City Hall Desk - John Kaponi

Mayor Boris Johnson visited the Turin Grove Academy in Edmonton today, to give his personal support to the staff and students and reaffirm City Hall's commitment to see the establishment of "Mayoral Academies".

The "Mayoral Academies" is a major policy commitment for City Hall and Mayor Boris Johnson pledged his support for the programme at the Turin Grove Academy.

The Mayoral Academies is aimed to help schools that have historically underachieved and to "raise the students' horizons".  The academies will be sponsored under a unique sponsorship partnership between the Mayor’s London Development Agency and the Academies Enterprise Trust.

The Turin Grove is located in Edmonton, one of the areas in the capital affected by high levels of youth crime and anti-social behaviour.  Since the launch of the "Mayoral Academies" schools like Turin Grove have become beacons of hope for the local community and has seen students, from backgrounds were English is the not the first language, prosper.

Mayor Boris Johnson said: 'I’m thoroughly impressed by the enthusiasm and energy of the pupils and staff I met today. It is my personal belief our schools have a duty to bring out the best in every young person and I truly hope that both Turin Grove and Gladys Aylward will be shining examples of the opportunities Academies can deliver. We have a unique opportunity in Enfield to show what can be done when we aim sky high and I look forward to a triumphant return in September to welcome pupils to the exciting new Academies.'

The two schools are planned to be the first in a Brendan Loughran, Group Director, Learning and Skills at the London Development Agency said: 'The LDA is delighted that through its pioneering collaboration with AET, Turin Grove and Gladys Aylward schools in Edmonton, are on track to become the first of the Mayor's Academies. This means that the schools' pupils, neighbourhoods and the wider communities will benefit from the skills, training and community learning hubs that these ground-breaking academies will provide.'

David Triggs Chief Executive of The Academies Enterprise Trust, said; 'We are committed to doing everything we can, working in partnership with the Mayor and the LDA, to ensure that young people are able to compete on the world stage with the skills, confidence and flair to generate new ideas, new initiatives and thereby make a full contribution to tomorrow’s world.'

It will also be interesting to see what a Conservative government will do with the "Mayoral Academies" and if they see the same vision for the capital as the Mayor, and if the "Boris Blueprint" is used in other parts of the country.

photo credit: London Daily News