City life

City of London Academy Islington praised by Ofsted for being a school where “no child is left behind”

City of London Academy Islington (CoLAI), which is co-sponsored by the City of London Corporation and City, has been rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), which inspects educational intuitions across the UK. CoLAI was particularly praised for the development of its disadvantaged pupils and the strength of its senior leadership and governance.

The school’s regulator, which visited between 13^th and 14^th March, said since the arrival of the head teacher, Clare Verga, in 2012, CoLAI has been transformed into an exciting environment where pupils and staff thrive. Clare commented “I am delighted that we have been recognised as an outstanding academy in the work we do in serving our young people.

“It has been a journey of transformation at City of London Academy Islington and I am exceptionally proud of all our students and staff for their contribution and hard work as an outstanding school.”

COLAI continues to grow and has recently joined its local sixth-form consortium, looking to welcome students to start their courses in September 2019. President of City, Professor Sir Paul Curran commented on the school’s journey to an outstanding Ofsted rating saying, “I am delighted that COLAI’s seven-year transformation has been recognised by Ofsted.

“The transformation was made possible by the school’s dedicated staff, committed pupils and exceptional Principal, Clare Verga. She has, through a mix of hard work and charismatic leadership, improved the life chances of thousands of COLAI pupils. City, University of London is proud to have co-sponsored COLAI.”