TBC’s External Evaluation of Impact 2020-2023
The Black Curriculum has published the findings of an independent evaluation that assesses the impact we are making in the education system.
The research timeline used available monitoring data spanning the period from 2021 to 2023, however, The Black Curriculum's policy and advocacy campaign work, the 'Teach Black History 365' / 'To Be Honest 365' campaign, started much earlier and launched in 2019. This campaign, as highlighted in the report, led to significantly high levels of raised awareness and audience engagement across the world.
The findings provide a compelling picture of our impact to date. The evaluation shows that our programmes have impacted on the beneficiaries that we aim to support. For example, our National Ambassador Scheme (NAS), Springboard, Teacher Training, Curriculum Consultation Audits (CCAs), and Future Learn course have all demonstrated positive outcomes in various ways.
The NAS and Springboard programmes have contributed to enhancing participants' understanding of Black British history and fostered a sense of pride and confidence. The Teacher Training sessions have enabled educators to incorporate inclusive teaching practices and address sensitive issues effectively. The CCAs have been instrumental in boosting teacher confidence and influencing changes in curriculum content. Our Future Learn course has equipped participants with new perspectives and tools to teach a more diverse history curriculum. The feedback from participants showcase the impact of our work:
“...we included references to Black British history in all of our British history units“ (teacher training participant)
“now use lots of the suggested content in (their) humanities unit” (CCA participant)
“really honored to be part of the first steps of positive change towards a more inclusive and appropriate curriculum for the modern student” (NAS participant)
"10/10- I have told loads of my friends about the impact of NAS. The team, the confidence, the research, the learning, the experimenting, and stretching out of your comfort zone” (NAS participant)
The evaluation also highlights our extensive reach. Across the last two years,The Black Curriculum has worked with over 100 schools across England and reached over 2,000 teachers. In 2022, we expanded our reach to cover Wales where we delivered teacher training sessions. Furthermore, across the last 2 years (2021-2022), 55 young people have completed our NAS programme and received ASDAN accreditation, 222 young people have participated in our Springboard Programme. In 2023, 630 young people engaged directly with the Black Curriculum via various activities including school workshops.
Our advocacy and campaigning work is also highlighted including our achievements in reaching significant milestones such as parliamentary discussions and some MP support in advocating for a review of the national curriculum.
Founder + CEO Lavinya’s response:
This evaluation showcases our work with young people and teachers. It provides valuable insights into the effectiveness and impact of The Black Curriculum's programmes. The report, in addition to providing evidence of our impact, also highlights the imperative case for incorporating Black British History into the UK school curriculum, and the importance of a more inclusive approach to history education, addressing historical injustices and celebrating the contributions of Black communities. Whilst the report shows that we have made significant progress in achieving our aims and objectives, we are also aware that we can do more to strengthen our offer to the education sector.
Our new teacher training and enhanced NAS and Springboard programmes showcase how we continuously strive to offer a quality service to our stakeholders.
We thank all our partners and supporters who have contributed to our work and have made it possible for us to continue with this important mission!
