On the outskirts of West London a small group of dedicated practitioners have created a multi-storey educational complex tailored towards helping political refugees. Owl Education, situated in Southall, was founded in 1987 due to the fact that many of greater London’s current inhabitants have suffered educational setbacks. Owl therefore offers extra tutoring to the children who need it most.
Over the last ten years, it is estimated that over 20,000 asylum seekers from countries such as Sri Lanka, Eritrea, and the Federal Republic of Somalia have immigrated to London’s fringes to escape violent conflict. Misplaced and endangered, there now exists a wealth of educationally underprivileged young people clustered in West London who require extra support.
The students who attend Owl Education all have individual needs, yet they all require the same basic schooling if they are to integrate fully into the British mainstream. Owl offers courses in Math, English, and Science to children ranging from four to eighteen years old. The classes take place in the evenings and on the weekends, so that children who attend state schools can top up their learning or work through their school work in this extra time. The aim is to provide intensive, traditional teaching that pupils don’t receive in a classroom environment with thirty other students.
Promina Rhea, Customer Relations Manager is an essential member of the Owl Education team and states that ‘It is initiatives such as this that help to give this demographic the fighting chance they deserve. We are very proud of what we do.’
Picture courtesy of Owl Education Ltd.
Written by Ashleigh Brown