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Importance Of Additional-Helping Schools

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This (written opinion) will look at the importance of additional/helping schools in diasporic communities and discuss how they support children through providing an (interested in the whole or the completeness of something) approach. According to Emma Taylor, Additional/helping Schools Programme Coordinator, British Museum there are about 5,000 additional/helping schools in the UK. Additional/helping schools provide educational opportunities through an (interested in the whole or the completeness of something) approach to all minority (related to a group of people with the same race, culture, religion, etc.) communities. They are usually managed and run by local groups or community organisations, including newly arrived communities, and happen …show more content…

Mirza (2009: 141-2) however, argues that Black additional/helping schools are much more than a response to (make part of the majority of people) failure. They are spaces of hope and excellence, where Black children are given access to 'other ways of knowing'. These 'other ways of knowing' also relate to developing a positive sense of being Black. In view of this Black additional/helping schools have been characterised as 'sacred Black spaces' where Black (African and African-Caribbean) children can (accomplish or gain with effort) educationally and still 'act Black' (Mirza and Reay, 2000: 533). The focus on 'Black images, Black history and Black role models' (Mirza, 2009:104) is considered extremely important due to the (not being there; not being present) of a Black (way of seeing things / sensible view of what is and is not important) in mainstream schools (Richards, 1995; Heywood, 2005) and was considered key to Black pupils being able to oppose/to go againstact (treating people badly or unfairly because of their race) in mainstream schools (Dove, 1993). Supporters argue that the spaces given by Black additional/helping schools are free of 'White bias', which is 'everywhere in mainstream education' (Mirza and Reay, 2000: 532). Fair spaces help to (help) develop Black children's self-confidence through the causing/creating of racial/cultural pride and (the action of accomplishing or completing something

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