School partnerships

University Schools Trust

Queen Mary University of London is the lead sponsor of a local multi-academy trust, headquartered just a 20 minute walk from our Mile End Campus.

Other university institutions that are on the Trust Board are King’s College London, University of Warwick, University of East London, University of Greenwich and University College London. In addition to this there are several civic bodies: London Borough of Tower Hamlets, NHS and Poplar Harca.

Queen Mary, as the lead sponsor, has worked closely with the Trust to help develop an inspiring vision for education of “providing transformational educational opportunities for all children, including those facing disadvantage, setting the agenda for social mobility and sector-wide innovation and change”. Queen Mary continues to work closely with the Trust on its continued growth and strategy.

The current UST schools are:

• St Paul’s Way Trust School (SPWT): An all-through school in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, covering education from nursery through to sixth form. Its journey of transformation started in 2009, when the school, at that time for 11-16 years olds, was failing and had some of the poorest examination results in the country. The school was redesignated a Trust school by Queen Mary and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets working together. The school was rebuilt in 2011 under the ‘Building Schools for the Future’ programme and by 2013 Ofsted judged it to be Outstanding, highlighting the high-profile connection with our University, amongst other things like the exceptional teaching and learning, teachers’ high expectations and the relentless pursuit of scholarship and excellence.  

  The primary phase opened in 2014 in a purpose built school built in collaboration with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and a local housing association, Popla Harca, and has quickly established a reputation as one of the top providers in the community. Learners consistently equal or surpass the national average, which marks significant accelerated progress given the majority of children’s starting points.  

  At the other end of the school, SPWT continues to systematically remove barriers to university access, and in 2021 95% of Year 13s embarked on a degree course. Of these, 55% joined Russell Group universities. Consistent success sees it widely recognised as the school of choice for the local community, as evidenced by being the most oversubscribed in Tower Hamlets for Reception, Year 7 and Year 12 intakes. The secondary school phase of the school offers a ‘deaf support provision’ which is recognised as a beacon of excellence.  

  In 2016 the school decided to academise and formed the University Schools Trust which also at that point incorporated the Royal Greenwich Trust School. 

• Royal Greenwich Trust School (RGTS): Starting life as a university technical college (ages 14-18) specialising in transport and engineering, RGTS was repurposed into a secondary school in a collaboration with the Royal Borough of Greenwich and welcomed its first Year 7 cohort in 2017, with 2021/22 being the first academic year with students in every year group. The school was judged Requires Improvement by Ofsted both as a UTC and subsequently in 2019, but under the stewardship of UST and an outstanding new headteacher and her Senior Leadership Team, teaching and learning has improved exponentially following the introduction of a broad and balanced curriculum. Ofsted’s most recent monitoring inspection stated that effective action is being taken for RGTS to become a good school. To accommodate the growth in pupil numbers, a £13.8 million extension was opened in September 2021, providing three floors of additional learning space including an expansive Atrium area, four-court sports hall, lecture theatre and a sixth form centre.   

   In their inspiring new environment, sixth formers are treated to sector-leading facilities as post-16 provision specialises in Level 3 BTEC Advanced Diplomas in 3 areas: Engineering, Civil Engineering & Construction and Business. Being experts in the field, and even the sole local provider of the Engineering course, sees people travel from far and wide to join. All pupils also benefit from access to a comprehensive Character Development Programme that seeks to provide unrivalled opportunities, nurturing children of all ages to become confident young adults who are responsible global citizens and have a clear vision for their futures. This approach is resonating with the local community as applications have seen a year-on-year increase.

• Cyril Jackson Primary School (CJPS): This school academised in September 2021 and joined the University Schools Trust. It is a routinely oversubscribed school in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. CJPS caters for pupils from Nursery to Year 6, with twenty of these places being given over to a borough-wide Language Resource Provision (LRP) for those with language disorders and associated learning difficulties. The beautiful surroundings, complete with planting garden and pond, bely its inner-city location, which sees pupils flourish outside of the classroom as well as in it. Their progress levels are remarkable considering the levels of deprivation that many of its families face. Although the majority of children start school with skills which are well below the expected levels, pupils meet national expectations in English and mathematics by the end of KS2 regardless of starting points. The quality of education provided has been well recognised by Ofsted, who graded the school Outstanding, praising its culture which is firmly focused on ensuring that all pupils receive the highest standards of care and teaching. 

  The school has also developed an exceptional reputation for its Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Additional Educational Needs provision. A team of Speech and Language therapists and around thirty external agencies work with pupils on a regular basis. Its reputation is such that other services recommend the school to families because of the quality of education and pastoral care they will receive.  

To find out more see www.ust.london

Drapers’ Multi Academy Trust: 

Queen Mary sponsors Drapers’ Multi Academy Trust, headquartered in Romford, supporting the trust to spearhead their mission to transform education.  

Through our work with the trust, we help students prepare for, and succeed in, higher education. Through our progressive outreach curriculum and Student Ambassador role models, we aim to raise attainment and support progression to higher education.  

Drapers Multi Academy schools include Drapers’ Academy, Drapers’ Brookside Infant School, Drapers’ Maylands Primary School, Drapers’ Brookside Junior School, and Drapers’ Pyrgo Priory School. 

Drapers’ Academy 

Our work with Drapers’ Multi Academy Trust is driven through our close work with Drapers’ Academy, supporting students from Year 7 – Year 13.  

Drapers’ Academy prides itself on high standards. Pupils are expected to work hard, support their peers, wear full Academy uniform and maintain good records of attendance and punctuality. These high standards combined with the excellent learning environment provide the foundations for pupils and students of the Academy to gain an outstanding education. 

There is a clear vision for the ongoing development of the Academy, to ensure delivery of high academic success and opportunities for students to excel as positive citizens. The Principal’s aim is that every pupil and student, who finishes at the Academy, leaves with the skills, qualifications and personal qualities that will enable them to pursue a career that they aspire to. 

To find out more see www.drapers-schools.com