London Schools and the Black Child Academic Achievement Awards 2011


Each year there are 24 shortlisted candidates in the categories: GCSE boy, GCSE girl, A Level boy, A Level girl, Higher Education boy and Higher Education girl. One girl and one boy is awarded the winner in each level category

Every year dIANNE'S office receives hundreds of nominations. As such the academic standard is very high and so candidates are shortlisted on the basis of their academic achievements but also on their presence as a role model – be it through overcoming hardships, taking part in extra-curricular activities, contributing to their school or wider communities, or helping others

What is LSBC?
London Schools and the Black Child is an initiative set up in 1999 by Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP Diane Abbott to address educational underachievement in London. As well as addressing problems with the education system, the initiative aims to celebrate excellence.

How long has LSBC been running?
The initiative began as a Hackney-centred project in 1999. The first London-wide conference was held in 2002.

celebrating london

Why is LSBC needed?
It has long been recognised that there are problems occuring for Black students in the UK education system. As far back as the 1970s academics were exploring why Black pupils were doing worse than their White counterparts. Despite a lot of knowledge in the area, for decades little was done to improve conditions for Black pupils in British schools. Historically Black pupils have done as well as their White counterparts in primary school but by the time they finish their first year at secondary school have fallen behind.

This is most obvious in the difference between GCSE results for White and Black students and in the higher rate of exclusions for schools
Diane Abbott MP has a long history of work on education. She called the failure of British schools to help Black students achieve a "silent catastrophe" and strived to put Black education on the political agenda.