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!

I would not want my child to be in a school where their culture was not the culture of the school as a whole.

When they learn history, I would like them to learn the history of England (as well as the rest of the world of course). When they talk about cultural traditions, I would like them to talk about mine, whilst still learning about others.

I would like them to have a strong sense of the community that they live in and that they are part of that community.

This issue has nothing to do with colour or ethnicity. It has everything to do with a feeling of belonging.

Smallorange, my colleague actually moved her children from predominantly white "middle class" school to a much more diverse one for exactly that reason. She is Jewish and wanted her children to grow up in an environment that reflected modern day Brussels, a city where 25% of the population are originally from somewhere else.

I'm with Gateau on this one. I suspect that a lot of people quick to hurl accusations of racism would be uncomfortable if they had to deal with the reality of putting their child into a school where their children would be in an ethnic and cultural minority. The majority of people don't have to deal with this, so it's easy to be self-righteous about it. There are often a lot of other local issues which come up in inner-city areas, none of which are the schools' fault, but which cannot help but impinge on school choice. E.g. locally to me there have been several shootings in streets right next to primary schools in the last few years, sometimes during the day whilst schools are in session. I'm not comfortable with that either! DH and I like our local area and are very happy here, but we will be moving out before DS starts school because there are things you choose for yourself as an adult, and not all of them are fair to inflict on your children. If anyone thinks that makes me a racist, well, tough.

YANBU.

We had (or thought we had) a similar issue in that the closest primary school to us is 98% EAL. That means of the 400 kids there, there are 8 kids who speak English as thier first language. The 98% are probably all Punjabi and probably Muslim - but I have never checked (although I do know that there had been talk of turning the school into a state Muslim school which has been rejected).

As it happens, when we went to enrol ds in that school and put in the placing request for the school we did want (which is the Scottish system), we found out we were in the catchment for the other school all along (a strange, gerrymandered dogsleg shape of a catchment)

Before I get accused of being racist, the school ds is at (the one that we found out was our catchment school afterall) is still over 60% "ethnic minorities" of which the majoirty are Punjabi Muslim but also include arabs, Russians, Sikh. There is a very high proportion of English as an Additional Language - but that does also mean lots of addtional support.

The school has an excellent reputation - it uses its extra resource brilliantly with lots of team taching and is frequnetly cited as an exemplar of bast ptractice (I know 'cos I had to researcch the whole issue of EAL resource last year to respond to proposed changes in the way EAL resource was allocated which would have meant it was centralised). It helped develop the anti-racist policy and teaching pack that is now used across the council.

You have to go by the bigger picture.

Salme101, I agree with you 100%. I live in a similar area to the one described by Sails, and nearly all my friends have moved away because of sub-standard schooling. We're still in the area, but send DS1 to an independent school. It is far from ideal, but we are moving ourselves next week.

While the area is changing, it is sad that alot of people who do have the opportunity to move on don't stay, the cycle of sub-standard schools just continues....

And that's just the primary schools, the secondary schools are even more of a disgrace...

"The majority of people don't have to deal with this, so it's easy to be self-righteous about it." Absolutley! The voice of reason, Salme!

If the OP had come on and said, AIBU not to want my kids to go to school with a load of because I think they're all disgusting, that would have been racist. As it was, it was just a mother worried about her kids well being.

I think there are going to be a lot of questions about this subject and others, including mass immigration, over the next year or so as things become even tougher.

If, every time, the subjects come up, those who raise concerns are shouted down as racists, the debate cannot be carried out in a serious fashion. Which leaves the door wide open for the morons in the BNP to spread their filthy views.

What if a black parent came on here not wanting their child to go to a school where the majority of children were white because "It doesn't represent my culture"?

I am far from racist but i do think there needs to be a more equal balance in schools. I will probably end up appealing to get ds1 into his chosen secondary school but i refuse point blank to send him to the next closest which is the local acadamy...well it is now, it used to be the school where children who were excluded from other schools were sent.

I do not want ds1 going through anymore school years where he is the minority and the one singled out.

Just want to second abraid.

It is really, really important that we don't have a tick/cross attitude towards questions about race.

For a start, the structures of power that create racism change, so our responses need to be fluid. We need spaces of discussion, where we feel our way towards new questions and new answers.

Also, what is politics without some idea of change? If we believe politics has an element of change to it, that we can change society, change people's opinions, and that the conditions and issues of politics are subject to change as new situations arise, if we believe that then we must have a space for questions.

Stock responses, set in stone, will not help us here. It may give partial comfort but it won't help us to create the society we need and want.

That's why the influx of Eastern European immigrants has been so valuable as it takes colour out of the equation. It is definitely getting more possible to have a discussion about immigration without being immediately accused on being racist.

How is the school in the league tables? Obviously this isn't the whole story as it cannot measure improvement.

I think that at a young age, developing social skills is more important that anything else, so will probably be sending DD and DS to local multi cultural school.

YANBU or racist.

I went to a primary school where I was the only white child in my class (only 3 in the whole school) and I loved it, my sister went to a high school much the same only English was a second language and her education suffered so my mum removed her and sent her to another school.
It is a personal choice thing where you send your children to school.

If I could afford to both mine would be sent to a private school TBH. One is at a church school but my youngest does not want to go there when he moves to high school so we will look for the school to best suit him when the time comes

Maybe she's worried her child will feel excluded? That's a legitimate concern. People are very quick to leap down others' throats on mn. The ones who've leapt the highest and judged the most harshly, are your children the minority at their school or are they typical.

If the mix was slightly closer to fifty:fifty then there wouldn't be any issues. I think it could affect a child's vocabulary being at the same table as children whose parents don't have English as a first language.

I want to send my child to a school where she has the luxury (as a child) of fitting in. That's not unreasonable as a parent. I find all the flapping and spinning about racism quite misplaced. Racism is in your heart. It's a malicious intent. It's NOT wanting your tiny child to fit right in.

Margot, I agree with you people are far too quick to play to racism card. What happened to my ds1 is a prime example. He has always felt excluded and I can't blame him. They hold history month in his school...black history that is....I always wonder why don't they hold a white history month? and when i voiced this opinion guess what I was told i was racist.

When they had the christmas carol concert 2 years ago only ONE carol was in English the others? Nigerian and one in Spanish.

It is the times we live in I am sad to say, good old racist card played to get your own way.
Despite being a democracy and having free speech if you say something that is not in line with the way the minority want it to be out come the raciest, sexist, ageist, sizist or whatever card.

Everyone has the right to free speech unless you are a white heterosexual Christian, in which case you are satans spwan and having a go at everyone else.

I would like to sat I am proud to be English, but not allowed to, no big party in London for St Georges day, I would like to say I am straight and proud, but I don't get to march through Brighton,I would like to say how great my church is but alas I am not too for fear of upsetting someone else's faith, I think marriage is the corner stone of families and should be encouraged, but that would be belittling to people who chose to co-habit, I am proud to have a job and I think everyone should pay their own way in life, but sadly no one wants to accept responsibility for their lives now and the benefit culture is growing, but woe betide anyone who says scroungers should not be tolerated. (And I do not mean people who really need the help, I mean the ones who play the system).

Sadly the voice of reason has been drowned out by the liberal do gooders, and the unscrupulous people who shout racist to get their own way.

Sad world really, yes people should be treated the same, positive discrimination is an evil thing as much as any other sort, it is not right to give someone a head start/ job/ house whatever based on colour, faith,sex, any more then it is right not too, but that has been lost sight of.

Thank you to all those who said ianbu! And by the way although I said that about 5% will be non-asian or white (can't remember if I said that or not tbh) I know that most will be eastern european who start school speaking little or no English. I know this because the latest ofsted report mentions this specifically and it said the number of eastern european children attending the school is rising. As I know the area that does make sense. Therefore I do think this further complicates everything as in eighteen months (when ds1 will be starting school) things may have changed regarding the racial mix but my educational concerns will still be there iyswim? Also some people who yanbu still think I should keep my views to myself as if I should be ashamed of myself why if I am not racist?

"I always wonder why don't they hold a white history month?"

Becasue every day in our schools is white history day, virtually all traditionally taught history in our schools is from the white perspective and about white events. WHy shouldn't schools form time to time focus on a differnt perspective, it does childrne good to realise there is a differnt view than the mainstream one.

Not wanting your child to feel "differnt" in school is understandable, however most chidlrne who aren;t white don;t have the luxury of not feeling differnt unless they live in a major city - if they can cope I'm sure your DD will too. What do you think will happen if she goes to school with entirely non-white children?

As for not being able to celebrate St Geoarges day - what bollocks. Go ahead if you want to, no-one says you can;t. In fact the reason most people don;t is not any degree of political correctness but becuas either:

a) they can't be arsed
b) it was hijacked by the BNP who take every opportunity to bang on about how the poor white community are so badly treated

MOst of the white majority in this country wouldn;t know what real prejudice feels like unless it bit them on the arse (and it won;t).

Its not political correctness, we don't need to fight for anything, we are the lunatics running this asylum!

FWIW - I think it is racist to say to don;t want your DD to go to a school with other non-white children. But not if you say you don;t want her to go to a school wehre say more than 50% don;t speak competent English.

Saying " there isn't a single white child in it " is judging people for the colour they are. You could say to me "we will not play with your DS because he is not white" at what %age of non-white/white ratio does it become acceptable to you?

Why would a class of my DS cloned be a problme for your DD? He is a bright funny little boy who happens not to be white.

It might be legitimate to choose a mixed ethnicity school if you are a minority race because otehrwise your children don't get to mix with anyone who looks even vaguely like them, normally white children even in a predominantly non-white school have plenty of white friends and are surrounded by white role models on TV and film, extended family etc.

I have never said that about my ds and I do intend to send him to a school with at least a 50% mix (I expect it will be more in 18 months time when he starts!) Please reread the thread!

It is easy to be perfect and non judgemental on an internet forum but choosing a school for your child is a big thing and no matter what anyone says we do judge by looking around at teh others and seeing where we 'fit' in teh mix.If you don't feel that for whatever reason it is offputting. I definitely would be looking for families like mine in some way and discounted on school we viewed because all the little boys were wearing football shirts !

your OP says very clearly that the problem is that the class does not have white childrne in it. You may have phrased if differnetly later but if you have said that to people like your hairdresser then thats why they think you are being racist.

It simple if you thin people are differnt because they are a differnt colour it is racist. If you subsequently try to qualify it by using differnt criteria I'm afraid the first comment will still make people inclined to think you're racist.

I have no view on whether you are or not, but if you phrased things to your hairdresser and friends as you phrase the OP then yes, they will think you are racist.

your OP says very clearly that the problem is that the class does not have white childrne in it. You may have phrased if differnetly later but if you have said that to people like your hairdresser then thats why they think you are being racist.

It simple if you thin people are differnt because they are a differnt colour it is racist. If you subsequently try to qualify it by using differnt criteria I'm afraid the first comment will still make people inclined to think you're racist.

I have no view on whether you are or not, but if you phrased things to your hairdresser and friends as you phrase the OP then yes, they will think you are racist.