A Fulham school federation will open one of the first of the new ‘studio schools’ in London next September (2012), in a structural overhaul consigning poor results to history.
Fulham Enterprise Studio will be a mixed-sex school for 14-19-year-olds, and will be based on an adjacent site to Henry Compton School, which will become known as ‘Fulham Boys’ School next
September.
At the same time, the current Federation of Fulham Cross Girls’ School and Henry Compton Boys’ School will go by the new name of Fulham College, incorporating all three schools.
Studio schools, a new concept in education and designed for 14-19-year-olds of all abilities, look and feel more like a business than a school, with a longer working day and year-round opening. They are small mainstream schools for about 300 students, that teach the national curriculum and deliver the same key qualifications as traditional schools, in an innovative way that combines academic and vocational qualifications with real work experience.
She said:
"Choice is as the heart of success in education. Young people are individuals and they don't all suit the same learning style. The dramatic improvement in boys’ GCSE results this year and ongoing successes at Fulham Cross are the result of a sustained focus on individual pupil strengths and needs.
“Introducing more choice in the style of education with a studio school is a natural development in the federation’s drive for continued success.”
Fulham Cross Girls’ School leapt to Ofsted ‘outstanding’ rating in 2009 and Henry Compton last year saw its results for pupils achieving five or more GCSEs including English and maths at A*-C go up by 15 percentage points following its first Ofsted 'good' rating in 2010.
Working closely with local employers, Fulham Enterprise Studio will offer a range of academic and vocational qualifications including GCSEs in English, maths and science, as well as paid work placements linked directly to employment opportunities in the local area.
Students will gain a broad range of employability and life skills and will have the option to go on to university, further training, and into work. They will learn skills that can be used in the workplace – for example, ‘hands on’ projects like writing reports or conducting surveys can be commissioned by local businesses, and each week students will work as employees in real businesses, with those aged 16 and over earning a proper wage.
Cabinet member for children’s services, Cllr Helen Binmore, said: “We fully support the new Fulham College which includes one of the country’s first new studio schools. The Studio School’s innovative curriculum, will offer parents and students more choice and exciting opportunities. We wish Bernie and all the students all the best for a bright future.”
David Frost, director general of the British Chamber of Commerce, said:
“The British Chamber of Commerce believes that stronger links between schools and employers are crucial for the future of businesses up and down the country. Studio schools will do just that, involving local and national business in all aspects of this innovative curriculum model.”
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