Today, the City of London Corporation has released its new Education Strategy to cover the next 5 years. This strategy applies across the City of London academies, independent schools, maintained schools, apprenticeships and life-long learning.
The Chair of the Education Board, Nuresh Sonpar CC provided the following comments:
“Education is often seen as the cornerstone of a thriving society. It cultivates the next generation of innovators, shapes our cultural identity, and fuels economic prosperity. Within this national framework, London emerges as one of many vibrant educational hubs. Home to a diverse mix of schools, world-renowned universities, and an incredibly diverse student body, London is excellently positioned to help champion the future of education.
Much has already been said about the City of London being unique in terms of us acknowledging our historic roots whilst driving towards the future. Nowhere is this truer than in the education realm. We are immensely proud of all learners within the City of London Corporation ‘Family of Schools’, whether enrolled at our maintained school, one of the City of London Academy Trust schools, or one of our independent schools. Our admiration and support of these fine young people and their dedicated teachers is assured.
Apprenticeships were created in the medieval City to ensure that the wealth generating professions and trades maintained their standards and sustainability. In the 21st century City we are growing our breadth of top-class apprenticeships, particularly targeted at young people and adults who may have experienced some form of disadvantage.
As an educator myself, I commend this strategy. Its vision, ambition and inclusive priority will ensure that world class education grows through the City’s influence, locally, nationally and beyond for learners and their educators. This strategy complements the City of London Corporation’s Corporate Strategy 2024-2029, honouring our fine educational tradition and positioning our learners with every advantage that we can influence for successful, content and productive futures.
Introduction
The City of London Corporation looks after the City of London (‘the City’ or ‘Square Mile’) on behalf of all who live, study, work, and visit, providing modern, efficient, and high-quality local services and policing for all. We have a long history, a unique constitution, our own Lord Mayor, and a dedicated police service keeping the City safe. Our independent and non-partisan political voice and convening power, enables us to promote the interests of people and organisations across London and the UK and play a valued role on the world-stage.
Today the Square Mile is the proud home to 8,600 residents, 614,500 workers, 24,000 businesses and over 100 livery companies and guilds. Additionally, a number of Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE) institutions (including City, University of London, Gresham College and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama) operate within the Square Mile, as well as numerous training providers, and a number of world renowned creative and cultural institutions (such as the Museum of London and the Barbican). We support this rich landscape through our dedication to ‘a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally successful UK’.
At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to help increase social mobility – this being the extent to which people have the same chances to do well in life, regardless of their background. A key outcome of our Corporate Plan 2024 29 is the provision of excellent services that ‘help people live healthy, independent lives, and achieve their ambitions’. A vital component of this is our commitment to supporting schools, outstanding education, and lifelong learning.
Another outcome within our Corporate Plan is our desire to ‘help build diverse, engaged communities’. To align with this, as well as our Equality Objectives 2024-29, a drive to continuously improve Equity, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EEDI) in learning settings will be the foundation for all activity borne of this strategy. EEDI efforts in education settings focus on the fundamental right of all learners to access equitable educational experiences. This involves creating environments free from all forms of discrimination where every learner, regardless of their socio-economic background, gender, age, sexual orientation, race, disability, ethnicity, birthplace, or other circumstance beyond their control, feels acknowledged, safe and supported to thrive and reach their full potential.
We believe that our commitment to improving educational EEDI can play a pivotal role in creating positive life outcomes for more learners – especially those facing the most challenge. This will ultimately contribute to a fairer, more prosperous society that benefits from richer diversity of thought. It is our ambition that at all times, all learners are acknowledged and supported, to give them the best chance to flourish.
Our Corporate Plan also illustrates our commitment to ‘act as a leader on environmental sustainability’. To reflect this in our education efforts, Environmental & Outdoor Learning (EOL) will be a priority area, especially with regard to topics such as climate action, sustainability, and green skills. To do this we will support initiatives such as nature immersion experiences, sustainability awareness programmes and green careers development opportunities which will encourage green leadership and environmental stewardship in learners. With all of these outcomes acting as a bedrock, this strategy illustrates how we will extend and enrich education experiences by creatively leveraging our unique combination of assets and resources. We will utilise the funding, networks, knowledge, influence, expertise, and experience available to us to help more learners realise their full potential – regardless of their background, identity, or ability.
Context:
In England today, learners and education organisations continue to face many challenges. Long-term problems including funding constraints, growing socio-economic disparities and the widening attainment gap have been amplified by events such as the COVID 19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. All of this is reflected in and around London with learning organisations trying to navigate a complex mix of interconnected problems such as poor mental health in learners, low attendance and a growing skills gap. These challenges affect many of the education organisations and learners we are connected to.
The City Corporation is a major provider and funder of education. We have Local Authority education duties in the Square Mile, maintain one primary school, support ten Early Years settings, are a proprietor of four independent schools, and act as the sole sponsor of academies managed by the City of London Academies Trust (CoLAT). In its entirety, this group of schools is called the ‘Family of Schools’.
Beyond school-age education, the Adult Skills and Education Service (ASES) delivers the City Corporation’s statutory Adult Community Learning (ACL) services. ASES is also integral to our Apprentice Programme, recruiting apprentices at the City Corporation and brokering and delivering apprenticeships for local businesses and residents in the Square Mile and beyond. Alongside this, the Skills and Workforce Policy team in the Department for Innovation and Growth ensures London and the UK develop a strong skills and talent pipeline for financial and professional services. The team works to foster a lifelong learning culture that supports the creation of a domestic talent pool, attracts top global talent and helps employees to stay in work and reach their full potential.
This strategy will leverage our links to the Square Mile’s world class business community, learning and cultural institutions, and environmental assets. Our ambition is that this, along with our philanthropic commitments, will offer learners unique educational enrichment that expands their opportunities to progress, and inspires an appetite for excellence, creativity, and innovation.
For this strategy to deliver meaningful impact, it must look beyond today’s educational landscape and account for the critical factors of the near future. Perhaps the most significant topic in this regard is the transformative impact emerging technologies will have on education. For example, sophisticated tools that use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to analyse student performance and then recommend tailored content and targeted interventions are emerging to help both educators and learners. When effectively utilised, such technologies can enhance learning outcomes by improving operational efficiency, and enabling personalised, adaptive, and inclusive educational experiences.
Alongside technology, other factors such as the development of future-proof personal skills, our responses to local and global environmental issues, and the universal benefits of EEDI are just a few examples of other topics that will grow in significance in the near future. This strategy will therefore continue to acknowledge the landscape of tomorrow to help learners prepare for it today. Delivery of this strategy is a cross-Corporation endeavour. Strategic oversight, including monitoring and evaluation of the strategy will be conducted by the City of London Corporation’s Education Board, with day to-day operational oversight delivered by the Education Strategy Unit (ESU). The ESU sits within the City Corporation’s Department of Community & Children’s Services and supports its aim to ensure ‘people of all ages and backgrounds are prepared to flourish in a rapidly changing world’. City Corporation departments that will be key in delivery of this strategy are:
- Town Clerk & Chief Executive
- Department of Community & Children’s Services
- Environment Department
- Innovation & Growth
Our Vision
We believe all learners – especially those facing the most challenge – are entitled to an education which helps them to achieve their best academically and helps them develop and flourish as people. We define this as the development of academic excellence, cultural knowledge, work-readiness, and a lifelong love of learning. To deliver against this belief, we extend and enrich education for ‘City-linked’ learners to offer them world-class education experiences and help them secure better life outcomes. This work is driven by our vision for education: ‘Helping learners to flourish in a rapidly changing world by championing outstanding education, encouraging lifelong learning and driving increased social mobility’.
You can read the full strategy document below…