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BEAT stands for Black Experience Archive Trust. This project was run jointly by Park View Academy and Migrant Media and was made possible with heritage Lottery Funding. The aims of this project were:

• To research local and family history, this was carried out by students interviewing people from the community
• To direct and produce a film of topical interest
• To raise the profile and aspirations of Black students

During the first phase of the project, all students prepared poster panels which show information and images about themselves, their families and their heroes. These are currently displayed around the school. In the second phase of the project, students interviewed and filmed people from their community. The interviews included: a lady who had first come to Haringey in 1962 to work as a nurse; a gentleman who had flown in bombers in WWII; an ex-student of the school before it became Park View Academy; a self-confessed ‘bad boy’ who is now a Christian missionary and the father of a teenage victim of a knife attack. These interviews were filmed in March 2008 and were presented to the London Metropolitan Archive, where they now form part of the historical records of the city.

The BEAT project was facilitated by Souleyman Garcia and Ken Fero with assistance at school level from Drew Wilkins, Ethnic Minority Achievement Coordinator. The project took place after school and as the project progressed students also gave up their free time at weekends and during school holidays.