What do schools owe their communities?
Teachers are ranked among the five most trusted professionals in Britain at 85 per cent – against politicians at 9 per cent. In a fractured civic landscape, schools are among the last institutions communities still genuinely trust. On 4 June, over a hundred governors, staff and Haberdasher members gathered in West Smithfield to spend a […]
Liz Sidwell – the woman behind the schools
As Hatcham College marks 150 years and Haberdashers’ Academies Trust Southcelebrates its 20th anniversary, Dr ElizabethSidwell CBE — the woman who founded the federation — reflects on what it took. When Elizabeth Sidwell arrived at Hatcham in the early 1990s, there was a sit-in protest outside the gates. Hatcham had been designated a City Technology […]
Ben’s Habs Aspire story: Transformative and motivational
When Ben signed up to Habs Aspire, he wasn’t quite sure what to expect. What he found was a mentor who helped turn a niche career ambition into a clear, confident plan for the future. Diving in with an open mind “When I first signed up to Aspire, I had no clue what to expect […]
Why Habs Aspire needs you: what our students are telling us
Baseline data from this year’s Habs Aspire mentees shows exactly where the gaps are – and exactly what a mentor can do to close them. Every student who joins Habs Aspire completes a baseline survey as part of their onboarding. It’s not a formality. The questions map directly onto our theory of change, and the […]
Aske Accounts 2025
Find here the Aske Charity accounts for 2025. The object of The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Charity (“the Charity”) is ‘to promote in Greater London and the neighbourhood thereof the education, including social and physical training, of boys and girls and in particular but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing to conduct and maintain schools […]
Laying the groundwork
In June 300 Year 5 pupils from across the family of schools joined us at Haberdashers Hall. Split across four days, pupils were in mixed groups from the beginning of the day – gaining the opportunity to meet one another as well as take part in sessions to better understand the work of the Company […]
The civic roles of schools and trusts
On 4 June 2026, school leaders, governors, trustees and practitioners from across the Haberdashers’ family gathered at Haberdashers’ Hall in West Smithfield for the annual Education Symposium. This year’s theme — The Civic Role of Schools and Trusts — posed a question that ran through the whole day: what do schools owe their communities, and what does it […]
Encore! The Habs Music Festival 2026
Last week, audiences were treated to a musical triumph like no other in central London. The Haberdashers’ Music Festival returned for its fourth year at the stunning Milton Court Concert Hall at the Barbican, London. Students from the Haberdasher secondary schools came together to form a Wind Orchestra, Jazz Band, Choir and Orchestra; celebrating collaboration, […]
Next Generation Assessment Conference: Principles to Practice
This February, practitioners, educationalists and thinkers came together to discuss the curriculum at Haberdashers” Hall. The Haberdashers’ Company was delighted to host the Next Generation Assessment Conference on Tuesday 24 Feb 2026, bringing together education practitioners to explore how principles of innovation and equity in assessment can be meaningfully enacted in schools. The subject of […]
Young Musician of the Year competition 2026
Haberdashers’ Adams wins the Haberdashers’ Young Musician of the Year competition for the first time. The annual competition, now in its sixth year, is part of the Haberdashers’ Advantage – Character programme, that seeks to build a sense of community between pupils across the seventeen Haberdasher schools, providing cultural capital and character development opportunities. Each […]