Agenda item

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

Members received an Education Strategy Update report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services and the following points were made.

·         The School Visits Fund had been very successful to date.

·         Tower Bridge, a member-body of the Learning and Engagement Forum, had recently been awarded the Sandford Award 2016 for Heritage Education.

·         TechCity and Fintech should be included in the employability theme of the strategy.

·         Consideration should be given to apprenticeships given recent research suggested apprenticeships did not necessarily lead to long term employment. In response the Director of Community and Children’s Services noted that a paper on apprenticeships would come to the Board at its January meeting.

·         The Government was consulting on the Apprenticeship Levy next month, and the City should consider making a representation.

In closing the item, the Education Strategy Director provided an update on recent activity by the City of London Academies Trust in his capacity as Chief Executive Officer of the Trust. He noted that Highgate Hill had received 249 applications for 190 places. The school was an excellent example of partnership between Islington Primary and City of London School for Girls. Members made the following comments.

·         The mix of independent schools and academies in the City’s education offer was felt to be a strength.

·         The City should consider applying the expression ‘Family of City Schools’ to any school to which it appointed governors.

RECEIVED