The first meeting of the Greater London Black Parent and School Governor Network has taken place at City Hall, attracting more than 170 people from across the capital.

The establishment of the network was one of the main recommendations of the first London Schools and the Black Child conference last year, which was attended by more than 2000 Black parents, teachers, community activists, school governors and policy makers.

The Black Londoner's Forum has been commissioned to manage the first phase of planning for the network, which is hoped will encourage greater participation, involvement and representation from Black parents and governors, and provide a cohesive voice to enable them to lobby at a strategic level.

The Black Londoners Forum aims to influence decision-making at all levels of London governance, engaging primarily with Black Londoners, as well as key agencies and institutions.

Dawn Stephenson Director of the Black Londoners Forum said: ''the latest statistics confirm that in London educational failure disproportionately affects black students. Black students are further behind in terms of attainment at GCSE level and are therefore failing to obtain the necessary qualifications and skills they need to compete in the workplace. 'It is time for London black parents and school governors to collectively join forces and take action to influence change'

Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, said: 'Pupils from some minority ethnic communities are disproportionately underachieving in our schools. Low educational attainment is a root cause of inequalities later in life and entails a loss of potential skills for London's labour market and its economy, as well as having implications for social cohesion. There is general consensus that good home and school links have a positive effect on pupil achievement and I am delighted that the first Black Parent and School Governor Network meeting is taking place, fulfilling one of the key recommendations of the first conference.'