Is ethnic diversity in a primary school important? Discuss...

[Extrapepperoni]

Hi All,

We are considering a specific private school for our daughter's primary education. Having visited, I've noticed that the school has an overwhelmingly South Asian student population - I'd say over 90% of children in all classes that I saw. The school is in northwest London so it is somewhat unsurprising that from both a socio-economic and local demographic perspective, South Asians are over-represented.

I highly value diversity and recognise that it presents in many forms, with ethnic diversity being only one. The school in question is a girls' school, so gender diversity is removed from the equation. My questions are these - how could the lack of ethnic diversity impact my child (postive/negatives). Would this put you off the school?

thanks!

I think this sort of question is a bit of a hot potato as no one wants to be accused of being racist.

I feel ethnic diversity is very important and I would not send my DC to a school that is dominated by one ethnic group, whether that be white or non-white. DC’s school is a wide variety of ethnic groups and they would not have gone there otherwise.

One of my DC has mostly Muslim friends and we do find that they don’t do play dates but they do invite DC to their birthday parties. Some ethnic groups prefer to keep to themselves, but the same can be said for White British people too (I’m a white foreigner myself and certainly experienced the latter when I first came here).

As you are hesitating I’d keep looking around at other schools if diversity is very important to you, and I’d particularly look at mixed rather than girls only.

I think that a school should reflect the diversity of the community it is in but I appreciate that it’s slightly different for a Private school.
My DC have friends from a few different ethnic groups but we found that as the DC got older some of the Muslim girls were not allowed the same freedoms around play dates and parties etc. DD was quite shocked when one of her friends from our neighbourhood could no longer play in the paddling pool once she was 10 as she had to change her behaviour and way of dressing but I explained that people do things differently and we should respect that.
I would probably prefer a greater ethnic mix at a school than 90% of any one group as it doesn’t reflect the community we live in

The school I send my brown children to is heavily 'over represented' with white children but I don't have much choice. Ideally I'd want to send them to a school with as much diversity as possible but factors like how good the school is and proximity to home is also important. Do you have white friends and family because if so then they will have plenty of exposure to white culture too.

I agree that schools should ideally reflect the community the kids live in. If that community is 90% white or 90% Asian that’s fine. A school doesn’t need to be more diverse than the community. Of course, if the level of diversity in your community doesn’t work for you that’s a problem.

My DS goes to a school that is 99% ethnically homogeneous but that’s fine because that’s what the community is like. You’d have to bus kids in from miles away if you wanted it to be more diverse. I also think single sex is fine for different reasons.

As others have said, the school should reflect its surrounding community.

If there is a choice then I would choose a school with a mix and not just one dominating group be it White or Black or whatever but in some rural areas it might be predominantly white and in say in birmingham might be mostly Asians in which case it reflects the local community and I would choose to live somewhere with an ethnic mix rather than just one big group of one ethnicity only. Single sex tends to attract people from conservative backgrounds which tend to be Asians, Muslim, Jewish but not always.

Specially at primary when it's secondary I can understand why some ethnicities might have had more pressure to sit and do well for grammar schools for example but at primary yes it normally a reflection on the demographics in the local area.

My DS is the only white child in his class, and one of a handful in the grade. It does reflect the local community so I wouldn't expect much more diversity. I think he misses out on having friends with the same cultural background as him in terms of shorthand in conversation, playground chatter, feeling that familiarity etc. But it's just school to him and he doesn't know any different. He's got plenty of friends.

This was one of my concerns when dd1 decided she wanted to do 11+.
We went to look round & in 2 of the 3 schools barely any non South-Asian pupils.

Fully understand that there are pockets of the country that are still heavily white British but we live in an outer London borough & I love the diversity of dd's nursery & school & wouldn't want her to be a minority (or a huge majority) mostly due to cultural differences - sleepovers/independence/pure academic focus etc.

I value diversity so I would look at other options.

I was one of only two mixed race children in both my primary and secondary schools. This was in the late fifties and sixties. I stuck out like a sore thumb and It has caused me massive problems to this day. It soured my relationship with my white mother as I don't think she even considered the impact on her children.
So yes, diversity is important. I would much preferred to have gone to schools with a diverse population.

Thanks everyone - agree somewhat of a controversial topic. I guess from a diversity perspective, the school being single sex + private (and therefore a socio-economic bubble) + also then having low ethnic diversity means it ultimately isn't hugely diverse. I spoke to the Junior Head about it and interestingly she didn't really have a response. I am quite confident the school's approach is one of inclusivity, it's just that I wonder what the peer group / friend experience would be like for my daughter. She is half Indian but also half Irish so is probably be adding to the diversity!

They do have fresh intake at Year 3 (daughter going into Year 1) so possibly may get more diverse, who knows. I think given primary is about a foundation of education and less about friends for life and this is the only thing that would give me pause about the school, we're going to go ahead if we get offered the place.

Thank you!

Oh and she has plenty of diversity through our friends, neighbours and current schoolmates so this wont be a limiter of her overall experience.

Single sex primary school generally only appeals to people who are deeply traditional and had that same type of upbringing and education themselves, whether they’re WASPs or Shi’ites.

If you’re willing to consider mixed primary, the ethnic diversity will be greater.

I would also be careful about schools with a high proportion of bilingual children if your child isn’t. Kids who can speak and write in another language have a lot of academic confidence which can undermine your own child’s progress.

My white children go to a predominantly Black school. I don’t think they are remotely negatively impacted; they are after all white in a largely white culture with all the privilege that accords them. Plus, while the largest majority in the school is Black African, that in itself is of course very diverse with different nations, religions, cultural experiences and family histories within the U.K. I imagine this is similar to your school with a largely South Asian population. It isn’t two groups “white” and “not white / brown”.

There are small numbers of children in the school from other backgrounds eg West Indian, South American, South East Asian, East Asian, Eastern European etc.

I think it is hugely beneficial for them and I would be more worried if they were at the school up the road where all the kids frankly come from exactly the same kinds of backgrounds / families as they do.

Tbh I’m confused by the comment that children who can speak and write in another language can have a lot of academic confidence which can undermine your own child’s confidence. I just can’t see how worrying about other kids’ confidence (or ability or attainment) and its ability to make your children feel less sure of themselves is a healthy wormhole to go down..
My children are in class with bilingual kids (German / polish / Spanish / Russian / French / Cambodian / etc etc) and it has not impacted their academic performance, or confidence; the only impact I see is a burgeoning interest in speaking other languages.

I think i can make an educated guess as to the school's name. And if i am correct, the 90% is overstated. Let me drop you a PM to confirm and i can share my perspective if it is indeed the school i think it is.

If it was my local primary it wouldn't bother me as they are reflective of the communities they are in. However, a single sex, private primary is so limiting in diversity in terms of gender and socio-economic status that any other limiting factors in this would really impact my choice at that age, and even in to high school.

Don't underestimate the importance of a real understanding of socioeconomic diversity. Maybe even more important than ethnic at primary age.

I work at a school that is 90% non white. I chose not to send my child there because the children don't do okay dates or go to parties. I wanted him to make friends he's see outside of school etc. His school is approx 40% white British 30% Asian and 30 % other (black, European, middle/far Eastern) and although he plays with them all and invites all to his parties the Asian kids never come.
For this reason I'd always choose a more diverse setting so he wasn't left out.

It’s not even about skin colour .
it’s about local or not local .
from my limited experience,
if my class teacher is local , we will have a very bad year .
Of course she/ he will favour the local kids and mums . Esply if their mums/ dads / grandad of mums from same village . Everyone else is from another village .

This will be NLCS, presumably. I wasn't keen on it for a similar reason - don't want my child to be in a minority if I can avoid it. Look at Habs, much more diverse.

My main focus for children primary age is

• are they going to be able to forge friendships that will enhance their quality of life and improve their social skills
• Will their emotional and mental health be a priority at this school
• Will they be given a good education
• is their wrap around care if I need it

You need to decide this for yourself with the information available to you. I’ve read on here countless times that where the demographic isn’t quite right you may end up with a child that struggles to make friends for cultural reasons. I think that could be devastating for a primary school aged child.

not only kids . But their mums .
in our school. There is always group of blonde mums ( real blonde fake blonde )
and the rest ( red . Black hair )
it’s hilarious to watch

To me, diversity in a school is very important. But that's why I wouldn't send my child to a single sex private school. If you want to send your child to somewhere like that, you have to accept that certain groups are more likely to choose that setting.

I'd guess my DC's primary is around 30% South Asian and most of the rest white. The teaching staff are all white or south Asian as well. My DC are the only black/mixed kids in their classes and I do sometimes wonder if it would be better if they went to a school with more black children and especially staff, but like PP said, (state) schools tend to reflect the local demographic.