Representation Matters - Bridging the gap

According to the government statistics published as of 13th May 2020 only 56% of black Caribbean key stage 2 pupils are meeting the expected standard for reading, writing and maths. This means that nearly half of our students are not meeting the expected standard. Black Caribbean pupils are therefore one of the lowest underachieving groups according to ethnicity. This is a huge problem within schools and despite the fact that many schools are trying to find ways to combat this large gap, this figure has only grown by 1% in two years.

67% of Black African students are meeting the expected standard, however there is still opportunity to rise more. We need to bridge all gaps and create more opportunities for ALL black children everywhere.

Unfortunately, the budget allocated to schools for them to supposedly tackle this massive issue is very limited, which leaves schools unable to attain the right resources and provide the essential education needed to bridge the gap. Sadly this issue is also quite contradictory as the statutory requirement regarding reading comprehension within key stage 1 is that a child should ‘be encouraged to link what they read or hear being read, to their own experiences.’ (Key Stage 1 Reading comprehension)

Our Solution:

Woke Babies was initiated primarily to be the missing link between both schools and parents. We provide relatable books and resources for the children to not only gain the necessary education, but also for them to enjoy the process of learning. 

In 2019 we created Woke Academy. This service provides schools with targeted books and learning resources with black protagonists who black children can relate to. Research shows that black children are more likely to engage and excel if they can relate to the resources they are surrounded by. However, we need your support in order to reach more schools, mainly because many schools simply do not have the necessary budget to work with us.

We need your help!

Given the current climate where it is finally being acknowledged that diversity matters, Woke Babies have also thought long and hard about how we can continue to introduce different incentives to help children excel and enjoy learning. Alongside raising money to donate more diverse books to schools, we want to give children and young people the opportunity to become published authors and encourage more independent reading and writing.

We want to work with the most diverse schools and parents to create a range of story telling competitions each term to encourage children to write more. The best stories chosen will be published by Woke Babies and those children will become published authors and have their books distributed throughout Europe within our Woke Babies subscription boxes and online. Alongside the children we want to collaborate with amazing black illustrators and editors to help bring the books to life.

Budget Breakdown:

Heres a brief breakdown of how the funds will be allocated.

We need your support in raising funds to help bridge this gap and create a brighter future and more prospects for the younger generation!

Forbes Link - https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommywilliams1/2020/01/14/meet-kelly-nicholls-a-creative-entrepreneur-diversifying-childrens-literature-with-her-subscription-service/#21597203b5a1

Metro Link - https://metro.co.uk/2019/06/28/woke-barbies-offers-20-book-subscriptions-to-give-black-children-the-representation-they-need-10080883/