City News Issue 22
CITYSPORT UP AND RUNNING
NEWS
UPDATES
RESEARCH
MEET THE TEAM
MORE...
HELLO Hello and welcome to the latest edition of City News. As this edition’s cover photo shows, CitySport is very much open for business. Olympic champion cyclist Dani King joined us to open the facility last month. If you’ve not had an opportunity to have a look around I’d urge you to do so. The standard of equipment, the size of the sports hall and the quality of the finish ranks CitySport among the best of any such centre in London. If you’re looking for inspiration to start your own fitness journey, on page 7 we talk to some of our ‘fitness bloggers’ to learn more about their motivations for using CitySport. As you read this, the country will no doubt be gripped by debate and discussion in the run-up to the general election. Experts are widely predicting the closest ever race. When it’s so tight and the smallest margins might make the biggest difference, how will the parties gain an edge? Academics here at City think that the difference will be data – who has them and what they do with them could well decide what the political landscape looks like on the morning of Friday 8th May. Find out more in our feature on page 8. On page 16 we meet the team members from Widening Participation Outreach. They have been delivering outreach activities at City for over a decade, working with young people and their parents to make well-informed decisions about their futures. Evidence suggests that the best way of encouraging social mobility and widening access to Higher Education is to deliver outreach activities from an early age – hence the team’s work is essential in helping to challenge preconceptions and raise attainment and aspiration. Also in this edition, we consult academics from across the Schools for their predictions of issues that will be trending for the rest of 2015. From the increasing use of technology to improve physical and mental health during and after pregnancy, to the prospects of the Greek economy to perform more like a tragedy than a triumph, the breadth of topics shows the diversity of expert opinion we have at City. Continuing on that theme on page 13, Professor Inderjeet Parmar, Head of the Department of International Politics, examines the issues that lie ahead now that the US and Cuba have announced plans to re-establish diplomatic relations – will it be possible to turn the rhetoric into reality? We also meet City’s new Chancellor, Lord Mayor Alderman Alan Yarrow, who was installed at a meeting of the Court at the end of last year. The 687th Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Alan Yarrow’s distinguished career in the Square Mile spans more than four decades. As ever, please do get in touch if you have a story to share in City News or CityWire, or on our recently re-launched news section of the City website: www.city.ac.uk/news
Simon Watts Head of Communications and Events
CONTENTS
ORECASTING HE FUTURE ? 16
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News in brief Forecasting the future City flexes its muscles with new CitySport facility The big data elections Meet City’s new Chancellor Building for the future A word with Alan Parish What issues lie ahead for Cuba and US relations? Academic impact Meet the team
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Do Russia’s flying Bears really pose a risk to civilian air traffic? Schools Exclusions Project, giving a voice to the voiceless
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IT’S YOUR MAGAZINE Comments and feedback are always welcome, as are suggestions for future editions such as research outputs or an exciting new project. Please contact the Editor. Marketing & Communications reserves the right to edit submissions. About City News City News is published six times a year by Marketing & Communications for all staff. Back issues: blogs.city.ac.uk/staff-news/city-news Editor: Demetri Petrou Tel: 020 7040 8783 Email: demetri.petrou.1@city.ac.uk THANK YOU... ..to all of this issue’s contributors: Sameer Alam, Jonathan Appleyard, Professor Susan Ayers, Professor Costas Andriopoulos, Professor John Barbur, Dr Roger Beecham, Professor Michael Ben-Gad, Dr Enrico Bonadio, Nigel Clayton, Professor Paul Curran, Dr Graham Daborn, Simon Dady, Clare Duffy, Tom Felle, Dr Sotiris Georganas, George Goodsell, Sophie Gost, Professor Ken Grattan, Sharmin Kamaly, Nima Kaushik, Rupa Lakhani, Zohra Moledina, Alan Parish, Professor Inderjeet Parmar, Mark Perry, Austeja Rainyte, Ben Robinson, Dr Marisa Rodriguez-Carmona, Danielle Russo, Andy Smith, Elizabeth Starling, Professor David Stupples, Jenny Tait, Bill Thompson, Lindsey Venden, Daniel Vogel, George Wigmore, Professor Dan Wilsher and Alderman Alan Yarrow.
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NEWS IN BRIEF THE VICE-CHANCELLOR’SAWARDS Following a highly successful debut last year, the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards return for 2015 with the intention of being even bigger and more successful. Across the University, individuals and teams put an enormous amount of effort into supporting the implementation of City’s Strategic Plan. The University is looking to acknowledge those contributions with the introduction of the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards. Excellence in learning and teaching
Outstanding contribution to the local community
Outstanding service in support of students
Outstanding contribution to equality and diversity
Outstanding research income Outstanding engagement with business and the professions Outstanding research impact
ACADEMIC PROMOTIONS Over the course of 2014, City celebrated the promotion of academic staff. The promotions acknowledged staff achievements and contributions to research, education and professional practice. Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Curran, said: “I would like to offer my congratulations to all who were promoted last year. Such promotions reflect City’s commitment to academic excellence and are testament to the outstanding achievements of our staff.” You can see a list of the staff promoted on the right.
The Awards are intended to complement existing Awards (such as the Teaching Awards, the Research Awards and the Chancellor’s Award) and nominees may be drawn from any area or level of the University. This year, there will be 10 categories in which staff can be nominated by their fellow staff or students. The categories for this year’s Awards are as follows:
Dr Robert Cowell Professor Enrique Schroth Professor Giovanni Cespa Professor Stefan Haefliger Dr Russell Gerrard Dr Max Bruche Dr Daniela Fabbri Dr Giacinta Cestone Dr Hans Frankort Dr Santi Furnari Dr Nikos Papapostolou Dr Panos Pouliasis Dr Peter Hahn Professor Yang-Hui He Dr Lyn Robinson Dr Veselin Rakocevic Dr Iasonas Triantis Dr Illir Gashi Dr Maria Tomas-Rodriguez Dr Maud DeVisscher
Most improved student experience Outstanding doctoral supervision Team of the year.
Dr Richard Goodey Dr Shiquiang Yan Dr You you Yan Mr Andrew Worthley Mr Chris Lowney Ms Nikki Matthews Dr David Seymour Dr Enrico Bonadio Dr Mauro Barelli Dr Steven Truxal Dr Miriam Conway Dr Catherine Hurt Dr Eamonn McKeown Professor Nicola Botting Dr Rachael-Anne Knight Professor Daniel Wilsher Professor David Collins Professor Peter Hungerford-Welch Professor Susan Blake
CITY REACHES 1,000,000 READS ON THE CONVERSATION Recent figures have shown that over 1,000,000 people have read articles written by City academics on The Conversation, which is an independent source of news and views,
from the academic and research community and delivered direct to the public. City is a founding partner of the publication, whose offices are based on the top floor of University
FIND OUT MORE WWW.CITY.AC.UK/ VICE-CHANCELLORS-AWARDS
Building. City News features an article written for The Conversation each edition. Read page 18 for the latest article.
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FORECASTING THE FUTURE EACH YEAR, CITY NEWS ASKS A SELECTION OF ACADEMICS WHAT THEY EXPECT TO SEE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE FIELDS OVER THE COMING YEAR. HERE’S WHAT THEY THOUGHT: SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES–PROFESSOR SUSAN AYERS, LEAD FOR THE CENTRE FOR MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH DISCUSSES THE DEVELOPMENTS SHE EXPECTS TO SEE IN HEALTHCARE OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS. FORECAST FOR 2015
Over the last few years there has been growing evidence and awareness of the importance of women’s health to the development and health of their children and the impact this has on society. In 2014 the Maternal Mental Health Alliance reported that poor mental health during and after pregnancy costs £8.1 billion per year. Seventy two per cent of the cost of this is due to adverse impacts on the child. Another report showed perinatal psychology services are very limited in the UK. The Government has committed to having specialist mental health midwives in every maternity service in
2015. The Institute of Health Visiting, which was co-founded by Professor Ros Bryar at City, is training a network of health visitors to be mental health champions across the UK. Our Centre also includes academics in perinatal mental health who have shown that anxiety and birth trauma can be significant issues for many women at this time, challenging the dominant view that perinatal mental health problems mostly consist of postnatal depression. In the UK approximately 97 per cent of women give birth in hospitals. Professor Christine McCourt and Professor Alison Macfarlane at City were part of the UK-wide Birthplace research programme which provided robust evidence that giving birth in midwifery-led settings is as safe as hospital birth and associated with fewer interventions for women with low-risk pregnancies. The latest National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guidelines in 2014 recommended that low-risk pregnant women
should routinely be offered the choice of having their babies at home or in a midwiferyled birth centre. The challenge in 2015 will be how to implement these recommendations because they require a shift in resourcing towards more midwifery-led birth units at a time when there is already a reduced ratio of midwives per number of births. Increasing technology and programmes to support families and improve physical and mental health during and after pregnancy are already evident and will no doubt continue to increase in 2015 and beyond. Online parenting programmes are already widely available (www.canparent.org.uk) and apps for vulnerable women are being developed (Baby Buddy App). Academics at City are evaluating online a range of self-help exercises women can use to improve their well-being and online interventions for women with anxiety after birth. In 2015 I expect these and similar programmes will become more accessible via the internet or apps for women and families.
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CASS BUSINESS SCHOOL – PROFESSOR COSTAS ANDRIOPOULOS, PROFESSOR OF INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP LOOKS AT THE ENTREPRENEUR HE THINKS WILL MAKE THE BIGGEST SPLASH IN 2015.
many as 70 tests, to get results that are cheaper and available in a few hours. This is innovation that can really make a difference, solving important patient and policy challenges. It allows access to information at a time that matters, opening up preventive medicine to the masses. By the age of 19, Holmes had already filed a patent for a wearable patch that could both administer a drug and monitor variables in the patient's blood. With a goal to transform how healthcare is delivered, she stepped into her Stanford Professor Channing Robertson's office with a mission to start a company. In 2003 she started Theranos, her private Palo Alto-based corporation. She dropped out of Stanford the following year, to devote all her energy to the business. Although initially uncertain of his student’s ambitious proposal, Robertson grew so convinced by her vision that he joined her board of directors. Even more recently he left his academic career behind to
work full time alongside her in developing the company. Twelve years after Holmes established her company as an undergraduate, Theranos now has 500 employees, has raised $400 million in venture capital and is valued at $9 billion. Alongside her former professor, the board now includes internationally recognised surgeons, former politicians and leading entrepreneurs. While the developments within the company are revolutionary, the CEO driving forward the innovative firm is just as remarkable. At the age of 31, Elizabeth Holmes is an exceptional CEO who drives business growth through disruption, with a constant obsession to 'do good'. Her determination to modernise healthcare, sharp vision and her perfectionism drive every move of Theranos. It will be interesting to see where she leads the company in 2015, as it expands its vision for the future of US healthcare and broadens its reach across the medical industry.
THE CITY LAW SCHOOL - DR CARMEN DRAGHICI, SENIOR LECTURER IN LAW HIGHLIGHTS WHAT SHE THINKS WILL BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST LEGAL ISSUES OF THE YEAR.
The scale of the surveillance carried out by the GCHQ was revealed by US whistleblower Edward Snowden. A similar legal challenge mounted with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) last year, saw judges rule that such spying did not constitute a breach of human rights.
The legitimacy of the surveillance practices of the GCHQ will therefore depend on the extent to which the legal regime under which it operates complies with the above-mentioned safeguards against abuse required by Strasbourg case law.
Sometimes the greatest change can come from the smallest sources. From the micro-chip to nano-technology, innovative technology is constantly getting smaller and more efficient. With just a single drop of blood, Elizabeth Holmes, CEO of Theranos, is changing the whole nature of the $73 billion US diagnosticlab industry, making her and her company my ‘ones to watch’ this year. By creating technology that allows testing on a much smaller sample, she has broken away from the traditional need for whole vials of blood. Not only does this discovery free people from her own self-confessed fear of needles, it promises a future of faster diagnosis and response. Using just a few drops of blood that can be taken at a local pharmacy, Theranos can run as
WATCHING THE WATCHMEN
The right to privacy enshrined in Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights does not entirely exclude surveillance measures and data collection by police and secret service agencies. This information has been thrown to the fore following a legal complaint lodged by Amnesty International, Privacy International and Liberty with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The human rights organisations have asked the ECHR to rule on the legality of the Government Communications Headquarters’ (GCHQ) large-scale surveillance programme.
The organisations claimed that their private communications may have been monitored under Tempora, the GCHQ’s electronic surveillance programme. They also argued that information obtained through the American National Security Agency’s (NSA) Prism and Upstream programmes may have been shared with British intelligence organisations, bypassing protection afforded by the UK legal system.
A generic mass surveillance programme, i.e. the indiscriminate interception, storage and exploitation of private communications, is likely to be found to amount to a disproportionate interference with Article 8 rights (e.g. monitoring Facebook accounts with no suspicion of criminal activity and on the basis of warrants obtained without proper scrutiny).
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SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS, COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING - PROFESSOR KEN GRATTAN, GEORGE DANIELS PROFESSOR OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTATION, DISCUSSES THE INNOVATION HE THINKS WILL IMPACT ON OUR LIVES IN THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WAY THIS YEAR. SENSING A CHANGE
There has been talk for a substantial amount of time about the ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) and how it will change our day-to-day lives. To date, this hasn’t happened to the extent that many predicted it would, despite compatible devices already being available on the consumer market. The IoT is the network of physical objects or ‘things’ (watches, phones, household appliances, etc) embedded with electronics, software, sensors and connectivity to enable them to exchange data with the manufacturer
SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES – DR SOTIRIS GEORGANAS, READER IN BEHAVIOURAL ECONOMICS AND PROFESSOR MICHAEL BEN-GAD, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS CONSIDER THE IMPACT GREECE’S POLITICAL ISSUES WILL HAVE ON EUROPE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. A GREEK TRAGEDY? DR SOTIRIS GEORGANAS
Once again, there is uncertainty in the Eurozone. This time it does not arise so much from economic fundamentals, as from political risk. Greece held a snap election on 25th January and populist left wing party Syriza won, narrowly missing out on an outright majority in parliament. Since the last elections, Syriza has matured and claims to be against unilateral moves and ready to work with other Eurozone
or other connected devices, adding to their initial value. The IoT could play a substantial role in our future, incorporating smart cities, telecommunications, medical technology, healthcare, smart buildings (home and office), media and entertainment. To make this ambitious undertaking possible, one of the things required is the use of Ubiquitous or Intelligent Sensors. Ubiquitous Sensors involves having sensors everywhere, for every purpose. This depends heavily on excellent, reliable, cheap sensors to support our daily life, which aren’t yet available. Cutting-edge research at our universities will be required to get to a point where these sensors are both good enough and affordable. The theme involves different Research Centres here at City including Photonics & Instrumentation and Mixed Reality in Computer Science. The results will be worthwhile though and will have far-reaching impacts on the productivity,
governments, especially Germany, to renegotiate the terms of Greece’s fiscal support programme. The presence of radicalists within the party means that a deal to wind down the support programme might be delayed, causing liquidity issues for the Greek government and banks. The probability of the nuclear option, Greece leaving the Eurozone, is very low, but the resulting damage in that case is high enough to be spooking markets. While the rest of the Eurozone is better insulated against upheaval in Greece, new problems have surfaced. Deflation occurred officially in December, due partly to low oil prices but also to the chronic weakness of demand. Despite record low interest rates, banks are still unwilling to lend, especially in the European south.
efficiency and operations of several industries around the world and on the well-being and prosperity of the people involved, both at work and at leisure. It is an engine of growth – in innovation, in production, in wealth-creation and in the way people interact with systems. Our established expertise in these themes, blending engineering and computer science to meet several scientific and industrial challenges, provides evidence of our ability to lead in this field and to draw in expertise from different disciplines to produce an innovative, challenging and economically important proposal. I expect that in 2015 we will be seeing an increase in ‘wearable tech’, but I think the real achievements will be underway behind the scenes as engineers start making real strides in the technology that will usher in a new age of the internet.
PROFESSOR MICHAEL BEN-GAD
Greece’s current debt burden is on course to reach 179 per cent of GDP this year. The country no longer requires large and frequent infusions of cash - over the course of two bailouts, official creditors agreed to lengthen maturities and the Government now maintains a primary budget surplus. Creditors also agreed to lower the interest rate on the country’s debt well below what private lenders might charge. And yet, interest payments still absorb four per cent of GDP each year. A Greek default, or the threat of one, will remain on the agenda in 2015, but fears that the Eurozone would immediately unravel were always exaggerated. A Greek default neither implies it must automatically leave the single currency and resurrect the Drachma, nor has as much bearing on the fate of other troubled economies as financial journalists like to imagine.
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CITY FLEXES ITS MUSCLES WITH NEW CITYSPORT FACILITY
SEVERAL YEARS IN THE MAKING, CITY RECENTLY COMPLETED ONE OF THE MOST AMBITIOUS CAPITAL PROJECTS IN THE UNIVERSITY’S HISTORY. THE NEW CITYSPORT FACILITY BOASTS SOME OF THE MOST CUTTING EDGE GYM TECHNOLOGY, WORTHY OF ANY HIGH-END FITNESS STUDIO. CITY NEWS TOOK AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK AT THE FACILITY, HERE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS:
FIND OUT MORE WWW.CITYSPORT.ORG.UK
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SADDLERS SPORTS HALL
At the heart of CitySport is a Sport England standard sports hall with high performance flooring and seating for over 400 spectators. The hall provides the space equivalent to six badminton courts for indoor sports such as basketball, badminton, five-a-side football, volleyball and netball. The outstanding fully sprung ‘Juncker’ flooring, high specification sports equipment and impressive lighting systems mean that CitySport provides outstanding show courts for matches and tournaments.
STUDIOS Five purpose-built studios accommodate a comprehensive range of dynamic fitness, dance, martial arts and well-being classes. Natural light, floor to ceiling windows and sprung wooden flooring complete the setting for flexible workout spaces.
CYCLING STUDIO
MEET THE BLOGGERS A group of City students has been offered a chance to explore the many facilities available. Here’s more about them:
GEORGE GOODSELL
“Hey, I’m George! I’m a Second Year Computer Science student at City University London. My goal over the next year is to get others out of their comfort zones by showing them that the hardest part of achieving their ideal body image doesn’t have to be so hard – this rule applying to those who’ve been training for years and those who haven’t taken their first steps yet. CitySport is going to help me with that goal– trying new things, exploring new means by which to train and progress, all the while documenting what I discover along the way.”
NIMA KAUSHIK
“I’m a graduate student pursuing an MA in International Communications and Development, hopefully on my way to becoming a social scientist. I have spent a significant amount of my life living away from home - Mumbai, India - and I am enjoying every second of my experience here in London. “I believe a healthy body is a healthy mind and a healthy spirit. I enjoy staying fit, eating healthy food and balancing life energies with positive mental vibes. Whilst I use this blog to track my journey at CitySport, I am counting on you to help me help you! I believe we are all capable of encouraging each other in an endeavour to get fitter and happier. So I urge you to comment, share and motivate me while I get back on track and I shall do the same.”
AUSTEJA RAINYTE
There is a designated indoor cycling studio for both virtual and instructor-led sessions. The studio is equipped with ‘Myride’, a virtual system which will give users a more engaging way to experience indoor cycling.
FITNESS STATIONS
“I am a 20 year old student, studying Business at Cass. I have always been a very active person and even as a child I wanted to do something every minute of the day. During my last years at school I gained a professional dance diploma. I was dancing in the second largest national dance theatre in Lithuania. Before I moved to London I couldn’t imagine my life without ballet, contemporary dance and flamenco. For the last year and a half I’ve tried to balance working and studying but without dancing I realised that I was losing part of myself. Now it’s time to bring it back.”
SAMEER ALAM
“Hi, my name is Sameer Alam and I am a second year student at Cass Business School. My hometown is Karachi, Pakistan and my experiences in London so far have been amazing. “I used to be an avid middle distance runner back in school and competed on a national level. I loved running and thrived on the competition but due to injury was forced to abandon it. Since then I have shifted my focus to other sports such as boxing and badminton. I am starting to love them as much as I loved running and hope to improve myself with the help of CitySport.”
SIMON DADY
The facilities, which are designed and equipped in partnership with Matrix Fitness, one of the biggest fitness equipment suppliers in the country, include the latest cardiovascular and resistance equipment. There is also an extensive range of free weights and functional training rigs, catering for all training requirements. There are over 120 stations on two floors ensuring there is plenty of space for people to work out.
“I’m a 41 year old full time MRes student (so almost mature!) and a Paramedic by qualification. I live in Essex with my wife and our two young boys. “Physically, I am supposed to keep myself in good shape, but time and age have conspired against me. I take an annual test and I’ve started to struggle to meet the minimum standard. I’ve run a marathon (a long time ago), a triathlon and a 10 mile military challenge in the last 18 months. Never looking for a fast time – just to finish – I have a body built for distance not speed! “The gym membership is going to give me a great opportunity to achieve my training aims for the next few months and I’m really looking forward to trying some classes.”
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E L E C T I O N S In the coming months, British citizens will exercise their democratic right to elect their chosen parliament for the next five years. This year sees an unprecedented level of competition, with the traditional major parties challenged by the likes of the Green Party and the UK Independence Party. With this level of competition, the major parties are having to rethink their campaign strategies in an attempt to win the public’s favour. One of the major tactics that has gathered the attention of the media in recent months is the use of ‘big data’. A M E R I C A N I N F L U E N C E “I guess we can credit President Obama for our recent deluge into the use of data,” says Tom Felle, Acting Director of Interactive and Newspaper Journalism and co-author of Old reporting, new methods: how data journalism is keeping an eye on government. “He was one of the very first to use things like social media to campaign for his first term. He pretty much came from nowhere politically. He was from Hawaii and was a senator in Illinois for only three years before running for President up against John McCain, a Navy veteran with over three decades of political experience” Tom continues. “He won over the public who were ready for a forward thinking President. He was highly active on Facebook and Twitter, even though Twitter was then in its infancy. One of his tweets remains one of the most popular tweets of all time.” It wasn’t just the use of social media that helped Obama win his presidential campaign. ‘Project Houdini’ in 2008 and ‘Project Narwhal’ in 2012 were said to be the digital hub and the nerve centre of the Obama campaign. The different projects acted as interfaces to a single shared data store for all of the campaign’s applications, making it possible quickly to develop new applications and to integrate existing ones into the campaign’s system. Those apps include sophisticated analytics programs like ‘Dreamcatcher’, a tool developed to ‘microtarget’ voters based on sentiments within text.
THEORIES AND ALGORITHMS With the undoubted success of these campaigns, it was only a matter of time before they would be utilised by political parties all over the world. In the last General Election, the Conservative Party began using software called ‘Merlin’, which was developed by EMC Consulting. The system is said to contain 200 million records. For the upcoming election campaigns, Labour is using two pieces of software, ‘Contact Creator’ and ‘Voter ID’, both coded by Labour enthusiasts. The Liberal Democrats are using a system called ‘Connect’. “There’s nothing particularly new about what the political parties are doing” says Dr Roger Beecham, Research Fellow in Visual Data Analytics at City’s giCentre. Before Roger joined City, he worked for YouGov, one of the UK’s biggest market research firms, who at the last election accurately predicted that Labour would achieve 36 per cent of the vote despite the majority of other polls predicting 38-41 per cent. “Recording data and tailoring your approach has been practised for several years” he said. “Tesco, alongside marketing firm Dunnhumby, launched its clubcard in the 90s which gathered mountains of data about its customers spending habits allowing it to tailor its marketing towards them. These systems were built upon more recently by internet firms like Amazon.” “What these systems are doing is collating several bits of information about the electorate and incorporating theories and algorithms to make predictions to how they will vote” explains Roger. “With the ability to establish how ‘concrete’ the voters are, the parties will spend their limited resources on targeted campaigns to win over undecided voters. The important thing to remember is that theyare only as good as the information that goes into them; and the longer they are in place, the more accurate and reliable they are.” When used correctly, the systems can be a great advantage to the parties, providing they use them correctly.
FIND OUT MORE WWW.CITY.AC.UK/GENERAL-ELECTION
S C A R E M O N G E R I N G A lot has been said in the media about the gathering of data. The words ‘snooping’ and ‘harvesting’ have been used, but Tom doesn’t necessarily agree with the headlines. “I think there’s a certain amount of scaremongering going on. A great deal of this is based on American politics which is a completely different kettle of fish. There are a couple of really important factors that we need to think about. Firstly, it’s a matter of budgets. American politics are generally decided by who has the biggest budget. Their resources are immeasurable compared to those of British political parties. That includes financial resources as well as manpower. They have huge amounts of volunteers covering a much bigger geographical location, so it’s important that this is done efficiently to ensure they maximise their vast resources. We don’t have mass participation like they do in the US and party membership is relatively small. The other critical factor is the access to public information. As a culture, Americans are far more open to sharing their information than the British are. They are a great deal more receptive to market research calls and interviews, which allows the American politicians to build a huge database of information. Quite frankly, I don’t think that they will be able to do that in the UK.” It is quite clear that the next election will be a close run affair with many predicting that a coalition government will again be needed to form Parliament. In such a tight race, the fight for extra voters will be even more important. With so much being said about what a big difference data will make, Tom also shared the long term danger of overly relying on data and public opinion to campaign for an election. “The danger with having this much information about what voters want to see, is that there is a chance politicians will pander to the will of the voter, with all parties having similar policies as that is what the voters want to see. This potentially leaves some voters, especially those with unpopular opinions, no form of representation. It’s sometimes easy to forget that on occasion, we need our politicians to make unpopular decisions that are for the good of the country and not just to get them into office.”
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N S ’ Y R T I O C L L T E E C E N M HA C FIND OUT MORE WWW.CITY.AC.UK/ABOUT/ CHANCELLOR-AND-VICE-CHANCELLOR
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university status by Royal Charter in 1966. At the meeting of the Court he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science in recognition of his services to the City of London.
SUPPORTING CITY
City’s new Chancellor, Lord Mayor Alderman Alan Yarrow, was installed at a meeting of the Court at the end of last year. City News finds out more about the 687th Lord Mayor of London whose distinguished career in the Square Mile spans more than four decades.
EARLY YEARS
Born in 1951, Alan spent his early childhood in Jahor Bahru, Malaysia, before returning to England to attend Harrow. In 1972, he set his sights on a career in the Square Mile, joining the stockbrokers Grieveson Grant where, far from today’s internet age, his desk was equipped with a telephone and slide-rule.
A DISTINGUISHED CAREER
In 1978, Alan became a member of the Stock Exchange and, after studying International Corporate Finance at Manchester Business School, was made a partner of Grieveson Grant in 1981. Following the merger of Grieveson Grant with the private bank Kleinwort Benson, Alan rose through progressively more senior roles, eventually being appointed to the Kleinwort Benson Group Board in 1995. In 2009, after 37 years with the firm, Alan retired as Group Vice Chairman and Chairman of the UK Bank. Despite having taken a step back, he remains a Senior Advisor to the Kleinwort Benson Group.
NEW MAYOR, OLD TRADITION
THE LORD MAYOR IN CORONATION ROBES CARRYING HIS BATON AT GEORGE IV’S CORONATION.
A NEW ROLE
In his role as Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Yarrow will represent more than 14,000 City businesses and help advise the Government on financial services companies based in the Square Mile. He also becomes City’s Chancellor – a unique arrangement and a tradition that has been in place since City was granted
On becoming City’s Chancellor Alderman Yarrow said he was "incredibly proud", describing the University as "a stunning academic institution". He introduced himself to the Court, commenting: "As the Chancellor I think we should be speaking louder about what a great asset this University is to the City and how much it contributes to the country. As ambassadors of the City I hope you'll join me in sharing the success of this great institution." His ambassadorial role recently took him to Dubai, where he met alumni of the Cass Dubai Centre and spoke on the importance of education, training and qualifications and how a mutual exchange of talent, ideas and capital between Dubai and the UK can help both countries.
CHARITABLE EFFORTS
For many decades now, the annual Lord Mayor’s Appeal has raised millions of pounds for charities and good causes recommended by successive Lord Mayors. The charitable theme for the Appeal is creating wealth, giving time and supporting people. The funds raised this year will support the essential work of the Appeal’s two main beneficiaries: Scope and Mencap. Scope will create the Scope Family Fund for parents of disabled children, while Mencap will develop a helpline and advocacy service, to provide essential support to families and carers. This year, the Lord Mayor’s Appeal also recognises the huge contribution to the life of the City made by the arts and the schools that nurture its brightest artistic talents. The three organisations which will benefit are the Royal Academy of Arts, City & Guilds of London Art School and The Royal Ballet School.
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A word with Alan Parish Some thoughts about City from one of the University’s longest serving employees Alan Parish first joined City as a student in 1957. He was appointed to the role of Junior Technician in 1960 and some 54 years later still works at City, now holding the position of Volunteer Archivist and Alumni Events Organiser. Notably, in his role as Mace-Bearer at graduation, he has witnessed more than 300 ceremonies and nearly 100,000 graduands crossing the stage to become graduates. In the most recent New Year Honours list, Alan was awarded a British Empire Medal for his services to Higher Education.
CN: WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO CITY IN 1957? AP: I joined the Northampton College of Advanced Education, as the University was then called, as a student of Electrical Light-Current Engineering. I became a member of staff in 1960, when I was appointed Junior Technician working in the fascinating old Power Laboratory. I progressed to Senior Technician and in 1984 began helping with the preparation of examination papers and the processing of examination and coursework marks, a role I continued until my early retirement in 1992. I didn’t stay retired for long though. In 1993 I returned to City to help improve our student and alumni records and I now work as a Volunteer Archivist here, alongside organising events for staff alumni and acting as Mace-Bearer at graduation. CN: WHAT IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER AT CITY? AP: One of my favourite roles at the University was the maintenance of the iconic clock, a prominent feature of the College Building now known as the George Daniels clock. When I took on the duty of maintaining the clock back in 1982, I had years of valuable experience in regulating and maintaining a church clock, so was well-suited to the role. I worked on the clock until 2005 and in all those years it was seldom more than 10 seconds away from the correct time. CN: AS MACE-BEARER YOU HAVE WITNESSED HUNDREDS OF GRADUATIONS. WHY DO YOU THINK IT’S AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE UNIVERSITY CALENDAR? AP: Graduation ceremonies at City are always grand affairs, attended by students and their families from across the world. They are important events as they mark the end of years of intensive study by those who have dedicated themselves to achieving a degree or diploma. They provide the chance for the University, friends and
families to share in the achievement of the students and are always joyous occasions. Often, they will be the last time that students visit the University campus unless they return for further study, or alumni events. I feel privileged to have been a part of this important occasion in the University calendar for over 19 years. CN: WHAT DOES THE ROLE OF MACE-BEARER INVOLVE? AP: As Mace-Bearer, I take part in the procession of academic staff and members of the Livery Companies, carrying the mace into the ceremony ahead of the Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor. The mace, which is an ornamental staff, is a traditional symbol of authority and power. Due to my long service and academic background, I was invited to carry the mace back in 1996 by the University Ceremonial Officer. In all the years I have been involved in graduation, almost all ceremonies have run smoothly without incident. However, I can recall a few interesting moments, including a falling chandelier, an unexpected fire alarm and a runaway mace. CN: HOW HAS THE UNIVERSITY CHANGED SINCE YOU JOINED? AP: Since 1957, there have been many changes to the University site. Back then, City had just three buildings; the College Building, the Connaught Building, which has since been replaced, and the Spencer Street Annexe which consisted of just six prefabricated rooms. The current library and Tait Building were erected in 1974, replacing a row of houses and the Spencer Street bomb site (after a flying bomb hit Spencer Street in 1944). I remember fondly the change of status from College of Advanced Technology to University in 1966. This was a significant occasion in City’s history marked by a huge ceremony in the Royal Festival Hall. People might wonder why I have stayed at the University for 54 years. My answer is simply, that I have never really considered leaving - everything I want is here.
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WHAT ISSUES LIE AHEAD FOR CUBA AND US RELATIONS? After Barack Obama announced the US and Cuba would normalise diplomatic relations, Professor Inderjeet Parmar, Head of the Department of International Politics at City, was among the commentators to herald the move as a hugely important development for both countries. However, the academic, an expert on US foreign policy, explains there is a long way to go before true harmonwy can be declared. “The move towards strengthening relations between the US and Cuba has been in the offing for about a year or so and is not a complete surprise but is an important step for the two nations,” he says. “This is a breakthrough moment, most importantly for the trade embargo – the longest in history – but there are still highly sensitive issues that are yet to be resolved between the countries.” Among the biggest areas of uncertainty are major human rights conflicts between the nations and questions over whether the US will apologise for assassination attempts and CIA sabotage. However, Professor Parmar explains that lifting the trade embargo imposed by the US in 1960 is likely to be the most challenging dispute to overcome. Noting the “massive effect” the embargo has had on the Cuban economy, he says there has been continuing pressure from the UN to make changes, with the General Assembly consistently voting to lift the embargo. But despite this, he says as recently as November
2014 the US has voted against other UN states on the matter, with only Israel backing the States in the latest 188-2 vote. Professor Parmar believes considering the issue of trade helps to shed light on the timing of the announcement. “As Obama said, the past policy of ‘isolation’ hasn’t worked because others have violated it,” he says. “The US has felt increasingly frozen out of Cuban trade opportunities that have resulted from economic reforms, especially as the EU is moving in through trade and other agreements. This has left the US becoming increasingly isolated while also increasing EU political influence. “China is moving into Cuban economic development while Brazil, a key regional rival to the US, has secured major trade deals. Florida businessmen, including Cuban exiles, have also favoured reopening ties with the USA. “The timing of the move could also be linked with other international factors, which are not reflecting well on the President. Obama may be looking for a legacy achievement in the second half of his final term. Nothing else is going as planned – Ukraine, Iraq, ISIS and Syria – so this could be a cheap goal to score.” Another potential obstacle is the continuing argument over human rights. “Obama still cites these issues in Cuba, yet the country is seen as a beacon of health humanitarianism around South America and Africa,” explains Professor
Parmar. “Cuba sends abroad tens of thousands of doctors to assist weaker states and it has more doctors and health workers in Ebola-hit nations in West Africa than any other country. However, I am not sure if US human rights stand much scrutiny after Guantanamo, Bagram, Abu Ghraib and the most recent US Senate report into CIA torture programmes.” In addition, there is the question of whether the US will apologise for eight attempts it made to assassinate Fidel Castro in the 1960s. “We also don’t know if the US will apologise for a wide range of economic sabotage and damage, by the CIA and other US forces, which were carried out in attempts to destabilise the Castro administration after the 1959 revolution,” Professor Parmar adds. Assessing the broader picture, Professor Parmar raises the question of what the development says about the USA’s current view of its international authority. “The country has tried to overthrow the Cuban Government since the Bay of Pigs – through military invasion, assassination attempts, spraying poisonous chemicals on Cuban crops, cutting aid to any third world nations that dared to help Cuba and the crippling trade embargo.” He concludes: “This move represents an admission of the limits of US power against a minnow state.”
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Visually demanding professions, such as the fire service and the maritime and aviation industries, specify 20/20 vision as a prerequisite for entry. Others also require applicants to have normal colour vision, preventing those with even very mild colour vision loss from entering the profession. Accurately assessing the severity of colour vision loss is important because many colour-deficient people have been shown to have sufficient residual 'chromatic sensitivity' to be able to perform visually demanding, colour-related tasks as well as those with normal colour vision. Professor John Barbur and Dr Marisa Rodriguez-Carmona from the Division of Optometry and Visual Science in the School of Health Sciences, co-authored research into assessing the severity of colour vision loss, published in Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine. The problem with conventional colour assessment tests such as the Ishihara Test (IT) is that they produce inconsistent results and do not quantify accurately an individual's severity of colour vision loss. Since these tests were developed to screen for normal colour vision, not the severity of colour vision loss, there are no objective pass/fail limits for deciding when an applicant can no longer be considered safe. The research examines how well the number of failed IT plates captures a subject's loss of colour vision and whether a level of importance can be attached to each IT plate to improve the test's predicted severity of loss. The research investigated 742 subjects using a 25-plate IT test with a Colour Assessment and Diagnosis (CAD) of chromatic sensitivity, which quantifies the signals needed to see just red, green, yellow and blue colour differences.
Below: How this page appears to those with colour-blindness 14
The subjects' IT error scores provided plate-specific weights used to calculate a Severity Index (SI) of colour vision loss, measured and compared in three subject groups. The academics found that colour thresholds provide a good measure of the severity of colour vision loss since they relate linearly to ‘red’, ‘green’ and ’blue’ signals but neither the number of plates failed nor the SI value computed in this way can be used reliably to determine the severity of colour vision loss. Professor Barbur said: “The findings from this study prove convincingly that the number of plates failed does not provide a good measure of the severity of colour vision loss. New approaches are needed to establish safe but fair pass/fail limits that relate directly to the applicant's ability to carry out the colour-related tasks within visually-demanding occupational environments with the same accuracy one would expect of those with normal colour vision.”
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ACADEMIC IMPACT:
BIOTECH PATENTS AND MORALITY AFTER BRÜSTLE
The Brüstle ruling may trigger a World Trade Organisation challenge against the EU and some of its member states for failing to comply with Article 27(2) of the TRIPS Agreement
Dr Enrico Bonadio, Senior Lecturer at The City Law School, has published an article on the impact of the recent decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in Brüstle v Greenpeace, an important case on the exclusion from patentability of inventions related to human embryonic stem cells (HESCs). The ruling, explains Enrico, first offers the opportunity to delve into an old debate surrounding patent law, i.e. whether moral aspects should be effectively dealt with by patent officers and judges. Enrico argues that patent offices and courts should act as moral arbiters (as confirmed implicitly in Brüstle) and their task could be facilitated by coupling them with technical experts. Enrico, in European Intellectual Property Review, explains that an unintended consequence of this ruling could be a ‘brain drain’ towards more biotech friendly countries such as the United States. Indeed, Enrico
reminds us that in a letter published before the ruling in scientific journal Nature, several scientists expressed ‘profound concerns’ about the possibility of a lack of patent protection in a highly research and development-intensive industry such as the HESCs field. Enrico is currently writing a comment on a more recent CJEU decision of December 2014 (International Stem Cells Corporation) dealing with the patentability of HESCs. In that ruling it has been held that - as far as parthenogenesis is concerned where cells are artificially stimulated or manipulated with no fertilisation – such cells should be considered unpatentable only where the non-fertilised human ovum has the inherent capacity of developing into a human being. In this latest decision the CJEU has therefore embraced a more restrictive interpretation of the exclusion from patentability of HESCsrelated subject matter.
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Andy Smith
Widening Participation Outreach Coordinator (Targeting, Evaluation and Development)
Jenny Tait
Widening Participation Projects Officer
Zohra Moledina
Widening Participation Projects Officer
Ben Robinson
Sharmin Kamaly
Widening Participation Projects Administrator
Widening Participation Projects Officer
Danielle Russo
Widening Participation Outreach Manager
LAST YEAR IN NUMBERS 7,358 pupils worked with over the year 225 events
Rupa Lakhani
Widening Participation Projects Officer/Designated Member of Staff for Care Leavers
2,460 pupils received talks from Student Ambassadors 1,833 pupils and students seen for careers education workshops 1,386 pupils attended visit days 478 pupils received 1:1 career guidance interviews 350 pupils seen as part of our Financial Literacy programme 232 attendees at Spotlight Days 180 Widening Participation Student Ambassadors recruited 159 pupils tutored or mentored 19 schools received tutors 13.8% of pupils that attended a Masterclass decided to apply to City 10 University Taster Weeks delivered
FIND OUT MORE WPTEAM@CITY.AC.UK
1 in 5 University Taster Week pupils chose to apply to City, with 93% progressing on to a university.
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MEET THE TEAM: WIDENING PARTICIPATION OUTREACH The Widening Participation Outreach team supports young people to make well-informed, realistic decisions about their futures. Working with young people from non-privileged homes, they organise a range of events and initiatives promoting Higher Education. Their aim is to challenge preconceptions, raise attainment and help young people to develop the skills and knowledge needed to meet their aspirations.
Evidence suggests that the best way of encouraging social mobility and widening access to Higher Education is to deliver outreach activities from an early age. The team’s work is essential; for some people their interventions will be the primary source of information explaining the options open to them.
The team has been delivering outreach at City for over a decade and has a force of 160 Student Ambassadors who support its activities.
INFORMATION, ADVICE AND GUIDANCE
opportunities for students to take tours of the campus, attend academic lectures, Q&As with Student Ambassadors and social activities. Masterclasses and Industry Days use workshops led by employers, alumni and academics to explore a professional area in depth.
TUTORING AND MENTORING
Spotlight days, held at the University, provide an introduction to different subject areas and careers, including journalism, engineering, law, psychology and computer science. The Rising Stars Partnership Programme offers long term support to a small group of primary schools, providing tutoring, career sessions and visits to the University.
The team works with secondary schools and colleges to deliver career interviews and workshops on topics such as how to research university effectively. They also attend parent evenings to deliver talks on Higher Education and provide information and guidance.
The team delivers Maths and English tutoring sessions to primary and secondary school pupils. Of those tutored in Maths, 94% achieved level 4 (compared to 84% nationally) and 9% achieved level 6 (compared to 3% nationally). The team’s UniMentors scheme provides one-to-one support for Year 12 students giving them a direct insight into the realities of Higher Education.
CHILDREN LEAVING CARE
The challenges facing young people leaving care are enormous. Often lacking family support, suffering financial disadvantage and struggling to find somewhere to live, applying for and succeeding within education is a real achievement. The team provide support to children who have been in care and offer visits for pre-entry students. This support continues once students are at City.
EVENTS
University Visit Days and Taster Weeks provide an early introduction to Higher Education and university life for a diverse range of ages from primary school children to 18-year old college students. They provide the
PRIMARY SCHOOL INITIATIVES
PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF LONDON ACADEMY ISLINGTON
City sponsors the City of London Academy Islington and has a regular programme of activities to support student achievement and raise aspirations. They include a tutoring scheme with 25 tutorials over the year, running workshops and offering places on Taster Weeks and visit days.
SNAPSHOT SIXTH FORM
Last year the team launched Snapshot Sixth Form, a structured year-long programme, working with 30 Year 12 pupils. The pupils attend an event each month focused on university and employability. The programme gives insight to university through student shadowing, personal statement guidance and taster sessions alongside insights to employability, focusing on cvs, application forms, work shadowing and visits to an employer.
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DO RUSSIA’S FLYING BEARS REALLY POSE A RISK TO CIVILIAN AIR TRAFFIC? PROFESSOR DAVID STUPPLES, PROFESSOR OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING There’s an element of sabre-rattling to Russia’s Tu-95 ‘Bear’ aircraft probing the boundary of European nations’ airspaces, something that had long gone on during the Cold War and which has restarted under Vladimir Putin. But while their probing of air defences and the subsequent response is well-rehearsed, aircraft flying stealthily around some of the world’s busiest airspace holds the potential for disaster. The large, propeller-driven Tupolev Tu-95 aircraft were introduced in the 1950s as longrange strategic nuclear bombers, but most of the remaining Bears are reconfigured for either maritime reconnaissance or for gathering electronic intelligence (Elint) – almost certainly what the Bears intercepted by RAF Typhoons off Cornwall were doing. The flight’s aim is to inspect as much of the electromagnetic emission spectrum around UK airspace as possible. This includes emissions from air defence surveillance radars, fighter aircraft radars and command and control communications. The information gathered is used to update Russian electronic warfare systems. In times of war or conflict this information would be used to program electronic jamming systems on Russian aircraft in an attempt to interrupt UK air defence radar and communications. The same techniques are used in relation to warships and for land operations. This electronic eavesdropping activity is not confined to the borders of UK airspace – within the last year, fighter aircraft have intercepted Tu-95s around Turkey, Portugal, Germany, Denmark, Finland and Sweden and, in late 2014, a major Russian reconnaissance exercise was conducted off the US west coast. The Russian Air Force reconnaissance programme is particularly active during NATO exercises as the electromagnetic spectrum is rich with military information.
INVISIBLE TO CIVILIAN AIRCRAFT
To ensure safety in designated air corridors, commercial and civilian aircraft employ what is called secondary surveillance radar (SSR) to identify themselves to air traffic control (ATC). This is a
transponder that periodically transmits location, bearing, altitude and other information to ATC. Military aircraft employ similar but more secure systems known as Identification Friend or Foe (IFF). In peacetime or when military aircraft fly in designated air corridors, IFF is operated in a civiliancompatible mode for safety in order to remain ‘visible’ to air traffic controllers. Russia’s Bears, on the other hand, turn off their IFF transponders so as to maintain the element of surprise. This prompts British air defences, using active radar to sweep the skies, to detect and respond to them as an unknown potential threat. It also means they are invisible to civilian air traffic control and to other aircraft in the sky – unless close enough to be seen by pilots and crew themselves. While the aircraft design may be more than 50 years old, the Bears are fitted with sophisticated reconnaissance and navigation systems that enable them to adhere to air safety standards by avoiding controlled airspace and busy air corridors. Nevertheless there have been reports of near misses and violations of sovereign airspace, but it’s difficult to separate fact from fiction.
NEAR MISSES
For example, in December 2014 there was a close encounter between a passenger flight taking off from Copenhagen carrying 132 passengers bound for Rome and a Russian reconnaissance aircraft, with transponders turned off, 50 miles south east of Malmo. A collision was apparently avoided thanks only to good visibility and the alertness of the airliner’s pilots. Another came in April 2014
when a Russian reconnaissance aircraft entered Dutch airspace before being intercepted by Dutch fighter aircraft. Again, the objective was Elint collection on NATO air defence systems. Although there have been reported near misses the actual risk to commercial air traffic is considered minimal – but vigilance is necessary. NATO air defence systems are well integrated into civilian air traffic control systems so once an intruding Bear has been identified controllers can be alerted to the presence and aircraft in the vicinity can be warned.
NOT JUST THE RUSSIANS
However this is not an activity reserved for the Russians. NATO and particularly the UK and US, also undertake extensive reconnaissance Elint operations against Russia and other countries deemed hostile. Throughout the Cold War, extensive operations were undertaken against the Soviet Union in areas stretching from the Scandinavian Kola Peninsula, through the Baltic and Germany to the Black Sea, with similar operations in the Far East. This continues today, with incidents in which NATO surveillance aircraft are tracked by Russian defences. The Israeli Air Force proved that Elint and electronic warfare was vital during the Lebanon War in 1982 against Russianbuilt air defence systems supplied to Syria. But it has not been without casualties – early in the Cold War several NATO reconnaissance Elint aircraft were shot down by the Soviets around the Baltic and Black seas, so these missions were sometimes considered dangerous. Today the Royal Air Force and the United States Air Force employ Boeing RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft to fulfil the same role for NATO as the Tu-95 Bear and operate them in a similar manner. Perhaps such surveillance, although concerning to some, actually benefits both sides: by keeping the military on their toes and discovering more about each other’s military capabilities, it makes the prospect of war less likely.
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Earlier this year, a child with special educational needs (SEN) was permanently excluded from his secondary school for behaviour relating to his learning disability. His mother, unsure of their rights or the best course of action to take, contacted the School Exclusions Project, an initiative run by The City Law School in association with Matrix Chambers. Clare Duffy, student volunteer at the Schools Exclusion Project picked up the case. She said: “When adjustments were made to accommodate the child’s disability, he thrived in a school environment. Just a year earlier, he enjoyed taking part in extracurricular activities, had been awarded ‘Student of the Term’ and was ranked fifth in the school merit system. However once the child moved into Year 8, several incidents led to a series of temporary exclusions, culminating in a fixed term exclusion just before the Christmas holidays.” Typically, fixed term exclusions last for five days, after which the school decides whether to exclude the child permanently. Due to the Christmas holidays, the child waited almost three weeks before discovering he wouldn’t be returning to the school. Clare provided free legal representation, advice and advocacy for the pupil and his parents, helping to challenge the head teacher’s decision to exclude him. Clare assessed medical evidence demonstrating that the child’s disruptive conduct was a direct result of his Asperger’s Syndrome and that the lack of reasonable adjustments made by the school contributed to and even exacerbated his behaviour. “The school failed adequately to recognise his special educational needs and treated behaviour that arose from his autism, such as swearing, as the actions of a defiant and naughty child. This amounted to discrimination under the Equality Act 2010 and, regrettably, resulted in further disruptive behaviour.” Clare helped the mother to prepare for an Independent Review Panel Hearing, where both the school and the parents gave evidence. After considering his case, the panel decided the child had been wrongfully excluded and he was reinstated at the school. This is a typical case for the School Exclusions Project, a scheme established by Sarah Hannett, a barrister at Matrix Chambers and Thomas Ogg while he was a student on City’s Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL). While working at a school for excluded pupils, Thomas witnessed the detrimental effects exclusion can have on young people. In 2010, he approached Sarah and the Project was born, bringing together young people desperate for help with trainee lawyers desperate to gain experience.
WHY FIGHT EXCLUSIONS?
Alice Bacon took over as Chief Director in 2012 and now runs the project with the help of several student directors. She said:
“The School Exclusion Project firmly believes that permanent exclusion from school has profound and long-lasting effects on the life of a young person. Feelings of isolation, rejection and powerlessness are common-place for young people who have been excluded and there are few better predictors of illiteracy, criminal offending, mental illness, future unemployment and homelessness.” A recent survey by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) found that 88 per cent of boys in young offender institutions had been excluded. The Project also aims to address inequality and discrimination. The Children’s Commissioner found in 2013 that a boy of black Caribbean heritage with SEN, eligible for free school meals was 168 times more likely to be excluded than a white British girl without SEN, from a more affluent family. “This is why our representation is so crucial,” Alice says. “We deal with an abundance of unlawful and discriminatory exclusions. For instance, four out of ten children with autism are estimated to have been informally and therefore illegally, excluded. Young people deserve the same protection from the law as adults, which is why we utilise legal principles to protect and empower the young people we represent.” Clare Duffy added: “Why should a child with special educational needs be removed from mainstream education and placed in a pupil referral scheme, where their chances of success are dramatically reduced? While schools have plenty of resources and legal support, quite often parents do not and find themselves drowning in legal jargon. The School Exclusions Project gives them a stronger voice and levels the playing field so that the panel can make a fair decision based on the facts.” The project has helped more than 350 school students and parents and represented pupils at more than 150 hearings. They have also teamed up with organisations like Ambitious About Autism, to challenge unlawful practices by schools. In 2014, Barrister Director of the Project, Sarah Hannett, won the Bar Pro Bono Award for her work on the Project. Professor of Law, Professor Dan Wilsher said: “Exclusions don’t solve the problem. Once you have excluded a child you have to do something with them - there’s no bin you can just put them in. The longer a child is out of school, the less likely they are to succeed. While it might seem the right answer for a particular school, children are everyone’s concern and we should be tackling the problem at the source.” The project provides free advice, advocacy and support throughout the year. For more information visit schoolexclusionproject.com or call 020 7040 3309.
FIND OUT MORE WWW.SCHOOLEXCLUSIONPROJECT.COM
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GRADUATION 2015
Graduating from university marks more than just the end of a two, three, or even four year stage of life. It marks commitment. Commitment to ourselves, to education, to hard work and to the will to achieve academic excellence. It marks the understanding that success is never given, but must constantly be earned. Being here at City has been, for us, far more than just the basis for this understanding. It has been a unique journey, both academically and personally. Therefore, we extend our gratitude to all those who made this journey a journey of experience, of excitement, of inspiration and of personal growth. Our supervisors, our faculty, our lecturers and all those who enabled us to experience the dialogue between the University’s strong tradition and heritage in the engineering science on one hand and a modern and practicaloriented education on the other. Additionally, we are likewise thankful to all those who organised and arranged extracurricular activities, such as career workshops or researcher’s development days. These events not only fostered our academic skills, but also our interpersonal relationships, friendships and not least - our memories.
Earlier this year, the University saw over 2,000 students celebrate their graduation at ceremonies held at the Barbican in the heart of the City of London. Read an extract from the speech given by School of Mathematics, Computer Science & Engineering graduate, Daniel Vogel.
FIND OUT MORE WWW.CITY.AC.UK/GRADUATION
FROM THE ARCHIVE
Following the opening of CitySport, City News delved into the archive to take a look at how students have kept fit at City over the years. If you know anything more about any of these photos, please get in touch.
GET IN TOUCH DEMETRI.PETROU.1@CITY.AC.UK
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