There are proposals for a new Academy to be opened on the site of the Gladys Aylward School in the London Borough of Enfield in September 2010. If approved, it will be sponsored by the Academies Enterprise Trust and the London Development Agency.

This website aims to tell you what these proposals mean and how they will affect your child, yourself and your local community.

The plan is to discontinue Gladys Aylward as a school on 31st August 2010 and establish a 1,485 place Academy the following day. The proposed specialisms would be English and Literacy, as well as Business and Enterprise. Gladys Aylward has recently been located onto a single site under an £8.8 million building programme.

A major £15 million building scheme is currently proposed under the Government's Building Schools for the Future scheme and this is due to be completed by mid 2014. The new Academy will also benefit from increased funding and state of the art Information Technology systems.

Your views and contributions will be fully considered before a decision is made. To become an Academy a Funding Agreement will need to be made with the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).

A feedback questionnaire button is included on the top menu of this website to make your views known. Please ensure do this by Monday 22nd February, at the latest.

Introducing... A Mayoral Academy for Gladys Aylward

Every child in London deserves the best possible education and that is why I am delighted to be introducing this exciting and innovative proposal to create a Mayoral Academy at Gladys Aylward School.

The journey through secondary education is a crucial time for any young person. This is when they acquire skills, develop character, set goals, targets and ambitions, decide what they want from life and how they achieve it. It’s a time when hopes and dreams for the future can be nurtured and encouraged, leaving young people confident that they can go out into the world to fulfil their ambitions in life.

I’d like our schools to bring out the best in every young person and with the help of the Academies Enterprise Trust (AET), and the London Development Agency (LDA) and the blessing of the Department of Children, Schools and Families, we now have a chance in Enfield to show what can be done when we aim high.

AET will provide a firm focus on the basic skills that young people need to succeed in the future. The proposed specialism of English will be critical in enabling them to be confident and articulate learners. The additional specialism of Business and Enterprise will provide a fantastic springboard for young Londoners into the Capital's vibrant economy.

The extensive links which the LDA has in developing youth programmes and employment and skills related activities makes it ideally placed to play its part in contributing to making this Academy a success.

Working in partnership, AET and the LDA provide a great combination. The proposed Academy is committed to drive up standards of achievement and qualifications to ensure that every student leaver is best prepared for the exciting world of further study or the more immediate world of work; and to create centres for education which will serve as community learning hubs to improve adult skills in the local community.

I strongly urge you as a member of the community to support this exciting initiative so that when the new Academy opens its doors in September 2010 students will arrive feeling excited that they will be both challenged and supported to be the best that they can be. I am convinced that students will be able to hold their heads high and be confident they are part of an exciting new school which their community can feel proud of.

In so doing we will be able to unleash the talents of these young people to both raise their horizons and develop the necessary skills to become successful citizens and thrive in their future lives.

Boris Johnson Mayor of London