We want the UCL Academy to fire the imaginations of its students and to support them to develop in ways which stand them in good stead for their future lives and responsibilities as individuals, employees and citizens.

The UCL Academy will have four key priorities:

• High academic and personal standards for students and a commitment to developing individual potential
• Specialisms in mathematics and science
• Languages at the heart of the curriculum
• A mission to provide ‘education for global citizenship’

The UCL Academy will be an exciting, stimulating place to learn, with a curriculum which focuses on problem-solving, skills development and ‘real world’ issues and ideas. Students will have the opportunity to undertake extensive project work, and to participate in community activities as well as internships and international exchanges.

The sponsor is keen that the Academy should support all students to develop responsibility for their learning, ensuring that they continue to be challenged and stimulated by their learning throughout their time at the school. The UCL Academy will therefore operate on ‘stage-not-age’ principles, with students moving through the curriculum levels as they are ready, and not necessarily when they reach a particular age.

The UCL Academy will have a strong focus on community and belonging. Students will be members of both a household (the school will have five) and a mentor group: a small group of students, eventually ranging in age from 11-18, who meet together regularly and who are ‘mentored’ by a member of staff. Households will provide a focus for intra-school activities; mentor groups will ensure that students build strong support networks, including with their staff mentor to enable them to tackle the challenges young people encounter during their school lives.

UCL, as sponsor, will provide a comprehensive programme of activities and support to enhance teaching at the UCL Academy.  This will include lectures and masterclasses from UCL academics in subjects across the curriculum; visits to UCL; and access to the university’s extensive resources, including laboratories and libraries. There will also be advice for Key Stage 4 students and Sixth Formers on routes into further and higher education, including support with the higher education entry process from UCL admissions tutors, and contact with UCL students acting as tutors and mentors.