One Degree Academy

One Degree Academy is a new all-through school that opened in September 2016 with a cohort of Reception students. One Degree Academy will take up to 60 Reception students for September 2017. They are non-selective and publicly funded. One Degree Academy aim for the small, all-through school to improve outcomes for children of all backgrounds. Through inspirational teaching and step-by-step improvement, all of the students will develop the knowledge, attributes and aspirations to succeed at university, enjoy a productive career and lead a great life. They are a charity called One Degree, made up of teachers, education specialists and professionals, which provides small-group mentoring to GCSE students in London. The charity offers low performers personalised support and inspirational role models, encouraging them to believe in themselves and aim higher. Over the past six years, they have worked with over 300 pupils below the floor standards for educational attainment, and helped them improve their GCSE performance from 25% predicted passes to 65% actual passes. The pupils also recorded improvements in self-esteem, confidence, resilience and well-being, based on independent psychological evaluations conducted before and after each programme. This experience has given us an understanding of the barriers to educational attainment, and how to overcome them. It has convinced us of the importance of a personalised, inspirational and connected approach to education. They want to bring this experience to One Degree Academy, to transform the lives of even more young people in London.