United Learning

United Learning is an education charity with 36 academies.[1] Their academies are free of charge to attend, non-selective and are open to students of all abilities and backgrounds and all faiths and none. The charity is operating under the name United Learning as of 2012.

History

It was formed in 2002 as a subsidiary of the United Church Schools Trust (UCST) which has been running independent schools in the UK since 1883.

United Learning's first academy, Manchester Academy, opened in 2003, replacing Ducie High School, one of the poorest performing schools in the country; the academy received an "outstanding" report from Ofsted in 2009.[2] Inspectors noted: "No matter what their background, all groups of students make outstanding progress as they move through the years."[3]

United Learning is one of the 50 largest UK charitable organisations.[4] Its central office is in Oundle, Northamptonshire.[5] It is governed by a board of trustees and run by a management team.[6][7]

United Learning works in partnership with independent schools, universities and corporations including Marlborough College, Winchester College, Warwick University, Sheffield Hallam University, Vodafone UK Foundation, Honda and Barclays. Through these partnerships, ULT claims to enhance the opportunities available to its students and staff, enabling them to develop skills outside the classroom and gain insights into other sectors.

United Learning academies also claim to provide programmes of activities for their local communities. These range from skills-based language and ICT courses to family support programmes.

In October 2010 the Emmanuel Schools Foundation, sponsored by Sir Peter Vardy, announced that it was handing over management of its schools to United Learning. All four of its schools are in the North East.[8]

Sex and Relationships Education Policy

In August 2013, three United Learning academies were reported in an online article on Pink News as using wording that echoed the terminology used in Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988. In response, a spokesman for United Learning said: “We abhor discrimination of any kind and are proud of our track record both as an employer and educator in dealing with issues surrounding diversity. Indeed it has been heartening that partner organisations have contacted us to comment on the fantastic work being done in our schools to educate our young people on the importance of equality and fairness. We have amended our Sex and Relationship policy to remove any unintended interpretation and look forward to continuing our work to highlight this important issue.”

Wes Streeting, Head of Education at Stonewall, said:

“We know from our own work with United Learning schools that homophobic bullying is taken very seriously and some schools are leading the way on issues like tackling homophobic language. We’re pleased that United Learning are committed to reviewing all their school policies in line with good practice and Stonewall is committed to supporting their efforts. Swindon Academy, for example, has been doing some excellent work on tackling homophobic bullying, not least through their work on homophobic language as part of the Wiltshire-wide ‘ZeeTee’ campaign. Unfortunately, the government guidance on sex and relationships hasn’t been updated since the repeal of Section 28 in 2003, so some schools are still using outdated language. That’s why we’re working with Swindon Academy through our School Champions programme to help them review their policies in line with national best practice so that all children can attend school without fear of bullying or prejudice.”[9]

Academies

United Learning academies are free of charge to attend. They are non-selective schools which are open to students of all abilities and backgrounds and all faiths and none.[10]

Primary

Secondary

All-through

Emmanuel Schools

The Emmanuel Schools Foundation's schools are:

Future schools

Schools planned to join the trust in the future are:

United Learning

In 2012 ULT and UCST rebranded to operate under one name, United Learning.[11] They legally remain as two separate charities.

References

  1. ↑ United Learning Schools List
  2. ↑ 'Worst' school praised by Ofsted, BBC News, 28 April 2009.
  3. ↑ Yakub Qureshi (2009-04-28). "Reborn school a class act". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2013-02-06.
  4. ↑ Charities Direct: Top 500 Charities ranked by annual income Archived March 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ United Learning. "Contact Us". United Learning. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
  6. ↑ Chairman and Board Members Archived August 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine., United Church Schools Trust.
  7. ↑ Executive team Archived September 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine., United Church Schools Trust.
  8. ↑ Academy sponsor steps down, Evening Gazette, 13 October 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  9. ↑ http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/10623422.Sex_education_row_at_academy/
  10. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 13, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  11. ↑ The Road to United Learning
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