2. London Education
Partnership Awards
WinnErs 2010
I was delighted to be invited to chair this year’s Judging Panel for the
London Education Partnership Awards. It is worth remembering why the
awards were set up: despite the fact that more of London’s young people
than ever are gaining GCSEs, A-levels and vocational qualifications, not
enough of them fulfil their early promise by going on to higher education.
The same is true of many of the capital’s adults. This loss of high achieving
citizens has profound implications for the continuing success of this great
city; our businesses, financial institutions and professions need to recruit
from among the best. We cannot afford to lose the talents of those whom
we know could succeed, given the right environment and encouragement.
One of the clearest messages coming from many of this year’s excellent
finalists is how important it is to enthuse children and young people
with the idea of higher education, making it possible for them to achieve
their ambitions.
We were also struck by the energy and drive of so many of the people
and projects we looked at; that comes from schools, universities, business
and the voluntary sector, the teachers and others who make these
programmes possible. They make education exciting and dynamic and
they really are changing lives, by lifting the aspirations and achievements
of so many young people and adults, especially in some of London’s
most disadvantaged communities.
These partnership awards reflect the importance of working together to
achieve our shared ambition of improving progression to higher education
but also to make London the world’s leading city for learning and creativity.
We have been tremendously impressed by the work of this year’s finalists.
We think you will be too.
Our congratulations go to all of them.
Professor David Woods
3. Building bridges:
cross-organisational partnership
and impact
SPOnSOr: MAyOr Of LOnDOn
intoUniversity
intoUniversity is an education programme
addressing low aspiration, social exclusion
and underachievement among disadvantaged
young people. The charity provides study
support and mentoring for young people
across London and is expanding rapidly.
its work with primary and secondary school
It is a wonderful honour pupils focuses on ensuring young people
to have the impact of are aware of different professions and how
IntoUniversity’s work with to enter them, making sure young people
disadvantaged young understand university application procedures,
people recognised. Such supporting the transition into university and
a prestigious award is an providing pastoral and academic support
impressive endorsement in groups and one-to-one.
of our commitment to
building partnerships
across London.
rAChEL CArr
ChIEf ExECUTIvE
InTOUnIvErSITy
4. Supporting journeys:
excellent professional practice
in student support
SPOnSOr: SPECIALIST SChOOLS AnD ACADEMIES TrUST
Eastbrook school
The Dagenham school was recognised for
its inspiring work in supporting students and
staff to become one of the most improved
schools in London in 2009. After the school
came out of special measures in 2007,
there were concerns that although much
had improved, attainment remained low.
for a school coming A series of interventions supported by
out of special measures, a range of partnerships empowered
every acknowledgement of teachers and students to greater success
improvement, achievement and broadened their experiences of the
and good practice is wider world. support, challenge and trust
a valuable recognition helped staff and students to raise their game,
of all the hard work and resulting in dramatically improved results and
commitment within the aspirations. The school has now achieved
school community and the specialist school status and international
support of our partners. school status in addition to winning this award.
vALErIE DEnnIS
hEADTEAChEr
EASTbrOOk SChOOL
5. Inspiring journeys:
excellent professional practice
in curriculum support for STEM
SPOnSOr: WELLCOME TrUST
The London Engineering Project
in 2005, the Higher Education Funding
Council for England awarded the royal
Academy of Engineering and its partners
funds to launch the first phase of the London
Engineering Project (LEP). LEP has created
partnerships between national organisations
and more than 40 London schools in an
We are passionate about attempt to increase the uptake of sTEM
engaging underrepresented subjects and widen participation. LEP activities
groups in science, include helping to recruit young people onto
engineering, technology the Diploma in Engineering, giving school
and maths and it was students access to major engineering resources
very encouraging to see at London south Bank University (LsBU) and
the work that we have done providing mentors for school students with
recognised and celebrated. an interest in engineering.
Our award was sponsored
by the Wellcome Trust and Based at LsBU, the partnership included
we are very much looking organisations such as Young Engineers,
forward to working with smallpeice Trust and sTEMnET. its most
them over the next year. innovative practices centre on gender and
cultural inclusion for science and engineering
LAUrA ChASTnEy
work. Because of its work, thousands of
InDUSTry AnD OUTrEACh
LIAISOn OffICEr
young Londoners, including girls and minority
LOnDOn EnGInEErInG PrOJECT ethnic groups, have come to see engineering
as a viable career choice.
6. Creative journeys:
excellent professional practice in
curriculum support for arts and design
SPOnSOr – UnIvErSITy Of ThE ArTS
Acland Burghley school, Camden
in collaboration with Channel 4 and Media
Trust, the school created and embedded
an eight-week challenge into its Aim Higher
intervention programme. its cross-curricular
nature influenced positive outcomes in teaching
and learning across a number of subjects.
Both students on the Gifted & Talented register
Acland burghley’s and students from the Widening Participation
commitment to raising cohort were chosen to take part in the
aspirations collaboratively challenge, titled “You’re Hired!”. Marrying
has been strengthened the two groups into one challenge allowed
through the external for different roles and outcomes.
partnership with Channel 4
and Media Trust. This award “You’re Hired!” is designed to focus on
will serve as a constant media related skills such as production and
reminder of the importance marketing. Beyond the development of integral
of high aspirations and the cross-curricular skills, achievement took the
commitment of those central form of the chance of conducting work
to achieving them. experience in the Channel 4 offices.
OLIvEr rOSEn
AIM-hIGhEr COOrDInATOr
ACLAnD bUrGhLEy SChOOL
7. Driving achievement forward:
achieving successful outcomes post-16
SPOnSOr: LOnDOn ThAMES GATEWAy DEvELOPMEnT COrPOrATIOn
Bsix Brooke House sixth Form College, Hackney
Bsix Brooke House sixth Form College was
set up by the Learning and skills Council
in 2002 in order to raise the achievements
and aspirations of young people in the
East End and in particular Hackney. Judges
recognised the college’s work in improving
progression, retention and achievement for
Winning the award is a students aged 16+ so that more had access
significant acknowledgement to higher education. A “readiness to learn”
of the effective teaching and campaign was praised by Ofsted. specific
support that we provide at case studies over a wide range of subjects
bSix. The award recognises demonstrated the impact of well-mapped
our whole college approach internal progression routes.
to internal progression and
celebrates the successful One case study in particular, Allum Bokhari,
educational journeys of tells of a student who entered Bsix with no
so many of our students GCsEs; yet he left after just 2 years with
through college and into 3 A* grades at A-level and has now started
higher education. his degree course at Queens College, Oxford.
This is one very clear example of how Bsix
rEbEkAh hArrIS College has risen to be the top state sector
hEAD Of ExTErnAL rELATIOnS
institution in the country for Value Added!
bSIx brOOkE hOUSE SIxTh fOrM
COLLEGE
8. Reaching out:
third sector/voluntary sector
organisation of the year
SPOnSOr: nIACE (ThE nATIOnAL InSTITUTE Of ADULT COnTInUInG EDUCATIOn)
Teach First
Teach First’s Higher Education Access
Programme for schools (HEAPs) is an initiative
which builds on the strength of its alumni
ambassadors to deliver personalised mentoring,
university taster and careers events and parent
advice sessions that help motivate students
to achieve and raise their aspirations.
It was so exciting to have
our work over the past The HEAPs 6th form programme is based
3 years recognised at on 3 As; Aspiration, Attainment and Advice.
such a prestigious occasion. seventeen months of mentoring are offered
We accepted the award to support students through sixth form including
on behalf of all the students a complementary calendar of events ranging
involved in hEAPS and from university day trips, taster lectures, an
all the ambassador mentors academic residential, workshops in debating,
without whom we would presentation skills, interview skills and exam
not exist. success to a personal statement surgery. Teach
First’s corporate supporters offer career events in
GrAIhAGh CrAWShAW,
areas such as banking, law and management.
SEnIOr OffICEr – hEAPS
TEACh fIrST
9. Investing in the future:
business employer of the year
SPOnSOr: LOnDOn fIrST
Linklaters LLP
The law firm was recognised for its Linking
Work With Learning programme for Hackney
schools, a partnership between Linklaters,
The Learning Trust, inspire! (Hackney
Education Business Partnership) and schools,
that demonstrates the company’s commitment
to corporate engagement in education.
We are delighted that
the programme has been As an employer wanting to reflect and support
recognised by other experts its local community, Linklaters saw an
in the sector, reflecting our opportunity to raise social mobility by engaging
belief that we are having young people from Hackney in working life
a long-lasting impact on and working skills. Linklaters Linking Work
the skills and aspirations of With Learning Hackney schools’ programme
young people in hackney. was developed as a strategic response to
a borough-wide need for raising aspirations.
MATT SPArkES
GLObAL COMMUnITy InvESTMEnT
MAnAGEr
LInkLATErS LLP
10. Starting the journey:
raising aspirations in primary
school pupils
SPOnSOr: MUSEUM Of LOnDOn
Clapham & Lark Hall Primary
school Collaborative
Five Lambeth Primary schools and three
Children’s Centres worked together to
build a collaborative partnership to raise
aspirations. Their vision was of a community
of schools that shared activities and services
for families from disadvantaged and wealthier
backgrounds, and pupils across the spectrum
The Top Team Experience of needs. Particularly innovative and successful
provided by the Museum programmes include the Dramatherapy
of London will give pupils service (that supports pupils with autism
fun experiential learning. across the borough), a sHinE saturday
Literacy and numeracy school programme, a gifted and talented
have been embedded in this programme, a reading recovery
fantastically fun programme programme, 1-2-1 maths support and
built around the theme of a disadvantaged child subsidy programme
Money & Commerce. that enables children to attend West End
theatre performances, pottery workshops,
rObErT DyEr a tennis academy and other activities.
PArTnErShIP AnD ExTEnDED
SErvICES MAnAGEr
CLAPhAM AnD LArk hALL PrIMAry
SChOOL COLLAbOrATIvE
11. Chair’s Award
City University London summer school
Programme and Engineering
City University London ran its first summer
school in 2003 and due to demand the
programme has increased from three summer
schools in 2003 to nine in 2010. The young
people who attend these summer schools have
no family history of higher education, are from
low socio-economic groups or groups currently
We were thrilled and very under represented in HE. By spending an
proud to win the chair’s extended amount of time at university taking
award and to be recognised part in engaging, motivating and inspiring
for the breadth and quality activities they are put on an equal playing
of our summer schools field to those who have parents who have
which have successfully attended university.
engaged young people and
expanded their horizons in They work with two Aimhigher partnerships,
relation to higher education. London East Thames Gateway and WECAn
(West, Central and north London) to design
DAnIELLE rUSSO and deliver summer schools in subjects
WIDEnInG PArTICIPATIOn OffICEr
including psychology, music, health,
CITy UnIvErSITy LOnDOn
engineering, law, business and media.
Participant feedback has been positive with
students enjoying what they have learnt and
going on to apply and be accepted on
degree courses.
12. Our Award Sponsors
For more information and to enter the awards,
visit www.lepawards.org.uk
