The Brewers' Company goes back to the classroom

On Friday 15 October, members of the Brewer’s Company Court and the Dame Alice Owen Foundation Advisory Committee visited Dame Alice Owen’s School.

As Trustee to the Dame Alice Owen Foundation, which distributes around £1.5 million in grants annually to support Dame Alice Owen’s School and educational programmes in the London Borough of Islington, the Brewers’ Company is responsible for ensuring the good governance of the charity. Regular visits to the beneficiaries ensure that members of the Court and Advisory Committee experience their work first-hand and see the impact of the funding provided by the Foundation.

The visit showcased some of the many things that make Dame Alice Owen’s an extraordinary school. It began in the Edward Guinness Hall with brilliant musical performances by four soloists from the younger school years, covering accordion and piano, singing, violin and percussion. The visiting party then went on to tour the Brewers’ Education Centre, a new teaching block which was constructed just prior to the pandemic with support from the Dame Alice Owen Foundation. Having remained unused for much of lockdown, the visitors were delighted to see classes in action in the amazing, new, bright space.

The visitors were then introduced to the very impressive senior student team, led by Had Girl and Boy, Zoe and Ollie. The students exhibited maturity and self-assurance when interacting with the visitors and were truly a credit to their school. There followed a brief presentation from the Digital Teaching and Learning Lead, who showed how the use of new technology and smart TVs in the School has enhanced both teaching and learning. The visit concluded with meeting members of the School’s Senior Leadership Team who have worked tirelessly over the last two years to maintain the delivery of the best quality education possible to the School’s students despite hugely challenging circumstances.

The Headteacher, Hannah Nemko, and all members of the School community who participated were wonderful hosts, and the visitors were very grateful for the opportunity to get an in-depth look at the daily activities of the staff and students at Dame Alice Owen’s.