converting to catholicism

[Tracy]

Thanks Mike, so can I just assume that it's just wishful thinking from the non-Catholics?

[Sally-Anne]

I feel certain this is wishful thinking - an urban myth.

If there are sufficient applicants who can prove the required level of religious commitment then a faith school can fill all its places with those children. Only when the school is under-subscribed do they have an obligation to admit children not of the faith.

[Muggle]

They discussed this a few months ago on Radio 4. The suggestion was that CofE schools had to take a small percentage of non-faith children, whereas Catholic schools had no obligation to accept non-catholics.

[Sally-Anne]

Sadly that is not the case either - schools are designated as "faith schools" or otherwise and they all have the same basic admission rules.

Each faith school can discriminate on religious commitment to their own faith as the first admission criterion. The example below is from Waddesdon CofE - a faith Upper School in Bucks. I have edited out a lot of it to make it easily digestible and the bold type is mine.

The following admissions criteria are applied in the order of priority set out below:

The following admissions criteria are applied in the order of priority set out below:

1. Residence in the catchment area. Within this criterion governors will consider applications in the
following priority order:
a. Children in Public Care
b. Other applications

2. Children from families with a strong commitment to the Church of England

Governors will consider applications under this criterion in the following priority order:
a. Children in public care
b. Those with a sibling already at the school (as defined by criterion 3)
c. Those without a sibling at the school (as defined by criterion 3)
(A church affiliation form completed by the minister will be essential for this criterion to be considered)

3. Siblings

4. Parent(s) with a strong church commitment to other
churches which are affiliated to or represented at Churches Together in England or are members of the Evangelical Alliance. Commitment is measured on the basis of at least one of the parents’ attendance.

5. Parent(s) who attend church less frequently measured on the basis of at least one of the parents’ attendance

6. Special cases
Applications under this criterion will be considered if children have special educational, medical or social reasons for gaining a place at the school.

Members of other religious faiths may also apply under this criterion provided they have a letter of support from their local religious leader.

7. Other Applications

The point is often debated, but the rules remain as they were enshrined in the various Education Acts over the last 60 years.

[Flamenco]

My daughter has been attending a Catholic School since reception and wishes to be a Catholic although she was baptized as an Orthodox Christian.

*Important
The Catholic Church believes fundamentally in only 1 (one) baptism.

The Creed, which is recited in every single Mass on the planet includes:
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins

Apparently, the oversubscribed good grammar and selective catholic schools are not interested in anyone apart from catholic children, and at the moment we are facing a difficulty. We are not sure if my daughter can convert to catholicism although she wishes to. Myself, I am an Eastern Orthodox Christian. Will the priest mind and has anyone had a similar experience when applying to a Catholic school? I heard that one of the parents by all means has to be Catholic. Your views are very welcome

I can understand your frustrations and believe me, I do feel for you. I’ll be absolutely straight and blunt because there’s no point in leading you up the garden path. If the thought of converting to Catholicism now is to get your DD to a Catholic school, especially those very good ones in London, then please forget it! You’d have better chances of finding a pot of gold in your back garden. Otherwise, you’re most welcome to join the Catholic Church under different circumstances.

Over the years, I’ve had many issues with Catholic schools here in the north London area and one or two others in central London. Please let me stress my issues are with the over-subscribed Catholic schools and not the Catholic Church.

To be honest, I’ve never seen so many hypocrites all congregating in one place – the Catholic schools. And I’m saying this as a staunch, born and bred, Catholic myself. Perhaps the biggest hypocrite of them all is the London Oratory School in SW London. I’ve actually formally complained to the then DfES of this school about their ambiguous admissions policy and illegal back-door selection. The school was subsequently ordered to rewrite certain parts of their prospectus by the DfES. I very much look forward to the day when all these hypocrites are swept aside and the Catholic schools open to all Christians.

To all intents and purposes, Catholic schools are supposed to follow the guidance (at least in the London area but I suppose pretty much the same in the whole of UK) as laid down in the publication, the ‘Joint Guidance on Admissions for the Governing Bodies of Catholic Voluntary Aided Schools’ issued jointly by the Archdiocese of Westminster, the Archdiocese of Southwark and the Diocese of Brentwood. But most governing bodies in the above mentioned schools, each with their own axes to grind and in many cases acting on their own whims and fancy, were admitting children who shouldn’t be admitted, and rejecting children whom these Catholic schools were specifically built for in the first place.

It is when one of these ‘Catholic’ schools tells you, both parents Catholic, with such audacity that you’re “not Catholic enoughâ€

[Flamenco]

Apparently, the oversubscribed good grammar and selective catholic schools are not interested in anyone apart from catholic children . . . Myself, I am an Eastern Orthodox Christian. . . I heard that one of the parents by all means has to be Catholic. Your views are very welcome.

Because they are extremely oversubscribed( e.g. St Michael's Catholic Grammar School for Girls in Barnet), there is no even question about anyone else but Catholic children.

I have here, and for those who may be interested, a scan of an excerpt taken from the school’s booklet from a few years ago, entitled ‘Information Relating To St. Michael’s – Published by The Governors.'

My observations:

• Girls must be baptised and have made their First Holy Communion. Both must be in place!
• An interview may now be illegal.
• In theory, it is still possible for the daughter of a (Korean) Moonie High Priest to attend St. Michael’s.
• No more than 5% (if ever) of non-Catholics allowed, not 12% as stated elsewhere.

Form Six admissions have a different procedure altogether and boys are eligible to apply.

[WP]

The current admissions criteria for St Michael's are on page 73 of the Barnet booklet:

Within living memory, St Michael's has always been oversubscribed with candidates who fulfil Criterion 1.

1. Catholic girls:
   • who are baptised and have made their First Holy Communion in the Catholic Church and
   • whose parents provide a written reference from the applicant's parish priest stating that one or both parents are practising Catholics who attend Mass regularly with the child.

Interviews have been banned for several years.

I'm not sure where this 5% or 12% comes from. Faith schools must accept all comers if they have unfilled places, but that's not the case with St Michael's. I think there was a proposal that new faith schools would have a proportion reserved for those outside the faith, but I don't think that was enacted.

[tense]

Perhaps the biggest hypocrite of them all is the London Oratory School in SW London. I’ve actually formally complained to the then DfES of this school about their ambiguous admissions policy and illegal back-door selection.

Totally agree. A friend of mine (unsuccessfully) applied to the London Oratory school for her DS a couple of years ago. I was shocked by their Religious Inquiry form & am amazed that this form of selection is legal in a state school.