The Department for Education has confirmed that the City of London Corporation will be the new sponsor of Newham Collegiate Sixth Form Centre (the NCS) in East Ham.

The Corporation is already a sponsor of academies in London which include four high performing academies in Hackney, Islington and Southwark.

The NCS will now form part of The City of London Academies Trust.

The Trust is also opening four new academy schools – two secondary academies in Hackney and two primaries in Islington and Southwark.

The NCS is the academic A-Level centre for a group of Newham Schools including Cumberland, Kingsford, Lister, Little Ilford, Plashet, Rokeby, Royal Docks, Sarah Bonnell and Stratford School Academy. It also takes students from other secondary schools in the borough and surrounding areas.

Catherine McGuinness, Chair of the City of London Academies Trust said:

“We welcome news that Newham Collegiate Sixth Form will be joining The City of London Academies Trust.

“The City of London Corporation is committed to providing access to first class learning opportunities for young people in Newham and wider London. We will continue to work closely with Newham Council and the partner schools to ensure the sixth form continues to deliver outstanding education, helping students to reach their full academic potential.”

Mouhssin Ismail – Principal of Newham Collegiate said:

“The NCS has enjoyed great success over the last couple of years and has developed a strong reputation for outstanding A level provision in the borough. The announcement that the City of London Corporation will be the academy sponsor provides exciting opportunities for collaborative work and sharing of expertise enhancing the educational experience of our young people.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank our partner schools, UCL and Newham council for their support over the 2.5 years and we thoroughly look forward to working collaboratively with all our stakeholders in the years to come.”

Rachel McGowan, Interim Chair of the Newham Collegiate Sixth Form responded to the news, she said:

“The partner schools are very proud of the success of the Newham Collegiate Sixth Form Centre in its first two years and look forward to working closely with the City of London, who we are sure will add further to the exciting opportunities for NCS students.”

Councillor Quintin Peppiatt, cabinet member for Children and Young People Services at Newham Council said:

“The City of London’s sponsorship of Newham Collegiate Sixth Form will secure the stable future of this outstanding sixth form school. The new sponsor will help us to continue to raise expectations, attainment and deliver enriching experiences for our pupils which is crucial to the continued success of Newham collegiate Sixth Form.”