Mulberry Schools Trust launches innovative new STEM provision in partnership with Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd

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Mulberry Schools Trust launches innovative new STEM provision in partnership with Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd

Lewis Toto Resize

  • Inspirational programme in science, technology, engineering and maths
  • Providing the foundations for a lasting commitment between the two partners
  • Virtual launch took place with Lewis Hamilton, Toto Wolff and 150 Mulberry students today

On Thursday 5th November, the Mulberry Schools Trust announced an innovative new partnership with Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd and the launch of the Mulberry STEM Academy – a Saturday/holiday provision that will provide a place of learning, inspiration and innovation for young people. It will be a powerful supplementary provision for STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) education and, working together with Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd, it will offer a world-class programme of vocational training, specialised study and masterclasses for students aged 7-18 within the Mulberry family of schools and beyond.

To celebrate this significant occasion and to coincide with the partnership launch, Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd has arranged for Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff to join students from Mulberry Academy Shoreditch, Mulberry School for Girls and Mulberry UTC in a broadcast from the team’s headquarters in Brackley, Northamptonshire.

Lewis

The provision will run on Saturdays during term time and school holidays for local young people who have talent, passion and aptitude in STEM, computing, physical science and design. It will offer a comprehensive and integrated curriculum, focusing on the long-term development, strength and needs of each student. Our students are bright, have a passion for STEM fields and will benefit from non-traditional teaching methods, such as industry specific and project-based learning to supplement and enhance the more mainstream teaching they receive in their classrooms and laboratories. Whilst schools within the Mulberry Schools Trust achieve well and currently have progress well above the national average in many areas, we recognise that our students do not routinely enter degree courses and apprenticeships in STEM compared to other science related pathways.

Toto Wolff, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd commented:

“We are very proud today to announce our new partnership with the Mulberry Schools Trust and to continue our journey towards making a positive contribution to the future engineers and scientists of the next generation. This is a deeply important project for us and the result of a great deal of thought into how best we might make a lasting contribution to promoting diversity and inclusion within our industry. I know myself and all our team are passionate about the success of this programme and we look forward to welcoming the first attendees of the Mulberry STEM Academy and exploring how we can best support their learning journey.

Providing practical workplace experience and access to opportunities will be key to breaking down the barriers these students face when aspiring to their future careers and we are proud to be part of a project which will set them on a path to strengthening the STEM capabilities of our industry in years to come. The Mulberry Schools Trust is a hugely impressive organisation that shares our core values and we are honoured to be working with them. If the passion, enthusiasm, respect and excellence that I witnessed today during our virtual event with students from the Mulberry Schools today is anything to go by, this is going to be a very exciting, rewarding and successful venture.”

Lewis Hamilton continued:

“I was honoured to join the virtual event today to launch the new STEM Academy and to see the enthusiasm, intelligence and commitment of the Mulberry students for myself. It’s so important that, as a sport, we do all that we can to ensure we are as inclusive as possible. Increasing young people’s access to STEM and, ultimately, paving the way to careers in our industry is a brilliant way to do this. Creating a sport that is more representative of society is something very personal and important to me, and this partnership shows a real commitment from Mercedes to build a legacy that goes beyond motorsport.

The STEM Academy is a fantastic opportunity to make a difference and I’m proud to work alongside my team, in partnership with the Mulberry Schools Trust, to open doors for these students which might otherwise have been closed, and to give them the opportunity to excel. Providing young people from diverse and often disadvantaged backgrounds with the confidence and resources to implement change in their own lives is one of the strongest tools that we have to build a fairer and more equal future. I’m looking forward to seeing how the students progress and, judging by the questions I received today, I have every faith we will see some of them fulfilling their dreams of working in motorsport in the future!”

Click here to read the full press release.

Connect Issue 5 | Now available

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Issue 5 of Connect, the Mulberry Schools Trust newsletter, is now available.

In this issue we lead with an article from the CEO providing an interesting perspective on the lessons learned from the pandemic and the power of virtual learning.

We also bring you news from our schools celebrating achievement, remote learning and the different responses to the Black Lives Matter movement.

We hope the newsletter provides you with an interesting round up of what’s been happening across our schools during the summer term.

Click here to read Issue 5

MST Special Report: COVID-19

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For the past fortnight, we have had to adjust to new ways of working in the Mulberry Schools Trust.

Read our Special Report providing you with news about three projects we set up, each designed to fulfil a different need in our school system right now in this period of national crisis. It shines a light on what Mulberry staff have been doing to respond – with the help of our trustees and the many ‘Friends of Mulberry’ who have generously supported us over time.

We hope you find the report informative and inspiring.

Click here to read the Special Report

5th Annual Education Lecture

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We were delighted to welcome Dame Donna Kinnair, Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, to deliver our 5th Annual Education Lecture to an audience of students, parents and ‘Friends of Mulberry’, including our very good friend Dame Julia Cleverdon. The event took place at the prestigious Royal Society of Arts in John Adam Street, central London.

Two accomplished students demonstrated outstanding wit and professionalism as they welcomed Dame Donna to the proceedings. They were exemplary leaders and were a great role models for our audience of young people.

Full of wisdom and insight throughout the evening, Dame Donna reflected on her approaches to nursing, as well as giving her thoughts on the solutions, the role of young people today and blue-sky thinking about the future.

The night also included the awarding of our Sixth Form scholarships – 30 students from across the Mulberry Schools Trust received a scholarship package worth over £450 and many others received runners-up awards including Netbooks or Daunt book membership. It is just one of the many ways the Trust supports its students, enhances their studies and motivates them to succeed!

Dame Donna gave such a timely address, as no one expected that as the next few weeks unfolded, the COVID-19 pandemic would take hold and change our way of lives for the foreseeable future.

“Whether you’re at the bedside or walking the wards…your leadership journey starts from school…it’s about respect for people!”

Dame Donna Kinnair

Latest newsletters now available!

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The latest newsletters published by the Mulberry Schools Trust are now available. Issue #4 of Connect is packed with a round-up of news from all schools in the Mulberry family and our Community newsletter provides an update on our partnership work with families and the local community.

Access the publications below.

Connect newsletters

Mulberry students are going places……

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Post-16 students leaving schools in the Mulberry Schools Trust are moving on to the next stage in their lives having secured strong destinations across the piece.

A feature of this year’s destinations has been the wide variety of universities and apprenticeships that students are taking up in some of the UK’s best institutions including Cambridge and Oxford, Imperial College, Edinburgh, St Andrews, Bristol and York. The subjects they will be studying are also varied and include Accounting, Architecture, Biomedical Science, Computer Science, Dentistry, Drama, Engineering, English, Film and Television, Fine Art, Games Design, Geography, Law, Maths, Medicine, Midwifery, Neuroscience, Nursing, Pharmacy, Physics and Psychology.

Congratulations to the Trust’s ‘Class of 2019’. We are proud of your achievements and wish you all the best in this next phase of your lives.

Read more about our students achievements in our Post-16 Destinations 2019 brochure.

International Day of the Girl

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On Wednesday 9th October, Mulberry School for Girls students were able to meet Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning, in advance of the release of their film Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.

This formed part of the school’s celebration of the International Day of the Girl.  Both actresses are inspiring as independent career-driven women.

HRH The Duchess of Cornwall Visits Mulberry School for Girls

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On 30th October, Mulberry School for Girls welcomed HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. 

The aim of the visit was to see the invaluable work carried out by the school in promoting the education and success of girls and women both locally and globally.  This ranged from our engagement with WOW led by Jude Kelly and the Donmar Shakespeare Trilogy directed by Phyllida Lloyd and produced by Kate Pakenham, to our wider work with schools across the country and South East Asia.

Long Service Awards interviews

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Mulberry Schools Trust Celebrates the Long Service of Committed Staff to Education in Local Authorities

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Over 600 years of collective long service to state education by teachers and support staff will be celebrated at a special event hosted by the Mulberry Schools Trust (MST) on Wednesday 25th September 2019.

The MST Long Service Awards will recognise, acknowledge and congratulate exemplary staff across the Trust for their dedicated service to the education sector for at least 25 years. The loyal staff who reached this remarkable milestone within MST reached 21 this year and each will be honoured at the Trust’s Annual Celebration Event taking place at Mulberry Academy Shoreditch.

Those deserving a special mention include Tosowar Ali who has taught at Mulberry Academy Shoreditch for over 27 years and Colin Walker who has diligently served the school’s Science department for almost 45 years. Celebrating at Mulberry School for Girls is Jill Tuffee with 40 years of service in education (with 34 years spent at the school) and 82 year old Mohammed Abul Hossain, who has amassed 37 years of service (19 years at the school).

MST will also acknowledge a number of governors who have provided many years of long service to our schools. Governors such as Sue Barrow, who chairs the governing body of Mulberry UTC, deserve recognition for their tireless work.

All relevant staff will be presented with a commemorative brooch and they will receive the Local Authority’s usual financial recognition. Some will be asked to share their memories with councillors and senior officers from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, as well as all staff, governors and Trustees from the MST family.

Jane Farrell, Chair of the Mulberry Schools Trust said:

“Our longest serving members of staff are role models to others and are a huge asset to this Trust. They have a wealth of knowledge and understanding about our schools, which is invaluable to us.”

Dr Vanessa Ogden, CEO of the Mulberry Schools Trust said:

“These exceptional members of staff have chosen to give most, if not all, of their careers to our schools. I want to thank them for the amazing work they do every day and all their dedication and commitment to our young people and community.”

Mrs Ruth Holden, Executive Principal of Mulberry Academy Shoreditch said:

“I am thrilled that Mulberry Academy Shoreditch is able to host such a prestigious event for the Trust. What an honour for us all to celebrate our service to our community – imagine the positive impact these members of staff have had on the lives of children.”  

Mr Tosowar Ali, Modern Foreign Languages teacher at Mulberry Academy Shoreditch said:

“I have had a fantastic career at the school and I have seen education transform the lives of many students over the years. The close friendships that I have built with my colleagues are priceless and I look forward to working here until I am due to retire.”

 

For further information, please contact:

Julie Cordice, Director of Marketing & Communications, Mulberry Schools Trust
Email: jcordice@mulberryschoolstrust.org | Telephone: 020 7790 6327

 

Notes to Editors

The Mulberry Schools Trust is a flourishing multi-academy trust set up in 2016 in Tower Hamlets. The Mulberry Schools Trust currently includes Mulberry Academy Shoreditch, Mulberry School for Girls and Mulberry UTC, and is now working with the Local Authority and the DfE to build a new school in Wapping – Mulberry Academy London Dock. The Trust believes in the power of partnerships with families, other local schools and the communities that it serves.