School Struggles to Award winner

Daniyal at the Jack Petchey awards night

Daniyal (16) was struggling in school, facing many adversaries and easily distracted. He was finally introduced to the Riana Development Network (RDN) Supplementary Class Programme. 

Daniyal’s parents were beginning to lose faith in mainstream education, as they felt his potential was not being recognised or nurtured. They explored alternative options, including private schooling, but this was financially out of reach, as it is for many families across the UK. That’s when they discovered our supplementary class.

After a brief conversation with our CEO, Rodgers, and Youth Development Officer, Syreeta Bains, they decided to give us the opportunity to support Daniyal. Since then, he has been attending our programme for several years, where he continues to grow and develop. 

Daniyal with his parents and RDN Youth Worker Jenny

Maria Zelia De Abreu (Daniyal’s Mum) shared her thoughts: “I could not give up because I got a sense that this is going to be, you know, the help that my son was looking for.” 

We have seen his progress throughout the years. From when he first walked through our doors, his level for the core subject was below his peers. Since then, he’s now at the level he should be at and has even gone on to win the Jack Petchey Award. He was awarded for his determination since joining us. He has shown great resilience and great commitment. He has even volunteered with younger peers and is so eager to grow and develop.  

Imran Sethi (Daniyal’s dad) had this to say about our supplementary class: “They treat the children as their own. I mean, my son has got such a nice relationship with Syreeta, you know, that they're like almost friends.” 

Now 16, Daniyal is studying Travel and Tourism at college, a subject that captured his interest and ambition. At RDN, we look forward to supporting him every step of the way on his journey. 

One of his teachers has this to say about Daniyal: “He's been persistent. He's given his best try in terms of not giving up.” 

To watch an interview of Daniyal and his parents please click here. 

Our supplementary programme helps students with SATs or GCSEs every Saturday with lessons in maths, English, and IT. The classes are for KS2 & Years 5 and 6, Lower KS3 Years 7 and 8, and KS3 & KS4 Years 9, 10, and 11. Location: Dukes Meadows Community Centre, Chiswick, W4 2RZ. The classes are free for children from low-income backgrounds.

To know more about our Supplementary Class programme, you can contact: Syreeta.Bains@riana.org.uk or +44 7777 796730.

To join our supplementary programme, click the button. 

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