Self help and protest: the emergence of black supplementary schooling in England

an article by Jessica Gerrard (University of Technology, Sydney, Australia) published in Race Ethnicity and Education Volume 16 Issue 1 (January 2013)

Abstract

First initiated in the late 1960s, the black supplementary school movement is now approaching its fifth decade of existence. Located across England’s town and city centres, this movement represents important sites of community-based education and independent black culture.

The history of black supplementary schooling points to a concerted reclamation of black knowledge and culture, and the asserted capability of black students, parents, and communities.

Drawing on school archives and the testimonies of ex-teachers and organisers, this article explores the historical emergence of this significant educational movement and its relationship to the state education system.

Firstly, this history traces the educational and political impetus for supplementary schools, through examining the campaign and community work that instigated – and defined – them.

Following from this, the ways in which black supplementary schools challenged state educational authority through their educational practices and through their active campaign work is explored.

Finally, this article examines the relationship between the schools and the state, as they struggled to maintain both their autonomy and their funding.

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