Making a school more diverse from within.

[SootikinAndSweep]

Quick backstory, our closest school (around the corner) is rated Outstanding and we are very likely to get in to it according to the criteria. Our immediate area is very middle class, and on the open day I saw possibly two non-white children in an intake of 90. The area of the country we live in is very monocultural.

The school we liked the most when visiting was 25 mins walk away at adult pace, we are less likely to get in due to distance and other criteria. This school does have negatives attached to it, namely the distance and the fact that there are two schools and a college next door, so traffic is awful. This school is rated Very Good with a couple of Outstandings.

The reason we prefer the further away school is that it is much more dynamic and fun in feel, and, crucially, more diverse in terms of socio-economic group, religion and ethnicity. I also prefer the HT.

I'm a fan of 'if you don't like something try to change it rather than just moan', so my question is, if we end up at our nearest school, how difficult is it as a parent to make a school more like the one you want?

I don't really understand what you mean. You can't change the admission policy or the people who live near the school. You can have a school where most children are from a white British background which has positive discussions about diversity etc but this isn't really the same as making the school more diverse.

"how difficult is it as a parent to make a school more like the one you want?"

As a parent, pretty much impossible.

I'd choose the school you prefer. There is no harm in putting it first on your list - it won't change your ranking for the closer school. But you need to be very realistic about how much influence a parent will have on a school. You do of course have a huge impact on your children, and they will have a greater impact in the school than you.

I'm not sure you are going to be able to change who goes to a school. If you want your child to go to a more diverse school, you need to send them to one.

You can't do anything about which pupils are admitted - that comes down to entry criteria and in an area you describe as 'monocultural' it will reflect that. The only solution on that count is to move to an area you like better.

In terms of what happens in the school, you would have to ask (and look to see what books/posters/toys/other resources they use and what festivals they mark). What do you actually know about what happens in the school?

You can't, you either make your life difficult by choosing the further away school or accept your DC won't get a wider group of peers until senior school or as, in my case university.

It's no big deal.

Should have been clearer, I'm not suggesting the admissions criteria change, obviously it's not within any school's power to get a more diverse range of families to move into the area!

What I mean was, there were no posters etc on the walls about different religions, only Christianity. This is not a faith school. It felt rather old fashioned, eg in the pretend hospital area there were pictures showing doctors and nurses, with the doctors being male and the nurses being female. The uniform is skirts/dresses for girls and trousers for boys.

So, whilst the demographic is of course unalterable, I wonder if the outlook can be modernised to reflect the contemporary UK (albeit not the bit we live in! )

as a parent, it is hard to get those changes. The best you can do is point it out and suggest the school buys some more modern equipment (posters etc)

You can get change as a supportive and informed parent. I complained about a couple of things and they have changed. But it really depends on the head and how open they are to the change and whether they see it as a problem. eg there is an ongoing constant complaint from parents about late information (evening carol concert next week, 6 days notice your dc must be there type of thing) That still hasn't changed.

I think you can legitimately raise these issues with the school. I'm pretty sure promoting a wide range of diversity is one of the Ofsted criteria. My DD's school is not as diverse as I would like but they still discuss many religions and cultural backgrounds and have materials which reflect all segments of society. I still think it's a shame that there isn't more actual diversity there but they are doing their best to embrace it in other ways.

You can look at the agreed syllabus for teaching RE. This normally incorporates a variety of religions so I doubt if Christianity is the only one. You say you like the other Head - they might leave of course. I think the uniform probably reflects the view of the parents and although you might want something different, the majority may well be happy. I would never have sent my DD to school in trousers - ever! I never looked at every single toy, book, poster either. I did know a good school when I saw one though. You can teach appreciation of diversity yourself and a school will hardly be judged harshly if it is a bit lacking in the PC stakes and only has 2 non-white children. The choice is yours.

''I would never send my dd to school in trousers ever''

[confused}

Why? Are girls not properly dressed in trousers?
Good job you don't have my dd then, She has a serious aversion to tights and as we walk to school every day, I was not prepared to send her in socks and skirts in the middle of winter. She wears trousers everyday.

This year she is in year 4. She has spurned the 'girls' cardigans for a sweatshirt. Is that a problem? Does it represent the lowering of standards in the school?
Are we in 1950s?

Actually OP, if it is a state school and not an academy, at Primary they are not allowed to insist on trousers for boys and skirts for girls, as they are not allowed to insist on uniform at all.

rats

OP, I totally understand why you prefer the other school (which sounds a bit like my dds' primary - I had lots of raised eyebrows when we chose it for dd1, but a few years on I am so glad we did!) and think you should put it first on your list, and see what happens.

If you do get the closest school, I think there are issues there you can challenge - and I would do it by getting involved with the PTA, talking to other parents, and going gently. No good steaming in and trying to change things, but I've found that building relationships and sometimes bridges is a good way to make a difference. Later on, you could always look at being a Parent Governor.

As for no trousers for girls (assuming it's a state school) - eek! Is that even allowed?

Never send your dd in trousers- ever.

What if she asked to? How strange! I think I just went back to the 1950s for a minute!

OP, I think you could have some influence and change things from the inside, if you're the sort of person who is generally good at influencing others in a positive way (good at constructive rather than destructive feedback). You could become a parent governor - that would give you a lot of influence. You could also be active in the PTA, which might give you some influence too, at least over extra-curricular activities. A lot will depend on whether other parents feel the same way or the opposite. If you're able to bring others round to your way of thinking, then you may only be one annual parent survey away from a revolution. You probably won't get a feel for that until you're in the school though, unless you already know lots of the parents already. Also ... is the Head close to retirement? A change in leadership can make a big difference, and if you're a parent governor you would probably be involved in the recruitment of a new head.

I have to say, we had the choice of 2 schools, about equal distance to walk, and they were about the same as your 2, one very conservative middle class, the other very mixed intake, very lively and great atmosphere, more multi-cultural.

We chose the more interesting school, and haven't regretted it.

25 minutes is a long way to walk when you are 5 and tired after a long day, but bikes and scooters help.

Heads do change, which applies to both schools.

if you put the further school first on your form, and then you don't get in because you're too far away, you then get considered for your second choice as if it was your first choice, so you have nothing to loose by putting the further school first and the closer school second.

I would be careful of thinking it possible to change things.. People who are informed are choosing that 'monocultural' school for a reason, or like yourself, are considering their other options for the same reasons. Chances are if they are there, they probably like a few things about it..
The amount of time you have to spend at the school being involved & on the PTA to have a voice will be significant - people devote a decade of their 'lives' to that type of thing & they don't like to move on too easily, especially as they gain more influence.
Look at who is on the PTA, find out what their interests are. Is it a mixed age group of vibrant modern mummies {& daddies??}Or is it the same group of people seeing the last of their kids graduate, and haven't had a new idea since the last one they poached?? Are the same people on every/other committee. Is it a group that's overly religious - sure they all go to different churches, but they have the same non-secular agenda? etc
I'd go to one or two meetings for both & get a feel that way. Should help you work out how likely evolution is going to be..

I would say that if I had deliberately chosen the monocultural mc school (and would have done for DD had I had a choice) and then a new parent rocked up and started throwing her weight about trying to change everything I wouldn't be very impressed, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that thought. Not a way to win friends or influence people and exactly the attitude I complained about on one of the many "moving out of London" threads.

If you prefer the other school send your children there.

Steady on Tallulah, nobody is throwing their weight around. I can't see how it's a good thing in 2013 for any child to go to a supposedly non faith school where Christianity is openly promoted to the exclusion of every other religion (as far as I can see on the open day). I know people whose kids go there, and come home saying what 'god does', because they are taught it as fact.

I'm being realistic that we're unlikely to get into the school we prefer, so am trying to look at positives about the school we are nearest, and also to gauge opinions from people whose kids have been through primary regarding the hassle of the walk and/or traffic. If I had posted to say that I hadn't been impressed about the literacy aspect of the school and was there anything that could be done as a parent to improve that, I'm sure there wouldn't be accusations of weight throwing.

Just because you didn't see any evidence that the school teaches about other religions and cultures doesn't mean it isn't taught.

In your OP you said my question is, if we end up at our nearest school, how difficult is it as a parent to make a school more like the one you want?, nothing to do with the hassle and traffic.

The people with children already at the school are presumably happy with the way things are. If you try to change it to be more like the other school you are going to upset people. It doesn't matter whether you think it's a good thing or not, if the other parents don't agree with you.

Have you considered there are a lot of Christian posters/ displays at the moment as we are in advent/ Christmas. My dds school is 95% white british village community with local CofE church relationship but as part of RE pupils are taught about all the religious holidays. For example in October they studied Diwali and there were displays on classroom walls of everything they learnt and made.

Yep, I mention the traffic and distance in the OP.

Honestly, I'm not considering making weekly complaints that the school isn't full of children from ethnic minorities all studying Scientology, I'm wondering whether schools like this ever modernise, and if they do is it as a result of parental input. I know a couple of you have made the point that the Head may change at some point. The one who is there is in his early 50s I'd say.

I honestly don't know whether the parents locally are happy with the way things are. My close friend whose kids go there has the same concerns as me, but obviously that's hardly representative. She wonders whether it's a bit of a chicken and egg thing, that maybe the school think that the local parents want a more formal, Christian environment, and, because of the good results the parents accept the status quo.

Point taken mrz about not getting the full picture on a school open day, I was just rather taken aback that I saw motivational Christian posters in two classrooms when there were no other religions in evidence. Hard to explain, they weren't bought in learning resource stuff, they were made by the teachers. We did look at lots of the school, and at a leisurely enough pace to look at lots of stuff on walls. Regardless, surely in a non faith school children shouldn't be taught that any religion is fact? Of course I want DD to learn about all religions, and I fully accept my part in that, but I'm uneasy about what seems to be a very Christian bias.

All state schools must teach a RE syllabus provided by their local SACRE which includes studying other religions suggest you google your local SACRE

Not sure we have one, have just looked, but we're in NI.

To clarify, I want my daughter to learn about religions. I don't want her to come home saying that god exists and he made the world etc.

What I would be inclined to do is go to the closer school but it does sound a bit 'dated'. I teach in a non faith school and I feel assembly etc. are centred a little too much on Christianity. We are moving away from it though and a few of us have implemented changes. I would gently talk to the head, just to make them aware. They should be glad of the feedback.