The Academy is co-sponsored by two leading City Livery companies, The Mercers’ and The Worshipful Company of Information Technologists (WCIT). Their record of school improvement, educational expertise and commercial experience has established the Academy using a proven educational vision with strong business and entrepreneurial principles.
The Mercers’ Company
The Mercers’ Company is the Premier Livery Company of the City of London. The Company, and its associated charitable trusts, makes substantial grants to support education, general welfare, church and faith and arts and heritage. A network of almshouses and other homes for the elderly are also managed by the charitable trusts associated with the Company. The Company is closely involved with the running of 17 schools across the country and supports them primarily through the appointment of governors. It also provides, with the City of London Corporation, free public lectures in the City at Gresham College.
The Company funds its activities from income derived from its investments, mainly property in London’s West End and the City.
The Mercers’ Company has been involved in education for more than 500 years, since the foundation of St. Paul’s School in 1509. They aim to be a force for educational excellence for the benefit and future success of students from a wide range of social and economic backgrounds.
They achieve this by:
- Promoting best practice across the maintained and independent sectors through their Association of Schools and Colleges and their communities and networks.
- Enabling real improvements in the aspirations and achievements of children, particularly in London and the West Midlands, through their grants programmes and projects.
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WCIT
The Worshipful Company of Information Technologists works to promote the IT industry, but also runs a significant programme of charitable and educational activities. They are not, however, either the industry professional institution or trade association, although they do have affiliations or other forms of relationships with such bodies. More specifically, WCIT Objectives are to provide a professional forum for:
- Their focus is Information Technology in its broadest sense, encouraging more students into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) studies/careers and have been involved in influencing recent changes to the Computer Science curriculum.
- They facilitate industry placements, are active members of the Livery Schools Link, work with Accenture through their schools workshop programme for girls, with eSkills UK (the Sector Skills Council for IT) to encourage students into careers in Cyber Security, organise debates to air the important topics of the day, and with EHRC (Equality and Human Rights Commission), to ensure equal opportunities for disabled students.
- They concentrate their efforts in a small number of high impact projects, focusing in particular on the two schools that they support, the disadvantaged, and on best practice in the use of IT in schools.