Diversity at HBS

[Middlesexmum]

It's an interesting question OP.

My dd is in Year 11 at HBS and her year group is much more diverse. I really don't know why things have changed so much in recent years. As others have said, the girls are not bothered, my dd has friends of a wide range of ethnicities. That said, there CAN be a difference. Some girls from Asian backgrounds tend not to socialise much after school or take part in extra curricular activities. My dd does drama and has taken part in the school show for the last 4 years. One of the mums commented that the performers in the show did not reflect the ethnic mix of the school (ie they were predominantly white).

In terms of teaching, it is mostly very good/excellent. You get the odd weaker teacher but you will find that anywhere.

[greenhills1]

Thank you for all the replies. They are very useful. We really like the school and the surrounding area. I'm quite sure my dd will fit in and form friendships, as the girls all seem friendly and kind on our visits. The previous years' stats based on FOI suggest there is a good mix, although some ethnic groups have a large presence. I just had this massive wobble, as almost everyone we know (not necessarily a large sample) who are taking up the offers this year appear to come from Asian background. I doubt the school will be able to advise, given that this year's offers are not finalised, but I think we will be fine. I applaud the decision to introduce a local catchment, although I think a catchment policy like Tiffin Girls', one with a larger catchment area that applies to all applicants, will be more useful than a 3-mile priority.

I wonder if any parents, either with children in HBS or private schools, can share your views on comparison with private schools? I have read forum threads on HBS vs NLCS/Habs, but still feel that I can't draw a conclusion. Do leading private schools do better in terms of fostering confidence, social skills and thinking skills, compared to leading state schools like HBS? If so, is the difference worth longer commute to private schools?

[mad?]

Do leading private schools do better in terms of fostering confidence, social skills and thinking skills, compared to leading state schools like HBS?

Not sure what you mean by do better but in my experience if there is any difference it is a reflection on the type of child they attract and offer in the first place, not anything they particularly create.

If so, is the difference worth longer commute to private schools?

No school is worth a long or complicated commute, state or otherwise.

[Ricky74]

My son is the only white boy in his class. His year group of 150 is probably about 7 per cent white.

At first I did wonder if he would stand out, so I think your original question is fair.

But there is a mix in his class of race/ethnicity.

He genuinely doesn't see that he is the only white person in class and this has had no bearing on his frienships and experiences.
His classmates do not see this either and I think this is testament to the children's ability to look further than adults sometimes can.

He was briefly at a comp where the majority of pupils were white, yet seemed to have less in common with some of the students who behaved very differently to him.

[Barnetmamma]

I think that the query the OP posted is valid too. We are also in a similar position so understand how this bit comes into the decision making.

This, however became less of an issue after visiting the school though.

DD will also be of a “minority” ethnic group at the school. Whilst I wondered how the school make up will affect her experience, I’ve realised that the girls are not that different to each other and oddly apart from when waiting to go in, once “in” the school, I didn’t feel that we were a “minority”.

I then, remembered that we have been a minority all our lives, and even in primary, albeit the dominant ethnicity being different. My girls tend to gravitate towards those who they have more in common with in terms of personality and interests and I suspect all girls are the same in that respect.

[splits123]

Greenhills1 - I have sent you a pm on this topic

[llhj]

I think it’s very naive to believe that children do not “see” difference. They do. It negates their experience. Your son being the only white child out of 150 is problematic. If your son was the only black child out of 150 children, it would be problematic too. Children require role models and reflective diversity in order to believe that they can achieve their best. London is very diverse city and schools should reflect that diversity. I think the increasing mono-ethnicity of HBS and QEB is not a positive development in this direction.

[Samsad]

So what do people feel here, is it that not many white folks appearing for HBS now or they are not getting through? Ultimately the ethnicity mix is basis the results outcome!

[Ricky74]

I agree that I would like to see reflective diversity across all schools and that we also had initial 'concerns' about our son being 'the odd one out'.

Our home city of Birmingham is, I think, the most culturally diverse city in the UK. His school is in Handsworth and I think (sorry, no data to hand) the school reflects the local demographic very well.

However I'm struggling to see how this is problematic, based on my own positive experiences so far.

When he was at a predominantly white comprehensive in another part of the city, I found aspirations were lower at that school and while he did make some good friends (as he has done now) he did not relate to many students and suffered bullying for being a 'swot'. The low ambition, now that was problematic. We were given an opportunity of this current school (well documented on this site) and his self esteem has been boosted since joining.

He is part of many different clubs outside of school and access to many different friends and adults, which I hope will make him a well rounded young man.

I don't really wish to comment further on my personal circumstances, suffice to say that his twin is at another grammar where he is in the 'minority' and this too has been a positive experience to date.

[crazycrofter]

My ds is at the same school as Ricky74 - one of the few other white boys in their year!

In his class there are actually three other white boys though. Contrary to Ricky's ds, I'd say my ds definitely was aware of it and struggled a little bit at first, but this was probably a result of lack of exposure to children of other ethnic minorities previously. Certainly the boys in his class are from a mix of backgrounds and there isn't one particular minority that dominates although I think about half are Muslim.

There was a culture of Asian boys referring to white boys as 'gora', which we had to raise with the school fairly early on. The school had previously been almost exclusively non-white - most of the white boys are in years 7-9 - and I think the Asian boys in older years have possibly struggled to adjust a bit to the change in demographics. Ds didn't think the 'gora' comments were necessarily derogatory (eg 'hey, gora, do you want to play table tennis?') but he and his white friends felt singled out by them. However, I've not heard him mention the issue in the last year or so, so I assume the staff got on top of it. Also, I think this is more a boys school thing - there tends to be lots of banter and insulting comments amongst boys anyway, which is another thing my ds struggled with at first! I doubt this would be an issue at HBS.

I'd agree with Ricky's comments though, that once ds got past the superficial differences, he's realised he probably has more in common with most of the boys than those at his primary school, which was a very white school in a deprived area. And like Ricky's ds, he has friends outside of school, so we're not reliant on school to provide his whole social life.

In terms of role models, school does play a part, but remember that there will probably be quite a few white teachers. For my daughter I'd say that young female teachers are more likely to be role models than older students.