Help Danielle and Joy Go Back to School!

My name is Danielle Amouzou-Akue and I'm 14 and half years old. I was wondering if you could please spare a few minutes to read my story.

My Secondary School in the UK – Bancroft’s School reopened on the 7th September 2020, but my sister and I were not allowed back to school because my parents owe school fees due to the impact of COVID 19. We were gutted – we were all dressed up and went as far as the nearest tube station to our school – Loughton, but we had no choice but to turn back and go home. We have been attending this school since age 7 respectively and we love this school.

This is Joy and I starting the 2018-19 school year.

I am currently featured on the front page of the School’s website  as a result of winning the National Nature On Your Doorstep Writing Competition 2020  in the (13-17 years) category. This competition was run by a lady called Lucy McRoberts  in conjunction with BBC Wildlife.

I'm pictured above with my binoculars (one of the prizes I won).

We have both made fantastic use of the amazing education Bancroft's offers. Our excellent grades are a testament to this, as well as two years in a row of end of year prizes (awarded to the top students in each year group of over a 120 children for academic excellence and contribution to the life of the school).

We collectively have achieved two golds, a silver, a bronze and a Junior Kangaroo participation in the UKMT Junior Maths Challenge.

In addition, I love singing (I’m in two school choirs plus I was head of junior choir (18/19)) and my sister loves to make music. Her song – “Someday” was used as the background music for our 19/20 Year End Assembly.

We both also excel at extracurricular activities - at the moment my sister is an anti-bullying ambassador, is participating in Black History Month to put on a performance for the Prep school, has 4 speech distinctions from LAMDA and is working on her Grade 6, is the captain of the Junior School Challenge quiz team (as well as previously being on the bronze winning team in the School year  2018-19) and writes regularly for the Teacup (School Newsletter for English). She also attended middle – school debating a year early - last academic year.

I recently won a middle school half-colour (a prize) for tennis as well as most improved player of the season. I’m conducting scientific research at home as part of my Silver Crest (as well as holding my Bronze crest - Awarded by the British Science Association 2019/20). I'm currently finishing up my Summer project and I hold six speech distinctions from LAMDA and I am currently working on my Grade 7.

My parents have paid 19 terms of school fees for me and 16 terms for my sister. However, they currently owe our school for the last two terms of the 19/20 Academic Year and the first term of this new Academic Year 20/21.

They have been unable to pay due to the impact of COVID and the resulting restrictions placed on Landlords by the UK Government. My parents have a small property portfolio in addition to working full time (as keyworkers) but because of the Covid restrictions placed by the government in the United Kingdom, they’re unable to raise any capital because the current tenants aren’t paying them market rate and they cannot start eviction proceedings till March 2021.

Our school has kindly agreed to defer the school fees for the 19/20 Summer Term and the 20/21 Autumn Term for a short while but have insisted that the arrears of £12,000 for the 19/20 Spring Term must be paid before my sister and I can return to school. 

My Mum and I have tried various ways to raise the funds but unfortunately, we have not yet been successful. During this summer, I set up a design business on Teespring, Customized Girl and Teepublic – but to date I haven’t yet sold anything. Here’s a link to one of my stores, and here's another one . 

In a last-ditch attempt to get our school to give my parents some more time to pay the arrears of £12,000 I wrote to my Headmaster on Thursday 10th September 2020 but I have not yet received a response. 

I am very much invested in my school and would hate to leave my grade 7 speech, my accelerated maths IGCSE, and my DT GCSE, to name a few.

I would hate to lose this amazing, nurturing environment, especially in Year 10 with me so close to my GCSE’s. We would also both hate to leave some unfinished commitments behind and have to (at my mother’s suggestion) home-school for a period of time. I dread to think what the impact of that might be on both of us socially and mentally.

My sister and I really want to stay at this school because we are thriving there both academically and otherwise. We’ve created many magical memories and it’s all we’ve known since age 7.

This is me on my birthday in my prep (primary/elementary) school uniform.

The £36,000 will pay the fees for my sister and I. for the Spring and Summer term  2019-20  and this Autumn term  2020/21.

If there's anything you could do to help us reach £12,000 so we can get back to school by Monday 21st September 2020, we would appreciate it greatly.

We will be eternally grateful to each and every person who, with their hard-earned money, enables us to go back to school so that one day we can pay this rescue forward.
 
Thank you so,so much for reading my story and recognising the desperation that dwells therein. I hope sincerely that it is not too late for Joy and I and that we will be able to remain at the wonderful school that we love so dearly.