Foreword

Dr Keith Davidson is a dedicated educationalist who has given a lifetime to fighting for all of our children to achieve their very best in the British education system. He is a warrior for our children. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work with him down the years.

Like Dr Davidson and his co-author Dr June Alexis, I feel passionately about black educational underachievement, in particular I strongly support their emphasis on the role of parents. It is no coincidence that the Saturday School movement, which is parent driven and relies on voluntary parental contributions, can achieve such excellent results with children that the mainstream school system has often written off. The centre piece of my education program for black children “London Schools and the Black Child” has been over ten years of conferences and events for black parents and community activists giving them the tools to help their children achieve. And these conferences are always packed out.

I know, like Dr Davidson and Dr Alexis that the overwhelming majority of black parents are anxious to know how best to support their children in the British school system. Alongside the conferences, I run the Annual London Schools and the Black Child Awards. These awards are designed to celebrate top achieving inner city children.