Aged 10 and already at college

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Black boys' ambitions are soaring along with their Sats results, thanks to extra classes after school. Joe Clancy reports

School is over for the day, but 50 or so boys aged 10 and 11 are boarding minibuses to be taken to a local college for an extra three hours of lessons.

The boys are escorted by students of the college, who take them through the security turnstiles and up to the "leadership centre", a huge computer suite kept open just for them. There they play educational computer games while awaiting the arrival of their teachers to give them tuition in maths, English and personal development.

Every Wednesday for the past five years, City and Islington College has been hosting after-school classes for boys of African and Caribbean heritage from 10 local primary schools in a project designed to address their educational underachievement. In that time, the performance of black pupils in year 6 Sats tests has soared in the north London borough of Islington.

The Kokayi Raising Achievement Project was launched in 2003, when 54% of black boys in Islington achieved level 4, the expected attainment, in the Sats tests taken at 11. Last year, 66% obtained level 4 or above in maths and English, putting this group closer to the national average of around 75% for all pupils.

Graham Smith, head of achievement and diversity in Islington, says the project, in which the boys are taught by black teachers, has been crucial. "It has been transformational for the boys. During the personal development sessions, you can almost see them growing, and developing ambition for their futures."

"A criticism levelled at schools by the African and Caribbean community is that many do not have high expectations of the academic ability of black pupils," says Hugh Dale, the project manager and a governor at the college. "Consequently, their potential is not being realised. Sats data shows that boys of African and Caribbean heritage perform just as well, if not better, than any other group at age seven, and the decline in attainment begins after that."

He describes boys selected for the project as "those with potential, who need a bit of a push to bring them up to the average level, or to reach a higher level that reflects their ability". He adds: "It doesn't target those that are failing currently, but those that may fail subsequently."

He believes the project's format could be of benefit to other underperforming groups. "I have long since felt that the project is transferable and can have similar results with other groups, such as white working-class boys," he says.

Kokayi has been delivering after-school classes for African and Caribbean pupils for 25 years. The supplementary school was formed following riots in Tottenham and Brixton in the early 1980s; parents concerned about the education of their children got together to provide extra lessons in their own front rooms.

Aged 10 and already at college | eG weekly | EducationGuardian.co.uk