Lord John Nash served as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools from January 2013 to September 2017. In 2008, Future, the charity co-founded by Lord Nash and his wife, Caroline Nash, was appointed by the Labour Government to sponsor Future Academies. This article will take a closer look at the work of Future Academies, an organisation created to broaden the horizons of young people through its family of schools across London and Hertfordshire.
Sponsored and guided by its founding charity, Future, the mission of Future Academies is simple: to realise the moto of ‘Libertas Per Cultum’ (‘freedom through education’). Future Academies enables and empowers young people to lead lives filled with opportunities and choices, safe in the knowledge that whatever path they follow, they are working towards a future of their choosing.
Today led by Dr Lawrence Foley as CEO, Future Academies comprises a family of 10 Primary and Secondary Academies across London and Hertfordshire, namely:
- Barclay Academy
- Laureate Academy
- Phoenix Academy
- The Grange Academy
- Trinity Academy
- Pimlico Primary Academy
- Pimlico Academy
- Future Academies Watford
- Ashtree Primary Academy
- Millbank Gardens Primary Academy
Future Academies’ management team oversees the work of its schools’ network and wider charity. The organisation is committed to ensuring that all young people enjoy access to the choices and opportunities they need to succeed and thrive, carving out their own paths irrespective of their background.
Future Academies’ Board of Trustees comprises volunteer leaders responsible for the overall strategic direction and governance of its group of academies. In addition to overseeing the CEO, the Trustees set the vision for Future Academies, as well as monitoring education performance, ensuring financial health and prioritising student safety. Essentially, Future Academies’ Trustees serve as guardians of the trust’s mission, managing risk, ensuring compliance and holding leadership accountable for achieving educational excellence across all Future Academies.
Alongside its knowledge-rich curriculum, Future Academies prioritises education enrichment, elevating students’ aspirations and providing them with the knowledge and skills needed for excellence, irrespective of their background. Future Academies Education Enrichment programme focuses on four key areas:
- Enriching the curriculum
- Providing exposure to culture, sport and the arts
- Connecting students with future education, training and the world of work
- Building integrity, resilience, judgement and character
Recognising academic achievement as an essential element of personal and professional success, Future Academies’ Education Enrichment programme is expertly curated to develop well-rounded citizens. Future Academies prides itself on providing a diverse range of extracurricular activities and cultural encounters, as well as connecting students with high-quality work experiences.
Future Academies’ knowledge-rich curriculum aims to instil joy and excitement in students, with its Educational Enrichment programme complimenting class-based learning through competitions, workshops and trips designed to bring learning to life.
Future Academies founder Lord John Nash is an experienced venture capitalist and was chair of the British Venture Capital Association from 1988–89. He co-founded the charity Future with his wife, Caroline Nash. In addition to managing academies across London and Hertfordshire serving circa 7,000 students, Future also supports a range of other worthy causes and organisations created to serve disadvantaged children and young people.
Prior to his role as schools minister, Lord Nash served as a non-executive director of the Department for Education. As schools minister, he was responsible for the academies and free schools programmes and the number of academies grew from circa 2,000 to circa 7,000 and several hundred free schools were opened. He took five Acts of Parliament through the House of Lords during his tenure: The Children and Families Act 2014, The Childcare Act 2016, The Education and Adoption Act 2016, The Children and Social Work Act 2017 and The Technical and Further Education Act 2017.