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• Excellence in Cities
• • Choice Advisory Service
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  • Gifted and Talented
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Excellence in Cities

Excellence in Cities (EiC) is a targeted programme to bring additional resources to address the needs of our core urban areas. It brings a new approach that increases the diversity of provision for pupils, but at the same time encourages schools to co-operate to raise standards.

This extends learning opportunities for pupils of all abilities and, above all, starts with the needs of the individual pupil and the challenges they face.

As core values, EiC aims to:

• set high expectations for all;
• establish networks of schools;
• enable diversity; and
• extend opportunities for all students.

There are six key policy strands to the EiC programme:

• Learning Mentors
• Learning Support Units
• City Learning centres
• Specialist schools (see the Specialist schools trust)
• EiC Action Zones
• Gifted and Talented (see also the London Gifted and Talented website and the QCA website).

Other initiatives are funded through EiC, such as Behaviour Improvement Programme (BIP), LIG, Teenage Pregnancy, Volunteer mentor scheme and Leading Aspect Awards. Aim Higher (formerly Excellence Challenge) is within the Islington EiC team.

In Islington, funds have been used to:

• enable schools to diversify and specialise as specialist or beacon schools;
• extend opportunities for gifted and talented pupils;
• ensure all pupils who need them have access to Learning Mentors
• establish seven Learning Support Units in secondary schools;
• establish two City Learning Centres; and
• establish three small Education Action Zones and enable to North Islington (statutory) Education Action Zone to transform.

We provide advice and support for implementation of the Excellence in Cities and Excellence Challenge plans. We support the collection of data, monitoring and review of progress and evaluation of the initiative. We organise and deliver INSET and network meetings, and provide out of hours learning activities for Gifted and Talented pupils.

Through the EiC Partnership Board, further initiatives are planned and monitored. We link closely with the DfES and other national strategy teams, including out of hours learning.

The Partnership Board is responsible for:

• allocation of funds;
• monitoring and evaluating the work; and
• delivery of outcomes as expected by DfES.

The Partnership Board consists of all secondary heads and three representative primary heads, FE and HE representatives, LBI representative (currently through Connexions) and CEA officers.

The DfES say "EiC is making a difference: over the last four years the performance tables for KS3 and KS4 rose faster in EiC schools than elsewhere. In 2004, EiC school improved at four times the rate of non-EiC schools."