Education News - April 2008
School on the list
A Haggerston primary school has been listed as a building of national significance.
Sebright Primary has been given Grade II listed status – the same as the BBC’s Broadcasting House in W1, and Notting Hill’s Trellick Tower. Campaign group The Victorian Society asked English Heritage to list the school, built in 1873-4 by Scottish architect Charles Henry Money Milham.
Sebright is one of the few Victorian ‘board schools’ left in East London. It was one of the first 30 to be built by the School Board of London, which constructed 400 buildings across the capital.
The school is notable for its well-preserved, Queen Anne-style exterior and its combined schoolkeeper’s house and cookery centre.
Heloise Brown, the Victorian Society Conservation Adviser, said: “We’re delighted. The school is a distinguished example of the early work of the School Board for London, the first state-run scheme to provide education for the city’s children. It is an accomplished and skillful piece of mid-Victorian architecture. We hope that its new listed status means it gets the care and protection it deserves.”
Youth charter celebrations
Young people celebrated their greater influence on decision-making in the borough at the launch of the Hackney Youth Charter.
Over 70 young people gathered at BSix College and took part in workshops and quizzes which explored the effect of the charter on young people’s ability to participate in local decisions. A DVD created during the development of the charter was also screened.
The charter is a set of guidelines designed to give the organisations that provide services for young people the information they need to involve them in effective and meaningful ways. It directly supports the Government’s Every Child Matters and Youth Matters agendas.
During its development 13 Hackney teens were trained as peer researchers and conducted questionnaires, focus groups and interviews with 300 young people in schools, colleges, youth clubs and on the street.
The Youth Charter was supported by CityZEN, Hackney Youth Service and The Learning Trust.
More information
You can download the Youth Charter from the Youth Service page.
Support Lauriston Empire show
Parents and children from Lauriston primary school are looking for performers to take part in a charity event at the Hackney Empire.
Strictly Variety will celebrate the hidden and quirky talents of the borough to raise money to build a new theatre at the E9 school. The evening will be hosted by comedienne Josie Lawrence and feature snake charmers, magicians, opera singers, dancers, jugglers, magicians and much more.
If you’d like to get involved in the event on 14 July – or donate money or items for auction – contact: jenifer@sublimeshop.co.uk or call: 020 8533 7398.
£8m for school revamp
Lauriston Primary school is set to benefit from a £8million, state-of the-art rebuild.
Plans have been drawn up to expand the school to double its current size to increase the annual intake of pupils from 30 to 60.
The school in Victoria Park is heavily oversubscribed, and the redevelopment will support demand from parents for more primary places in Hackney.
The project will be jointly funded by the Council and the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
Architects Meadowcroft Griffin have been awarded the contract to design the building and have been working with pupils to help them understand how their school will be transformed.
During the re-build, teaching will continue in the existing building with the use of one temporary building. A new playground has already been built as part of the on-going development work. Jane McCuish of Meadowcroft Griffin said: “We wanted to keep the ‘Lauriston-ness’ of the school – to maintain the unique atmosphere. The design is open-plan, continuing the tradition of the original building which dates from the 1970s, and features shared resource spaces and a new multi-use games area.”
The development is being overseen by The Learning Trust and is scheduled to be completed in April 2010. The planning application will go before the Council’s planning committee in April.
More information
Visit the school’s website: www.lauriston.hackney.sch.uk
The Prince and the prize-winners
Business savvy pupils from Skinners’ Company’s School for Girls rubbed shoulders with royalty when they met Prince Andrew.
Kasanah Shalders-Gayle, Arooj Akhtar, Mainoonah Teladia, Karess Laidley and Duygu Atas were invited to an Enterprise Education Trust event at St James’s Palace after winning a Network for Teaching Enterprise (NFTE) business competition.
The girls were given a tour of the palace and chatted with the prince, who congratulated them on their success. They also mingled with high-profile business people.
The group triumphed in a field of 4,000 students with their professional henna tattoo service. Part of their prize will be a trip to New York to attend the NFTE Gala Awards ceremony and trade fair.
More information
Further details at: www.enterprise-education.org.uk
Page updated: 15 Jun 2010
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