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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that the school logo is not very inclusive?

187 replies

weakestlink · 04/09/2011 13:23

We have been looking at all the local primary schools as DS2 may be on the Autistic Spectrum and he may not get all the support he needs at the school we originally chose for him.

We have found a really lovely primary for him which has a really positive attitude to SEN and has a Good Ofsted report as well.

BUT DH is really not keen on the schools logo which appears everywhere, in colour, including on sweatshirts, polo shirts, book bags etc.

The logo is of two parents and a child reading a book. The bodies of the people are in blue/green but the heads (just ovals no features) are all white/pale beige colour. DH is black and says he is a bit Hmm about the logo and it would have been better if they had kept the heads the same colours as the bodies (blue & green) rather than putting a white family on the logo.

Is he being over-sensitive? I am white and we live in a mainly white, rural area.

I do always notice that the local Sure Start Newsletter is filled with photos of a wide range of ethnicities so they have obviously made a real effort to do that.

What do you think?

OP posts:
HowlingBitch · 04/09/2011 15:04

It's this kind of nonsense that makes people stop listening, Which is a very dangerous thing IMO. It should never happen.

LatteLady · 04/09/2011 15:08

At the school where I am Chair, the logo was designed by the children... have you considered that the same might be true of your school?

Unfortunately, no matter how hard you try you cannot reflect every single group within your school, there will always be someone who feels left out. Sadly I don't know the answer but we just try to do our best.

Mitmoo · 04/09/2011 15:10

Body of Eye you've just done an Ism [shock horror falling to floor logo fauxed] My mother was a fox, you've left me out!

worraliberty · 04/09/2011 15:14

It's this kind of nonsense that makes people stop listening, Which is a very dangerous thing IMO. It should never happen

Exactly. All this stupid 'looking for offence' in everything does tend to make people roll their eyes and just switch off...so sometimes REAL issues are missed.

DandyLioness · 04/09/2011 15:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Claw3 · 04/09/2011 15:15

Coco, i didnt see the OP say she thought it paramount to send her son to a school where he is the majority, not the minority? (i might have missed it)

You were saying you found it strange for a mixed raced family choosing to live an area where you are minority. Which is no different really to me choosing to send my son to mainstream school, where he is the minority. Perhaps the OP is also happy to do so?

I did see that the OP and her DH thought this school would be ideal for her son, but that the logo could be the deal breaker, i agree this is a bit bizarre.

DandyLioness · 04/09/2011 15:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Mitmoo · 04/09/2011 15:17

karma I'd be worried for the poor teachers when this parent actually encounters a real problem with a school. Id shudder to have a father who is so out of touch as to fret about the colour of faces on a school logo, to be trying to influence any decisions the school makes.

Seriously OP if your partner thinks this is a problem then "he aint seen nothing yet" when it comes to problems with schools that are nothing to do with race.

My advice would be to let this nonsense go, try to get him to have some perspective on what "isms" are and support the child and the school during their time there. If the child does turn out to have autism, then the support of the school will be invaluable.

If you isolate yourselves now over rubbish, you could find it harder to be taken seriously later.

Cocoflower · 04/09/2011 15:24

"Which is no different really to me choosing to send my son to mainstream school, where he is the minority"

No there is a difference because

  1. You did not see your child being among other children that are disabled as being crucial (perfectly fine)
  2. You accepted all that goes with your decision and accept this

Admittedly I think I am confusing op with someone else- sorry pregnant brain!

Claw3 · 04/09/2011 15:32

Coco, as i said i didnt see the OP say that it was crucial that her child be amoung other children of mixed race? did i miss this post? Confused

Not sure what you mean by i have accepted all that goes with my decision, i expect my son to be included in everything that all the other children do, regardless of disability.

Cocoflower · 04/09/2011 15:37

What I mean is you wont be demanding the school changes the logo to reflect your child in someway as you said before.

SouthernFriedTofu · 04/09/2011 15:41

I think anything darker and the heads wouldn't show up. Beigy doesn't necessarily mean white and if they are going to only depict one family why can't it be that they happen to be white? A whole rainbow of people would be lovely but probably not practical for embroidery purposes and price.

SouthernFriedTofu · 04/09/2011 15:45

Also its probably been said but I suspect this outrage on your dh's part is probably more about other tihngs. If you live in a small white community he might feel he and your child are left out in general, worrying about logos might just be an "obvious" thing you can see in his mind.

Claw3 · 04/09/2011 15:45

Coco, no i wouldnt demand the school change the logo to reflect my child in any way.

But i would have no qualms about demanding that they make reasonable adjustments to accommodate his disability and include him.

Anyhow, we seem to be going around in circles. I didnt agree with your comment about choosing to live in an area where you are in the minority (i cant find a post where the OP said she wasnt happy about this) perhaps we should move on! Smile

Cocoflower · 04/09/2011 15:58

Agreed on most points. If the school accepts a disbabled child they must accomodate to this- the disabled boy in my class 2 years ago was wheelchair bound. He had his own support assistant, in-school physio, access to a diabled toilet and allowance to leave for hospital appointments.

It of course was not always easy for him or staff especially in terms of mobilty issues but everyone accepted this and his parents worked closely with the school and were realistic and sensible with their wishes.

Avantia · 04/09/2011 16:01

perhaps the two 'faceless' people on the logo represent a partnership between the parent or parents or carer of child and school.

An assumption that it represents two parents .

Schooling children should be a partnership between the two and I think your DH is reading too much into it.

If I had a child with autism then that would be my concern at school not the bloody logo !

Cocoflower · 04/09/2011 16:01

Aww now I really miss him after talking bout him... he was such a sweetheart!

Gincognito · 04/09/2011 16:04

This thread's gone a bit pc gorn mad. Depressing.

Claw3 · 04/09/2011 16:12

Coco, schools have to accept children with disabilities, by law they are not allowed to discriminate against a child because of a disability. Agree 100% its about picking your battles, especially if you have a kid with a disability (as the OP might), school logo is most certainly bottom of the list, it wouldnt even make it to the bottom of my list! Are you a teacher?

jazzchickens · 04/09/2011 16:16

If the logo is "everywhere", it is likely to cost the school quite a bit to change it.

Perhaps the school thinks that money is better spent on providing a better quality of education to their pupils.

Cocoflower · 04/09/2011 16:19

Really? The school told me they decided if they could/would accept the child? I dont really know the law tbh so will take your word.

Claw3 · 04/09/2011 16:30

All schools decide whether to accept pupils based on their criteria, but they can?t refuse admission to disabled applicants because they are disabled.

Cocoflower · 04/09/2011 16:32

Oh I see what the school meant I researched the policy.In our council the SAT can decide that if a child has very complex physical needs (such as this pupil) the school may have limited access/inappropiate equipment so unable to take the child; but if the school agree to admit the pupil and is granted funds to improve maximum acess & support then the school will become wholly suitable.

insanityscatching · 04/09/2011 16:33

Dd's school is a predominantly white school but her school logo featuring children playing round a tree depicts children of varying skin tones. Never thought about it before though and only noticed when I looked carefully as they are hung up ready for school. Do people actually notice such detail? I could have described the logo roughly but wouldn't have known that the tree is an apple tree or what the children were doing tbh.

Original poster
weakestlink · 04/09/2011 16:34

Thanks for everyone's comments.

Just to say, if we got q place at this school we would definately send DS there even though DH is not keen on the logo. I was just trying to see if anyone shared his opinion or had any useful thoughts on the matter.

He would not try and get it changed - he would not say boo to a goose! I can't remember him "pulling the race card" since I've known him so to those who have said quite nasty things I think they are unfounded.

I've already said this but he didn't even suggest the family be changed to a black family as this would be absurd in our mainly White locality but he just thought they could have left out "race" completely by makin the family green or blue like they have left out sex by making them hairless/faceless.

We live where we do because my elderly mother lives here and it's where I grew up. DH often encounters what I call "unintentional" racism (usually the elderly) and just shrugs it off.

I have mentioned to him the possibility of getting involved in the school, teaching the children about his culture etc and he said that was def something he'd be interested in :)

Probably won't even get a place!

OP posts: