Defend BSix & The Knowledge Is Power Programme – Stand Against Racism & The Dismantling of Inclusive Education

We, the undersigned, call on New City College (NCC) and the Department for Education to continue A Level provision and to protect the Knowledge is Power programme in its current form, from the damaging proposals to end them. 

BSix has long been a beacon of anti-racist, community-driven, inclusive education - championing students previously failed by the education system, particularly those from Black, working-class, and marginalised backgrounds. Teachers and support staff have spent decades building a warm, caring, and welcoming environment, rooted in thoughtful education that reflects the needs and experiences of our students. An example of this is BSix’s Award-Winning Knowledge Is Power enrichment programme, exemplified by the acclaimed War Inna Babylon course that equipped young people with the knowledge to understand their history, challenge injustice, and imagine a better future. 

While BSix proudly maintained low entry requirements to offer second chance opportunities, high expectations were held - nurturing ambition and academic excellence. Students often went on to attend top universities including Oxford and Cambridge. Innovative teaching rooted in strong subject knowledge, critical thinking, and inclusive learning practices, fostered a creative environment of hope, inspiration and possibility. At the heart of BSix were exceptional support staff - many of whom come from the same communities as our students, building deep, trusted relationships. Yet today, this approach is being dismantled. Vital staff are now being replaced by NCC’s corporate personnel, who often lack local ties and meaningful connection to the students we serve. 

The threat to remove the entire A Level provision, BSix teachers and BSix support staff, would end second-chance access for students who didn’t perform well at GCSE in Hackney and beyond. In its place, a cold, business-like model is taking hold, with little regard for student wellbeing, identity, or voice and less opportunity.

Since NCC’s corporate-style takeover in 2024, BSix is being systematically dismantled:

• Threat to remove the entire A Level provision with 43 teachers at risk of redundancy
• Threat to the Knowledge Is Power programme
• Entry requirements raised, excluding many who were previously given a second chance
• The Turing Scheme, which provided funded overseas educational work experience CANCELLED
• A landmark student-led conference on Black British history CANCELLED just hours before it was due to begin
• Increasing authoritarianism and disregard for staff wellbeing and dismissal of student voice
• Major disruption to the lives of first year A Level students - while NCC has promised students they can complete the 2nd year, students, parents and the wider community are gravely concerned how course completion is possible without their teachers. NCC has yet to timetable classes at the campus. Most students already face barriers to education, which are now being exacerbated by the unpredictable nature of NCC’s proposals - causing stress, disruption to learning, and uncertainty about their futures.

These are not merely administrative changes - they reflect a wider corporatisation of the education system that prioritises profit over young people. These actions silence Black voices, erase community learning, and deny life-changing opportunities to those who need them most.

We demand:

1. The indefinite continuity of A Level provision at the college
2. The indefinite continuity of the Knowledge Is Power programme in its current form
3. The indefinite continuity of staff roles that support marginalised students
4. An end to the censorship of anti-racist & socially critical education

Education must be a tool of liberation, not exclusion. Stand with BSix. Stand with the students. Stand for justice.

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