I know some people who have done this. I dont think it is something I would do.

I guess if they are going to be attending the school and learning about the specific religion and attending church with the school then you may as well go through the sacraments too.

Possibly ifwe really wanted them in that school and it was a requirement

I am not sure

There is no need to baptise your child for them to be taught at a Catholic school, so if you don’t feel happy about it, don’t do it.

It’s the wrong reason to baptise but I guess it doesn’t hurt the kids.

I wouldn’t baptise my sons just to get them into a Catholic school. As long as it’s a reputable school that should be all that matters if you don’t practice any religion. If your child gets into a Catholic school then you need to be prepared to continue their teachings at home.

Some people here are not posting correct info. A Catholic school certainly can restrict enrolments to those who are baptised catholic. It varies in schools, in Dioceses and depending on how many are on a waiting list. All schools with high demand for entry have to have a way to select. Some are academic, some by siblings enrolled (but not all.. I know doctors who try to get their kids onto a local Adventist school when one child is already in but have no success) Catholic school by baptism. State schools by geography.

I know they have different priority of acceptance for Catholic school like my son’s. 1st priority is for those with older sibling(s) already enrolled in the school.
2nd is the local church parishioner’s family like us.
3rd is others which we do have a lot of students from this group as well.
There is no need to get baptized to get into Catholic school. But of course they will need families that accept the religious teaching and fine with any curriculum that includes it.

In response to the post, if you happy for your child to practice and involve in the Christianity faith then go ahead and try to apply. Have a chat with the school during the interview and get to know if this is what you want and compare with other schools.

I’m a Catholic and is practicing it. I see baptism as something sacred and parents of the child should know the beauty behind it. So I don’t really agree with the idea of getting a baptism just for the sake of going into Catholic school.

No, we baptized our son at 8 months because we wanted to. Because my hubby and I are both Catholic and felt it would be the best thing to do at the time. Whislt not churchgoers, it fits in with our beliefs and values. We did send our son to a Catholic Secondary School, but he was not an automatic entrant having sent him to a public primary school. There was a criteria we had to tick off and we were very lucky to get in. However, I do know many people who have had their kids baptized later in life, in late primary school life, to get their kids into Catholic schools. It does cause an uproar amongst the community as there is a strict criteria, and some people are flouting the laws. But, the schools are also accepting some kids that don’t follow the strict criteria.

Hells yes! For a good education. We are catholic anyway so will baptise our children. But you will also gain a great community and way of life.

Baptism is sacred. It signifies dedicating your life to follow Jesus- it’s a decision not to be taken lightly and certainly not just to get into a school.

I would send my children to a Catholic school, but I wouldn’t baptise them just to get in. That seems a bit insincere and dishonest.

I will not do that.

I personally wouldn’t do it. I see it if your not Christian don’t go to a faith school.

I just wouldn’t send my kids to a Catholic school. The reason Catholic schools are so much cheaper than independent private schools is that they are essentially a State school curriculum with a religious overlay. As a non-religious family I can’t fathom paying for religion given the education is the same. My brother & I are both university graduates, we are white collar professionals and we went to State schools. Perhaps I’m naive (my colleagues forking out tens of thousands of dollars a year on their children’s school fees certainly think so) but I don’t understand why non-religious people pay for private or Catholic education. It seems like a way to ensure your children avoid mixing with low socio-economic or culturally diverse families which is counter-intuitive to the type of humans I want my children to grow into. My children are proud public school students. State schools are great schools!

My sister in law had her 3 children baptised for this very reason to get into religious based schools which they never ended up attending anyway. The only time they would go to church would be for a wedding or a funeral.

Not something I would do. But I bet there are lots of parents that do it. To each their own! You do you!

It’s the wrong reason to baptise your child.

I think it is wrong to baptise just to get into a school, a lot of them will know you don’t belong to a church and the child will be learning that it is ok to lie. A lot of churches you just can’t say you want the child baptised.