Partnerships

At Mulberry Academy Shoreditch we believe that the richness of our offer is enhanced through partnerships, networks and collaborative projects with other organisations. Our aim is to enrich our students’ learning, confidence and motivation and in turn impact on the quality of school life and staff development.

Our partners range from small community initiatives and schemes, to government agencies, global businesses and also include prestigious universities. The benefits of these partnerships are enjoyed not just by students but by staff, parents and members of our community.

We are proud of the depth and breadth of our national and international awards and accreditations. In demonstrating the quality of our offer we continue to enhance our students’ experience and they duly develop a portfolio of skills that sets them apart from their contemporaries. The cultural, sports, musical, entrepreneurial and social action activities, programmes and initiatives at their disposal are exemplary.

In addition, working in collaboration with a range of partner organisations enables us to: maintain high academic standards and expectations, gain expertise and insights, offer additional benefits and bring learning to life.

Below is a small selection of some of our partnerships.

Our partnership with Challenge Partners provides us with exceptional opportunities to collaborate with other schools to drive outstanding teaching and learning. Leaders come together to share ideas and help each other improve.

Our students work with the LGBT+ inclusion charity Diversity Role Models to develop and deliver workshops on equality, diversity and challenging gender stereotypes. Our students take this learning and work alongside their peers to deliver their own workshops to primary schools. Our work ensures our students are provided with skills and understanding to tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools.

Duke of Edinburgh Awards have inspired and transformed the lives of millions of young people from all walks of life. From volunteering to physical activities, life skills to expeditions, achieving a DofE Award is a passport to a brighter future, valued by employers and universities.

MAS are proud to be able to offer this enriching, extra-curricular activity for our students. It offers an individual challenge and encourages students to undertake exciting, constructive and enjoyable activities in their free time with a well-recognised award at the end to show a possible employer their determination to commit and undertake challenges.

Sustainability is paramount to what we do at Mulberry Academy Shoreditch, allowing our students to respect, value and appreciate their wider environment and the ever-growing need for fair trade and recycling. In pursuit of this goal, we are a member of the Food for Life Partnership. We have established a small farm where we grow our own produce. Students have access to both garden clubs and cooking clubs, which enables them to gain valuable life skills and an understanding of where their food is coming from.  We run a Farmers’ Market during key events, where we have the opportunity to sell our own school-grown produce to the community and donate the proceeds to charity.  We also support small, local producers by inviting them into the academy to sell their products.

We are delighted to partner with InvestIN, a London-based organisation led by a group of experienced professionals from some of the world’s most competitive careers. InvestIN deliver immersive career experiences to students aged 15-18 who aspire to break into some of the most desirable industries. Their programmes aim to create the ‘ultimate work experience’ through interactive simulations, site visits, seminars, networking sessions and career coaching guidance. Students are able to experience their dream career before they start university, so they can get a head-start over their competition. More than 25,000 students from 72 different countries have attended InvestIN programmes which take place in cities around the world.

IntoUniversity offers an innovative programme that supports MAS students to attain either a university place or another chosen aspiration.  The partnership offers our students valuable advice and support including mentoring, help with writing personal statements and an insight into the world of work.

The academy’s Interfaith Week is part of our year-round work celebrating the way in which students and staff respect similarities and difference across the academy and within our communities.  The Joseph Interfaith Foundation is one of our key partners who supports our work in this area.  It is the only national joint Muslim-Jewish interfaith organisation and is committed to fostering engagement through constructive and realistic dialogue and interaction between the Muslim and Jewish communities in Britain.

Mulberry Academy Shoreditch is part of a long-standing partnership with Lloyd’s of London, one of the world’s largest insurance markets.  For the past few years, reading mentors from Lloyd’s have attended weekly sessions at the academy, to work with targeted students who have reading levels below their chronological age.

Our literacy initiatives are also supported by CSV volunteers from Deutsche Bank.

We are proud to be part of the Mulberry STEM Academy, a Saturday/holiday provision that provides a place of learning, inspiration and innovation for young people. It was set up in Autumn 2020 by the Mulberry Schools Trust (MST) in partnership with Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd – two high performing organisations in their respective fields of education and motorsports.

The powerful supplementary provision provides a specialised track for children and young people aged 7 to 18 who have talent, passion and aptitude in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) education.

At MAS we are proud to promote and engage with the National Citizens Service on behalf of our older students.  NCS is a national group of grassroots organisations committed to delivering quality programmes for young people.  They help them by building stronger, more integrated communities to foster understanding between young people from different backgrounds; build essential skills for life and work; and they engage young people in social action within their communities.

The academy have enjoyed an established relationship with Rich Mix, East London’s independent arts venue, for many years. Our partnership with Rich Mix ensures that students at the academy gain access to a range of educational, creative and cultural enrichment projects throughout the year.  The activities often cuts across artistic genres (music, theatre, dance, spoken word, visual arts and film) with the aim of giving young people a chance to work with professional artists and arts organisations; to find out more about working in the arts; to develop their own events; to network with other young people and learn and develop valuable creative skills.

As a successful academy, we enjoy a highly effective partnership with SSAT (formerly known as the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust), a membership organisation which assists with the professional development of staff. Our link has included MAS hiring out facilities to SSAT for various meetings and conferences, as well as hosting a group of teachers visiting from China. The partnership has allowed our staff to gain a deeper insight into the world of education, improving the level of teaching and support they provide to students as a result. The link has also allowed us to share best practices with a range of other schools, in a bid to promote our successes to a wider area.

St Hilda’s Community Centre is one of our fondest partners.  Our longstanding partnership means so much to the school and it provides our students with the opportunity to give back to their community and engage with the elderly.  The school has presented choirs, showcased performances, sold produce at Food Co-ops, engaged in numerous intergenerational projects and countless other activities.

Mulberry Academy Shoreditch is a key stakeholder of the Step Up To Serve Campaign.  Step Up To Serve co-ordinate the UK Wide ‘#iwill’ campaign, launched in November 2013 by HRH The Prince of Wales and the UK’s three main political parties. It aims to double the number of young people taking part in meaningful social action by the year 2020.  By taking part in social action, young people are able to strengthen their communities as well as develop their own skills and sense of social responsibility. As part of the programme, we pledge to:

  • Ensure all MAS students lead or engage with projects that will make our communities better and safer places for everyone.
  • Develop an understanding in MAS students that through participation in social action, we can make meaningful changes to our world.
  • Create opportunities for all MAS students to connect with others and take responsibility, so that we can shape a more fair and just society.

Mulberry Academy Shoreditch are proud partners of Teach First. The academy has a successful track record of employing young, passionate teachers through the programme, many of whom have progressed into middle and senior leadership roles in a short space of time. We are committed to the continued development and training of talented staff through the programme, and have seen a hugely positive impact on student achievement through this approach. The quality of MAS’s support and collaboration with Teach First can be viewed in more detail in the case study Against the Odds – Five lessons in how to achieve the impossible: the story of Teach First.

At MAS we provide students with an unrivalled series of innovative projects and challenges to complement their academic development.  Founded in 2008 by Maggie Philbin and Chris Dodson, TeenTech run lively initiatives with a supporting award scheme to help the “X Factor” generation understand their true potential and the real opportunities available in the contemporary STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) workplace.  MAS has been awarded a ‘TeenTech Centre of Innovation – Silver’ commendation following our students’ exceptional STEM related innovation and design projects, which resulted in a visit to Buckingham Palace (October 2017).

We are proud to run the three Prince’s Trust education programmes at our school.  The Mosaic Mentoring Project, Achieve and Enterprise Challenge are important programmes that enrich our students’ educational experience.  Working alongside the Prince’s Trust, helps us to ensure students leave us fully prepared to compete on a global stage, contributing to society as independent, successful, skilled and motivated young adults.

Tower Hamlets Citizens is a local chapter of Citizens UK, the alliance of community organisations working together on a range of social justice issues. Our partnership increases opportunities for students to engage in social action in a variety of areas, including campaigning, politics and social justice. Activities completed by the students so far have included working with member institutions to establish CitySafe zones in their local communities, and organising an onsite ‘Listening Campaign’ to explore the issues that may be affecting Mulberry Academy Shoreditch students in the community.

The school really enjoys its work with Tower Hamlets Food Bank run by the First Love Foundation. For many years our young people have used their leadership skills to create positive change across the school and community.  Fundraising for Tower Hamlets Food Bank enables students to lead on impactful social action initiatives and make a difference.

We are proud to work with local charity the Tower Hamlets Education Partnership.  Their aim is to meet the challenge of ensuring that all children and young people in Tower Hamlets achieve the best possible outcomes and flourish through an effective partnership of schools.

The WCCSA is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London and represents a range of highly professional and well-connected institutions. Our partnership has allowed WCCSA members to visit students and hold talks on how to succeed at the highest level in the professional world, helping raise aspirations and give students a clear idea of what is expected of them in the world of work. We are eagerly anticipating the ongoing development of this relationship and the exceptional opportunities it will offer.