UK based Charity, ‘Symphony Co’ starts educational initiative to combat distinguished limits placed on young, Black boys sitting their GCSE exams. The non-profit organisation led by Gospel singer, songwriter and social entrepreneur Seth Pinnock is soon to launch ‘Symphony Schools’, a program that seeks to educate, equip and empower young, gifted Black boys by providing free core subject extra tuition classes in line with the National GCSE curriculum.
In partnership with local churches, ‘Symphony Schools’ is currently accepting applications for Black boys in Years 10 and 11 to receive free tuition once a week, in the subjects of English and Maths. Set to span over the course of 12 weeks, and tutoring twelve students in total, the program will be delivered by qualified teachers, predominantly from the Black African Caribbean diaspora. Symphony Schools will launch in early January 2021 and will begin rolling out its program first in Birmingham, with plans to extend in both London and then Manchester also.
While Black African and Caribbean children only make up around 1.2% of current school students in the U.K., on ratio they are amongst the worst performers at GCSE level, of which most reside in some of the poorest areas of the U.K. Last year 70% of African-Caribbean boys in London left school with fewer than five or more GCSEs at the top grades of A*-C or equivalent, while African-Caribbean men are the least likely of any group to have a degree.
“The government has cited that the education you will or will not receive is subject to the postcode you reside in – this has got to change”, says Seth. “In 2019, London alone saw 63 lives lost to knife crime, to which, just over 23 were teenagers. The issues run deep -from poverty to mental health to social media. Youth centres are closing* and schools are under huge pressure, leading to the “managed moves” of difficult children – often falling within the category of a ‘young Afro-Caribbean male’. These men look just like me, they come from the same background as me…”
Following the death of George Floyd and the heightened exposure of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement earlier this year, I thought long and hard about how I wanted to contribute to be part of a solution, and not just a voice of protest. Plans for ‘Symphony Schools’ had been cooking for about 12 months by that point, and I just felt it was the right time to make it public. We launched a GoFundMe fundraiser and within one week made a staggering £20,000 off of donations alone – we were amazed! It confirmed it was indeed a cause close to people’s hearts. Change was what people wanted and we’ve found they’ve gladly continued to partner with it since.” says Seth
Symphony Schools Principal, Matthew Popo — community organiser, who has worked passionately with inner-city youth for several years now, also adds: “With obstacles such as increasing class sizes, demanding curriculums and reduced resources all having an impact upon the education of Black boys, we aim to bridge the achievement gap & add a social context to learning that supports both their wider development also”.
“We aim to encourage young black men to have a stronger presence within their families, actively supporting the lowering of rates of violence and crime that prevail in our communities, allowing them to become a beacon in society. We will celebrate and empower our young, Black men to believe there is more!”, shares Matthew, full of hope.
To give and apply to Symphony Schools today, you can visit www.wearesymphony.co/schools for more info.
