Our Mission
To teach the most beautiful people in the world,
to be the most beautiful people in the world
"Whether we are asking a Nigerian creative-writing student to replace the English names in their story with Nigerian names and find their meanings, or giving an Afghanistani art student a project to create artwork her ancestors would be proud of, the importance of 'Cultural-Esteem' to an individual's academic and social wellbeing cannot be understated."
About Us
Raising Black Achievement is a ‘hub’ of education specialists and resources to support the African & Caribbean community.
Whether you need advice improving your child’s grades, preparing them for university, preventing an exclusion, nurturing their entrepreneurial side, finding a Saturday School or teaching the entire family Black History, we are here for you. But there’s more.
We realise that it’s hard to find the time to focus on these things when bills and job demands are the priority. So, we have added a number of financial education specialists to our team. These educators will provide support to secondary and college students as well as parents, from improving financial literacy to intergenerational wealth management.
Our History
Frustrated at the lack of Black student achievement outside of his classroom, Raising Black Achievement's founding director, Neil Mayers wrote the now classic book "Gifted At Primary, Failing By Secondary" to support African & Caribbean parents with their children in schools. The book highlighted the need for a focus on Black students’ cultural esteem as a precursor for academic and personal growth in students of all abilities.
This led to the necessity for a wider range of educational resources to deliver the desired ‘growth’ in character and attainment. Growth in the demand for relevant and effective interventions for Black students and their families has led to the establishment of a ‘hub’ of education professionals who deliver our unique brand of holistic support.
Who We Are
In 1971 Bernard Coard released the landmark book “How The West Indian Child Is Made Educationally Subnormal In The British School System.” Almost 50 years on and educators still do not want to go anywhere near the subject of race when attempting to improve the attainment of African & Caribbean students. Instead, ‘experts’ focus on the impact of improving attendance for ‘disadvantaged groups’, improving parental contact or raising the profile of the school’s ‘student voice’.
Raising Black Achievement is a collective of seasoned educational practitioners who are acutely aware of the effects of institutionalised racism in society as a whole and tailor their delivery to minimise it’s impact.
What We Do
We are formidable agents of change in school settings.
Naturally, every practitioner is qualified and able to teach 1-2-1, to small groups or deliver presentations to entire year groups. Our collective have impressive track records working with students of African descent and we are happy to provide support in either area.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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What Happened To Neil Mayers' Stuff?The short answer is that our community needs more than just 'Neil Mayers' for support. We are now providing support from other education specialists, historians, financial advisors, nutritionists and more to shine a much needed light on some of the best professionals working in our community.
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Do You Offer Bespoke Services?Absolutely! We recognise that every school has different demographics, different strengths and challenges with respect to location, staffing, student-makeup etc. The best way to find out how we can help is to contact us for a free consultation: info@RaisingBlackAchievement.com or call 020 8058 8138.
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Ho Do We Get You Into Our School?If you are a member of the school faculty, contact us directly, or call us for a free consultation on 020 8058 8138. If you are a parent, contact a friendly member of staff at your school to share our details as an individual. Alternatively, you can form a collective with other parents to request that we come in to do some work with your school.
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Do you ONLY work with black people?No, we just have a vast amount of experience working in the African & Caribbean community, which is usually the bulk of our work. We work with people from all backgrounds.
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Can Anybody Join The Education Hub?The short answer is no. This is not just a 'directory' of professionals who have paid a membership fee to be listed on this site. We wanted to provide a 'Premier League' of the best professionals working in the community so that we can guarantee outstanding delivery and expertise. But, if you would like to join us or recommend an organisation, please send us an email to info@RaisingBlackAchievement.com or call us on 020 8058 8138.
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Do Education Hub Members Work With Individuals?The creation of the hub was to allow large groups of people to benefit from our work. However, you are free to contact the Hub members individually and request bespoke services.