Somali children celebrate study success
by Mohamed Issa (IT-CSSS Co-ordinator)

IT-Community School and Subject Support (IT-CSSS) celebrated its success on 22nd October at Verdon Recreation Centre.

Over 200 people attended the celebration including officers from the Local Education Authority (LEA), Ethnic Minority Acheivement Service (EMAS), New Deal, local Councillors, representatives from schools and organisations such as the London-based Somali Teachers’ Association (STA).

This was the first time that the Somali community in Sheffield celebrated educational improvement for their children. It was encouraging for everyone to celebrate pupils’ success and to recognise their achievements with awards.

For the first time in five years Somali pupils improved their levels in GCSE and SATs examinations. We feel that we contributed to this good result and Somali pupils are no longer the lowest under-achieving group in Sheffield. All pupils who get our study support improved their levels of achievement and those doing SATs or GCSE exams got very good grades.

This is not a matter of advertisement but it is a fact that is witnessed by the pupils and their exam results, parents, teachers and the statistics done by EMAS and the LEA.

Fouzia Jama from STA talked about the recommendations of the researchers that they had done around the Somali pupils’ under achievement in the UK and how they support pupils in London. It was a very interesting and informative speech that will help us continue our efforts to improve Somali children’s educational achievements.

Contact Mohammed Issa on (0796) 022 9140 for more information.