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Original poster

Please help ! Diversity at Eaton House or Dulwich College Prep ?

29 replies

madhuri · 08/06/2011 03:29

Hi,
We are relocating to London from Singapore soon. We need to choose between Dulwich College Preparatory (not Dulwich College) and Eaton House The Manor Prep School.
While academically and on all-round - both seem fine...I am a little worried about diversity. I look at the website and see a sea of white,blond and blue. We are brown and black :-).
Any opinions on diversity at these schools ? And in general , in your opinion, would it be an issue to be the only Asian kid in an all Brit class ?
Many thanks,
Madhuri

OP posts:
bigTillyMint · 08/06/2011 07:11

I've seen quite a wide range of skin/hair/eye colours of DC boys at the bus stops, etc. Definitely not only white, though they are probably undoubtedly in the najority.

zeolite · 08/06/2011 10:23

The HM at Eaton was at WUS before and that's as diverse as it's possible to be. I'm sure he'll make your DSs and you feel most welcome, he's much missed by boys, staff and parents. Have you considered WUS?

Colleger · 08/06/2011 10:49

Most of the white kids in London don't even have English parents so they are effectively all in little minorities. Only parent's see colour, not children, which is rather sad! :(

zeolite · 08/06/2011 11:02

Madhuri, living in Singapore, you will have more insight into how multiculturalismcan work well than most in the UK, so will probably be wise enough to discount the more limited opinions you'll surely get sometimes. I hope wherever you choose they will be happy and do well.

Yellowstone · 08/06/2011 11:04

madhuri our school has a tiny, tiny number of Asian pupils, purely because of the demographics.

I've never heard of any issues whatever, there just aren't any, certainly not around here.

gingeroots · 08/06/2011 20:10

Um ,well I have overheard Asian parents with children at Dulwich College discussing what sounded like quite awful prejuidce from individual teachers .
It seemed quite well known and accepted .
I wouldn't know whether the prep school had same problems .

Thoughtaboutit · 08/06/2011 21:32

My son was at Eaton House under the old headmaster. If the ethos has been maintained then you can have confidence that the school is diverse and embraces boys (and now girls) from all backgrounds.

Original poster
madhuri · 09/06/2011 03:30

Hey - thank you so much for your inputs.........yes, theoretically I know its the right thing to do to not look at skin colour...but practically I have been worried about DS being able to fit in with a group thats predominantly Brit. He has been in extraordinarily diverse schools so far with children from all over the world. And no possibility of any cliques possible because of the small numbers in each group. Also , unfortunately, I do know kids esp boys can sometimes be a little cruel in adolesecence.....

OP posts:
Original poster
madhuri · 09/06/2011 03:32

Zeolite - would have loved WUS...no space :-(

OP posts:
Colleger · 09/06/2011 08:42

You obviously don't understand British teenage culture. Racial discrimination would be frowned apon by pupils as it is not "cool" and London is not full of British kids even if some of them have white skin. My white, non-English son's best friends are a Muslim boy and a Nigerian boy.

If you make an issue of it then it will be an issue!

gingeroots · 09/06/2011 11:12

Whoaaa - colleger could things really be as simple as that ?

LondonMother · 09/06/2011 11:50

Gingeroots, are you able to give any examples of what you have heard? I am very, very surprised to hear that there has been overt discrimination at Dulwich College.

(Worth repeating that Dulwich College Prep School has no connection at all with Dulwich College.)

kizzy4kids · 09/06/2011 13:18

My son is just about to leave DCPS (he is in year 8). I would say that a fifth of his class are not white and that that was continued throughout the school. The majority of children who are not white are asian with a smaller number of black boys.

Original poster
madhuri · 09/06/2011 14:43

Hey thanks again folks......kizzy4kids...great to hear that........

OP posts:
monion · 09/06/2011 15:14

Gingeroots - Like LondonMother I'm also interested in what you have heard about discrimination at DC? Excuse the massive generalisation but the Asian boys there tend to be hard working and diligent and the teachers appreciate that! Have you considered DC madhuri? The Junior school starts at age 7 and I'd say is more diverse than either Eaton House or Dulwich College Prep.

Original poster
madhuri · 09/06/2011 15:52

Monion - I tried DC - Sarah Betts the registrar was very sweet...but no, there is no space :-(((

OP posts:
gingeroots · 09/06/2011 17:02

Regarding DC - I was surprised as well .
I can't recall details - it was some derogatory reference to a style of writing /prose expression and also some other (unhelpful ) criticisms about length of homework .
My DS used to attend a sports after school session and I would sit in same group as these parents who would discuss this .
They weren't friends of mine but I saw them every week and they were sane ,well balanced people .
I was quite shocked but they seemed fairly philisophical about it - I got the impression that it was a problem specific to one or two teachers ,but that it was hopeless to raise it with senior management .
This was a few ( 4 ) years ago ,so maybe not relevant now .
I don't want to make a big thing of this ,I know how internet posts can take on a life of their own .

EdithWeston · 09/06/2011 17:04

I'd be surprised if they meant discrimination in Dulwich College - it has international offshoots (including in China) and a very mixed student population.

I don't know about DCPS.

monion · 10/06/2011 09:35

Without wishing to make 'a big thing of it'; "quite awful prejuidce from individual teachers. It seemed quite well known and accepted" is a huge accusation to level at the school, especially based on such vague evidence - the school isn't perfect but racism from the teachers is one thing I have never even heard being talked about. It would be an odd school to chose to teach in if you did have a problem with Asian children as there are so many of them there.
I've seen how the management deals with even the slightest hint of racist language from the pupils so the suggestion it's hopeless to raise it with senior management just doesn't ring true.

zeolite · 10/06/2011 09:54

It would be a little naive to think discrimination ever gets in the way of making money, for individuals/ organisations. Having schools in China Thailand etc is evidence of market activity, not love and comradeship.

Of course drug-taking, racist language, bullying and the like are taboo everywhere. If people boycotted schools and other people because of low level (in every sense) activity, life would grind to a halt. Gingeroots shared something she heard, she may be right/wrong, it was a while ago. OP has said there is no room at that inn so it's already off her radar.

monion · 10/06/2011 10:05

But I'm sure you know comments such as that tend to take on a life of their own and get repeated until they become accepted truths. It seems unfair to give that impression of a school which is certainly no worse than any other, and probably a lot better. Gingeroots brought DC into the conversation - the original question was about DCPS so I'm not even sure the comments she was referring to were about the right school.

zeolite · 10/06/2011 10:11

I have seen no evidence to suggest DC is better or worse than other schools. Schools tend to tell parents they are better than others for bullying and all the other unlovely things teenagers get up to. It's anecdotal at best, but I have no wish to offend you if you think DC is a lot better than other schools.

My reading of it is the comments were about DC and not DCPS.

veryoldmother · 10/06/2011 10:22

My son is at EHTM. His class is 18 boys and of that 3 are non white. I think it is a [phenomenally inclusive school.

Colleger · 10/06/2011 10:25

I wasn't going to comment on the comment about racist teachers at DC or DCPS because it is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Interesting that it came from two Asian parents and no one else...

monion · 10/06/2011 10:28

Slightly patronising! I don't wholeheartedly believe everything I'm told by any school about problems they may or may not have. I'm going by personal experience. As I said, DC is not perfect but if you compare it to other similar schools in the area the racial mix is far broader, which is why I feel it is probably better. Why would so many Asian families choose to send their children to a school where racism by the teachers was a known problem?
Your point seems to be that all schools are the same which may be true but in which case it seems even more important to ensure that one does not get singled out unfairly.
Gingeroots comments were about DC, yes, but my point was that she didn't seem to realise DC and DCPS are different schools so what she repeats could have been about either school. I'm not saying there is racism at DCPS either, but just pointing out how easily unfounded rumours turn into chinese whispers.

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