Sunday, January 24, 2021
  • ABOUT US
  • WEBMAIL
  • GENSOCIAL
Genesis Radio Birmingham
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • ALTERNATIVE NEWSNEW
    • ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
    • FOOD NEWS
    • HEALTH NEWS
    • MOVIE TRAILERS
    • LOCAL NEWS
    • MUSIC NEWS
  • WHATS ON
  • GENSOCIAL
  • GENESISTV
No Result
View All Result
Genesis Radio Birmingham
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • ALTERNATIVE NEWSNEW
    • ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
    • FOOD NEWS
    • HEALTH NEWS
    • MOVIE TRAILERS
    • LOCAL NEWS
    • MUSIC NEWS
  • WHATS ON
  • GENSOCIAL
  • GENESISTV
No Result
View All Result
Genesis Radio Birmingham
No Result
View All Result
Home Entertainment News

Small Axe: Director Steve McQueen opens up about racist school experiences

Genesis Radio by Genesis Radio
16 December 2020
in Entertainment News
0 0
0
Small Axe: Director Steve McQueen opens up about racist school experiences
2
VIEWS
Share on Facebook


DIRECTOR STEVE McQueen says having an ‘unfortunate time growing up as a Black child in the British education system’ was the premise for the fifth and final film from Small Axe anthology.

Though the film is set in the early 70’s, there were many parallels with my experience in the education system in the 80’s

Steve McQueen

Education is the coming of age story of 12-year-old Kingsley (Kenyah Sandy), a boy with a fascination for astronauts and rockets.

When Kingsley is called to the Headmaster’s office for disruptive behaviour in class, he is shocked to discover his transfer to a school for those with “special needs.”

It’s an all too familiar narrative, one that has propelled the Black community in the UK to overcompensate where education is concerned for fear of their children slipping through the academic net.

Executive producer, Tracey Scoffield, explains: “Education is based around a very particular set of circumstances which happened in Haringey, London.

CLASS ACT: Education

“In 1971, the local education authority decided to act upon a report which said that based on the IQ test, which were commonly run through primary schools at that time, West Indian children were educationally subnormal”.

The report (1969), written by Alfred Doulton, Headmaster of Highgate School, was leaked and subsequently became known in the community as ‘TheDoultonReport’.

There was widespread opposition to the banding proposals because of the following passage in this leaked report: “On a rough calculation about half the immigrants will be West Indians at 7 of the 11 schools, the significance of this being the general recognition that their I.Q.s work out below their English contemporaries.

“Thus, academic standards will be lower in schools where they form a large group.”

Scoffield says: “The reasons they failed those IQ tests were variously to do with the fact that they were not born and brought up in England and didn’t know the culture, along with the fact that English might be their second language.

“Factors like these were not taken into account and a large number of West Indian children were simply bussed out to these educationally sub normal schools.”

McQueen relied on memory, as well as research, in the process of creating Education. Says McQueen: “I had an unfortunate time growing up as a Black child in the British Education system.

“Sadly, I was not alone. Before our research began, I had never heard of the ‘Educationally Subnormal Schools’ that were being formed in the 1970’s in this country.

“As we dug deeper I realised there was a narrative within this neglect.

“I combined my own experience with the source material to tell the story of a young Kingsley.”

He continues: “By coincidence one of the mothers of a child that took part in Small Axe had attended my old school. She had read an article in which I’d said the school had been institutionally racist.

Steve McQueen

“Because of the racism she’d experienced there she had decided to home school her own children.”

McQueen explains: “Though the film is set in the early 70’s, there were many parallels with my experience in the education system in the 80’s.

“To say much has changed is unfortunately not true.

“With the high percentage of Black boys excluded from schools now, the fact that high numbers of young Black men are involved in knife crime shows the continuing neglect and lack of investment in Black children, particularly boys, in schools today.”

Watch Education here.

Read more about Small Axe here.



Source link

You might also like

Spread the Word announces 2021 London Writers Awards winners

Munroe Bergdorf on The Slumflower: “She is a bully and I want nothing to do with her”

“And Still We Dance” was the 2020 special online edition of Afro Dance Xplosion, produced by dance impresario Carolyn Lilly and her organization Feel the Rhythm Productions.

Previous Post

Rail review recommends cuts to HS2 proposals

Next Post

Kioki, 16 Dec 2020

Genesis Radio

Genesis Radio

Related Posts

Spread the Word announces 2021 London Writers Awards winners
Entertainment News

Spread the Word announces 2021 London Writers Awards winners

by Genesis Radio
19 January 2021
Munroe Bergdorf on The Slumflower: “She is a bully and I want nothing to do with her”
Entertainment News

Munroe Bergdorf on The Slumflower: “She is a bully and I want nothing to do with her”

by Genesis Radio
18 January 2021
“And Still We Dance” was the 2020 special online edition of Afro Dance Xplosion, produced by dance impresario Carolyn Lilly and her organization Feel the Rhythm Productions.
Entertainment News

“And Still We Dance” was the 2020 special online edition of Afro Dance Xplosion, produced by dance impresario Carolyn Lilly and her organization Feel the Rhythm Productions.

by Genesis Radio
16 January 2021
Gary Bartz is 80 and doing Jazz fine
Entertainment News

Gary Bartz is 80 and doing Jazz fine

by Genesis Radio
15 January 2021
Bulletproof confirmed for a fourth season
Entertainment News

Bulletproof confirmed for a fourth season

by Genesis Radio
15 January 2021
Next Post
Kioki, 16 Dec 2020

Kioki, 16 Dec 2020

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Advertisements




Chatroom

Genesis Radio Birmingham

Premier Music & Media Limited
27 Old Gloucester Street
London
WC1N 3AX

Company

  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Join Our Team
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Recent News

Godzilla Vs. Kong Trailer Has Finally Arrived

Godzilla Vs. Kong Trailer Has Finally Arrived

24 January 2021
Listed law firm Knights reports ‘robust’ first half performance across enlarged group

Listed law firm Knights reports ‘robust’ first half performance across enlarged group

24 January 2021

© 2020 GenesisRadioBirmingham.com developed by Cre8iveMonk

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • ALTERNATIVE NEWS
    • ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
    • FOOD NEWS
    • HEALTH NEWS
    • MOVIE TRAILERS
    • LOCAL NEWS
    • MUSIC NEWS
  • WHATS ON
  • GENSOCIAL
  • GENESISTV

© 2020 GenesisRadioBirmingham.com developed by Cre8iveMonk

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

*By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.