Informed commentators both in the UK and internationally increasingly reference the remarkable improvement journey of London’s schools since the turn of the century. If the claims made for educational improvement in London are true they represent an important case study in urban school reform.
This report, co-authored with Centre for London, CfBT and colleagues at LKMco, seeks to investigate the claim that London schools have improved dramatically since 2000. We review the evidence of transformational change and explore possible reasons for the development in London’s schools. The research is guided by three questions:
- Is the success of London’s schools as real as has been suggested?
- If the success is real, in what ways have schools improved and for what reasons?
- What can we learn for the future of school improvement, for London and beyond?
The report provides teachers, school leaders and policymakers with a detailed review of what has happened across London. It provides a comprehensive synthesis of previous evaluations of the London schools’ journey and of the distinctive elements which are perceived as contributing to improvement. Most importantly, it draws conclusions intended to inform current debates on educational policy reform in a very practical sense, providing an agenda for action.
You can download the report here.