to think this is probably institutional racism.

[chocolatecosmos]

Sorry , I am a lurker who comes on when I have a problem and right now I am shaking with anger.

The background is my mixed race(Jamaican/English) son is just finishing reception. He just told me tonight that he has been doing numeracy and litracy in a seperate group and he is level 3. I asked who was in level 4 group and he listed basically every white child in reception ( the intake is mainly Asian with about 10% white, the area is basically gentrifying and the white children are from middleclass professional families).

Every parents evening we have had to tell the teachers what he is capable of. In nursery they thought he could not count, when he could count objects up to 20. They looked again and told us a week later that he ''had shown what he could do.'' At the last parents evening they showed us a list of level 3 words ans said he could read about 4 out of 20. I called him over and he read 1 out of 20. I have been concerned about this underestimation of his abilities but have left it up till now as I asked if there was streaming and was told that there was no streaming until year 1. I thought he would be receiving the same education and was intending to question more when he reached year 1 as I wanted to show some faith in the school. I could go on but will probably bore everyone ( ignoring the reading books that he has read on a first try and providing him with more challenging material but now finding out other children have been put through to higher stage books etc ..)

I am currently in the middle of a part time 2 year P.G.C.E. and have spent time in reception, so I am pretty sure I am not way off the mark in assessment of his reading and numeracy. Something is going badly wrong.I am starting to think assumptions are being made as he is a very boisterous boy, who if given a choice between sitting at a table or running around the play area will always choose the play area. I am also well aware of the statistics concerning black boys and the education system.

I feel really sick, let down and angry.

I will talk to the teacher tommorow to check the facts ( although the regular teacher is off sick) and will probably ask for a meeting with the head teacher. Has anyone else dealt with anything similar? What are my options?

No, but it has been shown many times that they're more likely to be successful in life. I mean, there's a chance you could be right about the racism, but is it not just more likely there's a discrepancy between what you see at home and what the teacher sees at school?

Those are all good points animula. I am going to approach the head whatever the outcome of the discussion on Monday. I too thought I should just ask questions. I think I just need to flag this as an issue.

You know, there's a discussion going on in "In the news" about white working class boys, and clearly, the two issues are related. Even going by the posts on this thread.

Sadly, we have large classes, with a fairly rigid curriculum, and a lot of children with very different needs and home experiences. The state sector is stretched. There is clearly an issue, somewhere, about certain children faring better in the current system than other children. Shorthand for those children is "white, middle-class" - though it's clearly more complex than that.

Fwiw, I think most schools are trying very hard with these issues. But it's a huge issue, and the answers may well lie beyond the school gates.

If you do decide to chat to the head, I think you might be best to generalise the discussion out. Or make it very individual, and just talk about your ds.

Btw - WARNING - that thread in "in the news" went VERY wrong.

I don't think you should read it - sadly it will not make you happy.

I mentioned it because the research that it was generated by seems indicative that there are some structural issues in modern education that require attention.

Though I suspect they will not improve in the current economic and political climate.

"To be honest, if the white children are all from "middle class professional families" it's hardly surprising that they're bright is it?"

what the fuck!!!!!!!! all social classes have their thickos and their brains. by assuming that all middle class kids are bright you are as bad as the teachers

Gerontius,
Is that not the issue I am trying to address? Of course you will be more successful if you are favoured this way from an early age. You actually seem to not believe that there is a problem. Do you really think that black, mixed race boys, white working lass boys etc. do not have the potential to do just as well if given the right encouragement.

To be honest , this makes me glad I will be working as a teacher and reading your posts makes it clear why there are still problems with stereotyping. I lived in Canada for years where the problems with class and race stereotyping are much less. It is not such a given as you are suggesting

www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/social-class-determines-childs-success-93 4240.html

Perhaps "bright" was the wrong word. And of course I think they all have the same potential to do well. I just don;t completely agree with you that the teacher is discriminating against your DS.

Gerontius.
That is what I find odd in your attitude.I am still not sure, but like I said have watched the situation for two years. Like animus said this is a recognised issue in education. You are lucky if you have not had to deal with anything like this. Why would you be so sure this is not an issue?

I did not need the study to show me that white middle class children fare well in the English educational system and I do not believe that all the reasons for this lie in the home environment.

YANBU at all

DS (Y3) is mixed race and IMO is currently of average academic ability.

I suspect that if I wasn't an involved and assertive parent he would currently be languishing on the bottom table, as in the past he only seems to be moved up a reading level, given more challenging times tables etc when I have gone in and made a fuss.

Your DS is lucky to have you as his advocate, I hope the meetings with his teacher go well for you.

chocolatecosmos I hope you teach my children one day.

Thank you Colliecross!

Marthaquest, I suppose that is just what needs to be done but it is worrying to think what would happen with no home input. I have seen examples of children, with parents who probably do not ask questions, who have been very inappropriately streamed ( it should not be unreasonable to expect a school to do the best for that child) .

I am going to get off here for a awhile. I am a bit wound up after the comments by Gerontius, but it is probably misplaced frustration at the situation. Thanks for letting me vent a bit; I needed to talk about it to someone

I'm genuinely sorry if I've wound you up with my comments, I can see they've been a little insensitive.

YANBU. Sometimes, the schools/teachers don't even realise what they are doing. I had the same problem on attending a private secondary school in this country. In the year I started, all the new black girls were placed in the bottom/lower sets, regardless of what past reports indicated about their ability whereas all the new white/South East Asian girls were placed in the top sets. At the end of the first term, all the black girls were moved to the top sets whereas some of the other girls were moved to the lower sets (IIRC, there were five black girls in a class of 32 and at the end of that term, we placed 1st, joint 3rds, 4th and 5th overall), and I was then patronised with a "Most Improved" prize. I will never forget the look on the headmistress's face when I [sweetly!] asked her how I could have been awarded "Most Improved" when I'd consistently scored the highest grades across all subjects from my first day. The memory still rankles to this day!

A couple of years later, 3 of the black girls were intent on studying medicine at university and were dissuaded from making the right subject choices and applying to university for medicine. All three of them are now qualified doctors, having gone the long way round (studied typical 3 year courses as advised by our (frankly rubbish and misguided) UCAS advisor, and then went on to study medicine at international institutions). I do wonder if that was the attitude in what most would consider a fairly good private school, how much worse it could be at other (both private and state) schools.

I've seen what a state school education in this country did to my younger brother (who was constantly told that B/C averages were good enough, and he didn't need to worry about aiming higher, despite the fact he clearly could have done better) and I have resolved that my DS will most likely be going private, even if I have to scrimp and save every last penny; and even so, I will be keeping a VERY close eye on how he is taught/motivated at school.

You should raise it with the school; not aggressively though (at least, not at first). Point out the facts to them (the discrepancies between their estimations of his abilities and your knowledge of them) and see what they say. I would even go so far as requesting that he be put in the top/Level 4 groups for a term initially and see how well he does by the end of that term. If they give some mumbling excuse as to why that isn't possible or are not prepared to listen to and act on your concerns, then I would go in all guns blazing. Education is way too important for you to be complacent about it, regardless of how old your son is.

YANBU, I have noticed this about my DS who is currently in reception in a predominantly Muslim school with about 10% non-Muslims. I have noticed that more attention has been paid to Asian Muslim children by his Reception teacher who is also Asian Muslim. (In no way am I Muslim bashing as this is clearly how I have felt about the situation.) I had no issues when my son was in Nursery and being taught by a non-Muslim as that teacher treated every child equally and didnt just focus on people from her religion. I had to struggle to get him a reading book and yet all the other children had been given reading folders apart from mine. Similarly she also kept on giving the same book 'greedy giant' every single week for about five weeks. The first time I asked she claimed that this was to enable them to recognise certain words. I kept quiet - the next time I just told her off and she started to give him different books regularly. She also speaks in her mother tongue to other children and parents which completely excludes my son from the conversation.

One time she told me that my son forgets to hold the pencil correctly and I asked why she didnt then remind him to hold the pencil properly as he is clearly responsive at home. I feel that the whole of reception has been a waste for my son

There are various other things she has done which to me is clearly discriminatory and in the end I just decided to remove my son from the school. He will now be going to a private school in September with a good mix of cultures and am confident he will thrive there