Our Schools

The first schools in the Borough to be redeveloped through BSF will be

• Bethnal Green Technology College (BGTC)
• George Green’s
• Ian Mikardo
• Raines Foundation
• St Paul’s Way Community School
• Wessex Centre

Of these schools, St Paul’s Way and BGTC have been chosen by the Council as Pathfinder schools and will lead the local BSF programme. This means they will help the council and those schools in later stages, learn from their progress and experience. 

Bethnal Green Technology College

Bethnal Green Technology College (BGTC) will be Tower Hamlets’ second Pathfinder school. The investment from BSF offers a great opportunity for BGTC to reshape itself with a new style entrance, making the school more welcoming, accessible and secure.

There is poor access and limited space for learning, together with restricted movement in and around the building. Although the school is a specialist technology college, the ICT facilities need urgent improvement, especially as this is at the heart of the school’s vision for the future. The outdoor play and recreation space also needs resurfacing as it is increasingly unsafe. 

A planned combination of new buildings and refurbishment will radically improve teaching facilities, supporting the college as it moves away from special measures and enabling it to engage more effectively with parents and the local community. With a strong tradition in hockey, the planned improvements to the outdoor PE area will also offer an exciting opportunity for the school to help support the London Olympics, as the school has been identified as a potential training centre.

George Green’s

George Green’s is an inclusive, mixed 11 – 19, comprehensive school. The school is multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-faith and its motto is ‘all different, all equal’. The school is voluntary controlled but is very much a community school.  It has recently undergone some refurbishment to upgrade its facilities and improve accessibility. It is hoped that the BSF investment will allow George Greens to develop the rest of its school building to bring it up to 21st century standards. This will enable it to further raise standards of achievement by creating safe and positive learning environments in which students can succeed.

Ian Mikardo

Originally built as a mothers and children’s centre, Ian Mikardo is a Special School that has been adapted to meet the needs of the students. However although the building and classrooms are generally in good condition, there are not enough classrooms and they are too small. Getting around the building is also a problem, as there is no lift to the first floor and movement on that level is difficult.

This site is one of the most restricted - with limited space for play and recreation. This means major demolition and building work would be very difficult without huge disruption to teaching. Therefore, the current plan is to significantly refurbish and remodel the school instead. This will include a new two-storey extension to improve the amount of space and provide better access around the building. It is hoped most of this work can be completed during the summer holidays, limiting the impact on students and teachers.

Raines Foundation School

Raines Foundation School is located on two sites - with the main site including a Grade 2 listed Victorian building. The planned developments through BSF will vastly improve facilities for students and teachers, and enable the school to engage with local community more effectively.

Although the key building on the main site has had various extensions, this has left the internal layout and access around the building disjointed and confusing. On the second site the classrooms and other facilities are far too small, and poorly designed corridors and staircases together with a variety of different levels make the building difficult and complicated to get around.

Through BSF, part of the school will be rebuilt and some of the existing buildings remodelled. For example, the Approach Road site would include new sports and administration facilities and enable the outside recreation areas to be used better. The plans also include an idea for an innovative new ‘School Square’ between the Victorian building on the site, and a proposed brand new teaching block. This would provide a modern space for students to meet and socialise, and would also be an innovative focal point for people visiting the school.

St Paul’s Way Community School

As a Pathfinder school, St Paul’s Way will lead the Tower Hamlets BSF programme. The school will be completely rebuilt - representing an exciting opportunity to develop a brand new purpose-built school. Working with Poplar Harca Primary Care Trust, it will also play a significant role in helping to regenerate the local area.

Located in an area of particular community need, St Paul’s Way has been assessed as the school in greatest need of redevelopment in the borough. Much of its building and teaching spaces are in a poor condition and getting around the building is difficult - with restricted staircases and corridors.

Reflecting both the school and the Council’s vision for the future, the planned improvements will help to drive up attainment and aspirations, and tackle some of the security issues for St Paul’s students - making the school an important asset both for them and their local community.

Rebuilding the school on a different part of the existing site will also mean that the school can operate normally during construction work - limiting disruption to lessons. Once the new school is completed, the former building will be demolished and external play areas, including a garden, will be provided.

The Wessex Centre

Although the Council originally planned to sell the Wessex Centre, it now intends to redevelop it through the BSF programme as part of its commitment to provide local young people with a broader curriculum and better pathways from education into work. The refurbishment of the Wessex Centre will help it support local schools to provide a wider range of vocational subjects by offering specialised facilities that will increase schools capacity.

Improving schools, transforming lives