To think I should be able to express a desire to not want to send my child to the local school which has more than 95% asian children and not be called a racist!

[Sails]

The school is a few minutes walk away from me but I have no intention of sending my children there. Most classes there isn't a single white child in it especially the younger end of the school. The other nearest school is about a 25 minute walk away. It has a 50% mix have absolutely no problem with that whatsoever. I have asian neighbours and even they don't even send their Reception child to the local school. Told my hairdresser that I don't want to send my child to x school and she said "thats a bit racist!" Told my neighbour and she too was shocked and said I am probably the least racist person she knows!

edam - we deliberately send both DS1 and DS2 to school where there are almost no boys. It is a hugely positive experience.

When I was in the 6th form we went from being an all boys school to a mixed school and the new girls enjoyed it - it was us boys in the majority that found it difficult to adjust to. Indeed DS1 and DS2 have found that the girls in the 95% majority at their school found it a bit of a shock too.

With regards the OPs issue - I would say the quality of the teaching and the Ofsted report is crucial. If that is rubbish then the ethnic mix of pupils is irrelevant. I would not send my kids to the school either.

But where on earth does the OP get the idea that white children would necessarily be better at English or more culturally integrated into English society?

Surely an awful lot of the most recent immigrants are Polish and Russian- they may be white, but that doesn't automatically teach them English. Otoh many Asian families have lived here for generations.

I think what got people incensed was the distinctions white- nonwhite, as if skin colour told anything useful in this context.

In ds's school most of the children are white to look at, doesn't mean they speak English.

There CAN be issues about being in with a group of children who are ethnically very different. Someone I know had a daughter at a grammar school with lots of Asian girls, bright, popular young women. However, very few of them were allowed out to go round to friends' houses after school or at weekends, their parents didn't like that kind of informal socialising.

How RACIST!!!! When I went to school it was 99% white so does that mean I shouldnt go there?????

HOw dare you come on here and ask such a stupid question.

YABVU and are completely racist.

onestonetogo - what is HINDU food???? Most Hindu's are vegetarian so I'm guessing you mean VEGETARIAN food????

Does that make white people who are vegetarians - HINDU?????

"(I went to a girl's high school that started to take boys in the sixth form - there were two boys and 60+ girls in my year. Always thought it must have been very strange for them - wouldn't choose that for ds. Although both the lads were very nice and didn't seem terrified or anything.) "

Edam, I was one of 6 girls in my year at an (almost) all boys school that took girls in sixth form - it was fab!

This is a bit of an AIBU by stealth, is it not? Most people are happy enough with Sails' later comments about the language issues, but the OP didn't really mention any of that, hence the instant responses.

Sails, I actually support your stance on this one. I worked in a college where the population were 90% Asian. They had a shared common language which the students used ruthlessly to exclude and bully students of other races and cultures. It was incredibly isolating for students to not understand the jokes that ran around the class or be able to join in the conversations outside the class. Because there was a critical mass of students with the same mother tongue, theirs was the language used in the playground and they were never forced to communicate in English in the way students in a mixed community school would. As a result, the level of English both from the Asian and the other students suffered greatly.

It was also appaling to watch the way girls were treated because of cultural and religious pressures. As a female teacher I found most of my students found it difficult to take anything I said seriously. They would check anything I said with a male teacher before they accepted it. It was done unconsciously, I don't blame them for that, it was deeply ingrained by their culture, but I would not like my daughter exposed to that culture of constant patronising and belittlement.

Well quite, SGB. It's not a problem in our school which is similarly mixed, but the one I rejected was almost monoracial.

In fact, I think the divisions in our school fall along class- rather than race- lines on the whole and they are pretty firm, unless one actively tries to breach them.

ditto wot Slug said.

Tis a very personal thing tho and I have almost fallen out with friends over choice of school, it all gets a bit mad really.

YANBU imo.

Sorry, forgot to add, like Slug, I have taught in schools with an Asian majority. It can be very isolating for those who arent especially with the social side outside school.

I am sure there are lots of parents out there who what ever their ethnic or cultural background, given a choice they would prefer their child to be educated with children of a similar ethnic or cultural background - so I think dismissing this issue as racist is not helpful to the OP or many of the responding posters.

It is truly awful for anyone to feel discriminated against for what ever reason and in an ideal world many of us would like an integrated society.

However, look at the rising number of faith schools - of all faiths. There are probably as many who would like their children to make friends with and be taught in a manner that interprets their own cultural background.

No body wants their child to feel different from their peers, but unfortunately this can easily happen if they are in the minority. It is up to us as parents to help support our children in their self confidence and to value difference, but we cannot be there for them through out the school day.

sorry can;t finish this... got to dash.

I don't think you are being racist. If you want your DC to go to a school where the mix of childern is more varied then good for you. I can totally understand where you are coming from. Totally agree with bunny3.

"HOw dare you come on here and ask such a stupid question."
HOw dare YOU come on here with such a high and mightly teacher's tone, NewTeacher.
There again, a reasoable teacher wouldn;t use the word STUPID.
The OP can ask what she likes whether you like the question or not.
I agree with the OP. I wouldn't send my child to a school that was 95 per cent Asian either. The religious teaching would probably be different to the way I want him to be taught, not to mention the entire culture of the school. But more than that, he would most likely feel left out.
Call me what you like; I'm not offended by labels.

YANBU, as all the intelligent posts above show. Who would want their child to be the odd one out, for whatever reason?

Their is confusion, I think, between 'racial' and 'cultural'. If it was only the children's racial background that was the issue (i.e. they were third generation immigrants of another colour) then it would be racist to not want your child to associate with them. But if the main reasons are cultural ones, e.g. language, cultural norms like playdates, food, religion, etc., then that's another matter.

We all just want our children to be happy, don't we?

Do those crying racism actually live in an area as described by Sails? Would they be prepared themselves to send their precious darlings to a school similar to the one described by Sails?

I thought not....

Their is should be There is.
Oh god, I'll never be allowed to post on Pedants' Corner again...

Our experience is that our local primary is racially and culturally mixed - over 20 different languages spoken - and it is going to be a great experience for DD1. Am very happy about that aspect.

But further away there is another school which is very pakistani-muslim dominated - 97% English as a second language. The primary language in the playground is Urdu. I am not racist but I would not send DD1 there. I think she would struggle. Maybe I am being ignorant, I'm not sure, but that is how I feel about it.

Thankfully this school will be merged with our local primary and I think it will achieve a better cultural balance for all the children.

So YANBU - but I would be more careful how you talk to people about this issue as it is a complex one.

I can see Sails point. My ds is too young for me to be thinking seriously about this yet (18mo) but a concern I have about our local school is that its catchment draws from an area heavily populated with immigrants, many of whom (and this is the key point) have very poor English.

Ny concern is that the poor language skills of these children will absorb the larger proportion of teaching resource and that average kids will recieve a smaller share of stretched resource that I'd like.

Racism has nothing to do with it - its the language skills that are my concern.

In how many classes are the asian or black children the odd one out?! Why is it such a problem for the white child to be the odd one out? I find this thread very offensive and although I understand maybe parents don't want their children to be the odd one out, it seems that they think there is one rule for white children and one for anybody else. God knows what I will do with my mixed race children - perhaps scour the borough looking for a class that has mixed race children so THEY won't be the odd ones out!

I would have thought that in this day and age people would be a little more open to other cultures. Not sure WTF 'hindu' food is supposed to be! Either way, if it is no beef, or even if it is vegetarian, it's hardly going to be detrimental! Same goes for halal.

my white dd went to a school where she was one of only two white children. The rest were mostly south Indian and black. She got invited to parties etc. She made lots of friends, learned to appreciate different cultures, and as they learned english, she learned tamil! It wasn't the best school educationally, but it was in an area with high immigration rates, and it did have a lot to deal with. I firmly believe though, that schooling isn't all about SATs results, but also about personal developement and learning to get along with others. Something that some of the posters on this thread could do with.

The other statement that 'asians don't do playdates' is another stupid generalisation. Some people are racist, from whatever background, and they will inflict that on children. Some white people don't do playdates. dd has had plenty of playdates with asian friends. She now goes to a predominantly white school, and her best friend is Indian. She has had plently of playdates there.

And also the fact that if your child is well and truly reading at 4 or 5, and his contempories are still learning to even speak the langauage, he's going to be bored isn't he?

One in seven children at school nowadays have English as a second language, and in places like Boston, Lincolnshire, in some schools, more than 50% have children who don't speak English...

Chops, I would prefer my children didn't eat halal food actually from an animal welfare perspective.

"the belief that each race or ethnic group possesses specific characteristics, abilities, or qualities that distinguishes it as inferior or superior to another such group."

The Oxford English Dictionary definition of the word racism.

So those of you who can't wait to jump aboard you PC high horse and squawk "you're racist" at the first opportunity, get yourself educated on the meaning of the word first.

At least though most children are like sponges, and will hopefully pick up English really quickly. The Ofsted report for one of our local schools did make the point that while a lot of the children start off below average (merely because they don't speak English at home, no reflection on their academic abilities), they do very quickly "catchup", and I would like to think that the vast majority of parents are supportive of the children's efforts to integrate!

In how many classes are the asian or black children the odd one out?!

I don't see how this is relevant.
If their parents are happy with their child being the odd one out, then so be it.

Lots of us would not want to put our child in that situation and if we have another option we will use it.