Appendix 3: Summary Assessment Report
GRANTS TO VOLUNTARY ORGANSIATIONS 2003/2004
Summary Report
Ward Little Venice
Sudanese Supplementary School
2001/2002 Revenue Funding:
£4,000
2002/2003 Revenue Funding
2002/2003 Other WCC Grants:
WCC revenue funding as % of
income:
2003/2004 Funding Requested:
£5,000
Nil
2003/2004 Funding Recommended:
Nil
£11,502
Services Provided and Activities for which Funding is Requested
The Sudanese Supplementary School is a registered charity that aims to provide an
educational and social framework for families to encourage their active contribution
to their community through building confidence, self-esteem and integration into the
British society.
The organisation offers professional teaching to children from age 4-16 in support of
the national curriculum with special focus on Arabic, English, maths, science, sports
and music. Parents participate and benefit from training, social and cultural
activities. The School, in conjunction with a voluntary cultural centre in Sudan,
produces a bilingual publication for children in English and Arabic which children
from all over the world contribute to.
The organisation is applying for funding for rent of premises at City of Westminster
college for 14 classrooms for 36 weeks where the school is run from.
Adherence to Criteria and Conditions
Funding Category: Investing in your Education
Priority Area: Community Learning
Criteria
1. Identify, monitor and evaluate learning outcomes
The organisation puts an emphasis on better grades and improvement for pupils in
GCSE and SATs Exams by offering professional teaching to children from age 4
through to 16+ years in support of the national curriculum. However, the application
does not demonstrate how better grades and improvements are monitored and
evaluated.
2. Improve access to learning opportunities for target group
The Supplementary School runs on a Saturday, and has 14 classrooms and an
administration office at the City of Westminster College, Paddington Green. There is
no mention of disability access. The application states that professional teaching is
offered, however, there are few details regarding the qualifications or experience of
the teaching staff to support this statement. Apart from the bi-lingual publication the
application does not include information regarding learning materials used.
3. Provide projects and activities that are accessible and inclusive
The school is for children aged 4–16 years of age from the Sudanese community.
The School offers help and support to parents and to the children of all ages as they
come terms with attending school in a foreign land, and priority is for Black and
minority ethnic groups. The School also provides advice, support and training to
parents on educational opportunities, and relations with mainstream schools and
local administration.
4. Demonstrate support to the progress of individual learners
The application does not address or demonstrate that it meets the criteria.
5. Develop joint working and partnerships
Good links are kept with state schools, local education, social and health services.
A quarterly free magazine ‘Nafah’ - a bilingual publication for children in English and
Arabic is produced by both the school and a prominent voluntary cultural centre in
Sudan to which children form all over the world contribute.
6. Demonstrate enhancement of learners’ quality of life
The application states that the School boosts self-esteem and confidence amongst
children and parents. Also an example is given of the activities parents can
participate and benefit from such as a mothers keep fit gym run every Saturday,
however, the application does not further demonstrate how this meets the criteria.
7. Target communities identified in the Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy
Children and parents come from Westminster, Greater London as well as some
paces outside London. No monitoring information is cited to demonstrate how many
users are from Westminster.
8. Promotes self-help and active citizenship
The organisation encourages families to actively contribute to their community, and
the School is actively run by parents, with some on the Management Committee.
Over 60 volunteers are available on the School day. However, the application does
not demonstrate how the School promotes and develops the self-help and active
citizenship of the young people who attend the school.
Ward Member Comments
Officer Assessment
The School appears to be community based and led and has a number of different
activities and classes taking place. The application partially addressed the criterion
under the Community Learning category. However, no monitoring information is
provided in terms of how many young people use the School, what proportion are
Westminster residents or how the School measures learning outcomes. For this
reason and given the available budget in the this category the application is not
recommended for funding.
Recommendation: Nil