UCL partners with five east London schools

The partnerships, which are expected to last for between three and five years, will be with Bobby Moore Academy, just a stone's throw away from our UCL East campus in Newham, George Mitchell School in Waltham Forest, Oaklands School in Tower Hamlets and The Petchey Academy and The Urswick School, both in Hackney.   

Each partner school will be offered regular, close support from the dedicated UCL East Schools Engagement team, leveraging expertise across UCL to co-design projects and activities that support schools’ needs and enrich the curriculum.

Each school will have a unique programme of engagement with UCL. Regular activities will include long-term projects, masterclasses, workshops and lectures with UCL academics and students, alongside visits to both our UCL East and UCL Bloomsbury campuses.  

A twilight launch event over the summer brought together senior leaders from the five schools for the first time at One Pool Street on the UCL East campus to outline the ambitions for these exciting new relationships. The evening included a tour of the new building and a visit to UCL’s Robotics and Autonomous Systems Lab, and the opportunity to hear about innovative degree courses like Science and Engineering for Social Change, Heritage and Sustainability and Society.  

Alongside opportunities for students, partner schools will also benefit from continuing professional development for their staff. In this spirit, the event featured an inspiring keynote from Professor Qing Gu from the IOE, UCL's Faculty for Education and Society's Centre for Educational Leadership. The subject was 'Leading Learning with Teacher Wellbeing in Mind.'

Experience across the sector, where universities are working to increase access to higher education, has shown that young people benefit most from sustained engagement with a university and these new partnerships represent a long-term commitment on behalf of both the schools and UCL.

The partnerships aim to make a positive change to the experience of students, supporting wellbeing and increasing students’ knowledge of available opportunities, whilst also equipping them with the skills to access them.  

With early activities already underway, further projects will begin in earnest this autumn term.

UCL East Schools Engagement Manager, Celine West, said: 

“This is an exciting step for UCL as part of our vision to be a valued neighbour in east London, making a positive impact on educational outcomes for local young people and building relationships with the community. We’re looking forward to expanding the wide-ranging work already undertaken across UCL. From this, we recognise that schools have different priorities, challenges and capacities for engagement, and we will be working closely with them to deliver multifaceted programmes.” 

Richard Brown, Headteacher of The Urswick School, said:  

“The Urswick School is delighted to be working in partnership with UCL. The school’s mission statement is ‘Believe and Achieve’. We believe young people can be successful and, although success looks different for each learner, for some of our students success will mean being the first member of their family to attend university. This partnership will create opportunities for young people to be supported by UCL. 

Having direct contact with a highly successful university will raise aspirations and motivate young people to work hard at school. We will also enhance the skills of our teachers by giving them the chance to work alongside colleagues at UCL.”  

Ashae Mederick, Careers Lead at The Petchey Academy, said: 

“This collaboration marks an exciting milestone for The Petchey Academy as we strive to provide our students with the highest quality education and opportunities for growth. By joining forces with UCL, we aim to enhance our educational programmes and enrich the learning experiences of our students, creating a seamless transition from school to higher education.

Together, we will foster a vibrant academic environment that nurtures curiosity, critical thinking, and a passion for lifelong learning. We are confident that this partnership will open new doors for our students, inspiring them to become the leaders and change-makers of tomorrow.” 

Keep up to date with UCL East Schools Engagement Team activities