GCSE Mathematics Scholarship At Summit

A Scholarship has been established for one year’s tuition fees, to support a worthy dedicated GCSE student enrolled at Summit Saturday School, to study Mathematics with an outstanding Mathematics Specialist.

The Scholarship has been set up by Mechel McPhee, Mother of Tiyrese-Jerome Engena who attended Summit Saturday School from age 8.

Here is her story:

When you know that you had given birth to not only a blessing, but that which is packed with purpose, then you know that the education system will try to destroy his destiny. With that in mind, I was prepared to roll up my sleeve and fight. The system could not see what I saw in my son, or they were refusing to accept what they saw.

TJ’s first primary school was an experience he and I will never forget.  It brought out things that I never knew I had in me as his mother. During this season and (I call it so as seasons don’t last), I felt like a lioness protecting her cub. Not one day was the same and at one point I felt as if I was going to lose my mind, my son, and my job because of the system, but I remembered who gave me this child and what He, (God) had said about this child, so I dug deep, dried my eyes, straightened my back and went back on the battlefield, feeling more determined than ever. 

I was constantly feeding TJ positivity, not once did I show any negativity, it was positivity for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when school arranged for TJ to be assessed by a Child Psychologist. After one hour with TJ the Child Psychologist looked at me and said “Mrs Engena there is nothing wrong with your son, he is just being a normal child that was brought up in an affectionate home environment. So, armed with that information, I went back to the school. 

I gave the school a couple days to go through the report the Child Psychologist whom they had referred us to had written. A few days later, a meeting was called. During the meeting they informed us that the report from the Child Psychologist wasn’t reliable and they had decided, that in order for TJ to continue attending the school, he had to be assessed by another Child Psychologist who specialises in Cognitive and Behavioural Psychology, which we had to agree to. At the end of TJ’s assessment, the psychologist came up with various diagnoses and recommended that TJ’s school was not able to meet his needs.

A Special Needs school was recommended for TJ. The school and ourselves began searching for schools but any school my husband and I recommended was dismissed. When they finally found a school and we visited to have a look around, we were totally disappointed with what we saw. The school looked like a prison from outside, we did not even recognise or realise it was a school at first. Once in the building, it was like a neglected mental hospital in the nazi era. The young people were walking around unsupervised, their clothes we’re messy, they were swearing and at that point TJ held on to my hands tightly and said to me and his father, “Mummy please don’t send me here I beg you” and at that point I took my son and left that system.

I took TJ out of St Matthew and enrolled him into the primary school his brother attended. St Matthew tried several times to contacted us to ascertained what school TJ was attending for them to send his school reports over. I informed the school that TJ was no longer in the UK, “Yes I lied and I will do it again, if I was in the same position because I felt that TJ needed a new beginning, and if they had found the same issue with TJ I would have accepted his diagnoses.

So began our journey with Summit Saturday school. Mrs Stewart, I believe, felt my pain, and saw my anguish. At her first meeting with TJ, I knew she saw in him what I had seen from the beginning. Mrs Stewart laid out Summit’s vision, purpose an expectations. She explained to TJ what she expected of him and that the ball was in his court and that the Sky wasn’t the limit.  Mrs Stewart took him under her wings and in TJ first year at Summit, he had moved from level 4 to level 5. 

Tiyrese enjoyed Mathematics also English. He wrote several thought provoking poems, (one of which he was asked to read aloud in school assembly). His teachers at school doubted that he had written them but, several others followed, which left them in no doubt about his creativity. TJ became the first recipient of The Nicola Henry Scholarship Award, given to Summit pupils who exhibited considerable potential.

He received an award in his second year at Summit for “Most Improved Child”. Not only was TJ doing well at Summit, but the child who was behind in class at his primary school was now at the level of and more with his peers. TJ’s time at Summit continued to produce excellent results, when TJ took his SATs he achieved Level 5.

Since he started his new primary school, we only received one complaint of bad behaviour from his teacher, which TJ explained was due to being picked on by another child. TJ continued with Summit until High School, Year 10, and was encouraged by Mrs Stewart to take two subjects in his GCSEs early. TJ sat his English and Maths GCSEs, gaining C in English and D in Mathematics. TJ would have continued which Summit if I did not made the decision to move out of London due to my ill health and what was happening in London at the time namely, the gang violence.

I have written this brief insight into TJ’s life, as I want to encourage parents out there to know your child/ren enough to know that when the system tries to define them in a manner that goes against the foundation you have laid, and that what you know about them is the truth, you get ready to fight, with a “no giving up attitude”. I look on TJ today with all that he has been through and what he has accomplished and is about to accomplish, mostly on his own. I am the proudest mother around. I also thank God who has been through all of this with us for his endless Grace, favour and for never giving up on us.

Becoming a Sponsor is to show our immense appreciation for what Mrs Stewart and Summit School have done for Tiyrese-Jerome Engena(TJ).

The recipient of the GCSE Mathematics Award in 2020 is Lucas Bardot.