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Camden New Journal - by DAN CARRIER
Published: 2 August 2007

Malcolm Grant

UCL chief reveals academy vision

Professor vows to raise standards in maths and science after winning race for school

LEADING academics sharing their intellects with school pupils will be the cornerstone of a new academy, revealed University College London’s provost Professor Malcolm Grant in his first interview since UCL were selected by Camden Council to open a £30 million city academy.
Speaking to the New Journal, Prof Grant said his faculties would be involved in improving the academic performance of Camden schoolchildren who join the proposed academy earmarked for the Frank Barnes school site in Adelaide Road, Swiss Cottage.
This would be done by teams of ‘study buddies’ made up of both post and under-graduate students, tutors bringing research into classrooms, day trips to hear lectures and seminars at the college’s Gower Street campus.
Prof Grant said: “There has been a falling away in science and maths education. This has to be dealt with and we feel we can help raise standards through the academy route.
“We have been closely involved with education in Camden over many years and we think that the government’s academy model offers us a way of extending this.
“Two years ago we approached Camden and said instead of the government’s scheme for having a wealthy individual or group sponsor, why not adopt the academy model to a special partnership with a university? We think this would allow us to provide new opportunities for Camden children, raising aspirations and performance across the board, and, indeed, to provide Camden an example for a striking new approach to secondary education in the UK.”
He said UCL was keen to increase the skills of school-leavers to make them effective undergraduates.
But opponents say the decision to hand over control of Camden’s new school is undemocratic and will harm others.
The Church of England’s schools board, and parents who were hoping for a Town Hall-run community school, are considering legal action to overturn the decision. They claim Camden should have held a competition for all interested parties to show what they could offer pupils.
The London Dioceses Board for Schools chief Tom Perywer said: “They call the decision indicative and say nothing has been finalised, but I am certain the council are determined to press this through. UCL will have to discuss the vision for the academy and they may find this becomes uncomfortable as it fails to match what parents Camden want.”
Holborn and St Pancras MP Frank Dobson said the academy could have a detrimental effect on other schools in the borough.
He added: “If UCL want to help, they should be sending post-graduate students into all schools as mentors. They may attempt to pay more and attract teachers from other schools, and parents may feel they have to try and get their children into the school at the expense of other institutions.”
Education chief Tory councillor Andrew Mennear said: “Not many councils have chosen a competition as the preferred route, and there is nothing unusual about this.”

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