London Education Partnership Awards 2010
8 June 2010: Immediate release
Nine innovative projects that raised the aspirations of young people and adults in London received London Education Partnership Awards at a ceremony at the Institute of Education in Bloomsbury on Monday evening (June 7). Oona King, broadcaster, campaigner, ex-MP and London Mayoral candidate, led the presentations.
The LEP Awards, now in their fourth year, recognise and reward innovative initiatives to transform the life prospects of London’s young people and adults and enable more of them to go on to higher education. The award is run by the IOE. Winners ranged from a partnership of five Lambeth primary schools to a leading law firm.
Judging panel chair Professor David Woods, Chief Advisor for London Schools, stressed the value of the awards.
“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.”
Nizam Uddin, president of the University of London Union, said that as a boy growing up in Tower Hamlets, he had developed his ambition to succeed from the “plethora of projects” that had expanded his world view. Uddin, an economics and politics graduate from SOAS (The School of Oriental and African Studies, London University), said: “Without the collaborative partnerships I was fortunate enough to be involved in, I would not be here today.”
There are eight categories this year as well as a special Chair’s Award (see case studies below).
Visit www.lepawards.org.uk for more information about the London Education Partnership Awards and how to apply.
NOTES TO EDITORS
LONDON EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP AWARD WINNERS 2010
CASE STUDIES
Building bridges: cross-organisational partnership and impact.
Sponsor – Mayor of London
Winner - IntoUniversity
IntoUniversity is an education programme addressing low aspiration, social exclusion and underachievement among disadvantaged young people. The IU centre in North Kensington acts as the headquarters for the charity while providing study support and mentoring for young people in the area. It now runs six centres across nine London boroughs and plans to open a further six. Its work with secondary school pupils focuses on:
· Ensuring young people are aware of different professions and how to enter them
· Making sure young people understand university application procedures
· Ensuring young people have a smooth transition into university and support when they get there
· Supporting young people pastorally, academically and aspirationally, through a range of one-to-one and group support from staff and partners.
http://www.intouniversity.org/
Supporting journeys: excellent professional practice in student support.
Sponsor – Specialist Schools and Academies Trust
Winner - 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 attainment and progress remained low. A range of changes aimed at empowering teachers and students and opening out their experiences of the wider world included a focus on the most underachieving groups -- white girls, particularly in maths, and white boys, particularly in English. Support, challenge and trust helped staff and students to raise their game, resulting in dramatically improved results and aspirations.
http://www.eastbrookschool.co.uk/
Inspiring journeys: excellent professional practice in curriculum support for STEM.
Sponsor – Wellcome Trust
Winner - The London Engineering Project
This was a particularly strong category with some excellent entries. The London Engineering Project shone out as an example of a well-rounded partnership between universities, employers, third sector organisations, and primary and secondary schools, which delivered improvements across all phases to widen participation in engineering in higher education.
In 2005, the Higher Education Funding Council for England awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering and its partners £2.82m to launch the first phase of the project. It has created a partnership between national organisations and more than 40 London schools in an attempt to increase the uptake of STEM subjects and widen participation. LEP activities help to recruit young people onto the Diploma in Engineering, and the LEP team also provides school students access to engineering resources at London South Bank University and to mentoring.
Based at LSBU, the partnership included Young Engineers, Smallpiece Trust and STEMNET. Its most innovative practices centre on gender and cultural inclusion. Because of its work, thousands of young Londoners, including girls and minority ethnic groups, see engineering as a viable career choice.
http://www.thelep.org.uk
Creative journeys: excellent professional practice in curriculum support for arts and design.
Sponsor – University of the Arts
Winner - Acland Burghley School, Camden
Working with the Media Trust, the school embedded a six-week “Apprentice” style challenge into its intervention programme. Because of its cross-curricular nature there were changes in teaching and learning in a number of subjects. Both students on the Gifted & Talented register and disaffected students were chosen to take part in the challenge, titled “You’re Hired”. Marrying the two groups into one challenge allowed for different roles and outcomes.
“You’re Hired!” is designed to focus on media related skills such as production and marketing. Beyond the development of integral cross-curricular skills, achievement took the form of the chance of conducting work experience in the Channel 4 offices.
http://www.aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk/
Driving achievement forward: achieving successful outcomes post-16.
Sponsor- London Thames Gateway Development Corporation
Winner - BSix Brookehouse Sixth Form College, Hackney
Judges recognised the college’s work in improving progression, retention and achievement for students aged 16+ so that more had access to higher education. A “readiness to learn” campaign was praised by Ofsted.
Specific case studies over a wide range of subjects show the impact of well-mapped internal progression routes. For example:
§ Allum Bokhari arrived with no qualifications at all in 2008. He studied a combination of GCSEs and AS levels gaining an A, B, B grade profile for his AS courses. He is now doing A2s in History & Politics and AS and A2 simultaneously in philosophy. He has also been offered a prestigious place at Queens College Oxford.
§ Faith Layachi began her BSix career on a level 1 course in Business, she has since internally progressed to Level 2 and currently is enrolled on a 2 year Level 3 course. Not only has Faith continuously achieved Distinctions but she has also been part of our first cohort of Learning Advocates. This programme trains students to observe lessons and report and present to managers.
http://www.bsix.ac.uk/
Reaching out: third sector/voluntary sector organisation of the year.
Sponsor – NIACE (The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education)
Winner - 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.
The HEAPS 6th form programme is based on 3 As; Aspiration, Attainment and Advice. Seventeen months of mentoring are offered to support students through sixth form including a complementary calendar of events ranging from university day trips, taster lectures, an academic residential, workshops in debating, presentation skills, interview skills, exam success to a personal statement surgery. Teach First’s corporate supporters offer career events in areas such as banking, law and management.
http://www.teachfirst.org.uk/
Investing in the future: business employer of the year.
Sponsor – London First
Winner – Linklaters LLP
The law firm was recognised for its Linking Work With Learning (LWWL) 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.
Nearly one in three people in Hackney have no qualifications and this contributes to the borough having the seventh lowest employment rate in the UK. With London’s third highest percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals and 55 % of primary school pupils (& 48.2% of secondary school) having a first language other than English, the environment for education is demanding.
As an employer wanting to reflect and support its local community, Linklaters recognised an opportunity to raise social mobility by engaging young people from Hackney in working life and working skills. Linklaters Linking Work With Learning (LWWL) Hackney schools’ programme was developed as a strategic response to a borough-wide need for raising aspirations.
www.linklaters.com
Starting the journey: raising aspirations in primary school pupils.
Sponsor – Museum of London
Winner - Clapham & Lark Hall Primary School Collaborative
Five Lambeth primary schools worked together to build a collaborative partnership to raise aspirations. Their vision was of a community of schools that shared activities for pupils from disadvantaged families and those from wealthier families, and pupils across the spectrum of needs. Particularly innovative and successful programmes are dramatherapy, a Saturday school programme, a gifted and talented programme and a disadvantaged child subsidy programme that enables children to attend West End theatre performances, pottery workshops a tennis academy and other activities.
http://www.claphammanor.lambeth.sch.uk/
Chair’s Award
Winner: City University London Summer School Programme and Engineering
City University London ran its first summer school in 2003 and the programme has gone from strength to strength over the last 7 years. Due to demand the number of summer schools has increased year on year, from three in 2003 to nine in 2010.
The aim is to increase the number of students from non-higher education backgrounds that apply for higher education courses, with a particular emphasis on courses leading to a professional career. City University now works in partnership with three aimhigher partnerships, London East Thames Gateway, WECAN (West, Central and North London) and ASPIRE (South East London) to design and deliver a range of summer schools.
City University ran its first Engineering summer school in 2005. The young people who attend these summer schools have no family history of higher education, are from low socio-economic groups or groups currently under represented in HE. The week raises aspirations, attainment and progression, addresses the academic, social and cultural needs of the cohort, develops key communication, problem solving, IT and interpersonal skills and builds confidence.
http://www.city.ac.uk/
If you would like to speak to any of the winners please contact:
Paulette Williams, LEPA project manager, 020 7612 6313,
Diane Hofkins, interim press officer, 020 7911 5423,
James Russell, press assistant, 020 7911 5556,
Photographs are available
The Institute of Education is a college of the University of London, specialising in teaching, research and consultancy in education and related areas of social science and professional practice. The Research Assessment Exercise in 2008 judged almost two-thirds of the work submitted by the IOE was internationally significant, and 35 per cent was regarded as "world leading". The IOE is a member of the 1994 group.
London Challenge
London Challenge was launched in 2003. An Ofstedreportin December 2006 stated that London schools have improved ‘dramatically’ and the investment in London Challenge has helped schools and local authorities. London Challenge was extended for a further three years in 2008, to 2011.
The London Challenge is delivered in partnership with schools, the 33 Greater London local authorities, and all those working in education in the city.
· For five years running, London continues to surpass the national average in terms of the proportion of students achieving 5+A*-C GCSEs in all subjects with71.2per cent compared to 69.8 per cent for England
· For five years running, London’s maintained secondary schools have outperformed the national average in the proportion of students obtaining 5+A*-C at GCSE including English and maths, achieving 54.0 per cent compared to a national average of 50.7 per cent.
· Almost one in three maintained schools in London now secure outstanding results (over 70 per cent 5+A*-C GCSEs in any subject). In 1997, only 36 schools reached this level.
Over the next three years, London Challenge will aim to achieve:
· A sharp improvement in underperforming schools, particularly focusing on English and Maths
· An increase in the number of outstanding schools
· Narrower attainment gaps between disadvantaged children and their peers
· A higher proportion of young Londoners will go on to higher education, including the most competitive universities