Saturday Supplementary School

Nana pioneered and developed the UK’s first Saturday Supplementary School for black students in Manchester, which began in 1966.

This was designed to give black children pride in their background as well as to assist with learning that the mainstream curriculum failed to deliver. Under his watchful guidance Nana ensured that students were taught to have pride in themselves and learn about black history and culture.

The model of Supplementary School education at the West Indian Centre, Carmoor Road, became well known throughout the country for its focus on education for black children beyond academic development. Hence, the school’s focus was rooted in developing;

• Children’s positive self image and self confidence.
• Support to developing academic and non academic competences, to meet various challenges in mainstream education.
• A strong focus on the student’s African history and culture.
• Commitment to ensuring that children, teachers and parents recognize the importance of building a community.

“What Berry was interested in was education and he was quite excited really to see that a lot of the younger black people using the centre, were from the university or were people trying to educate themselves through the standard education channels.”
– Norma Brown 2014

Community and Public Education
Nana was a keen supporter of developing education for people from the grass roots level as well as ensuring that black people could progress into teaching in higher and further education.

“The WIOCC must pursue a policy of education aimed at the Afro Caribbean community to awaken in them a sense of commitment and obligation to the future of our community”
– Nana Bonsu (WIOCC Annual Report, 1991)