In London, there was a huge event that was held recently to celebrate the roll out of Sadiq Khan’s next stage of his London Curriculum programme.
The idea behind London Curriculum is to encourage children to grasp all of the new economic opportunities that are available in London and to get them to compete with all of the talents of London attracts from around the globe. The idea behind the plan is that by 2020, schools in London will rank among the best in the world.
To help achieve this goal, children will be encouraged to study subjects such as modern languages and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) to help them have the best chance possible of getting into top universities and getting themselves quality apprenticeships once their time in school has come to an end.
During the roll out of stage two, children from schools in Islington had the opportunity to show off their dance moves to the legendary Ballet dancer, Darcey Bussell.
30 different primary schools took part in the event, including Moreland Primary, which took place at Potters Field and City Hall. The event involved a series of different workshops – which included a dance session with the Strictly Come Dancing judge.
The event was designed to make the first time during London Curriculum that primary school children had access to the initiative as, until now, it was only available to secondary school pupils who were learning Key Stage 3.
The initiative also benefits the schools who sign up as they are granted access to a brand-new suite of resources and opportunities for children who are currently working towards their Key Stage 2. The resources include trips to various landmarks in London, including the Houses of Parliament and the Natural History Museum.
Assistant Headteacher of Islington school, Christopher Quinton said:
“The kids absolutely love the opportunity to get out of the classroom and work with professionals. We have even had representatives from university coming out to speak to the children, which is quite a privilege for students of their age.
“All of our students live in London, but many of them have never seen all the landmarks at London Bridge.”
London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, also commented by saying:
“I’m delighted that thousands of primary school pupils from all parts of the capital will have the opportunity to enrich their education through London’s cultural gems and rich heritage.
“London has been shaped throughout time by people who have come from around the world to make this city their home – from the Romans onwards.
“Our history and culture and culture is a truly globe one, so what a better way for primary school children to learn, than directly from London’s museums, art galleries and other fascinating institutions.”
London Curriculum has drawn its inspiration from the people, places and heritage of England’s capital city. The idea behind the campaign is to bring the new national curriculum to life in a way of helping the children of London to develop their skills through encouraging them to learn.
The idea behind the initiative is to improve the learning of students through a range of different subjects. These subjects include:
English:
The curriculum’s English programme covers all of the literature that has been created about London. This includes looking in depth at London’s theatre scene and what makes London one of the most talked about cities in the world.
Music:
London has had many famous and fantastic musicians and composures stay within the city – as well as many who were born there. The music programme aims to teach the students about these musicians and composers and also to look at the reasons why they were drawn to London. Students also get the opportunity to develop their own compositions which are inspired by the city and music makes who have been here.
Art and Design:
It has been said many times before that London is an international art hub. The aim of the programme is to ensure that, those studying through London Curriculum, will learn about the artists who have been inspired by the city. This includes London in both the past and the present and also taking an in-depth look at the architecture of the city. Students who are involved will also develop their own technical skills.
Geography:
It’s beyond question that London is a fascinating city. One of the most fascinating aspects is London’s landscape which has been developed over thousands of years by both humans and physical processes. Students will learn about the history of the urban landscape and how this came to be.
History:
History is an important part of all schools throughout the United Kingdom. London Curriculum aims to add to this by teaching children on the course about the history of the UK, London and London’s connections to the rest of the world.
Dance:
The idea behind teaching dance is to get the children to connect with the subject using innovative techniques.
Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths:
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) introduces students to the application of STEM within the city. By doing this, the programme will help them to start to think about the excellent career opportunities which are opened by studying in these particular fields.
This isn’t all of the subjects that are covered by the curriculum. With other subjects due to be added such as:
- Languages
- Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE)
- Citizenship
- Religious Education
The initiative comes as part of the London Mayor’s major ambitions for education. It’s regarded that education is one of the elements which will help to build on the success of London for generations to come. By providing a good school place for every child, and also ensuring that they are provided with all of the necessary skills, knowledge and creativity, they can succeed in life.
HOW GARMENT PRINTING HAVE HELPED:
Garment Printing previously teamed with the Mayor’s Fund for London to create printed t shirts for the children involved in the Penny for London campaign – This was due to us providing an excellent T-Shirt printing London service.
Following this successful partnership, we were asked to help out again – but this time with the London Curriculum initiative. For this, we created printed merchandise, such as hats and t shirts, for the latest event in the London Curriculum calendar.
We printed 60 T Shirts and 1000 caps. Both garments had to be printed in two positions: centre front and back of the T Shirts, and centre front and left side on the back of the caps.
The selected garments for this task were there Gildan GD05 T Shirts, in Heliconia colour, 100% heavy cotton, which is soft, comfortable and very suitable for screen printing, and the Beechfield BB10B caps in Surf Blue.
Screen printing was the selected printing technique for the T-Shirt, reducing the setup cost, and following London Curriculum’s brand identity, as we used the exact Pantone colours. Screen print transfer printing were also the selected printing techniques for the caps as well. The quality of the screen print transfer is higher than the standard transfer printing technique, as it leaves a smoother “screen printing” effect, and its durability is higher and lasts longer in time, reasons why we decided to go with this technique and let the vibrant colours shine and stay.
After the event, Catherine Black from the Mayor’s Fund for London contacted us and shared:
“Our event was on Thursday and went brilliantly well. The children looked FANTASTIC wearing the caps! The T Shirts were brilliant too. Such and eye-popping colour.”
The clothing that we created was worn by both the children and the volunteers taking part in the event to help make it as successful as it was.
