Agenda item

Report of the Director of the Museum of London.

Members received an update on the Learning and Engagement Forum (LEF) and viewed a short video presentation on Special Education Needs (SEN) work undertaken by the Museum of London. The following points were made.

·         The Museum Director (chair of the Learning and Engagement Forum) noted that membership of the LEF was expanding, with St Paul’s Cathedral recently invited to join the forum.

Ian Seaton arrived at this point of the meeting.

·         The Museum Director noted that the creation of the LEF had promoted greater coordination among its member organisations, bringing together a diverse range of skills to create a stand-out programme.

·         The Chairman noted that the LEF model had generated interest from the Arts Council England and Ofsted.

·         The Museum Director noted that the LEF had undertaken a range of pilot projects and was conducting research to establish what demand there was for further LEF projects. She estimated that the total cost of the LEF would be £300k per annum.

·         The Museum Director agreed that the LEF would approach Charterhouse and that at present the LEF was focusing on outreach with the City academies.

·         The Museum Director noted that cultural outreach improved employability prospects through nurturing soft skills. Moreover, the New Museum Project would include the recruitment of an apprentice from each London borough.  

·         The Chairman noted that some schools had been obliged to use their School Visits Fund grant to pay for entrance fees rather than on transport: this issue had now been dealt with through entrance fees being waived.