Acton Meeting for Black Children

Professor Gus John returns to help raise achievement

An open meeting for all parents of African-Caribbean schoolchildren was held this weekend at the Priory Community Centre in Acton. It was led by Professor Gus John (pictured right) , who is a Visiting Professor of Education at the University of Strathclyde.

The meeting launched the report ‘Collaboration and Change: working together to raise achievement of African-Caribbean children and young people’. The report has views and recommendations of parents and others, who attended the group’s first meeting in February with Diane Abbott MP, on achieving better educational success for Ealing’s African-Caribbean pupils.

Donovan Crossfield, aged 12 who attended the first meeting said, "I came away feeling positive knowing that I could strive for achievement in every area of my life. It also made me see that I have the potential to fulfil my goals."

Overall what came out of the first meeting was that a parents’ organisation should be established which would work collaboratively with the education services to help bring this about.

The first meeting of Ealing Parents and the Black child was held in February 2004. It was attended by over 300 parents and 100 children and young people, Diane Abbott MP, Ealing Council members and officers.

Professor John is a Visiting Professor of Education at the University of Strathclyde and a team member of their Equality and Discrimination Centre. He is also a Fellow of the Revans Institute, University of Salford. He was the first black director for education at local authority level in England. He was born in Grenada and for many years lived in Acton, where he is remembered for his work with community organisations, especially with young people.

May 24, 2004