The City of London Corporation’s bid to launch a new primary academy in Islington has been approved by the Department for Education.
The City of London Primary Academy Islington (COLPAI) will be housed in a brand new building in the EC1 area of south Islington.
A two-form entry school, it will open in September 2017 with an initial intake of 60 Reception students, reaching its full complement of 420 students by 2024, including those with special needs.
The school will increase parental choice in an area where there is a need for additional primary school places. It is possible that the school will also include nursery provision.
Consultation: have your say on the proposed new school
Residents and other stakeholders are invited to comment on the planned new school. The consultation will be open until Monday 17 August, and you can leave your comments here.
Our vision
COLPAI will join the already successful family of City of London schools and will follow the newly developed City Schools Primary Curriculum. It will be directly linked and supported by the City of London School for Girls, an ISI Outstanding rated independent school. It will benefit from the extensive links that the City of London School for Girls have with institutions such as Guildhall, the Barbican Library, Mansion House and the Museum of London.
Operated by the City of London Educational Trust, the school will offer a broad and balanced curriculum with specific focus on mathematical ability and financial literacy, and will employ proven learning approaches delivered only by qualified teaching staff.
Like all City of London schools the new academy will benefit from the City’s strong links with business and will aim to instil qualities such as independence, creativity and financial literacy. Children will be given opportunities to explore the world around them, learn new skills, and understand the communities in which they live.
Our aim for the school is to eliminate achievement gaps and improve the life chances of local children. We aim to ensure that the achievement of every child compares favourably with the best in the country. COLPAI will welcome all children and families from the local community.
Our school values will be:
- Safe, secure and stimulating learning environment
- Specialising in mathematical ability and financial Literacy
- Personalised learning
- Commitment to academic excellence
- Confident, collaborative culture
- Community focused
School ethos
There will be strong collaborative links with other local schools. We will use professionals from business and commerce as mentors so that the children will benefit from the skills of those living in their local area. The use of a Financial Literacy Passport will enable teachers to track and support the development of students’ specific life skills.
The City is committed to ensuring that its rich cultural offer is readily available and accessible to all Londoners. We believe that creativity and creative thinking are fundamental to the future economic wellbeing of our city and our nation, and that the creative arts, music, drama, dance are essential development for the children of Islington. Sitting at the heart of one of the great cultural capitals of the world, we believe it to be their heritage and their entitlement. For this reason one of the key components of our new school will be an ‘extended day’ with an extended cultural offer.
As part of our offer every child will be able to remain within school after usual school hours with an option of quality care until 6pm daily. In this way we will ensure that all children access extended opportunities in the creative arts, music, dance, drama and sport. We will provide summer camps for our children specifically to extend and enrich their cultural experience and appreciation of their city. These will build on work recently piloted by City of London School for Girls. We will work with City charities and the Livery companies to ensure that these opportunities are affordable to all children and free to those in receipt of Pupil Premium.
More information
To find out more, and to register your interest in the school for the future, contact FYi or call 020 7332 1002.
