Banner

Location of Schools

“Although there are many outside-of-school programs,
this one seems innovative.”

Temple Freedom Prize Judge, 2007

We now run eighteen Civitas Schools in London, West Yorkshire, Birmingham, Norfolk and County Durham, catering for 400 children. Further schools will be opening in 2009.

Our classes take place in the heart of communities – in church halls, schools and community centres.


Click here to see them on google maps.

Birmingham Saturday School
Bradford Saturday School
Camberwell Evening Lessons (Thursdays)
David Copperfield Saturday School, Great Yarmouth
Hammersmith Saturday School
Keighley Saturday School
Kilburn Saturday Schools
King’s Cross Evening Lessons (Tuesdays and Wednesdays)
King’s Cross Saturday School
Murton Saturday School
Sanaton Saturday School, Bethnal Green
The Stationers’ Saturday School, King’s Cross
The Sun Saturday School, Wapping
Walker Booster Clubs (Tuesdays and Wednesdays)
Walker Saturday School


Shuayb, a pupil

Birmingham Saturday School

2pm–5pm, Sparkbrook Community Centre

The Birmingham Saturday School opened in July 2007. It is our largest school, with seven teachers working with 55 children each week. The classes are run by Tony Jones, a retired deputy-head, who is extremely passionate about teaching maths using traditional methods. Most of the pupils have been with us since the classes opened, and they are making excellent academic progress. One seven year old boy is now working at the level appropriate for sixteen year olds in most topics, as shown by his InCAS test results! As well as the weekly lessons, the children have had outings to Blakesley Hall, Hatton Country World and the Hippodrome.


 

 

Bradford Saturday Schools

10am–1pm, Laisterdyke College, Bradford

In July 2007 we were approached by members of the Hindu Cultural Society of Bradford who had heard about the good results at our Civitas Schools in London. They were eager for their children to have similar classes in maths and English. We were keen to expand the programme in Yorkshire and started the Bradford Saturday School in November 2007.

After requests from parents, we now hold separate classes for secondary aged children.

 

Camberwell Evening Lessons

5pm–7pm, Cambridge House, Camberwell

In September 2007 we started after-school lessons at Cambridge House in Camberwell. The majority of the children are working at a very high level so we’re able to introduce them to topics they haven’t yet covered in their full-time schools. The children who require extra help work with a support teacher until they reach a level where they are able to join the main group.

 

Viscount Knollys

David Copperfield Saturday School

10am–1pm, The Priory Centre, Great Yarmouth

We were able to open the Great Yarmouth Saturday School in April 2008 due to the support of Theodore Agnew.

In February 2009, Viscountess Knollys, High Sheriff of Norfolk, came to re-name the classes the ‘David Copperfield School’ as the novel is partly set in the town. The children gave a wonderful presentation of an extract of the book.

Viscountess Knollys naming the David Copperfield School

 

 

Children singing

Hammersmith Saturday School

11am–2pm, Queen Caroline Community Centre, Hammersmith

In January 2007 we opened a Saturday school on the Queen Caroline Estate in Hammersmith. Ruth Phillip, a resident on the estate, had been trying for some time to start a Saturday school for local children. When we started the classes the majority of the children were struggling at school and at risk of becoming disillusioned with education. We now have four teachers at the classes to provide as much support as possible and the progress in the past year has been immense.

 

 

Farzeen with a teacher

Keighley Saturday School

10am–1pm, St Anne’s School, Keighley

We were approached in August 2006 by Lee Craven, a business man from Bingley who was concerned with the poor educational results in Keighley, West Yorkshire. There is racial tension in the town and it is no coincidence that the leader of the BNP chose to stand in Keighley at the last election. We believe that if all young people are educated in a way that will help them get on in life, these bitter social conflicts can be reduced. The Keighley Saturday School opened in January 2007 and now teaches 40 children each week.

 

Ikem laughing

Kilburn Saturday School

11am–2pm and 2pm–5pm, Cotleigh Road, Kilburn

The first Kilburn Saturday School opened in December 2007. The older group recently took an outing to Dr Johnson’s House in Fleet Street, where they viewed first editions of Johnson’s Dictionary and talked about life in Georgian England. The second school in Kilburn opened in September 2009 due to immense demand for places.

 

William and Jason

King’s Cross Saturday School

12pm–3pm, York Way Court Community Centre, Islington

As word of the success of the Sanaton Saturday School spread in the Bangladeshi community, we were asked to open a similar school for children living on a housing estate near King's Cross station. Classes began in January 2005, in association with the Thornhill Neighbourhood Project. We have a long waiting list, as well as requests from parents for us to start a class for secondary-age children.

 

Samuel and Myesha
King’s Cross Evening Lessons

5.30pm–7.30pm Tuesdays and Wednesdays, York Way Court Community Centre

The first two Civitas supplementary schools were attended by children from ethnic minorities who belong to very strong community groups. However, we would see other youngsters hanging around on the King's Cross estate, often behaving in an anti-social manner. We were keen to reach out to all children, regardless of race or religion. Most do not belong to any strong community groups so we delivered leaflets door-to-door around the estate advertising after-school lessons for six- to eleven-year-olds. We were amazed by the positive reaction. At the start of the first open evening there was a crowd of parents at the community centre gates eager to talk to us. Nearly all expressed great anxieties about their children's education and were very enthusiastic about the prospect of extra lessons. Due to the popularity we now run two separate evening classes.

 

Murton Saturday School

9am–12pm, The Glebe Community Centre, Murton

The Murton Saturday School opened in December 2008. All the pupils attend regularly and enjoy the lessons. The parents are very supportive and keen for their children to do very well.

 

Sanaton Saturday School

10.30am–1.30pm, Oxford House, Bethnal Green

We first became involved in Civitas Schools when Luke Geoghegan, warden of Toynbee Hall, told us of a group of Hindu Bengali parents who were so concerned by the conditions in local schools that they had tried to start a Saturday school. It collapsed after a few months, largely owing to lack of funds to pay the teachers.

The children, parents and teachers of the Sanaton Saturday SchoolThese parents are members of the Sanaton Association which serves the Bengali-speaking Hindu community of Greater London by providing education, community work and cultural events. The parents are aspirational, and well aware of the importance of education for their children, but they earn low wages. We therefore decided to use donated funds to revive the Saturday classes. We started in January 2005 and have continued ever since.

The children are aged between six and sixteen. We concentrate on English and maths, with science for the older children. All children have shown considerable improvements in their reading ages, and are, for the most part, ahead of their chronological age.

Photo: Darren Fletcher

Stationers' School Logo

The Stationers' Saturday School

3.30pm–6.30pm, York Way Court Community Centre, Islington

The Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers funds our newest classes at King’s Cross, which opened in September 2009.

 

The Sun logoThe Sun Saturday School

10am–1pm, Ensign Youth Club, Wapping

The Wapping Saturday School, funded by The Sun, started on 28th June 2008 in the Ensign Youth Club, a community centre opposite the News International headquarters. Click here to read an article from The Sun about the classes.

 

Walker Booster Clubs (Tuesdays and Wednesdays)

3.30pm–4.30pm, St Vincent’s RC Primary School, Walker

 

Owen writing

Walker Saturday School

10am–1pm, Kids Kabin, Walker

The Walker Saturday School opened in January 2009. The children had a wonderful time on an outing to Segedunum, a nearby Roman Fort and museum, after reading them stories of the Romans from Our Island Story.