Left behind generation: Imperial College London to open maths school for disadvantaged teenagers

Imperial College London plans to open the school with Woodhouse College

8 July 2020

One of London’s top universities is set to open a maths school to increase the number of disadvantaged teenagers studying the subject.

Imperial College London plans to open the school with Woodhouse College, a sixth form college based in North Finchley, to transform the lives of students who may not otherwise have studied the subject, and enable them to go on to have fulfilling careers.

The school – Imperial College Mathematics School - aims to discover untapped talent and attract more female students, those from BAME groups and students from disadvantaged and under-represented communities to study maths.

It will take up to 100 students each year from across London and beyond, and ultimately aims to increase the number of maths students at top universities from disadvantaged or under-represented backgrounds.

Staff will carry out outreach work to encourage people from different backgrounds to apply.

Initial plans for the school have been approved by the department for education and it could be open for 16 to 19 year olds studying maths, further maths and other science A-Levels by autumn 2023.

It could open on the Woodhouse College site in North Finchley depending on planning permission.

Professor Maggie Dallman, Vice President (International) and Associate Provost (Academic Partnerships) at Imperial, said: “The opportunity to study advanced maths in a setting like a specialist school has the potential to transform lives and have students benefit from fulfilling careers in science, technology and many other sectors.”

Professor David Van Dyk, Head of Maths at Imperial, said: “Imperial Mathematics is strongly committed to ensuring a more diverse pipeline of talent into mathematics and related careers in science and technology. The new school will be the cornerstone of this aim and will give us new opportunities to mentor, teach and work with bright young future mathematicians from a diverse mix of backgrounds.”

The new school will also run outreach activities and work with other school maths teachers on professional development.

Professor Ian Walmsley, Provost of Imperial College London, said: “Building a more diverse population of students from a wide variety of backgrounds is core to our academic mission as a university, and this new partnership with Woodhouse will really help achieve this in subjects based around a specialist maths-based curriculum.”

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Left behind generation: Imperial College London to open maths school for disadvantaged teenagers

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