Meet Anne-Rose
Anne-Rose Obidi is the founder of The African Parent. She is a Systems and Culture Consultant, a former school governor, and a British-Nigerian mother who built this platform after learning something that changed how she understood her own situation: schools do not respond to distress. They respond to process.
"I am not an academic who studied African families from a distance. I am a mother who fought these battles and a Systems and Culture Consultant who has seen the system from both sides."
The fight that changed everything
My daughter was being bullied at school. Repeatedly. The incidents were documented, witnessed, and reported. The school's response was to call it children falling out and suggest my daughter needed to be more resilient.
When the bullying escalated to racial slurs, I reported it formally under the school's own anti-bullying policy. The response became: we will monitor the situation. Monitoring meant nothing changed.
I spent weeks writing polite emails. I attended meetings where I was told I was overreacting. I documented every incident, every conversation, every broken promise.
Then I changed my approach.
I submitted a formal complaint citing the school's failures under the Equality Act 2010. I referenced their Public Sector Equality Duty. I provided a timeline of repeated policy breaches. I requested a formal investigation and a written response within statutory timeframes.
The tone changed immediately. Within two weeks, the bullying stopped. The perpetrators faced consequences. The school updated its behaviour policy. My daughter went back to school safely.
That case clarified something I had not fully understood before: schools respond to process, not emotion. They respond to evidence, not distress. And they respond to parents who understand the system well enough to use it.
I built The African Parent so other parents would not have to learn this the hard way.
As a parent
I know what it's like to:
I know what it's like to sit in a school meeting and be told "your child is too sensitive" when they report racism.
I know what it's like to have teachers mispronounce my children's names for months without trying to learn them.
I know what it's like to watch my bright, capable child be steered away from top sets.
I know what it's like to be labelled "difficult" for advocating firmly.
I've written the complaint letters. I've escalated to governors. I've attended meetings with evidence files. I've cried in frustration after being dismissed. I know this fight because I've lived it.
As a school governor
I know what it's like to:
I've seen well-meaning teachers hold lower expectations for Black students without realising it.
I've watched behaviour policies applied inconsistently by race.
I've seen African parents labelled "aggressive" for the same advocacy White parents are praised for.
I've watched talented Black children overlooked for gifted programmes.
I've read reports and heard staff describe Black children in ways they would never describe White children. I understand the system. I understand how bias operates. I understand that most teachers genuinely want to do right but don't have the tools or awareness.
As an advocate
I know what it's like to:
Since 2022, I've supported over 200 families through school advocacy challenges.
I've successfully challenged school exclusions using the Equality Act.
I've secured EHCPs for children whose parents were told "they don't qualify."
I've trained several schools on recognising and reducing bias.
I've built resources that actually work because they're grounded in reality, not theory.
The advocacy strategies I learned through trial and error are now accessible to everyone who needs them.
Why The African Parent exists
Why The African Parent exists
African parents in the UK face a specific set of challenges. Our children experience disproportionate exclusions, lower teacher expectations, and systemic bias that operates even in well-meaning schools.
Levelling the playing field
When we advocate, we're often labelled aggressive or difficult for the same behaviour that gets White parents praised as engaged. The African Parent exists to level that playing field.
Accountability & Change
I provide parents with the tools, templates, and strategies to hold schools accountable using the system's own language and processes. I train educators on how bias shows up in their practice.
"I believe we can create schools where African children are seen, supported, and set up for success. And I believe parents and educators can work together to get there."
What qualifies me to do this work
Professional Background
- Systems and Culture Consultant
- Expertise in Equality Act 2010 and school accountability frameworks
- MBA Psychology
- Former school governor with oversight of behaviour, safeguarding, and equalities policies
Track Record
- Supported 200+ families through school advocacy challenges (2022-present)
- Successfully challenged exclusions, secured SEND support, resolved bullying cases
- Trained several schools on bias recognition and culturally responsive practice
- Developed advocacy resources used by parents across the UK
Lived Experience
- Parent navigating the UK education system as part of the African diaspora
- British-Nigerian family raising children in a system not designed for them
How I work
Beliefs that shape everything I do
Parents know their children best. I equip, I don't override. My role is to give you tools, not tell you what your child needs.
Bias operates everywhere. Including in me. Awareness without action changes nothing. I focus on what works, not what feels comfortable.
Culture is strength, not barrier. African values aren't obstacles to success in UK schools. They're assets when schools know how to recognise them.
Evidence and experience both matter. Research tells us what's happening. Lived reality tells us how it feels. Both are valid. Both inform my work.
Information should be accessible. No jargon. No gatekeeping. If I can't explain it simply, I haven't understood it well enough.
How I can support you
One to One Strategy Sessions
Get clarity on your specific situation and next steps. Book a session if you're navigating bullying, SEND refusals, or school dismissiveness and need a roadmap.
Book a situation reviewTraining and Consultation
Whole-staff workshops on bias recognition, culturally responsive practice, and equitable behaviour management. Bespoke consultation on reducing disproportionate exclusions and building parent partnerships.
Request a QuoteSpeaking
Available for conferences, panels, and community events on school advocacy, parent empowerment, and raising Black children in UK schools.
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