School class names

[mpkayeuk]

My daughter is going to start mandatory schooling in the next school year, and the local council has invited us to apply for her school place. The catchment school (which is a combined infants and junior school) isn't oversubscribed, so it seems likely she will get a place there. Anyway, in doing my research on their website I came across something, which in my opinion, is a bit worrying.

Historically, they have given names to their classes. Usually after famous children's authors, animals, countries, etc. All perfectly normal. This year, however, they have named the classes after, mostly, black American historical and contemporary figures, including Michelle Obama. Out of the seven class names, there is one Brit, also black. Keeping in mind that we live in a rural community, and that the entire management team and board of governors is white. There are also no black children at the school.

Here are the class names:

* Benjamin Zephaniah
* Rosa Parks
* Katherine Johnson
* Martin Luther King
* Ruby Bridges
* Michelle Obama
* Jesse Owens

I checked their equality and diversity policy and it states:

"This is a place where:
* we will educate our children about equality and diversity and where we pledge
to meet the needs of all our individuals"

Yet it seems the class names fail on this very basic point. Far from being diverse, the chosen names are all from a single racial grouping. It is also wholly unrepresentative of the school's local community - although that is less concerning per se. Unless the school will make a similar commitment to all other racial groups in the coming years (which seems impossible and unlikely), I see this decision as problematic and overtly ideological for a public entity.

Am I going nuts, or is this as bizarre as I think it is?

Edited by mpkayeuk on Thursday 8th October 08:05

[vdn]

mpkayeuk said:

My daughter is going to start mandatory schooling in the next school year, and the local council has invited us to apply for her school place. The catchment school (which is a combined infants and junior school) isn't oversubscribed, so it seems likely she will get a place there. Anyway, in doing my research on their website I came across something, which in my opinion, is a bit worrying.

Historically, they have given names to their classes. Usually after famous children's authors, animals, countries, etc. All perfectly normal. This year, however, they have named the classes after, mostly, black American historical and contemporary figures, including Michelle Obama. Out of the seven class names, there is one Brit, also black. Keeping in mind that we live in a rural community, and that the entire management team and board of governors is white. There are also no black children at the school.

Here are the class names:

* Benjamin Zephaniah
* Rosa Parks
* Katherine Johnson
* Martin Luther King
* Ruby Bridges
* Michelle Obama
* Jesse Owens

I checked their equality and diversity policy and it states:

"This is a place where:
* we will educate our children about equality and diversity and where we pledge
to meet the needs of all our individuals"

Yet it seems the class names fail on this very basic point. Far from being diverse, the chosen names are all from a single racial grouping. It is also wholly unrepresentative of the school's local community. Unless the school will make a similar commitment to all other racial groups in the coming years (which seems impossible and unlikely), I see this decision as problematic and overtly ideological for a public entity.

Am I going nuts, or is this as bizarre as I think it is?

It’s not bizarre, just a little odd. And you are going nuts... so, they want to name classes after figures, perhaps they deem appropriate in these times. Maybe being in a rural - non diverse - environment makes it an even better idea: expose the kids to something they wouldn’t otherwise be.

In any case: why do you think that they’ll not show similar commitment to other ‘racial groups’ ? why does this ‘seem impossible and unlikely’ ?

“Impossible”

You’ll have to expand on what’s brought you to that conclusion.

[anonymous-user]

Kids get to learn about interesting and influential figures. It's one theme, for one year. I think you need to find more important things to worry about.

Also - would a lack of diversity be such a concern to you if they were all white?

[Randy Winkman]

doesthiswork said:

Kids get to learn about interesting and influential figures. It's one theme, for one year. I think you need to find more important things to worry about.

Also - would a lack of diversity be such a concern to you if they were all white?

Yes, the one year thing seems to be key.

[mpkayeuk]

vdn said:

“Impossible”

You’ll have to expand on what’s brought you to that conclusion.

Impossible and unlikely because it would mean cycling through all racial groups, which are numerous and would probably take decades.

[DeWar]

I don’t find it odd in the slightest but hey, we all have our own perspectives. However I can say with confidence that life is too short to worry about such trivialities.

[Ziplobb]

Is going on down here as well. A friend told me yesterday that his daughters primary school has all the class names after BAME individuals. Its to do with black history month.
When I was at school the classes were numbered , or lettered. They did not change from year to year.

[Troubleatmill]

Virtue signalling at its finest.

[mpkayeuk]

doesthiswork said:

Also - would a lack of diversity be such a concern to you if they were all white?

For me, the problem is that the figures appear to have been selected purely because of their race, and for no other reason. There are no other common attributes amongst them, at least that I can identify. Funnily enough, for a previous year the class names have been all white figures. However, they were not selected because of race, but by their profession (children's authors).

[mpkayeuk]

Randy Winkman said:

Yes, the one year thing seems to be key.

Yes, I agree. It's not like I'm apoplectic over it . I just find it very odd and against their own diversity policy. I also think it might reveal something about the management's ideology that may become more of an issue if it continues.

[Johnnytheboy]

I love stuff like this because it ignores the way kids' minds work.

[Earthdweller]

I assume you are in the UK op

I troubles me that the school cannot find one inspirational person from the UK to hold as a beacon of hope and learning and is relying on people from a country in another continent, which apart from a common language, has virtually nothing in common with the U.K.

There are plenty of people to be proud of and inspire us without having to look 3000 miles away to a very different, very divided society that bears no resemblance to ours

[The Rotrex Kid]

mpkayeuk said:

t the entire management team and board of governors is white. There are also no black children at the school.


Am I going nuts, or is this as bizarre as I think it is?

All white school wants to educate all white students on diversity..... not bizarre really is it.

[Smurfsarepeopletoo]

mpkayeuk said:

For me, the problem is that the figures appear to have been selected purely because of their race, and for no other reason. There are no other common attributes amongst them, at least that I can identify. Funnily enough, for a previous year the class names have been all white figures. However, they were not selected because of race, but by their profession (children's authors).

Maybe they are trying to highlight the fact that Black influential figures are not highlighted enough.

And why are you not raising an issue about the previous years being all white, are there no childrens authors out there that are not white that they could have used?

[mpkayeuk]

The Rotrex Kid said:

All white school wants to educate all white students on diversity..... not bizarre really is it.

Can you explain how you think this is a diverse group of people?

[mpkayeuk]

Smurfsarepeopletoo said:

And why are you not raising an issue about the previous years being all white, are there no childrens authors out there that are not white that they could have used?

Because they weren't selected specifically for their race, unlike this group.

[greygoose]

Earthdweller said:

I assume you are in the UK op

I troubles me that the school cannot find one inspirational person from the UK to hold as a beacon of hope and learning and is relying on people from a country in another continent, which apart from a common language, has virtually nothing in common with the U.K.

There are plenty of people to be proud of and inspire us without having to look 3000 miles away to a very different, very divided society that bears no resemblance to ours

Benjamin Zephaniah is British.

[Johnnytheboy]

Here's a good one on a tangentially related way. As we speak I'm watering the plants in an office (my job) where about a year ago someone decided the office wasn't LGBT enough so they stuck rainbow flags in all their plants. They are still there, we just work round them. My colleagues all call the client the "gay plants office".



But homophobia has taken a body blow!

[Smurfsarepeopletoo]

mpkayeuk said:

Because they weren't selected specifically for their race, unlike this group.

But you appear to be raising an issue about the Diversity aspect, but you dont have an issue with the all white part, just the all black part.

Maybe they have realised that in past years they have not been as diverse as they could have done, so are trying to rectify it this year.

[mpkayeuk]

Ziplobb said:

A friend told me yesterday that his daughters primary school has all the class names after BAME individuals. Its to do with black history month.

I wouldn't be worried about this at all, if only it wasn't a single racial group that was selected. If it was representative of other races too, that would be great. But the focus on a single race is, by definition, divisive.