THERE HAS been a dramatic increase in parents sending their children to black supplementary schools, according to key education experts. 

Leading professionals say there has been a surge in demand for their services since the start of the Covid pandemic. 

Nia Imara, founded the National Association of Black Supplementary Schools (NABSS) website in 2007, which publishes a directory of black supplementary schools across the UK. 

“I learnt Maths in a way that we were never taught in school and the African history was mind blowing.”

Nia Imara

Speaking to The Voice, he said: “Since the rise of Black Lives Matter, there are more parents choosing to send their children to a supplementary school and I am seeing more schools opening to keep up with the demand.” 

One of the main motivations behind Mr Imara creating the directory, was because of his own poor experience at mainstream school between 1973 and 1984. 

Recalling his time, he said: “I failed miserably at mainstream school and I wanted my children to do better than me.” 

It was in 1992, while volunteering at the Nubia Afrikan Community Foundation School, which at the time was based in Stockwell and is now located in Wandsworth, that he discovered the power of that existed within supplementary schools. 

He said: “While I was volunteering there, I learnt so much even though I was being taught by unqualified parents –who were the teachers. 

“I learnt Maths in a way that we were never taught in school and the African history was mind blowing and went back to before slavery.”

“I was an adult volunteer but a student at the same time,” he explained.

During his time at primary school in the late 1970s, Mr Imara said the only Black History topics being taught were slavery, Michael Jackson and Martin Luther King. 

It was when a five-year-old black boy attended the supplementary school and began to thrive, despite being previously labelled “unteachable” by his nursery, that Mr Imara saw first-hand the difference the school was making to black children.  

“I witnessed overachievement at that Saturday school, children were learning to write their name in Hieroglyphics at five years old and were doing fractions when they were at reception level and these were children who were excluded from nurseries and negatively labelled,” he added. 

Mr Imara was so inspired by what he witnessed, that he vowed to send his own children there. 

The father-of-three raised his two older children as a single parent for 14 years and would attend many parenting groups in London and heard first-hand the many complaints from black parents about the education system “failing their children.” 

He said when he mentioned his children were attending a Saturday school –which was helping them academically, the other parents would say they didn’t know the schools existed or that they couldn’t find one near where they lived.

For Mr Imara, that is when he discovered the need for his directory. He is still keen to hear from new schools and urged them to get in touch –so they can be listed on his website. 

He is also planning to have an online award ceremony for black supplementary schools, to reward them for the difference they are making to so many children. 

Davis Williams, from Finsbury Park in north London, is the founder of the Manhood Academy Global (MAG) –a registered charity with a global reach that is committed to providing black children with life-changing transformation opportunities. 

Like Mr Imara, Mr Williams told The Voice, he has noticed soaring numbers of black families reaching out to him for help.

He said: “We can’t cope with how many parents are coming through our doors.

“We love what we do, but the amount of families we are seeing is showing us there is a bigger problem.

“A lot of parents have lost their patience and tolerance with the mainstream education system and are now home educating and are coming to us for support teaching their children about self-esteem, confidence and other key cultural elements.” 

Awakening

Mr Williams has worked with young people for over 20 years and also worked as a football coach and mentor.

He wanted to do more to help young black boys in particular, after losing a few young people –he worked with –to knife crime and the prison system. 

In 2015, he travelled to The Gambia, in west Africa, with his daughter and had what he describes as “an awakening.” 

He said: “Everyday, I saw young boys and teenagers play fighting on the beach, afterwards they would come together, eat food and speak, there was a real sense of brotherhood and that’s when it dawned on me, this is what is missing in the UK.” 

“So many of us decided during the pandemic not going to rely on the system to teach our children about their history because they will still get it wrong or will water it down to exclude important bits of information.”

Mother-of-four

Mr Williams revealed to The Voice, he went over to the group of boys and introduced himself and showed them footage about knife crime in London and the Gambian boys were “shocked” by what they saw.

He said: “They told me when they are 13, they are taken on a special rites of passage journey with their fathers and relatives, who teach them everything about being a man. 

“Afterwards they return, where everyone has a big celebration and they take their rightful place in the community as leaders of the next generation. 

“It was so beautiful and powerful and reminded me of what is missing with so many of our youngsters.” 

Inspired by what he saw, when the father-of-two returned and started MAG, which is rites-of-passage programme that includes master classes, life coaching and mentoring and a life-changing cultural exchange abroad in Africa. 

The award-winning charity, took a group of young black boys to The Gambia in 2018, for their own rites of passage, where they “ate together, cried together and did some deep healing.” 

“We are building friendships and a brotherhood, young black boys do not have to be enemies and rivals,” Mr Williams said.  

The programme currently has a waiting list and according to Mr Williams, is needed “more now than ever” as so many parents are “losing their boys to the streets or they are being negatively influenced by the toxic images of manhood on social media.” 

But despite the huge demand for his services, he is committed to helping more young black children on their journey into manhood and also offers parenting workshops and has an academy for girls, called the Womanhood Academy. 

Academic

Descendants was founded in 1993, after black children at a local school in Acton, west London, got together to represent African and Caribbean culture for an international day at their primary school.

The group practised together for a few weeks, but many parents wanted the group to continue, so they found a venue and have been operating ever since.  

Descendants is an arts-focused organisation aimed at children and young people aged 4-16 of African and Caribbean descent. 

The organisation teaches African and Caribbean history and culture, and uses art, music, craft, drama and dance to empower and educate the children who attend. 

Chantel Noel, from Newcastle, is one of its education advisors. She told The Voice, they are currently re-establishing themselves after the pandemic. 

She said: “During the pandemic, we had children from South Africa, Guyana and outside of London attending our online events and we have been able to reach a wider audience online.” 

The group is celebrating its 28^th year and recently returned to in-person weekly sessions and is welcoming new children to join.

Ms Noel who studied English Literature and Caribbean studies at university, said groups like Descendants will always be needed because mainstream education settings continue to fail children of African and Caribbean heritage. 

She said: “When our children enter school, they are above average when they have their baseline assessments, but by the end of their time at school they are failing and we need to not only ask why? But do something about it and that is what Descendants is here for.”

The group encourages creativity and expression and has regular trips to museums and cinemas. They also host an annual award ceremony, which highlights young black children who are doing well at school, to “ensure they are acknowledged and celebrated for their brilliant academic achievements.”

The UK black supplementary school movement began during the 1960s, and was initiated by black parents who were fed up of the racism their children experienced and the poor exam results their children left mainstream school with.

The movement was a real community effort, with input from parents, community activists, black teachers and some church leaders.

The groups would run mainly on Saturday mornings and would provide extra lessons in English and Maths, but in addition, offered black history lessons as a core focus to counteract the poor media representation of black communities at the time. 

Since the murder of George Floyd in the US, there has been growing calls to ‘decolonise the curriculum’ and according to The Guardian, more than 660 schools in England have signed up to a new diverse curriculum. 

But for many black parents, these changes are “a little bit too late for so many black children.” 

One mother-of-four, from Lewisham spoke to The Voice, anonymously and said: “So many of us decided during the pandemic not going to rely on the system to teach our children about their history because they will still get it wrong or will water it down to exclude important bits of information.

“We are either doing it ourselves at home, sending our children to a supplementary school or opting for independent schools that meet our children’s cultural and religious needs.” 

She added: “The system has failed and robbed so many black children of a future and I am not prepared to take anymore chances with my children’s education.” 

The exact number of black supplementary schools in the UK remains a mystery, but what we do know, is their long tradition of helping black children who have fallen through the gaps of mainstream education continues. 

To contact the National Association of Black Supplementary Schools, please visit:  https://www.nabss.org.uk/

To contact Manhood Academy Global (MAG), please visit: www.ManhoodAcademyGlobal.com 

To contact Descendants, please visit: https://www.descendants.org.uk/