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The Department of Education responded to a letter of concern from the British Centre for Science Education (BCSE), which is worried by applications from Christian groups to run free schools. It fears that schools might be exploited by groups seeking to promote a literal interpretation of the Bible at the expense of science classes.
However, the Department of Education confirmed that Mr Gove is “crystal clear that teaching creationism is at odds with scientific fact”…
The BCSE expressed in writing its “extreme concern” about groups such as Christian School Trust who have made up to five applications to run free schools…
The Everyday Champions Church, in Newark, Nottinghamshire, submitted its proposal for a 652-place school in January. It claims that the parents of more than 660 children have signed up to attend the school.
The Church’s leader Gareth Morgan told the BBC: “Creationism will be embodied as a belief at Everyday Champions Academy, but will not be taught in the sciences. Similarly, evolution will be taught as a theory. We believe children should have a broad knowledge of all theories in order that they can make informed choice.”
In July last year Mr Gove acknowledged there were concerns about “inappropriate faith groups using this legislation to push their own agenda.” He told MPs on the cross-party Commons education committee that his department was working to ensure there were no “extremist groups taking over schools”.
A clear distinction between conservative politicians in the UK and US. The former resemble what traditional American conservatism used to embody – including disdain for populist pandering to religious nutters. That used to be left up to the Democrats in the United States.
I assume the UK has mandatory state sponsored schooling for the kiddies but “new legislation” allows for: “Free schools can be set up by charities, universities, businesses, educational groups, teachers and groups of parents. With an increased freedom of curriculum there have been concerns that scientific subjects might be neglected.
As with independent schools free school teachers will not need formal teaching qualifications
/////// Sounds like our Mother Country is going down the same shit hole the USA is–reducing services to society for a variety of reasons.
Society = only a thin veneer.
Everywhere it is clear that creationism is not a science. The question, in US or UK is how to teach about the issues on which domains of religion and science intersect in public schools funded by taxpayers among whom there are large groups seeing the issue only from one of those two perspectives?
Conundrum is how to solve this when majority of (tax)payers whose money is used to run education subscribe only to religious treatment of “how things began”. Only proper solution is to teach both religion and science but powers behind education system won’t. Hence the “Solomon Solution” merging both in the science education as options, which they are not. Same as it would be wrong to teach creationism and as option evolution in class on religion. Students are at worse end as no one is teaching the most important (and unifying) fact: religion is not science, science is not religion – each has its own methods and subjects, do not confuse them even when they look identical, think deeper and you’ll see that they are not.
I support classes like this in the Mythology section. Greek, Roma Mythology. Thor, Zeus and that cute guy, Apollo.
>parents of more than 660 children
Specifically 6 more, it’s just that the last 6 are are called Damien and the school teachers are getting a bit worried
UK dichotomy: “No God in school” but “Allah okay in the courthouse”.
http://timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article4749183.ece
#1 – Yes religious state schools are common in the UK, the church provides the building and the local council pays for everything else just as in any other school. There are lots of Catholic, Jewish, Sikh schools (although for some reason Muslim ones always seem to get indefinitely hung up in the planning approval)
Ironically they normally have much better science teaching. Since they can be selective – on religious grounds (not on whether the parents drive a Volvo of course) they have a lower proportion of knife wielding thugs than the average school, so attract better teachers.
#2 dusanmal
So you think the only fair solution is to teach both religion and science?
Which religion?
The solution is obviously to teach actual theology in schools to prevent silly mainstream movements for political power/money based around ‘religion’ from ever being able to con enough people to take off.
#7
>Which religion?
Which science?
Religious NUT-CASES will not allow themselves to be CONFUSED BY THE FACTS !!! I believe they wouldn’t believe you if you told them Jesus NEVER SPOKE ENGLISH, holding up a Bible as the WORD OF GOD !!! And practically NONE OF THEM KNOW “THE ONE COMMMANDMENT OF CHRIST” for Christ’s sake !!!
#9–Fellow Traveller==nice spin, but you show your confusion about the very difference between religion(s) and the one and only SCIENTIFIC METHOD. Religion has dogma. Science has a method. You can believe whatever you want, but can you reproduce an outcome? Can other’s reproduce the same outcome? Then you got some science. There is only “one” science because there is no “science” as such–only a method.
I hope your confusion has been cleared up. There is no “overlapping magisterial” only intentional confusion by the religious mongrels who see the confusion as their last straw of credibility as they have no credibility without a false association to the only thing that is true.
Heh, heh.
Even the otherwise well educated remain: Silly Hoomans.
JimD you might want to step away from the computer for a while. Take some time, go for a walk, go refill your lithium prescription, whatever.
Really irrelevant as the country will be mostly Muslim with sharia law in a few decades.
#13 – no it won’t because all those chinese restaurants have secret regiments of the chinese army hidden in the basement ready to take over the country. But that’s OK because we are going to be ruled by the Germans under a secret Eu plot that will force everyone to be French.
But even they wont be able to stand up to the lizard people that will take over if Fox hunting isn’t unbanned, unless Scotland gets independence.
ps Reading the Daily Mail may seriously damage your health (or cure cancer – they haven’t decided yet)
# 2 dusanmal said, “Only proper solution is to teach both religion and science”
Absolutely right but you stopped short: Science should be taught in the schools and religion in the churches or home. We can prove evolution occurs but no god seems willing to make his/her/it’s presence known beyond a doubt. [Evolution is still called a theory but only because we do not understand it's entirety. Not because any reasonable scientist is unsure it happens!]
#14 Nobody – Please don’t worry about any of those things. The hotel I’m staying in only has Fox News and I watched a bot of it today. I now understand the whole world will be ending soon. Probably before I fin
Its a pointless argument.
-ignore it.
Our science has become just as much a dogmatic religion run by fanatics as the most fervent creationists. “god” for scientists, is whichever government entity they are hustling for their funding & paycheck. Their “priests” -those that write the “sacred science cannons” sit on the holy “peer review” council. This is simply the ancient game of Division, of which both are the perfect “tools” to implement.
-s
#16 – burn the heretic.
Well, TRUE traditional Americans wouldn’t support state sponsored schools to begin with. That only happened in the late 19th century.
Funny thing is that Catholic schools have a very good reputation for teaching science (and most other subjects), even if they do include a bunch of supernatural nonsense. Most of this is due to the not putting up with the BS that abounds in the public schools. The smarter kids see through the mysticism but keep the real learning. Most important, the kids are well drilled and well taught in the tools needed to educate themselves.
Now, the question of should taxpayer supported schools teach “Creationism”. Answer, of course not, except as notes in the same context as other fiction and mythology. If you insist on having your fornication derived offspring indoctrinated with religion, send them to Sunday School.
He equivocates, creation and evolution are theoretical, therefore not science per se, which involves observation.
We cannot observe evolution or creation occurring in the laboratory.
Interesting how the voters are all experts on education – but only on education.
Every school district has public committees where politicians decide how schools should be run and what should be taught.
Why isn’t the city engineering department run on similar lines? It seems that these experts just go ahead and decide how much steel to put in a bridge without any democratic process.