As 11 million pupils prepare to return to school this strong (1), some long standing anxieties seem to persist about the institution. In February last year, Elizabeth Pears writing for The Voice Online reported: “African Pupils Excel While Their Caribbean Counterparts Sink.” The article goes on to reveal that “African” (56.8%) pupils are performing above the national average (56.6%) for A*-C grades, including maths and English while “Caribbean” students are languishing nearly ten percentage points behind at 47%. (2)
The idea that being just about average represents excelling for “African” students notwithstanding, it does seem that decades of campaigning, inquiries, reports and conferences have yet to make sufficient impact on the British educational system. Secondary school teacher and education researcher, Dr. Janet Graham is clear about where the real problem lays:
“There is no justification for the failure by the government to address these major problems which were highlighted as early as 1971. It is deplorable, and unacceptable, that this group of students continue to underachieve without sufficient interventions to address the problem… I argue that it is teachers’ perceptions of these boys that are a main reason for their underachievement.” (3)
Another factor may be the shift in emphasis and focus away from “Caribbean” pupils towards “working class white boys” now that teachers have apparently overcome their fear of being labelled racist. (4)
However, the focus on working class white boys may be little more than a statistical sleight of hand to justify not addressing the needs of Afrikan children. The white boys referred to are those who receive free school meals (FSM) and constitute 14% of the school population. In other words: The logical result of equating FSM with working class was that 85% of children were being characterised as middle class or above.’ (5) Moreover:
“Under the coalition government, race equality funding for schools is no longer ring-fenced; in many areas funding has been cut or withdrawn entirely; and all dedicated programmes to support the recruitment and retention of Black and minority ethnic (BME) teachers have been cancelled.” (6).
However, it is debatable whether a key institution of a racist society will ever produce other then unsatisfactory outcomes for Afrikan people.
This ongoing experience may be why Afrikan children are among the estimated 30,000 plus children being educated at home. According to collated figures between the academic years 2011-12 to 2014-15, this amounts represents 60% increase for primary–age children and a rise of 37% the secondary school age range. (7)
But now, home schooling is very much on the government’s agenda with the announcement in December 2015 by then Education Secretary Nicky Morgan of a review on home schooling amid fears that “thousands of children are having their minds “filled with poison” by radicalised parents.” (8)
Under the current guidelines, only parents whose children have been offered a place in school have to inform a school’s head teacher if they then decide the educate them at home. If not, there is no obligation for a parent to inform anyone. (9) But now the government is reportedly “considering proposals for parents to have a contact at local councils and to pinpoint how many are home-schooled.” (10)
Although the inference is Islamic radicalisation, the government does reserve the right who it considers to be an extremist so it may well be case that Afrikan parents get swept up in whatever strategy the government decides to employ. If this turns out to be the case it certainly wouldn’t be the first time Afrikans have been ensnared in a dragnet that for all intents and purposes had a different intended target. (11)
Nevertheless, with the Free school initiative not providing the hoped for deliverance for Afrikan children (12) and ‘Black schools’ generally not developing beyond the periodic rallying cry, home-schooling may yet provide the opportunity to Afrikans to take our children’s education in hand.
Yet it still needs addressing whether home-schooling is really viable. In his book How To Homeschool Your Child, author and educationalist Davis Simon poses a plethora of questions to the prospective home schooler that at once makes it clear what a serious undertaking it is, necessitating due diligence and preparation. (13) Similarly, The Naturally You Coach, Sis. Leah Salmon, who home-schools five under ten year-olds, addresses some the myths surrounding home-schooling. (14)
Alternatively, the Alkebu-Lan Revivalist Movement, with its Ma’at Academy of Excellence (MAE) offers what could be considered an intermediate strategy. MAE is a newly established home-school network that gives parents access to the kind of Afrikan-centered educational resources developed while running the Alkebu-Lan Academy of Excellence (AAE) Imani-Day (Saturday) school that celebrates its tenth anniversary next year. Both MAE and AAE have the benefit of utilising the expertise of leading Afrikan-Centered education consultant Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka (15), as well as the use of Medukation, Africentric teaching aids (http://www.medukation.com/learning/).
(1) Rob Drake (2015) Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2015, Department for Education.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/433680/SFR16_2015_Main_Text.pdf(2) Elizabeth Pears (07/02/2015) African Pupils Excel While Their Caribbean Counterparts Sink.http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/african-pupils-excel-while-their-caribbean-counterparts-sink(3) Ibid.(4) Brian Wheeler (15/01/2014) Racism fear held back white working class pupils – Ofsted inspector.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-25743035. The article quotes Ofsted Inspector Chris Wood giving evidence to the House of Commons education committee: I get representatives from the Bangladeshi community complaining about ‘our children in our schools’ or the Pakistani community or the Kashmiri community. I find it difficult to think of a representative for the white working class who comes to me and says ‘what about our children’… if they are, they are probably the BNP or would be accused of racism.”(5) David Gillborn (2015) The Monsterisation of Race Equality: How Hate Became Honourable. in Claire Alexander, Debbie Weekes-Bernard and Jason Arday (Eds) in The Runnymede School Report: Race, Education and Inequality in Contemporary Britain. Runnymede. http://www.runnymedetrust.org/uploads/The%20School%20Report.pdf(6) Ibid.(7) Warwick Mansell and Patrick Edwards (14/04/2016) DIY schooling on the rise as more parents opt for home education. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/apr/12/home-schooling-parents-education-children-england(8) Tom McTague (19/12/2015) Nicky Morgan orders review on home schooling amid fears children having minds ‘poisoned’ by radicalised parents.http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/nicky-morgan-orders-review-on-home-schooling-amid-fears-children-having-minds-poisoned-by-a6779886.html(9) Ibid.(10) Press Association (20/12/2015) Home-school families face potential investigation over ‘radicalisation risk’. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/dec/20/home-schooling-families-investigation-radicalisation-nicky-morgan.(11) Will Bennett (03/07/1993) Ring of steel makes a rusty start. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ring-of-steel-makes-a-rusty-start-1482871.html. For a wider context the Black Liberation Army’s proposals of “That we are anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, anti-racist, and anti-sexist; That we must of necessity strive for the abolishment of these systems and for the institution of Socialistic relationships in which Black people have total and absolute control over their own destiny as a people; and That in order to abolish our systems of oppression, we must utilize the science of class struggle, develop this science as it relates to our unique national condition.” are now considered a “message of revolution and terrorism” by the FBI. See Laura Savage (07/05/2013) FBI calls political exile Assata Shakur a ‘terrorist’. http://sfbayview.com/2013/05/fbi-calls-political-exile-assata-shakur-a-terrorist/(12) Press release (06/10/2014) Free Schools failing black and Asian children, new research shows. Race on the Agenda. http://www.rota.org.uk/content/free-schools-failing-black-and-asian-children-new-research-shows. See also, Natricia Duncan (26/01/2014) Free School For ‘Black Community’ Gets Turned Down Again. http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/free-school-%E2%80%98black-community%E2%80%99-gets-turned-down-again.(13) David Simon (2014) How To Homeschool Your Child. Simon Education. pp. 4-8(14) Leah Salmon (20/05/2016) 10 Myths About Homeschooling NYR#8.http://thenaturallyyoucoach.com/10-myths-about-homeschooling-nyr8/.(15) see Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka (2004) Education: An African-Centred Approach to Excellence. Soul Force Promotions and accompanying DVD.
So tonight we ask the question:
Can home-schooling arrest the continuing decline in Black educational attainment?
1. Are you a home-schooler, or would you consider it?
2. How can the reported different attainment levels between “African” and Caribbean” students be accounted for?
3. Is being average really excelling?
4. Does the focus on “working class white boys” mean that the education system has given up on raising Afrikan attainment?
5. Will parents who propose to home-school their children within an Afrikan-centered be accused of radicalising them?
6. Does this focus on home-schooling and lack of development elsewhere mean that “Black schools” are no longer viable?
7. What is the interim National Afrikan People’s Parliament’s position on home-schooling?
Our very special guests:
Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka: Resident guest who is Spiritual Leader of the Alkebu-Lan Revivalist Movement and UNIA-ACL Ambassador for the UK and national co-Chair of the interim National Afrikan People’s Parliament. Bro. Ldr is a veteran activist of over 30 years standing, a featured columnist in The Whirlwind newspaper and author of Mosiah Daily Affirmations and Education: An African-Centred Guide To Excellence.
Sis. Leah Salmon: is a qualified nutritionist over 11yrs ago and has become a homeschooling mother of 5 under 10yr olds and a bestselling author of 6 books. Sis. Leah is the founder of The Naturally You Day, editor of The Naturally You Magazine and creator of over 150 articles & 50 videos on health. She is also a natural health & wellness coach who’s worked with over 500 people in group & private one-to-one coaching sessions, talks, seminars & workshops. In addition to this Sis. Leah is a raw food workshop facilitator and business & marketing coach to health businesses.
Bro. David Simon: is an award winning author, educationalist and originator of the Simon Education Method, and founder of the Ebony Saturday Schools. He is author of How to Unlock Your Child’s Genius (and seven workbooks in the series), How to Unlock Your Family’s Genius, How To Homeschool Your Child and the novels Garvey’s Last Soldier and Railton Blues.
We are please to announce that we will also be joined by Her Royal Majesty Naa Tsotsoo Soyoo I previewing the up comingGrand Homowo UK Festival!
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