Raising Achievement of Black Students Conference

On 4 November 2026, Barnet school leaders gathered at the BELS Training Centre for our Raising Achievement of Black Students conference, we hope that by opening the dialogue and sharing research and practice that we will be able to improve outcomes for black students in our schools.

To set the tone and context for the conference, to drive student attainment and progress, the first session began by Tracy Parrott, Associate Learning Network Inspector, sharing Barnet performance data - both primary and secondary.  Whilst Barnet performs very well across a wide range of measures, we can see there is inequality in the performance of different ethnic groups. The opening session was then concluded by Helen Morrison, Head of School Improvement, who shared some key findings from the research undertaken so far. Helen Morrison shared “We want every pupil in Barnet to be the best they can be. Our work should be research led but it is also important that we understand the lived experiences for Black pupils here in Barnet. “

One of keynote sessions was delivered by Dr Donna-Marie Holder, BEAM Facilitator within BELS, who delivered a thought-provoking presentation entitled “Believing and Belonging”. Donna-Marie shared why she was especially happy to be part of our conference, “Not only was I once a Black pupil, but I have also taught them and am raising one; and I am deeply invested in amplifying the disparities that Black children and young people still face in education today. These deeply systemic barriers continue to significantly hinder the achievement of Black pupils at different stages of their educational journey, and it is through conferences like this that we can move towards equitable measures and meaningful targeted solutions.” Furthermore Donna-Marie said “The achievement and attainment of Black pupils has been a contested topic of discussion for decades and progress is slow. It’s time to move from discourse to action and actively disrupt the inequity in education that continues to disadvantage pupils at the intersection of their racial and ethnic identities”.

We wanted student voice and views to feature heavily within the conference, the students are who we are here to serve, so we were delighted to be joined by Sixth Form students from The Compton School and Finchley Catholic High School. The second keynote session allowed us to hear from black students in our schools, this was opened by a Finchley Catholic High student who delivered an excellent speech on the topic of being black and female. The students then took part in a student panel where we explored explore their school experiences. This was a compelling session, with plenty of food for thought and a fantastic opportunity to hear the voices of young people in our schools. This will help shape our actions.

We invited schools to share on-going work and projects already in place to raise achievement of black students. These ranged from academic and pastoral interventions to school culture. We hope these bitesize showcases provided delegates with an excellent opportunity to learn from others and reflect upon how appropriate strategies might be implemented within their own schools. We do hope following these sessions school leaders will be able to pick up one or two workable ideas to take back to their own schools for further discussion.

Before closing comments from John Anthony, Executive Director of Children’s Services, the day concluded with launch of the Barnet Racial Equity Pledge, this commitment will be designed and built in partnership between BELS, Barnet schools and the council. We hope that the pledge will support us in closing performance gaps, and we very much look forward to working in partnership to create the new Barnet Racial Equity Pledge.

John Anthony closed the day, reminding delegates of the importance of the theme of the conference and thanking them for their engagement and contributions. In discussing the importance of the conference with John, he shared “Today is not the beginning of this conversation. It builds on many years of interest, commitment and work by colleagues in BELS, our schools, our pupils and their parents, and policymakers across Barnet. I am therefore really pleased to see so many school leaders, pupils and colleagues from the Council coming together today to share experience, learn from one another and shine a light on an issue that, too often, can be overlooked. We know there are challenges, but there are also real opportunities. We can strengthen practice, learn from initiatives that are making a difference and build on the excellent work already happening in our schools and communities. At the heart of this is a clear ambition: raising the educational achievement of Black pupils in Barnet. We want that ambition to be embedded within excellent mainstream education, while also valuing the role of bespoke approaches that respond to the particular experiences and needs of pupils. So today is about more than identifying the issues. It is about sharing what works, learning from each other, and strengthening our collective commitment to ensuring every pupil has the opportunity to thrive.”

Following the confer

ence, Paul Wild, from Colindale Primary School shared “The conference on Raising Achievement for Black Pupils was hugely thought provoking. It was an excellent opportunity to hear from fellow professionals about how we can create environments where black pupils feel they belong, can succeed and thrive. One of the highlights was hearing directly from a student panel about their experiences which was an invaluable insight. I genuinely believe that although this is just the start of a wider conversation in Barnet about this issue it is just the beginning of meaningful and long-term positive change for black students.”

Cara Christie, from Brookland Junior School, added “Attending this conference gave me an incredible insight into the experiences of black pupils and gave me the space to reflect on ways that my school can strengthen outcomes for our black pupils.  Hearing directly from young black secondary pupils was a powerful experience and reflecting on their personal journeys and their ideas for how schools can be even more inclusive was a unique experience.  I am so motivated to return to school and purposefully engage our school staff, our black pupils and their families in exploring how belonging can lead to higher pupil outcomes and pupil successes.  Thank you to Barnet for delivering a day full of lived experiences, meaningful data and quality reflection time.”

We would like to thank all the attendees for their commitment and being ready to challenge themselves to go further with closing racial inequality gaps for Barnet students.