Racism / diversity at Marlborough College

[FedupMom2035]

Considering send my children to Marlborough College and wondering about diversity?

How much diversity are you expecting when 97%are already excluded on basis of parents not earning enough, may be diversity of skin colour perhaps religion but certainly not background

It is not massively diverse for sure.

It does have a very decent bursary programme and is aiming to have 10% of children on bursaries within the next 8 or so years which will impact diversity from a socio economic perspective at least.

I live in Marlborough and over the years I have noticed an increase in students of colour. In that way it’s probably more diverse than the town and the state school. But it’s not a diverse place at all, and very little apparent diversity in the staff.

The title says 'Racism/diversity.... so why do you think they're talking about parental earning? one of the attractions of private schooling for ethnic minorities is breadth of racial diversity you get from children from all over the world coming there as opposed to the monotone of state schools, depending on where you live.

@FedupMom2035 My DDs boarded and the schools can have quite a lot of diversity. Sports scholars, other scholars, bursary holders and international students might be diverse ethnically and racially. Some very rich, others not. Few boarding schools are all white.

@LadeOde racial diversity is only one type of diversity, a private school may have racial diversity but otherwise many of the other factors will not be diverse at all, just like a group of consultant surgeons may have diverse skin tones they are all surgeons all in top 5-10% of earners well educated etc they are diverse in one aspect it is not a truly diverse group across society.

The local school will almost certainly have greater diversity perhaps not always in ethnic origins but certainly in class, income levels, educational attainment, SEN disabilities, parental occupations etc but there are very few state secondary schools where everyone's parents are high earners some schools will of course have less on FSM than others but their parents will not all be higher rate tax payers

true diversity is diversity in many things , sometimes unfortunately when people speak of diversity they mean people like us with similar jobs, income, houses, values, education and political beliefs but just a different skintone

It’s not necessary to have “full” diversity in a school. Many grammars don’t. It’s more about making friends but from what I’ve seen it’s not great to rely on “people like you”. It’s a very narrow outlook.

They are on Facebook and Instagram and also have a website. The admissions team also could answer any questions. You probably won't get a decent answer on here. I don't think diversity should come into it when choosing a school. I recommend going to some open days and your child will get a idea if they like it. I believe they are very selective and it's not down to skin colour not saying your comment is about that but many elite white people also find it hard to get into if that makes sense from the best schools.

@Mumznetty My DDs boarded. I do know who attended their school!

Of course 'racial diversity' is only one type, that's what is being pointed out to you, and you're repeating the same thing back but at the same time arguing diversity of income levels is the only 'true diversity'. Are you an ethnic minority? because you don't seem to get the implication of being in a non racially diverse school at all.
When you're an ethnic minority, racial diversity matters to you more for a whole host of reasons and its not up to you to decide for @OP what they should prioritise.

Bryanston have a DEI prefect (diversity, equity and inclusion) which I haven’t heard of in many schools

All British boarding schools have a diverse range of nationalities, in part because a British education is desirable and in part because very few British people can afford the fees. Consequently their student body tends to be more diverse than the U.K. as a whole.

Given the above, focus on what it is that you like about Marlborough. Have you visited? Has your child visited? Have you compared it with any other schools?

Your use of the word racism in your title is quite alarming. I wonder if you could ask to edit it, as you haven’t made any accusations of racism and appear not to have children at the school.

Well, Marlborough may not be as "diverse" as some schools but it certainly takes to heart the fear of possibly offending... pretty much anyone. Rest in peace, Mr. Wright.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15303313/remarks-Marlborough-College-teacher-lost-job-killed-himself.html

Marlborough is very popular amongst those that we know

However…when we visited we were not at all impressed. In fact we came away thinking it would be a terrible choice for us.

The headmistresses speech was generic and uninspiring, the pupils we encountered were irritating and unimpressive and the housemaster we met gave us cause for concern.

We were shocked actually as when we arrived we were very excited and had no inkling that any of this was about to transpire. We looked at many different schools (including a few less glamorous or aspirational reputations than Marlborough)

Although we came away non-plussed (uninspired) with those other schools, Marlborough was the only one we had a strong negative reaction towards.

We immediately discounted it, yet for friends of ours, it’s their No1 choice by a long way. One family we know was utterly distraught that they got waitlisted for Marlborough rather than accepted.

As with all these schools the best thing to do is go and see for yourself. That’s the only way to decide if it’s your kind of place or not. You cannot take a positive review or a negative review online and apply it to yourself. Use it as information for sure, but it’s not THE definitive approach.

You have to visit!!!

On the diversity question, as others have pointed out diversity comes in many forms. What kind of diversity are you talking about?

You're clearly on the wrong thread, nobody needs lecturing on what diversity is or isn't or to get drawn into a broader debate on independent education. The OP has asked a fair question relating to a specific school, regarding diversity of ethnic/cultural background. If you have direct experience of the school or can add something pertinent relating to the question, please do so, otherwise, kindly move on.

I can’t comment on Marlborough, but on the subject of diversity I have been impressed by Dulwich College. Probably v irrelevant if you’re not in London or if you have a girl.

Not a good look, a short suspension was all that was needed. It was a silly thing to say, but not IMO a sacking offence. They were following the money with the parents, rather than what was the right thing to do. A kind school would have considered the teacher's wellbeing.

It’s essentially a day school though. Almosr all the 10% that are boarders are international, and the day intake just reflects the London demographic, same as any London day school. 🏫

"It was a silly thing to say..."

But, was it? He was telling these students the truth about the countries they were visiting. "No gum (in Singapore), no gays (in Malaysia)." Why is that silly?

@Cornemuse It was silly as no gays can be misconstrued as homophobic.

I wouldn't rely for the truth of this matter on reporting largely from the Daily Mail.

It wasnt the teacher expressing any personal homophobic views, this was a jibe at the local homophobic attitudes. This is a very poor reaction from the school.

I don't think the college have actually commented. Presumably they need to respect the confidentiality of proceedings. Very sad for all involved.

"I wouldn't rely for the truth of this matter on reporting largely from the Daily Mail."

Perhaps you read about it in the Daily Mail but I learned of the story in The Times. Is that a sufficiently trust-worthy source? archive.vn/2Ffw1

Wow…quotes from that Times article on Marlborough:

“They say that the college­ failed to listen to other teachers on the trip who defended Wright and praised his behaviour.

A source close to the family said: “The way John was treated was outrageous. These were not offensive comments. Perhaps you could say they were inappropriate, but they shouldn’t have led to his sacking.”

The source added: “Staff [at Marlborough] are genuinely concerned about their careers. There is a sense of mistrust and fear.”

Sources at the college insisted that Wright was found to have made discriminatory comments, some of them directed at pupils. They said that he was dismissed only after a thorough disciplinary process.

However, a close friend and former colleague claimed that there was a “culture of fear” at the college, and staff were wary of disciplinary action prompted by allegations from pupils, most of whom come from wealthy backgrounds. The friend, who did not want to be named, said: “The pupils are incredibly entitled.”