In 2005, David Bell, the head of the Office for Standards in Education said "Faith should not be blind. David Bell is Permanent Secretary at the British Department for Children Schools and Families. I worry that many young people are being educated in faith-based schools, with little appreciation of their wider responsibilities and obligations to British society. This growth in faith schools needs to be carefully but sensitively monitored by government to ensure that pupils receive an understanding of not only their own faith but of other faiths and the wider tenets of British society". [4] He criticised Islamic schools in particular, calling them a "threat to national identity".
In October 2006, Bishop Kenneth Stevenson, speaking on behalf of the Church of England, said "I want to make a specific commitment that all new Church of England schools should have at least 25% of places available to children with no requirement that they be from practising Christian families. Kenneth William Stevenson (born 9th November 1949 is the eighth Church of England Bishop of Portsmouth. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican "[5] This commitment applies only to new schools, not existing ones.
In September 2007, attempts to create the first secular school in Britain were blocked. Dr Paul Kelley, head of Monkseaton High School in Tyneside, proposed plans to eliminate the daily act of Christian worship, and "a fundamental change in the relationship with the school and the established religion of the country". (UTC Monkseaton Community High School is a mixed comprehensive school situated in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, England for 13-18 year olds [6] The Blair administration "accepted it would be popular but said it was politically impossible". Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to Kelley has argued against faith schools, stating that they "directly or indirectly influence children into a belief that a particular faith is preferable either to other faiths or to a lack of faith".
In November 2007, the Krishna-Avanti Hindu school in north-west London became the first school in the United Kingdom to make vegetarianism a condition of entry. Vegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes Meat (including game and slaughter by-products Fish (including Shellfish and other sea [7] Additionally, parents of pupils are expected to abstain from alcohol to prove they are followers of the faith.
In November 2007, the Jewish Free School in north London was found guilty of discrimination for giving preference to children who were born to Jewish mothers. [8]
In January 2008 the Commons children, schools and families select committee raised concerns about the government's plans for expanding faith schooling. The Parliament of the United Kingdom (that is the Houses of Commons and Lords) has a number of Committees &ndash small numbers of members appointed to deal with [9] The general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, Dr. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL is a Trade union, Teacher's union and Professional association, affiliated to the Trades Union Congress Mary Bousted, said "Unless there are crucial changes in the way many faith schools run we fear divisions in society will be exacerbated. In our increasingly multi-faith and secular society it is hard to see why our taxes should be used to fund schools which discriminate against the majority of children and potential staff because they are not of the same faith". [9]
England
English education includes many schools linked to the Church of England which sets the ethos of the school and can influence selection of pupils where there is competition for places. Education in England is the responsibility of the Department for Children Schools and Families and the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills of the The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican These form a large proportion of the 6,955 Christian faith schools in England. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth The Roman Catholic church also maintains schools. In addition, there are 36 Jewish, seven Muslim and two Sikh faith schools. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Sikh (English or; ਸਿੱਖ sikkh, IPA) is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism. Faith schools follow the same national curriculum as state schools. The National Curriculum was introduced into England, Wales and Northern Ireland as a nationwide curriculum for primary and secondary Religious education in Church of England schools is monitored by the local diocese, but does not typically take up much more of the timetable than in secular schools. Although not state schools, there are around 700 unregulated madrassas in Britain, attended by approximately 100,000 Muslim children. "Madrasa" and "Medrese" redirect here For the village in Azerbaijan see Mədrəsə. Doctor Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, the leader of the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain, has called for them to be subject to government inspection following publication of a 2006 report which highlighted widespread physical and sexual abuse. Dr Ghayasuddin Siddiqui is an Academic and Political activist. The Muslim Parliament of Great Britain is a Muslim organization founded in 1992 in London by Dr Kalim Siddiqui, Director of the Muslim Institute [10]
There is a debate over the question of whether faith schools should receive government funding, with an ICM poll in August 2005 finding 64% of the public believe that "the government should not be funding faith schools of any kind". It also found a significant part of the population against faith based schools being legal at all, citing potential damages to a multicultural society as their main reason. A petition exists on the Downing Street website to abolish state funding and prohibit the teaching of creationism as fact in schools.
Scotland
Scotland has its own educational system, distinct from that of England and Wales. Although schools existed in Scotland prior to the Reformation widespread public education in Scotland was pioneered by the Church of Scotland, which handed over its parish schools to the state in 1872. The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time Scotland has a long history of universal provision of Public education, and the Scottish education system is distinctly different from other parts of the United The Church of Scotland (Eaglais na h-Alba known informally by its Scots language name The Kirk, is the National church of Scotland. Charitably funded Roman Catholic schools were brought into the state system by the Education (Scotland) Act 1918. This introduced state funding of Catholic schools which kept their distinct religious education, access to schools by Catholic clergy and requirement that school staff be acceptable to the Church. The Catholic schools remain as "faith schools. " The others are effectively secular and are known as "non-denominational" schools. In Christianity, the term non-denominational refers to those churches that have not formally aligned themselves with an established denomination, or remain otherwise The subject of religious education continues to be taught in these non-denominational institutions, as is required by Scots Law.
In Scottish Catholic schools employment of non-Catholics can be restricted by the Church; often, one of the requirements for Catholic applicants is to possess a certificate which has been signed by their parish priest, although each diocese has its own variation on the method of approval. In many rites of the Roman Catholic Church and in Anglican churches, a diocese is an administrative territorial unit administered by a Bishop. [11] Non-Catholic applicants are not required to provide any religious documentation. Certain positions, such as headteachers, deputy heads, religious education teachers and guidance teachers are invariably Roman Catholic. [11] Unlike in England and Wales, Scottish schools do not normally have the practice of school-wide daily assembly/worship; this applies even to denominational schools. Whilst maintaining a strong Catholic ethos, Scottish Catholic schools have long welcomed pupils from other faith backgrounds, though they tend to give precedence to non-Catholics who come from families of faith.
United States
Historically, most privately-operated schools have been Catholic schools, often elementary schools attached to a local parish church; however, in recent years many non-Catholic religious schools have been founded, particularly among Protestant churches, and there have always been a small number of non-religious private schools. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The Catholic parochial school system developed in the nineteenth century as a response to what was then seen as Protestant domination of the public school system in the United States; the recent wave of newly established Protestant schools is sometimes similarly attributed to the teaching of evolution (as opposed to creationism) in public schools.
The term is sometimes used specifically to refer only to schools attached to Roman Catholic parishes or dioceses. In other usages, it may include Protestant, Jewish, and other religious schools, and may even be used as a blanket term for all privately operated schools.
Parochial schools are generally not required by law to operate under the same standards as a public (government-operated) school; however, the differences of law vary from state to state. Most schools, although not required, do operate under, and even exceed, public school standards, as a way of preparing their students adequately for further education. Religious instruction is usually added to the subjects taught in a public school.
Parochial schools are generally smaller than public schools, often having only one teacher and classroom per grade level. Many students attend parochial schools only through the end of the eighth grade, completing their final four years of school in a public high school. Catholic high schools, rather than being attached to a specific parish (whose population would be too small to support it), tend to be administered by local dioceses or by religious orders, and are sometimes attached to Catholic universities.
Footnotes
- ^ Wiktionary definition accessed January 22, 2008
- ^ Church of England
- ^ "Faith school rebels defeated", BBC News, 2002-02-07. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 457 - Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 1074 - Battle of Montesarchio in which the Prince
- ^ Tony Halpin. "Islamic schools are threat to national identity", The Times, 2005-01-18. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor
- ^ Alexandra Smith. "Church promises school places to non-Christians", The Guardian, 2006-10-03. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's
- ^ Anushka Asthana. "Crisis of faith in first secular school", The Guardian, 2007-09-23. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1122 - Concordat of Worms. 1459 - Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English
- ^ Polly Curtis. "Hindu school is first to make vegetarianism a condition of entry", The Guardian, 2007-11-29. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1777 - San Jose California, is founded as el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe
- ^ Polly Curtis. "Jewish school told to change admission rules", The Guardian, 2007-11-28. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events
- ^ a b Anthea Lipsett and agencies. "MPs to voice concerns over faith schools", The Guardian, 2008-01-02. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 366 - The Alamanni cross the frozen Rhine River in large numbers invading the Roman Empire.
- ^ Alexandra Smith. "Call for national register of mosque schools", The Guardian, 2006-03-22. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 238 - Gordian I and his son Gordian II are proclaimed Roman emperor.
- ^ a b Gordon Cairns. "My lack of faith stopped me being accepted", The Guardian, 2007-12-04. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. "December 4th" redirects here For the song by Jay-Z, see December 4th (song.
See also
External links
- National Parochial School Directory (US)
- Catholic Parochial School statistics 1993-4 (US)
- The Guardian, 23 August 2005, "Two thirds oppose state aided faith schools" in United Kingdom
- UK Government Petition Website - Faith Schools [1]
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic