Hi

We wanted to send our son to the local private catholic school, however on the enrollment form it asks for confirmation of the baptism, which he hasn't had done.

Will we be able to get round this??

Here in WA Catholic schools have to take a % of non catholics. However it is very difficult to get into them even if you are catholic. Many have waiting lists. Give the school a call and ask.

If he is already at a catholic school, send the school reports instead.

They do usually accept non catholics. My kids are not Catholics and got places.

Also eldest got into Year 11 of very popular Catholic High School that is over subscribed.

However most do have a waiting list of some sort.

Gems

My kids went to catholic schools in Australia as non-Catholics. We were told when I put their applications in to both of the schools they attended that they probably wouldn't get in because of the long waiting lists. Both times they got in due to their previous school reports and their behaviour when attending interviews. The principals and staff were more interested to see well mannered kids that try hard than a little sh*t with a baptismal certificate. As Northernbird said, they have to take a certain percentage of non-catholic kids.

My children went to a catholic school for a couple of years we are not catholic, but they were baptised and I understand the requirement. They went to a non denominational christian high school and that was also a requirement there.

Sorry but I do not understand why anyone wants to send there children to a religious school if you are not into religion. Its definitely very much part of the curriculum.

I am not religous but maybe when given the choice my son will choose to be.

From my point of view there are two schools here the very very good catholic one and the not so good public one. I'm only trying to give my son the best start I can.

Just out of curiosity as I live in Italy which is very Catholic .........

if a non Catholic child goes to a Catholic school wouldn't that child still get caught up in the preparations for First Holy Communion and Confirmation etc. or is that all kept as a seperate part of the school curriculum?

At the catholic school my daughter went to in Perth last year, the non-catholic children were encouraged to participate in Holy Communion with the catholic children. They did everything and then on the day of communion, they received a blessing from the parish priest instead of communion.

Catholic schools here in Vic have to take all catholic children from the parishes they are connected with and only after catholic children are placed are places thrown open to other denominations. I was told this my a principal when I was looking into high schools for my children. My son wanted to go to the catholic high school where his friend was going.

When my children were in catholic primary they were provided with rosary beads and were treat as catholics. If they had stayed there they would have had the choice to do their first communion at the school as well.

why does a persons religion affect if they should be allowed to go to the school ? why should they have to believe in some fictional god character, whats next they only get in to nursery's or pre school if they believe in santa claus

Presumably because it is a Catholic school.

Well, it seems not unreasonable that if a school is being run by the Roman Catholic church, the church should have some say in its running. However, as noted above, Roman Catholic schools do take non-Roman Catholic pupils, and no, they're not "required" to believe anything.

I personally believe that religion is part of history and I wanted my children to know all about Christianity and sending them to a Christian school in my opinion made them into the rounded adults they have become.

I have no problem with people who do not want religion involved in education and there are plenty of public and private schools who cater for these people.

Not only that, but Christianity (and the church's interpretation of it — and not just the RC church) has shaped our literature, our laws and many of our institutions. Knowledge of it ought to be the province of every well-educated person in our society, in my opinion. Faith and belief are different from knowledge, and teaching children (of whatever background) this part of our society's heritage is emphatically not the same thing as trying to impose religion on people.

(This is not to say that everyone ought to go to a church school, of course.)