Conversions of Convenience

[briansloan]

I was surprised to read that a Sikh family are willing to "convert" their daughter to Catholicism if it helps her to stay at her local Catholic school

Comments

[asheep]

I highlights the lack of choice in our system and the effect it has on education. Those situations where parental/student choice is a bigger factor in the school entrants are better schools...

We should be looking towards a liberal education system of parental and student choice which is not based upon ability to afford a house in the right area or religion.

[sociolinguist82]

I think I was lucky to grow up in an area where faith schools didn't have any sort of social or cultural caché. My faith schools (which were funded by the state ;-)) were certainly not the best in town. In fact, the best schools in all sectors were non-denominational, but I know that isn't the case in many areas. What I do think is going on, however, is something much more subtle that parents simply wanting their children to go to a 'good school'. I think it's a much more complex phenomenon which can have a lot to do with the social dynamics of a local area; a generalised idea of 'keeping up with the Joneses' becomes focused on where children are educated and hence we have these extreme exmaples pointed out to us by the media. Of course, it would be great if all state-funded schools - of any faith or none - were providing a decent level of education. Although my observations may be controversial, the biggest barrier to raising standards in my experience is the mediocrity of middle-class teachers who hold no aspiration for their