God did it: Teaching evolution key to free school funding deal (UK) - Polidicks

[IMG]http://www.engineering.leeds.ac.uk/pace/images/BBCNewsLogo.jpg[/IMG] [url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-20547195[/url] [QUOTE][B]Any attempt to present as fact the view that God made the world could lead to new free schools losing their funding under government changes.[/B] The new rules state that from 2013, all free schools in England must teach evolution as a "comprehensive and coherent scientific theory". The move follows scientists' concerns that free schools run by creationists might avoid teaching evolution. Sir Paul Nurse, president of the Royal Society, said it was "delighted". Sir Paul told BBC News the previous rules on free schools and the teaching of evolution versus creationism had been "not tight enough". 'Creationist myth' He said that although the previous rules had confined creationism to religious education lessons, "the Royal Society identified a potential issue that schools could have avoided teaching evolution by natural selection in science lessons or dealt with it in a such a perfunctory way, that the main experience for students was the creationist myth". So far 79 free schools have opened in England with 118 more due to open in 2013 and beyond. They are funded directly by central government but unlike other state-funded schools are run by groups of parents, teachers, charities and religious groups and do not have to abide by the national curriculum. The new rules mean if a free school is found to be acting in breach of its funding agreement - for example, teaching creationism as a scientific fact or not teaching evolution - the Department for Education will take "swift action which could result in the termination of that funding agreement". Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote The development of the theory of evolution is an excellent example of how science works and there is a clear consensus within the scientific community regarding both its validity and importance ” Sir Paul Nurse President, Royal Society In a letter to the Royal Society, the Schools Minister, Lord Hill, said: "While we have always been clear that we expect to see evolution included in schools' science curricula, this new clause will provide more explicit reassurance that free schools will have to meet that expectation." Sir Paul Nurse said: "The new clause in the funding agreement should ensure that all pupils at free schools have the opportunity to learn about evolution as an extensively evidenced theory and one of the most fundamentally important tenets of modern biology. "The development of the theory of evolution is an excellent example of how science works and there is a clear consensus within the scientific community regarding both its validity and importance." A spokesman for the Department for Education said that the new clause would apply to the Grindon Hall Christian school in Sunderland and two others that this year became the focus of concerns about the teaching of creationism in free schools. Grindon Hall, which was independent, reopened as a free school in September. The two others approved by ministers are not due to open until 2013. In July the principal of Grindon Hall said that creationism would never be taught in science lessons. 'Additional safeguards' Rachel Wolf, director of the New Schools Network, which provides advice and support for groups who want to set up free schools, welcomed the funding agreement changes but said that the existing rules meant free schools already had to teach evolution in science lessons. "To my knowledge free schools have always had to teach evolution in science, but it is great that the government has reaffirmed its commitment to this," she said. Andrew Copson, chief executive of the British Humanist Association, organisers of a Teach Evolution not Creationism campaign, said: "A requirement to teach evolution in free schools is an excellent additional safeguard against state-funded creationist schools and must be welcomed. "However, we continue to be concerned about the three free schools recently approved which are supportive of teaching creationism as science and which we must worry will continue to find ways to circumvent a ban in practice." Dr Berry Billingsley who leads a Reading University project on how secondary schools handle questions that bridge science and religion cautioned against an oversimplified debate. "Evolution is a fantastic theory and explains so much about how humans come to be here. It is backed up by evidence and supported by the vast majority of scientists in the biological sciences. Many of those scientists also believe that the Universe is here because of God. "The importance of studying evolution is indeed the first thing to be said but children also need opportunities somewhere in the timetable to explore the 'Big Questions', which our research shows they want to consider and it is often the science lesson that stirs up those questions." Paul Bate, of the European Educators Christian Association, agreed schools should teach a broad and balanced curriculum: "Science and religion need each other in this debate. Albert Einstein, one of the greatest scientists of all time said, 'Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.'"[/QUOTE]

Well that's a bit harsh. WOW JEEZE, I don't support religion being told in school guys I'm just trying to be fair!

have a zing from Zeus

[QUOTE=Hogie bear;38651941]Well that's a bit harsh.[/QUOTE] Having misinformed students is not worth it.

You know, we could all just get along if we started to worship the ancient Pantheistic religions.

[QUOTE=Hogie bear;38651941]Well that's a bit harsh.[/QUOTE] Like hell it is! Science in the science classroom! Comparative religion in social/religious studies. It's that simple.

[QUOTE=Bradyns;38652001]Like hell it is! Science in the science classroom! Comparative religion in social/religious studies. It's that simple.[/QUOTE] Even though we have diagrams and visual representation, things that are beyond some people's understanding will always be attributed to a simple answer; "God did it"

[QUOTE=Hogie bear;38651941]Well that's a bit harsh.[/QUOTE] If a school's teaching stuff that goes directly against accepted science then it's explicitly refusing to carry out its function as a school. The government shouldn't be funding institutions that aren't proper schools as if they were.

This is very good news.

[QUOTE=Bradyns;38652001]Like hell it is! Science in the science classroom! Comparative religion in social/religious studies. It's that simple.[/QUOTE] Read it in your avatars voice

[QUOTE=Hogie bear;38651941]Well that's a bit harsh.[/QUOTE] Not really. It's like saying it's harsh for the government to pull funding on schools that teach 1+1 = 3 Evolution isn't a belief, it's a proven fact. It's fine to teach creationism, as long as it's clear in what ways it is flawed

Interesting to note I attend an all boys catholic school where I live, all teachers (including the really religious ones) believe in evolution BUT believe someone was behind it all, and while we can't deny some major force was involved, the whole creationism thing is flawed. We didn't get taught it though, it was just evolution. I think there's a law against it in Australia?

[QUOTE=fruxodaily;38652349]Interesting to note I attend an all boys catholic school where I live, all teachers (including the really religious ones) believe in evolution BUT believe someone was behind it all, and while we can't deny some major force was involved, the whole creationism thing is flawed. We didn't get taught it though, it was just evolution. I think there's a law against it in Australia?[/QUOTE] That point of view is actually pretty common with Christians

[QUOTE=Laserbeams;38652442]That point of view is actually pretty common with Christians[/QUOTE] My mum believes it too, Ii's just a cop-out because they can't get around evolution anymore.

[QUOTE=Laserbeams;38652442]That point of view is actually pretty common with Christians[/QUOTE] Well this is catholic based

[QUOTE=fruxodaily;38652349]Interesting to note I attend an all boys catholic school where I live, all teachers (including the really religious ones) believe in evolution BUT believe someone was behind it all, and while we can't deny some major force was involved, the whole creationism thing is flawed. We didn't get taught it though, it was just evolution. I think there's a law against it in Australia?[/QUOTE] That's the official position of the Catholic Church IIRC

[QUOTE=fruxodaily;38652513]Well this is catholic based[/QUOTE] Still a textbook god of the gaps case. On topic, I remember Dawkins being mad (to be fair when is he not?) about the private schools because of this exact same thing.

In biology classes the teachers have to say 'you don't have to believe this, you have to know, I'm sorry if this offends you' and the same in physics when learning about the big bang. [sp]My biology teacher also said the big bang was two planets colliding, but that is another story all together.[/sp]

I attended a christian high school but there was never any issue with evolution and stuff. No hint of religion in any class except for religious education.

[QUOTE=mobrockers2;38652474]My mum believes it too, Ii's just a cop-out because they can't get around evolution anymore.[/QUOTE] Not really it's a good enough way to explain it away for most people. Not even science can properly explain the cause of the big bang.

[QUOTE=mobrockers2;38652611]I attended a christian high school but there was never any issue with evolution and stuff. No hint of religion in any class except for religious education.[/QUOTE] Actually in RE classes here, it is forbidden to make preach in normal lessons because we have a lot of religions swarming around us it isn't forbidden during masses and shit obviously

[QUOTE=Jsm;38652615]Not really it's a good enough way to explain it away for most people. Not even science can properly explain the cause of the big bang.[/QUOTE] Exactly, a cop-out. They cut a small part of their religion, change it up a bit, so they don't have to be confronted with the possibility that what they believe in might not be true at all.

[QUOTE=Jsm;38652615]Not really it's a good enough way to explain it away for most people. Not even science can properly explain the cause of the big bang.[/QUOTE] Statements like this will never cease to perplex me. If you don't know: [i]You don't fucking know.[/i] What's wrong with accepting that? Why is making up an answer more preferable? This isn't even touching on the concept that a lot of people are still going to deny information about the generation of the universe, even when/if it is adequately explained.

[QUOTE=fruxodaily;38652643]Actually in RE classes here, it is forbidden to make preach in normal lessons because we have a lot of religions swarming around us it isn't forbidden during masses and shit obviously[/QUOTE] They don't preach in RE here either, but they obviously do tell us about other religions, something they did not do in other classes. That's what I meant.

[QUOTE=Laserbeams;38652442]That point of view is actually pretty common with Christians[/QUOTE] This is also their view when Darwin was still alive. This Creationism thingy that we know today originated from the mid-1960s in the USA.

In my school, in order to keep us intrested in religious studies, were allowed to listen to music on our mobile phones and mp3 players, it's kind of funny though.

[QUOTE=Jsm;38652615]Not really it's a good enough way to explain it away for most people. Not even science can properly explain the cause of the big bang.[/QUOTE] Is saying "I don't know" so hard? Saying a supernatural being (unexplainable) did it is not an explanation either, it is indescribable bollocks of the highest order. But yes, a welcome step in purging religion.

[QUOTE=fruxodaily;38652349]Interesting to note I attend an all boys catholic school where I live, all teachers (including the really religious ones) believe in evolution [B]BUT believe someone was behind it all[/B], and while we can't deny some major force was involved, the whole creationism thing is flawed.[/QUOTE] no that defeats the point of knowing about evolution [editline]30th November 2012[/editline] it prevents you from seeing the beauty that complex forms can emerge from simple matter, that the whole of life is the result of a natural implementation of a hill-climbing algorithm

*Reading Koran* Don't mind me.

[QUOTE=Trumple;38652313] Evolution isn't a belief, it's a proven fact. It's fine to teach creationism, as long as it's clear in what ways it is flawed[/QUOTE] Evolution has never been proven, what have you been smoking?