Girl in Union Jack dress sent home on diversity day

^As I’ve mentioned, such groups have always existed, but the rise of the "woke" movement makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, signaling that something is very wrong. It feels like extreme opinions are being used to shut down or push out others - we have seen its use in America. The advantage we have is that this group is clearly identifiable by their use of the "woke" password

Are you talking about the original 'woke' movement, which has died a death, or about the 'anti woke' movement which is being constantly being kept alive by the right wing press and Reform?

Sorry, formatting failure. The first Paragraph is from PoliticsNerd's earlier post.

Grade A is a general term used to refer to high achievers, fairly obvious I would have thought. If you read the girl's prepared speech you will see that her English attainment is definitely high. Why it should it be considered a 'SE Surrey thing' when her school is in Rugby, Warwickshire and I believe it was the father who referred to his daughter thus?

easybee All I was saying was that although my GS would appear to me, maybe not to anyone else, to fit the the description of a Grade A Student I have never been aware of his being thus described.

It could be that my part of the country is unusual in not using this term.

Many of those simmering away about the very notion of diversity in our nation(s) perhaps only know of one or perhaps two cultures other than our own, historically based on Christianity, and more than likely these would be Hinduism and Muslim and they often are conflated especially if those from this faith culture are brown skinned.
I’m certainly no expert but it is clear to me from my everyday interactions that individual Muslims for example have many different modes of dress depending on what aspects of their faith they adhere to and what their individual heritage/country of birth is.
In short they are not all always clad in black ugly shrouds in public and some particularly the younger women are beautifully made up and sometimes wear different coloured robes and matching head dress/scarves but I have never asked so don’t know of the significance of these different colours at different times, if indeed there is any🤗

I know that diversity is not just about females and what they wear but the reference by Boris Johnson about “them” looking like walking letter boxes or whatever he said is always trotted out by people first and foremost or variations on this theme.

MaizieD

Strangely, the more that people keep insisting that we should 'have pride in the British culture' the more I feel resistant to the idea.

In Welsh schools the emphasis is on Welsh language teaching, Welsh culture, making a big thing of St David's Day and having mini-Eistedfodds in schools which is a very good thing. We should not forget our history and culture in today's technological societies. However, perhaps learning about English or even British culture has been excluded at this school in the attempt to be inclusive of pupils from elsewhere.

The speech included this which I think, looking at the school's reaction, they included a lot of diversity teaching, learning about the cultures of pupils from different areas of the world, but perhaps they included nothing about British culture:

"But sometimes at school, we only hear about other cultures - which is great because learning about different countries is interesting and important. But it can feel like being British doesn’t count as a culture, just because it’s the majority.
I think culture should be for everyone - not just for people from other countries or backgrounds. Being British is still a culture, and it matters too. It’s part of who I am.
So let’s celebrate all cultures - whether they come from far away or right here at home."

I'll echo that last sentence!

Perhaps this school needs to have a re-think and become even more inclusive.

Pupils are graded more intensively now than at any time in the history of state education, disguised with levels, grades, letters, percentages and colours, generally changed at regular intervals so it is increasingly difficult to compare present with previous 'cohorts' which I think is the term used now.
Maremia, if your daughter is in two minds about her son being in the top groups for everything, I suggest she removes him and places him in a school with mixed ability teaching ,(genuine suggestion; he and mother may be happier with less pressure) leaving his place open for someone who would appreciate it.
The union flag dress is round necked, sleeveless, loose fitting and appears to be at least knee length, nothing like the Gerry Halliwell original. So, perfectly respectable. It appears to be the flag which has caused the trouble, in common with the Wesh dragon and the Cross of St. George. There were no clear instructions given about what dress would be inappropriate so the fault remains with the staff who organised this and the head who permitted it.
The school has not apologised, only the Academic Trust.

MaizieD

JaneJudge

I wondered if they were trying to be provocative hence saying woke. I think unless the dress was too short or low cut or she was wearing crocs, she shouldn’t have been sent home though.

We don’t have the faintest notion of why she was sent home. Just her father’s spin on it.

She was not the only one turned away, reportedly. Pupils carrying a Union flag and a Welsh flag were too.

The school handled the whole incident very badly indeed and have promised that more 'diversity training' will take place.

I would most definitely look for another school if it was my daughter.

I don't see it so much as having a pride in British culture, but recognising for all our flaws our country and our western counterparts share, we have relative freedoms, freedoms other cultures would and do die for. In that respect we're born lucky, something to celebrate some might say.

What would have happened if a pupil had gone dressed as a Morris man and jingled and danced their way round school all day? Or dressed as the King or Queen?
Would they have been sent home too?

Allira

I should add - My DS would not be going to the press over this.
He would just be interested in what is happening at school, was a school governor at the primary school and is not a disinterested father.

Exactly. My own father and husband are/were interested and engaged, but in our education- not in using us to make political points.

I wonder how the dad’s Facebook post was picked up🤔. What would the press be looking at Mr Average’s social media?

Allira

MaizieD

JaneJudge

I wondered if they were trying to be provocative hence saying woke. I think unless the dress was too short or low cut or she was wearing crocs, she shouldn’t have been sent home though.

We don’t have the faintest notion of why she was sent home. Just her father’s spin on it.

She was not the only one turned away, reportedly. Pupils carrying a Union flag and a Welsh flag were too.

The school handled the whole incident very badly indeed and have promised that more 'diversity training' will take place.

How about more common sense training?

Actually, I think it is right for this to be highlighted.

Allira

What would have happened if a pupil had gone dressed as a Morris man and jingled and danced their way round school all day? Or dressed as the King or Queen?
Would they have been sent home too?

I can just bet they would have been.It appears that the school only wanted those kids from ethnic backgrounds to come dressed up in spite of the flyer sent out which surely meant that all the pupils were included.
British? No thanks sort of attitude and typical of many schools now who tie themselves in knots to put other backgrounds first and penalise non ethnic kids.
The diversity day , if you must do it should have included all
And praise given for being inventive.

I saw this on the telly. I work in early years and woe betide we promote too many British values! Glad I’m retiring Christmas 🎄.

Perhaps this school needs to have a re-think and become even more inclusive

Allira, I think this is really important. Being inclusive means you include everyone, a cultural day shouldn't exclude anyone.

Well said Allira!

Harris27

I saw this on the telly. I work in early years and woe betide we promote too many British values! Glad I’m retiring Christmas 🎄.

Maybe, hopefully, this light shed on the incident will prove a kick up the backside to nurseries and schools.It’s not before time.

JaneJudge

^Perhaps this school needs to have a re-think and become even more inclusive^

Allira, I think this is really important. Being inclusive means you include everyone, a cultural day shouldn't exclude anyone.

Being inclusive means you include everyone, a cultural day shouldn't exclude anyone.

Well, it can't be expressed any better than that, JaneJudge!

MaizieD

^As I’ve mentioned, such groups have always existed, but the rise of the "woke" movement makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, signaling that something is very wrong. It feels like extreme opinions are being used to shut down or push out others - we have seen its use in America. The advantage we have is that this group is clearly identifiable by their use of the "woke" password

Are you talking about the original 'woke' movement, which has died a death, or about the 'anti woke' movement which is being constantly being kept alive by the right wing press and Reform?

The people who use the word "woke" as a password Maizie. Those who throw it into a conversation as an insult to others (obviously not knowing it's origin or meaning) to flag to the "us versus them" community that they are one of them.

Trump is one of them and is destroying people's lives and livelihoods by identifying them as woke.

a few more votes for Reform for a start. (Galaxy)

People who are going to vote Reform know Farage is just like Trump, both ideological and personally. I wonder what Trump has to do before it matters to those voting Reform that having a leader, who is a mini-me of Trump, matters.

They also know Farage takes millions of pound in donations from fossill-fuel lobbyists and that he has many connections to the rich and powerful (so much for him being anti-elite).

It doesn’t matter what anyone on this forum says about Reform, if schools and other institutions carry on in this way by trying to exclude or expunge anything to do with British culture, including flag banning, then people will vote Reform .
Most of us are sick of it.People come here to experience our way of life and there is no need to constantly apologise for anything done in the past and def we should promote our, and Western values and our own particularly rich culture.

I think more thought should have gone into drafting the poster, to give clearer guidelines as to what is deemed acceptable. So with that in mind, it could have been displayed thus : A "selective" diversity day, discretionary preclusions may apply and they could have been listed along the lines of:

No Union Jack, St George's flag of England, Welsh national flag, and please don't incorporate these into your costume, you may wear a small tartan scarf though no don't ask why, even we can't answer such an anomaly Then other exclusions quite obviously would be dressing up like a Pearly King or Queen, A Chelsea Pensioner, A Beefeater, A Morris Dancer, do you ever wonder why they never get themselves on Britain's Got Talent, cos dancing round a maypole with some jingly, jingly bells attached to your person is like well uncool. Please no random Kings like Harold, with an arrow sticking out of his eye, or Charles 1, carrying his head, because missing heads, it's kind of reminiscent of some of the cultures we do wish to celebrate. Most of all no Lord Kitchener or Churchill or any other of them those badass guys, talking of which, do not under any circumstances come in trying to emulate a typical English toff such as Jacob Rees-Mogg, and certainly don't come in speaking like him or in Dick Van Dyke Londonisms for that matter. If you want to represent London patois, maybe we could suggest, grime or drill artists, although we pledge you don't edge into any sort of rap like speak that extol the virtue of knocking off the people who get the most house points. A softer approach for all you left behind white boys, may we suggest find your inner drag artist, go the full glitter, remember to ask mum if it's ok if you can help yourself to her lippy, nail varnish, hair extensions and vertiginous heels.

Please note those who would wear their English and Welsh nationalism overtly. This day is not about you!!!

freya, if you ask google, 'who does diversity training help?', you will discover,
'DEI policies are often framed as tools to up lift people of colour, women, LGBT.... however, data reveals that the biggest beneficiaries of affirmative action have been white women.'