UCL is one of the top universities in the UK, and one of the top 25 universities in the world. It has extensive, world-class facilities and employs some of the world’s leading academics. Sponsorship of an Academy allows us to make those facilities and that expertise available on a formal basis to students: as a means of extending the traditional curriculum, providing access to new ways of learning and exposing them to ‘life at university’ from a young age. We believe that this will support students of all ability levels to higher levels of attainment and enthusiasm for further study.

The UCL Academy will benefit from a programme of master-classes, seminars and summer schools, given by UCL staff and making use of UCL’s laboratory, library and other teaching facilities. These will be designed to build on the teaching undertaken in class and help to extend students’ understanding of core topics. It will also help to prepare students for the transition between school and university teaching.

UCL also has a tremendous resource in its students. We will draw on well-established networks of UCL student mentors and tutors to provide practical and classroom support to Academy students, with our students as role models, classroom assistants and sources of informal advice and guidance.

UCL has a long tradition of collaboration with schools in Camden. The Academy will be a base from which UCL will be able to enhance the support it provides to these schools. Additionally, the Academy will be part of the Camden Campus for Learning, with a commitment to contributing to the introduction of the 14-19 specialist Diplomas, taking a lead on the Engineering Diploma.