Boxing Academy to become free school

David Cameron has announced a ‘landmark wave’ of new free schools.Photograph: DBIS (Creative Commons)

A specialist boxing school in Hackney is set to become a free school as part of a “landmark wave” of new schools announced by David Cameron yesterday.

The Boxing Academy in Harley Grove will increase its intake and expand its curriculum by converting to an Alternative Provision Free School.

From September 2016, the Boxing Academy will increase its roll by two classes to serve up to 56 students, and offer eight GCSEs qualifications including English and maths instead of the current five.

The Boxing Academy already offers a full-time alternative education for students between the ages of thirteen and sixteen who are at risk of educational exclusion, focusing on the discipline and ethos of boxing.

Speaking about the school, David Cameron said: “While pupils will not have to box, the sport’s ethos will be harnessed to help them channel their aggression and learn discipline and teamwork. Pupils will be mentored in small groups by boxers, while gaining valuable GCSEs including English and maths.”

While remaining on roll at their mainstream school, students will be referred from more than 25 schools in seven London boroughs, accessing an alternative education alongside boxing training.

17 percent of all free schools are currently dedicated to special needs or alternative provision (AP).

Registered as a charity in 2007, the Boxing Academy works with vulnerable and challenging young people in North and East London, using an intensive mentoring programme alongside teaching five GCSEs.

Anna Cain, Chief Executive and Head of the Boxing Academy calls the move an “exciting opportunity” allowing the charity to provide a “full time alternative to exclusion”:

“We are delighted to receive approval for our bid to become a Free School. For the last seven years as a charity we have been successful while being reliant on voluntary donations to supplement our income and provide a full-time alternative to exclusion. The AP Free School route means that we can stabilise our core operation, expand our curriculum and plan for the future to make sure that we achieve the best possible outcomes for our students, without having to compromise the unique and innovative method. This is an exciting opportunity!”

The new school will join three free schools set to open in the borough in 2016, and the existing Hackney New School.