Considering sending my child to a predominantly South Asian school

[billiegoat]

Our local primary school (in a very predominantly White Home Counties town) is probably the only school with a South Asian ethnic majority. I'd say 70% of the children are South Asian. I really like the school and we could walk there so I think it will be the one for us.

I wondered if there was anything I needed to consider in terms of culture and inclusivity etc.

For example - will the other mums be open to getting to know me (white British) and forming friendships?

Will there be play dates and birthday parties?

Anything else I should consider?

Sorry if this sounds ignorant or rude - I don't mean to at ALL - just want to make the right choice. I think I felt a bit worried during the show around being the only white British mum that we might be a bit left out...!

Thanks so much for all the response

Just about to read through!

I was part of the foreign majority when my DC were at primary school, by that I mean 33% of the children were from my country, 25% other countries and the rest British.

There is no exclusion « on purpose » but playdates for example were a social occasion for us as well, we would have 3-4 mums each with 1-2 children and would do playground or play/dinner at eachothers houses after school. As an adult it is way more relaxing to not have to speak a foreign language - which we would have done if even 1 english speaking parent was there - and for the children it was also an occasion to practice our language.

The school is predominantly south Asian and a few Arabs and Africans. It is diverse as South Asian covers so many countries India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka.

I know your child’s school is diverse and I grew up in South Asia so I know it isn’t one big country but OP was saying that the parents on the look round were speaking to each other in the same language which sounds like it might not be parents from different countries.I have worked in a school where over 90% of the girls were from a Bangladeshi background. Excellent school but is not very diverse.

Why do you want to be immersed. It's for your kid not you

The language thing may, or may not, be a red herring. You haven't said the size of the group or the length of the conversation or if you could infer what was being said. Eg if it was a full on conversation that could be about anything or if it was almost certainly polite comments about the classrooms/displays.

It's generally considered a good thing to speak additional languages and does take work to practice it.

You probably need to speak to the school and ask them how they ensure that all children have chance to integrate and participate in school life. The answer to that will tell you a lot about the ethos of the school.

Think in advance if there are any celebrations which are important to you and see if they are mentioned. If not ask if the school does anything for them.

Depending on how the conversation goes you could also ask if it is likely to be a problem for your DC that they don't speak the majority language and the answer to that could be illuminating.

It would be fabulous if your child learnt to speak one of the South or West Asian languages. I've known white British children to do this perfectly happily (admittedly their parents spoke a couple of European languages, so they weren't afraid of languages). So much cultural enrichment, so many future work opportunities. Don't project too much...if you're open to mums who do things differently you'll make a new set of friends.

@Chipsandcheeseandgravy

None of her friends are allowed to hang out at all? You mean absolutely none of their parents would let them hang out after school whether it's outside/at the park or even at their homes? That's beyond strict, that's abusive.