FSC Campaigns and Research

The London Education Centre

A local legacy with a global impact

The vision

To develop a world-leading centre of excellence in urban education specialising in education for sustainable development, enabling young people to become successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens through the development of positive out-of-classroom educational experiences in sites and communities in East London. The centre will become a long-lasting and dynamic education resource which maintains and sustains the Olympic legacy for many years to come.

Meeting needs…at all levels

• The London Education Centre will celebrate the strengths and potential for learning and living in a city. No such education centre with a strong urban and sustainable living focus exists in London, or anywhere in the world.
• LEC is not simply another environmental studies centre. The strength of the LEC will be its ability – particularly at secondary level – to adopt and develop innovative approaches to education which make the most of local urban opportunities, rather than replicating approaches used in traditional field centres.
• LEC will exploit the unique opportunity of the Olympic Park post-2012 to develop an educational provision which blends curriculum subjects with broader education needs (including personal and social development) within an urban context.
• LEC will overcome local barriers such as funding by sustaining itself through other income streams such as residential courses. The synergies between local, national and international visitors will be a strong foundation for much of LEC’s education activity.
• LEC will offer ‘lifelong learning’ opportunities but it will have a particular focus on 11-16 year olds – a critical and difficult to reach group.

Achieving long term impacts

LEC will have a clear long-term vision; previous ‘iconic’ education and community projects have foundered because of the lack of such a vision. Education through the LEC should be based on using local people and places as the major teaching resource, for example capturing and using oral histories through long-term inhabitants of the boroughs. Much of the work will take place outside the LEC’s classrooms and workspaces. The LEC is not intended to become a surrogate school with all the physical limitations that an expensive capital infrastructure imposes. Therefore, developing the capacity of local teachers and educators through training and development of education resources – bringing together all that is best in practice, research and policy in urban education – is a vital short-term need. Although capital investment will be needed at the outset, the structures should support rather than constrain the development of the LEC. This is much more likely to happen if the planning for the LEC development is integrated into regeneration planning at the earliest possible stage. 

LEC would offer residential facilities at strategic times of the year – for example, to cater for overseas groups during UK school holidays. These facilities could be available to groups from local schools for overnight stays. Income from national or international groups could be an important funding stream which sustains the centre.

LEC’s development, facilities and course provision will adopt sustainable development as a key approach. Access to transport hubs associated with the Olympic park could, for example, reduce the environmental impact of access. It is envisaged that the centre would utilize best practice in energy conservation and aspire to be carbon neutral. As such, it would also be a showpiece for sustainable approaches in an urban environment. These approaches, and the education practice in the centre, would provide outreach and field research opportunities for students enrolled on linked accredited courses awarded by nearby universities and colleges.

Facilities

Workrooms – Laboratories/wet space - A viewing ‘platform’ - E-learning suite - Indoor eating and recreation areas - Outdoor teaching areas – Open spaces and park - Access to sport facilities - Access to local residential accommodation - Teachers resource centre - Archives and library - Easy access to transport infrastructure/routes.

Background to the proposal

The FSC, through its work with schools throughout the UK, but including those in local Olympics host boroughs, has increasingly recognized the need for a field centre which specializes in urban education and is distinct from a traditional environmental studies centre. At the same time, Newham Council has been exploring the potential to develop out-of-classroom learning opportunities.
A workshop convened by both sponsors in July 2007 brought together a group of educationalists involved in local planning for the post-2012 education legacy, and others with local and national experience in urban education policy and practice. The purpose of this meeting was to test the proposal on a diverse audience representing local and national stakeholders. The response was enthusiastic and highlighted the great potential for an education centre which had a strong urban sustainability focus and met a variety of formal curriculum and wider community (ie. extended school) needs. There is a particular need for a centre which catered for the needs of older children and students, from 11 years old upwards.

As a result, a feasibility study to test the business case was been commissioned through the University of East London. Its publication in March 2008 has shown widespread support for the proposal. The FSC is now looking for a site and sponsors.

View the Feasibility Study online. (2.5mb PDF file, requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).

Contact

WE WOULD WELCOME YOUR VIEWS ON THE PROPOSAL.
To give your views, or to request further information, please contact:
Dr Stephen Tilling, Field Studies Council

• 01743 852106 

e-mail: steve@field-studies-council.org