[LeatherTrumpet]

Rural school is denied top grade by Ofsted inspectors because it's 'too English' and not diverse enough

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz3JbF1Qo11

• Report said pupils at Middle Rasen Primary School in Lincolnshire lacked 'first-hand experience' of modern British society
  
• Said pupils should interact with 'counterparts from different backgrounds'
  
• But parents criticised 'bizarre' decision because small town is 97% white
  
• 'Very few' at the 104-pupil school are from ethnic groups, report says
  
• Headteacher believes comments are reaction to so-called Trojan Horse plot

Ofsted refused it an ‘outstanding’ rating and graded it ‘good’ instead.
It said the school was failing to do enough to ensure pupils understand the ‘cultural diversity of modern British society’ and experience ‘first-hand interaction with counterparts from different backgrounds’.

But parents complained Middle Rasen Primary in Market Rasen was being punished for factors outside its control and had effectively been told it was ‘too English’.

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This is madness?

[Toy Soldier]

What are they supposed to do? Bus kids in from the nearest city once a week?

I think there are only one or two children at my daughter's school who aren't Caucasian. It's a small Scottish village surrounded by hills, with a population of less than 3000... I'm not sure what they're really supposed to do about that!

[LeatherTrumpet]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

What are they supposed to do? Bus kids in from the nearest city once a week?

I think there are only one or two children at my daughter's school who aren't Caucasian. It's a small Scottish village surrounded by hills, with a population of less than 3000... I'm not sure what they're really supposed to do about that!

I dont think there are any black or asian kids at mine either and its a similar size

[sassysocks]

Blimey, god forbid a school in England is 'too English'. Can't these idiots see how they pander to the extremists of religions such as Islam.

They come across as weak and lacking respect and confidence in the own country and its culture and values. It almost sounds like self-hate. I feel sorry for these weak and blind people - they are not typically English in my book. They need to develop a bit of backbone. Thank god for the rest of us not so quick to kiss feet and deny their own heritage in their own country.

[InOne]

What about the flip side of the schools that are 95% Bengali or Pakistani. The whole story seems very silly and will no doubt be forgotten soon.

[Tom4784]

I'm guessing there's more to it than what's been said, if it isn't though then it's highly unfair as the school can only work with what it's given. It can't magic up students of different creeds and backgrounds out of nowhere.

Ofsted should critique on things that can be changed and improved, an area's population is beyond the power or reach of the school so it's quite unfair to mark it down due to that.

[Northern Monkey]

I would guess that these inspectors have some kind of tick sheet with questions such as
'Does the school represent the cultural diversities of modern Britain?' etc.Things like that.Probably more of an admin issue as to the questions on their report sheet than anything else.

[arista]

This makes no sense

[Livia]

It's ridiculous crap like this that gives UKIP political fuel.

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by EyeballPaul

I would guess that these inspectors have some kind of tick sheet with questions such as
'Does the school represent the cultural diversities of modern Britain?' etc.Things like that.Probably more of an admin issue as to the questions on their report sheet than anything else.

Ofsted inspections are box ticking exercises, the committee who wrote the check list will have ignored the fact that rural England is 90 per cent White British

[Creggle]

It's beginning, British people are being punished for being British in Britain

[Northern Monkey]

Originally Posted by Cherie

Ofsted inspections are box ticking exercises, the committee who wrote the check list will have ignored the fact that rural England is 90 per cent White British

Yeah exactly.I don't think the ethnic background of pupils should even come into it,But how well the school teaches the kids it's got.

[JoshBB]

If the town is 97% "english" anyway.. then that's a bit weird tbh. Surely they did have at least some black/asian people though right?

[LeatherTrumpet]

Being too English should be seen as a good thing.

[JoshBB]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

Being too English should be seen as a good thing.

Absolutely not lmao. Our country has a horrible history - take colonising for example.

[Vicky.]

By too English Im guessing they mean too white..as English people come in all shapes, sizes and colours.

[Kazanne]

Disgusting,if true.

[Redway]

Originally Posted by Creggle

It's beginning, British people are being punished for being British in Britain

Presumably you mean English... you don't have to be white to be British.

But yeah ridiculous on Ofsted's part if this is all there is to it.

[MTVN]

For all but one year I was at primary school it was entirely white British, though we did have less than 50 pupils in the whole school

To play devil's advocate here though, there is a point to be made that diversity awareness needs to be taught because the kids will meet a very different world outside of their rural bubble, perhaps Ofsted considered the school was not doing enough to prepare kids for their post-primary school life in that regard. Hard to say without knowing all the details, but the 'too English' description is slightly misleading considering it's not the words of Ofsted but those of the Mail and apparently of the parents.

[LeatherTrumpet]

Originally Posted by MTVN

For all but one year I was at primary school it was entirely white British, though we did have less than 50 pupils in the whole school

To play devil's advocate here though, there is a point to be made that diversity awareness needs to be taught because the kids will meet a very different world outside of their rural bubble, perhaps Ofsted considered the school was not doing enough to prepare kids for their post-primary school life in that regard. Hard to say without knowing all the details, but the 'too English' description is slightly misleading considering it's not the words of Ofsted but those of the Mail and apparently of the parents.

They dont need to be taught that at all, its not like folks go on holiday and cant cope. As long as parents teach kids well they dont need schools forcing this bollocks down their throats.

Its like watching Balamory and the school there was like one in East London, its like eh? - there is no school in the Western ISles like this....oh yeah its the BBC shoving immigration is great down out throats again...

[Livia]

Originally Posted by JoshBB

Absolutely not lmao. Our country has a horrible history - take colonising for example.

Oh Josh...

While I'm not going to pretend that we have a glittering past, we've given lots of things to the world too. And we're not the only country with a "horrible history".

I feel your school has let you down, somewhat.

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by JoshBB

Absolutely not lmao. Our country has a horrible history - take colonising for example.

Well you have a point there, but this is a prime example of bureaucracy gone stark raving mad

[Ninastar]

Originally Posted by Livia

Oh Josh...

While I'm not going to pretend that we have a glittering past, we've given lots of things to the world too. And we're not the only country with a "horrible history".

I feel your school has let you down, somewhat.

preach it, girlfriend.

it truly worries me that children are taught things like this

[Kyle]

Originally Posted by JoshBB

Absolutely not lmao. Our country has a horrible history - take colonising for example.

Bet you wish you were born into a shining beacon of a nation like China, or maybe Japan? No wait how about Germany? Italy? Spain? What about Columbia?
Oh I know....Bosnia?

I feel for you to be born in a horrible oppressive backwater country like England when there are so many other wonderful beacons of virtue to choose from. You must cry yourself to sleep every night.

[Ninastar]

Originally Posted by Kyle

Bet you wish you were born into a shining beacon of a nation like China, or maybe Japan? No wait how about Germany? Italy? Spain? What about Columbia?
Oh I know....Bosnia?

I feel for you to be born in a horrible oppressive backwater country like England when there are so many other wonderful beacons of virtue to choose from. You must cry yourself to sleep every night.

(kidding... i totally agree with you