what impact does a social environment have on a child?

[emy72]

I'm interested in this as we are in this situation at the moment but I'm yet to see the impact of it medium term.

What I mean is, if your child is mainly the odd one out socially, does it matter at primary? Some examples: the only non white child in a class, the only middle class child in a class or the only working class child in a middle class environment, etc etc

My child is going to be in more than one of those categories and although I try not to worry about it I am wondering if people think it will have an impact.......? Like most parents I would have much preferred a mixed environment, but unfortunately it isn't at all and I do worry about it. (It's a state school by the way, so I haven't inflicted it upon myself so to speak).

Your OP is very subjective and I guess people are gonna give you all sorts of different answers depending on their own personal circumstances and where they live.

Where I live being the only non-white child in a class happens, about one child per class is non-white and they fit in just fine. Yes, sometimes there is stupid name-calling but this is quickly dealt with, after all, racism is one of the few things children can be permenantly excluded for.

Middle class/working class - well I have never come across any schools where all the children bar one belong to a certain social class. The MAJORITY of the children may be middle or working class, but by no means all.

In my experience the only children who stand out are those children at catholic schools who come from lone parent families - not because it's frowned upon, but because it is so unusual.

Saying this as someone who was bullied in school (and I fit none of the categories, I was just a 'weirdo').
If your child goes into the school from reception, and if they have a solid circle of their own friends from early on, the types of differences you cite are irrelevant. Child will be fine.

But those differences make much MORE difference if your child moves into a new school in Yr3 or above, when these things might be less tolerated/not be taken for granted/be more noticed by all.

I've encountered a bit of a problem along these lines with DS1 who's 9. Though he's in exactly the same school as the younger one, his classmates are practically all from what you might term blue collar backgrounds. We are having to be a bit evasive and careful about discussing the secondary school option publicly because his mates parents would see it as a slur on their willingness to send their DC to the local secondary regardless of whether it suits their DC or not. DS has learned to keep it under wraps until they HAVE to know!

But DS2, 7, most of his classmates are from much more aspirational families who pick my brains endlessly about the pros and cons of the schools we have visited.

The 'issue' may come when and if DS1 suddenly decides to make a song and dance about wanting to go to the same school as the others. It's so easy to be seen as snobbish when what you're trying to do is to select a school that will meet your own DCs needs- which may well not be the local one!

I was the only m/c child in my primary class- it wasn't a problem at all.
Actually, I was the only m/c child in my form at secondary school too. Did get a few jibes there for being posh, but nothing serious tbh.