Without supplementary school, I would have been clueless about Black history

The Black supplementary schooling movement began during the 1960s (Picture: Getty Images/Maskot)

‘A people without knowledge of their history is like a tree without roots.’

Aged seven, I was first introduced to that quote from Jamaican national hero Marcus Garvey. It was on one of the posters celebrating Black heroes that adorned the classroom of the school my brother and I attended.

The walls were covered with images of individuals ranging from activist Malcolm X to Jamaican historical icon Queen Nanny of the Maroons, featuring profound stories of their resilience in the face of adversity. 

But this wasn’t a mainstream school – it was a Black supplementary school. 

The Black supplementary schooling movement began during the 1960s in inner cities of England as a form of additional education for Black Caribbean (and later Black African) students who faced forms of racism and discrimination in the education system. 

Parents and community activists created these schools against the growing ‘educationally subnormal’ scandal –  which saw hundreds of Black students placed in remedial classes because their cultural and language differences were not seen as compatible with mainstream schooling.

And after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, there has been a surge in the number of parents signing their children up for these lessons. 

I’m overjoyed that more children are going to experience this extra schooling – for me it was life changing – and I truly believe that the Black supplementary school network can teach mainstream schools some valuable lessons when it comes to diversifying the curriculum. 

My supplementary classes took place on some evenings but mostly weekends, and students learned subjects like English, science, maths and significantly, Black history. 

They were usually funded by the attendees themselves and even Black churches that offered halls to host the schools. 

I can vividly recollect the emphasis on Black history and culture

Rapper and author Akala is among those who have identified Black supplementary schools as central to their intellectual foundation. 

Even though I was only in the system for around three months as other commitments took precedent, the effects were long-lasting. 

I can vividly recollect the emphasis on Black history and culture through things like stories featuring Anansi (a spider trickster in West African and Caribbean folklore) and other Black children’s books celebrating the rich diversity of Africa, something that has stuck with me. 

My experience in these classrooms stands in stark contrast to my first encounter with Black history in mainstream school. 

It was Year 8 and I was taught about the transatlantic slave trade through a textbook. I remember that it said that UK’s abolition movement was the reason why slavery ended. 

Thankfully, because of my supplementary schooling, I knew otherwise. I was aware of the African-led campaigns that helped change the sentiment around the practice. But I was frustrated that my peers were not. 

To think that children could be learning that same narrative in mainstream schools today convinces me that Black supplementary schools still have a vital role to play. 

I’m studying for a PhD in sociology, but history has always been a subject that has fascinated me, and I studied it through GCSE to MA level, but it was what I was taught during those three months that stayed with me.

Black supplementary school leaders should be at the forefront when it comes to advising schools on how to change their curriculums

I learned about the great epochs of African history and stories of the homeland of my grandparents, Jamaica, that stretched my wildest imagination. 

Moreover, being around Black educators was something that installed in me the passion for teaching – knowing I could see myself in that position one day.

I believe that Black supplementary schools are needed more than ever. The alarming rate of school exclusions for Black students shows how the education system is failing our kids. 

A recent report from Institute of Race Relations found that Black Caribbean boys are almost four times more likely to be permanently excluded than the school population as a whole.

In my view, this growing marginalisation of Black pupils calls for a widespread expansion of these centres to accommodate the education system’s shortcomings. 

While a number of mainstream institutions have signed up to decolonise the curriculum in recent years, progress is slow – hindered too by how much of a political football the topic has become. 

We can’t just wait for this progress; in the meantime Black supplementary schools have a central role to play to make sure kids from our community are not missing out on vital lessons. 

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I also believe that Black supplementary school leaders should be at the forefront when it comes to advising schools on how to properly change their curriculums. For decades, these schools have sought to make syllabi more inclusive and teach there is more to Black history than the transatlantic slave trade.

Black supplementary schooling was fundamental in guiding me into further studies, and I’m sure many others can say the same. 

Supplementary schools themselves are an integral part of Black British history – but I don’t want to see them consigned to the past, as they’re as needed now as ever before.

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For decades, these schools have sought to make syllabi more inclusive and teach there is more to Black history than the transatlantic slave trade.