9 minute read
Up Front
South Bank UTC students excel
We are so proud of all of our year 13 students at South Bank UTC and all they have overcome in the last two years on their way to securing excellent outcomes.
The determination of the young people and nurturing support of the staff have enabled students to reach their potential.
Our academic subjects secured an average grade of a C+ and achieved a full grade better than the statistical expectation. Those studying mathematics, biology and chemistry did particularly well, with an average grade of B. Technical outcomes remain strong, notably in BTEC business and extended certificate results in engineering. All of our students are set to go onto excellent destinations including university, apprenticeships, training and work opportunities. It is particularly pleasing that 18% of our university leavers are going to Russel group universities and 18% to our partner university, LSBU. It’s also pleasing to know that 78% of students are going onto engineeringbased degree programmes, demonstrating the power of our specialised curriculum to help students secure their dream pathways. We are very proud of the growing number of apprenticeships secured by our leavers, especially considering how competitive it is to secure these in the current economic climate. Our leavers have secured amazing placements including Iga Dzadz, who leaves us to take up a degree apprenticeship with Skanska. There were many outstanding personal performances including: Christian Ancu A*AB in A-levels and a distinction in BTEC engineering, Micah Salmon A*A*A and Omar Bedward AB and distinction* in BTEC engineering. We are looking forward to welcoming back a small cohort of students into our Year 14 HNC programme and look forward to seeing them grow further in the next year. I look forward to hearing stories of success and anticipate welcoming many of this year’s cohort back to the UTC in the future to inspire the next generation of young engineers.
Mayor to invest nearly £3m in Creative Enterprise Zones
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced a new investment of nearly £3m to boost his Creative Enterprise Zones (CEZ) programme.
Launched by the mayor in 2018, the programme has supported artists, creative businesses and local people entering into the creative sector and securing new jobs.
The innovative programme has supported artists, freelancers and small creative businesses in the capital to thrive by creating longterm affordable workspace, offering business support and helping to develop vital skills. This new investment from City Hall, which builds on the £11m already invested by the mayor, will boost existing CEZs and help bring forward a further six zones over the next two years. Funding will support three new zones in 2021-22 and a further three in 2022-23. The mayor’s intervention comes at a time when the creative and cultural sector is rebuilding following the pandemic, which is made more difficult by the existing challenges of retaining workshops, studios and workspaces against the threat of closure and rising rents. Sadiq Khan said: “Our creative industries are critically important to the fabric of our city and will play an essential part in our economic and social recovery. “The CEZ programme has proved to be a valuable springboard for cultural enterprises right across the city. Throughout the pandemic, it became a lifeline for creative businesses and artists, providing support for them when they needed it most. “That’s why I am investing to create six more zones. London’s cultural and creative sector is a major contributor to the economy, it can help jumpstart the recovery and bring much-needed tourismto our city. However, support must start at grassroots level, with studio spaces, training and innovation. Investing in our city has never been more important - I’m encouraging local authorities to apply for accreditation and see how a CEZ can benefit your borough.”
Whyte’s journey to Olympic silver
Kye Whyte from Peckham has won Team GB’s first BMX medal at the Tokyo Olympics, claiming silver in a thrilling final.
Whyte fought back from serious injury to earn his place on the Olympic podium. The rider arrived in Tokyo ranked 12th in the world, having finished fifth at the 2019 World Championships, but was unable to ride the Olympic test event in 2019 because of injury. He said: “The medal means everything to me. It’s a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s hard to get to the Olympics in the first place. To do well and get a medal, it’s special.” Dubbed the Prince of Peckham, the Londoner looked stunned as he celebrated with his family back home on a video screen at trackside. Whyte later thanked his family – including his brother Tre, who won World Championship bronze in 2014 before retiring in 2020 – and members at the Peckham BMX Club for staying up in the early hours of the morning to watch his success. “I reckon Tre might cry said Whyte. “My dad definitely did cry and my mum cried too. When I get back it will be crazy!”
New package of funding to boost youth work in London
London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) is investing £5 million in a package of measures that includes targeted support for youth workers in areas affected by serious violence and a programme that helps young people directly impacted by domestic abuse.
The VRU, England’s first and set up by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan in 2018, understands the life-changing role that youth workers have in mentoring young people and is determined to support a sector badly damaged by national cuts.
Youth services have been on the frontline of public funding cuts, with figures showing that there was a 46% fall in national funding for youth services in the capital since 2011. To bolster support and help plug the gap, the VRU is investing £1.1m to provide up to 200 youth workers with high-quality, specialist training to help them develop further skills in mentoring, safeguarding, mental health support and employment opportunities. This investment follows a pilot programme, funded by the VRU, which helped 94 youth practitioners improve leadership skills and knowledge. Alongside this, the VRU is investing £1m in a new programme to support children and young people who have witnessed a parent or family member subjected to domestic abuse. Around £1.5m will be spent on a community response to tackling violence, while a further £1m will be earmarked to develop a parent/ carer champion network. In addition, £380,000 will go towards training for doctors and healthcare professionals to help them identify signs of domestic violence and offer earlier help to victims. Lib Peck, director of London’s Violence Reduction Unit, said: “The VRU is a firm champion of the life-changing work London’s youth practitioners and services do in supporting our young people at challenging times in their lives. “We’re determined to invest in them, to help further develop their skills and knowledge so they can become even better leaders in their communities.”
New homes site reaches building milestone
Southwark councillors and Guildmore building contractors celebrated a topping out ceremony at 39-44 Rutley Close in Newington, Southwark.
Guildmore led Southwark’s cabinet member for council homes and homelessness, Councillor Stephanie Cryan, and Newington ward Councillor James Coldwell, on a site visit and unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion of the building works reaching the roof level. Topping out ceremonies are traditionally held when the last beam is placed on top of a structure during its construction. The Rutley Close development replaces an old bungalow block and a disused car park podium to create 25 highquality new council homes for Southwark residents, as well as a landscaped courtyard. The works are expected to complete in spring 2022. Councillor Stephanie Cryan said: “I’m thrilled and proud to celebrate this important milestone for the Rutley Close development in Newington. The new building will have a mix of one, two and three-bedroom homes to suit a range of needs and will provide a modern, high-quality development that will complement the surrounding area. “With over 15,000 households on our housing waiting list, these new homes are desperately needed and will be a huge boost for the local community.” Southwark Council is committed to one of the most ambitious council housebuilding programmes in London, aiming to deliver 2,500 new council homes by May 2022. The council works closely with residents to shape the delivery of new council homes, from site identification through to consultation, design, planning, and delivery.
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Southwark Council publishes roadmap to carbon neutrality by 2030
Southwark Council celebrated the publication of its roadmap to become a carbon neutral borough with children and staff from one of its highest achieving, active transport awarded schools.
Cllr Helen Dennis joined children and staff from John Ruskin Primary to find out how they made walking, cycling and scootering an attractive option and improved biodiversity and the environment around their school.
Southwark’s new strategy sets out ways in which the council, residents and organisations across the borough can reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases over the next decade, responding to the climate emergency which threatens our planet and our future through increasing temperatures, rising sea levels and extreme weather events. Following a period of listening and consultation, this new roadmap focuses on five themes that are essential to achieving a Carbon Neutral Southwark by 2030: Greener Buildings; Active and Sustainable Travel; A Circular Economy with Green Jobs; Thriving Natural Environment; and Renewable Energy. The strategy sets out how the council plans to deliver in each of these areas and the scale of the challenge it faces. Among other things, the roadmap outlines the council’s plan to create 5,000 green jobs over the next decade. Cllr Helen Dennis, cabinet member for the climate emergency and sustainable development, said: “It was inspirational to see what the children and staff at John Ruskin Primary have achieved in their journey to becoming more sustainable. “We too have made inroads into reducing our impact on the future of our planet and accept the imperative role that all local authorities have to play in addressing the Climate Emergency. I’m incredibly proud of our ambitious new strategy which sets us on the path to becoming carbon neutral by 2030, playing our part in combating the global temperature rise and preventing catastrophic climate change.”
Learn a new language in only 10 weeks!
Fully Interactive Language Classes Online via Zoom are starting Tuesday September 28th.
French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Portuguese from beginner through to advanced. The classes are for 10 weeks and are 45 minutes long. Friendly classes with lots of individual attention. Students attend from a variety of organisations across a wide spectrum of business sectors. Everyone welcome.
