Kingsbury High School praised for Somali pupils’ project

A PROJECT designed to help Somali pupils at a Kingsbury school could be rolled out across the country.

Somali teenagers at Kingsbury High School, in Princes Avenue, were considered underachieving before the scheme, but in around two months 80 per cent of one group rose to perform at or above expectations in English.

The programme developed from a desire to get parents involved in education and ended up providing extra help in specific subjects, raising the confidence of pupils.

The school has now been given a £10,000 grant for the scheme and the projects included in it scheme have been praised by the Department for Children Schools and Families.

Ita McNamara, assistant headteacher, said: “GCSE results have shown that the Somali students who used to be under achieving have exceeded expectations.

“If it improves their confidence then it has a knock on effect on all their subject areas.

“It’s really good to see that what seemed like such a small project has had such a large impact on the school, families and the community.”

Parents were invited in for meetings over six to eight months, in which they raised concerns and asked for support in English, maths and science for their children.

This led to two-and-a-half hours a week being dedicated to workshops held with a Somali speaker present and during these periods pupils discussed their aspirations for the future.

The group’s English ability was tested at the start and again at the end of the eight to ten week course and 80 per cent achieved on or above expectations in the second test.

The scheme also included parenting classes and Ms McNamara said the programme helped forge a relationship between the school and the Somali community.

She said: “The impact this has had on parents is enormous, they know if they’ve got a worry they’ve got someone they can come and talk to.

“They are beginning to take much more responsibility and they are working very collaboratively.”

The performance of Somali pupils in the borough has been a concern for Brent Council for some time, with a report in April saying only 26 per cent achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE.

The average across all groups is 49 per cent.

Councillor Bob Wharton, responsible for children and families, said: “We are thrilled with the response we have had to this project among the Somali community living in and around the Kingsbury area. “To see a scheme like this make such a difference in a relatively short space of time is very gratifying.”

Source: Harrow Times

By Jack Royston