Clapham prep - Diversity Post Reply

[IParent]

Dear parents,

I have an honest question to ask. We are an Indian couple looking to join a prep school in Clapham , Hornsby being our top choice.

The one thing which worries is the diversity in the school - an initial short tour of the school suggested its > 90% white British, and we would like to understand if that can be an issue for kids, she will be joining at 3 years old.

We've been in London a while, so we are well integrated and don't find it an issue. However our question is genuinely from a young Childs point of view and what they may/may not face in school - even if they are innocent questions such as why do you have skin in that color, or black facial hair. Do such questions impact children in their younger years.

I would appreciate if parents from similar backgrounds can get back to me on this, as it is something that's in our mind and would ideally like to get some views on.

Again i'd like to stress, this is a question of how the child may feel in school, not a wider question.

Would a state school like Belleville have a different mix ?

[Ramaboo]

Have you considered looking at Newton Prep in Battersea? it's relatively multicultural (I stress 'relatively')

(I can't in any way speak for Hornsby or Belleville as I don't know them well, so i'm definitely not suggesting they wouldn't be mixed or good at discussing diversity)

[Starr]

My neighbours have Indian heritage and send their children to Hornsby House. I don't think it's an issue but just the demographics of this area that send their children to private school. I do agree the more Central and West you are the private schools will be more diverse but will also have super wealthy families international families whereas Hornsby House will be more "normal".
Perhaps speak to the school for reassurance.
Good luck.

[Shar5]

I send my daughter who is black, to the Roche school. It is very diverse for a London private school and a lovely school. They celebrate all cultures. They did holi festival just before Easter :) One of the reasons I chose it was because of its surprising diversity.

[noddy]

Hi- this is a concern I had regarding some local private schools as someone of Indian origin- that they did not reflect much of London’s diversity, which I see as a huge strength and something I wanted my son to be exposed to growing up. Of the local schools, I only found Eaton House and Newton Prep to (on visits and in conversations with parents) reflect this. However, I cannot speak for Roche which is mentioned here as I did not visit. Of course- this is subjective, as I don’t have the stats but I did do some digging with parents etc. Also many of these schools have other strengths which may be important too, and really good schools in other ways- I certainly thought Hornsby was very nurturing and lovely on the whole. My son ended up at Belleville which more than does reflect diversity and has very good academic standards + community- feel free to DM me with any questions!

[Doctormum]

Eaton House definitely has good diversity. Over the 10 years we have been there has also increased.

Diversity was definitely a consideration for us and you are right that some local private schools do not do well with this. Go to an Open House morning - Eaton House definitely have these (check the website) and I imagine others do to. You will see the school in action and meet some of children.

[mememe]

Firstly, Hornsby is in Balham, and they don't start til 4-5 years old. Its on first come first served basis so its who's applying not their criteria for picking kids. Good academically if your child is bright, they will not make them clever if they're not but will give it their best. Nurturing but a bit over the top on child protection, however, not so on bullying. Kids of indian heritage will not be made to feel any different, by the teachers or the kids so do not worry on this front.

[Abc4578]

I would suggest you visit all the independent schools in Balham and Clapham, including the small ones like Dolphin and Eveline. They seem to be more diverse and they attract more international families of non English mother tongue which is also important to understand how open the school is. While schools will never say anything about skin colour in open days (obviously!) some will make remarks if parents have not English as a first language and this makes you think how open they really are to diversity.

[Whitehousemum23]

I think this is a really fair question. I was told diversity was good at hornsby but when i looked around it was very low and particularly visible in the teaching staff. The headmaster also gave me a very unconvincing answer when I asked as he said theres not much he can do about it.
My son was down for hornsby from birth but i immediately looked for other options. We found the white house and it is completely different- i think partly due to location - on the edge of clapham/balham but very accessible to streatham/hyde farm area. But i think the main reason it is so much more diverse is that it clearly is a welcome and truly multicultural atmosphere (in my sons reception class i think there is no majority of any background - the staff are very diverse and the school calendar also reflects that so not just christmas and easter but a huge focus on diwali (the entire school, children, and even parents did a massive bollywood style diwali dance in the garden this year!), holi festival but also chinese new year etc.
for me it was night and day with hornsby house in terms of true diversity and i would really recommend you take a look.

[Knightsambl]

Paying for segregation and yet requiring diversity seems like some pretty complex mental gymnastics.

[dimelda]

Well said, Nightsambl.  Couldn't agree more.