School "Culture Day' - why didn't school see this coming?

[mids2019]

https://www.joe.co.uk/news/school-issues-statement-after-sending-girl-home-for-wearing-union-jack-dress-496690?fbclid=IwY2xjawLkEB9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHmXD4szLMfsqNubbE12kCn_Noe5jb2VGlNFVU0_IUIevHxzByCQ-5GXFN8F8_aem_P-q7I_yFCq82TY-Qr8mGdw

A local school state d a huge debate by sending a girl home on school culture day for wearing a union Jack dress. The question is why the school should have naively held an event which actually least a to more division than unity?

My daughter (white British) attended a similar event, for which she paid a pound, and dressed in jeans and t shirt. I asked how she had decided upon the attire and she stated 'well I don't have a culture'. I then had to explain that she did have a culture and even the jeans and t shirt were a product of fashion changes in western liberal society. We had a discussion about all the great products of white British culture, the music,science, results of the industrial revolution, shared experience in great wars, monarchy etc.

There is a white British culture but going into detail about this obviously brings into focus cultural divide and opens up divisive areas whether white British culture benefited from colonialism and past oppression.

Of course culture day probably was meant to highlight minority cultures and act to promote dress etc. from ethnic minorities as a welcoming inclusive gesture but by allowing all pupils to think about their culture we have to define 'white British' culture and by defining 'white British' culture schools have inadvertently started a discussion they didn't intend.

Honestly there needs to be a total reset on what our schools are for. I was a Primary teacher for many years. I tried to encourage kindness and tolerance in all my pupils. That’s basically all teachers can try to do. Schools cannot and should not be responsible for addressing all of societies perceived ‘issues’. They should get back to what they were intended for. The teaching and learning of pupils. Stuff bloody ‘Culture Days’. What’s wrong with an annual Summer Fete? I agree with a PP who said that a lot of current SLT’s in schools are in thrall to this shit.

It’s not.

Ah, I misunderstood. Agree with you there.

No straight A’s today for my comprehension skills!

You’re forgetting the best

Where are you getting this information from? And does it date to before the incident at the school?

I don't for a second believe that it is only about a child wearing a dress. But there's no need for the speech to part of the media reports at all, given nobody asked her to read or write it. Not being able to give the speech isn't evidence of anything so there's no mean to whinge about it.

Her writing was fine. Probably not what the pp wants to hear but then the dress isn’t wanted either.

Exactly. It’s rubbishing yet another flag without basis.

Hand on heart-tell the truth and shame the devil. Does that speech sound like a very clever 12 year old’s unaided work?

I disagree with you entirely.

The school said in the info about the culture day "Your attire must reflect your nationality or family heritage". She's British.

The Cornish flag is the flag of St Piran, the patron saint of tinners. He arrived on our shores at Perranporth after having floated over on a stone from Ireland, so the legend goes.

I wouldn't go so far as trying to incorporate it onto the Union flag (though the annexation of Cornwall to England was never formally ratified), but it is a bit of an injustice that the Welsh dragon isn't on there at all, simply because of Henry VIII's Acts of Union.

Ok, lets go with the politically motivated stunt.

So what was the political motivation?

To demonstrate how British culture is part of the diversity in Britain and should be recognised as such alongside the other heritage cultures in Britain.

If so, there is nothing wrong with that.

Sounds fine. I think you’re looking for stuff that isn’t there generally.

@TheCrenchinglyMcQuaffenBrothersasks directly on your claims

The letter says the students should wear something to represent their cultural heritage.
Referencing the Union Jack and British pop culture seems pretty bang on.

When my kids were younger, at DC's school for International Day they were asked to come in wearing traditional dress. There would have only been 3 or 4 kids in a class with 2 white British parents/4 white British grandparents, including my DC. I felt awkward. My dad suggested going as a Beefeater - totally not my heritage - serf or peasant would be more like it. In the end we just went with red, white and blue flag coloured clothes.

@XDownwiththissortofthingX

The British did pass on tea to other cultures- Aussies drink a fair amount of tea which is an import from the British.

Though political history is fascinating. Battles, kings, mistresses (ok, not mistresses - favourites maybe?), discoveries. That people from poor backgrounds could struggle through and rise e.g Faraday, who was a blacksmith's apprentice (I know, high-end working class!).
Social history can be a bit dull for children - it often lacks colour until you reach maybe 14 or so. Studying economic and social history for A level made me a socialist. I still like the banners and the drums of battle - even though I know the wounds inflicted, the following sack etc are dreadful, and should also be taught. Knowing what happened during the sack of Rome in c.1526 explains why we now have rules around war and that even if they are broken at least we try to stop the horrors as much as we can, unlike during a Carthaginian sack (women raped to death, babies thrown alive into burning buildings, ditto children, after being raped, of course), the Vikings turning up at dawn etc. And don't someone up and say I am saying modern warfare is ok - obviously it is not. War is never 'ok'.

To be honest, it does seem like the dad is a Tommy Robinson type.

However it needs to be remembered that TR and similar wouldn't have gained such traction if British culture hadn't become (in the words of a PP) "such an embarrassment". People who are confident and happy in their own communities and cultures are generally not as threatened by others. Part of this is because of mobility and urbanisation, meaning that many places haven't made the effort to hang onto their own traditions and festivals. It's really sad.

The school has really fucked up.

Also @XDownwiththissortofthingX

Curry isn’t unique to one specific south Asian country, does that disqualify people from India, for example, from saying that traditional curry is part of their culture and heritage?

Equally sushi is not unique to Japan as it is also a huge part of Korean culture. So would you say the Japanese can’t refer to sushi as part of their heritage and culture?

I think you are being deliberately obstinate with the point you are trying to make about the cultural significance of tea in the UK and the part it has played with British heritage

As a Scottish person I actually feel sympathy for white English people on these culture days. No one gets offended by Scottish, Irish or Welsh flags but if you stick union flags or St George’s flags on things, it’s a problem in the eyes of certain people. It’s ridiculous.

I'd love to hear the school's real take on this.

It seems like such an overreaction to a something that, let's face it, many people's mind would go to if they had to think of something 'cultural' for being English/British. I mean, we don't have an official national dress so it's reasonable to turn to the flag.

I can't help thinking the kid may have previous for 'Farage' type commentary in school. Maybe there were already underlying 'Nationalistic' tendencies that the school didn't want stirring up on Culture day. Her 'essay' took a bit of a turn for the Reform at the end, I thought. A tad goady. Like she was taken the opportunity of Culture Day to have a dig.

I do feel for the Head, whatever happened. She's being publicly hunted on SM and it wasn't even her who made the decision, from what I've heard (I live in the area).

The kid and the Dad are enjoying their 5 minutes in the spotlight, for sure and, as we predicted when we first heard about this via our local paper a few days back, the usual suspects of the Daily Fail, The Express, GB News et al are all frothing at the mouth over it. Next stop a statement from 20p Lee or Tommy Robinson.

As an aside, I would point out that they weren't the only local school to do this last week. DS's did too and it was fine. Lots of kids in football shirts, eating Jollof and Jerk and having a merry old time.

And honestly, we DID have the conversation about what he was going to wear to represent English culture. Would we have let him wear a shirt covered in the flag? We didn't suggest it, but I don't think so. It all comes back to the 'Nationalists stole our flag' argument, for me. I don't want to wear it or fly it but that doesn't make this country any less 'mine' than those who do.

You are the one that seems to be missing the point here.

The views of the child’s parents are completely irrelevant. The school issued a brief for culture day. Her family read it, understood it and dressed their daughter accordingly.

The child was punished when she had done nothing wrong. That is the point.

I mean, I grew up in a house where the flag is called the “Butcher’s apron” and I still wouldn’t ban a kid from wearing it to school. Used to dream of owning a Geri dress though I think my parents would have had a fit.

However I am suspicious both of the dad’s political allegiances and the implications of the speech. I suspect this is not his first dealings with the school on cultural issues. Does he have previous for, say, kicking off in the school WhatsApp about Diwali celebrations? Something just does not sit right, it seems too perfectly designed to get idiotic reformers in a froth.

Call me a cynic but there is more to this.

I’m also Scottish and completely agree.

Schools can deal with any incidents that arise, although you’re imagining this about a 12 year old girl without any proof.

Wearing a dress as asked is not punishable.