Supplementary Schools Making a Difference to the Attainment of Black Children

• In Event: Roundtable Session 52
  In Roundtable Session: Alternatives to Traditional Public Schools for Black Students: What Works?

Abstract

Supplementary schools in the UK have long provided educational support to children from Black (African and African-Caribbean) backgrounds in schools outside of their normal schooling. This paper reports on a government commissioned study which sought to comprehend the contributions that supplementary schools make to the mainstream school learning/attainment of Black children, who disproportionately underperform in school examinations in comparison to their White peers (Cabinet Office 2007). The paper examines perceptions of supplementary school impact and also reflects on the influence of educational research on policy relating to minority ethnic groups and education. Identified benefits indicate there is much to be learnt by educational policy makers and the mainstream school sector, if existing understandings/educational gaps are to be bridged.

Author

• Uvanney Maylor, University of Bedfordshire