Greg Hands MP is calling on residents to get behind plans for the Livingstone School, Hammersmith, a computer skills based secondary free school for 11-18 year olds.
The proposal has been submitted to the Secretary of State for Education and parents are being urged to register their support now. In particular, the school need to prove there is a demand from parents of current Year 5 and Year 4 pupils – those pupils moving to secondary school in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
Residents who support the idea of a new free school can sign the petition at www.livingstoneschoolhammersmith.com.
If successful, the new secondary school, based in Hammersmith, would open with its first intake of 120 Year 7 pupils in September 2016.
Ian Livingstone CBE, co-founder of the new school, founder of Games Workshop and former boss of video game publisher Eidos – famous for the Tomb Raider series - is determined the school will equip pupils with skills they can use in the real world, including risk-taking, problem-solving and entrepreneurship. All of the school’s students, regardless of background or ability, will gain the knowledge and skills they need to enjoy a productive and rewarding future. With innovation, creativity, and enterprise at its heart, the school’s curriculum will focus on science, technology, engineering, art, and maths.
Ian Livingstone’s Next Gen review was instrumental in the Government’s decision to include computing on the national curriculum, and the new school will encourage the use of computing skills within all core subject areas.
Mr Livingstone said: “A curriculum that delivers an education for the digital world is key, bringing the arts and sciences together to encourage innovation and creativity. Science, technology, engineering and maths are vital but art, music, drama and design make an important contribution in promoting diverse thinking, self-expression and self-determination. Children as great problem-solvers and great communicators will have life skills for the jobs of the future. That is our goal.”
Greg Hands said “Free schools offer excellent value for money. Every parent and every child should have the chance to apply to a good local school in their area. That is what the Free Schools and the Academies Programmes are all about - giving more parents the choice of a decent local state school, with high standards, firm discipline and dedicated staff.
“The Livingstone School promises to combine excellent quality education in traditional subjects with the benefit of Mr Livingstone’s unique insight into our modern world of commination, technology and business.”
With Hammersmith and Fulham benefiting from several free schools in the borough the, Livingstone School Hammersmith hopes to provide parents with additional choice and to ease the pressure and struggle many parents face when making secondary education applications.
Please visit the Livingstone School Hammersmith website to register your support - www.livingstoneschoolhammersmith.com.