GIL Centre Project - supplementary education

In response to a demand from the local community, GIL Centre (Gradual Inspired Learning), an unregistered charity, was founded in September 2003 by Glenis Leitch, with the encouragement of Christine De Ionno, Chief Executive of the CASSEL Centre.  GIL Centre provides its services from the CASSEL Centre’s premises on Saturdays during the academic terms.

The CASSEL Centre and GIL Centre work in partnership to provide the infrastructure to facilitate culturally appropriate supplementary education to children and young people who live or study in the London Borough of Lewisham, and surrounding boroughs when there are unfilled spaces, and to provide guidance and assistance to their parents so as to better support their children with their education.  GIL Centre complements the activities of the CASSEL Centre, and services may be provided to service users by both partner agencies at the same, or at different times.

GIL Centre is managed by Glenis Leitch, Co-ordinator and Tutor.  Glenis works alongside her fellow tutors to set the year time table and lesson / activities plan, recruit, induct and manage volunteers.  Students are involved in informing management of their needs.
GIL Centre works in partnership with parents, and has a unique approach to supplementary schooling; its services complement and support the national curriculum, underpin other aspects of family and community life, and support the personal development of students.
Outcomes are monitored against the following 5 measures taken from the United Nations convention on the rights of a child and the government’s Every Child Matters agenda:

• Being healthy: enjoying good physical and mental health; living a healthy lifestyle;
• Staying safe; having needs met;  working towards self-sufficiency;
• Enjoying and achieving; reaching their full potential;
• Making a positive contribution, through active involvement in family and community life;
• Economic well-being; not being prevented by economic disadvantage from reaching full potential.

In 2009 – 2010, GIL Centre provided 42 educational sessions, of 3 hours duration, to children and young people.  Attendance rate was 86%.  Students’ ethnicity included:  black Caribbean, black African, black other, Asian other and dual heritage.  Children were aged 5 – 10 years old, and young people were between 11 and 18 years old.GIL Centre is open to children from all backgrounds and heritage.  To date, students have been of African and Caribbean heritage, and the main religious mix is Muslim and Christian.  Heritage and religious issues are regularly discussed.  Curriculum and activities include particular focus on diversity issues, in addition to mainstream educational activities, the creative arts and personal development.