The Education Board of the City of London Corporation was scheduled to meet on 23 September 2025 to discuss a range of topics, including budget monitoring, grant management, and skills development. The board was also expected to consider appointments to sub-committees and the renewal of a term for an external member. Additionally, the meeting included updates on workforce skills development, mentoring, and the London Careers Festival.

City Educational Trust Fund Grant Management

The Education Board was scheduled to consider a report on the City Educational Trust Fund (CETF), a charity that aims to further education for the public benefit. The City of London Corporation is the sole corporate trustee of the CETF.

The report included an update on the Primary Arts programme, which A New Direction¹ delivers across London's primary schools. The board was asked to note the end of Year One update report for the Primary Arts programme and to consider extending the eligibility criteria to include special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) settings working with secondary-aged pupils using the primary national curriculum.

According to the Year 1 evaluation report for Primary Arts:

Across Year 1, Primary Arts engaged with a total of 198 schools from 30 London boroughs, with 13,399 pupils directly participating and 1,234 school staff participating in CPD activities.

The evaluation also noted that the programme had been particularly successful in SEND settings.

Education Board Budget Monitoring

The Education Board was scheduled to receive a report providing an update on the 2025/26 budget for Period 3. The report outlined current expenditure and financial activity across the Education Board's strategic areas, highlighting spend to date, committed allocations, and the forecast outturn for both local risk and central risk budgets. Key headlines included:

• Local Risk budget: £880,000, with actuals and commitments of £171,000 to date.
• Central Risk budget: £2.226 million, of which £2.068 million had already been committed, primarily through grants to academies and partner organisations.
• Grants allocation: £1.39 million directed to academies (supporting disadvantaged pupils), alongside £352,000 for partnerships and £323,000 for strategic activities, totalling £2.068 million.

Workforce Skills Development Performance

The Education Board was scheduled to receive a report providing the first annual update on skills development performance. The report was framed through the lens of ensuring a skilled and diverse workforce that can drive dynamic economic growth in the City, London, and beyond. It also set the context of developing a City Youth Guarantee for residents and City-affiliated students.

The report detailed skills development activity across the City Corporation, including:

• The Skills and Workforce Policy team's work to ensure London and the UK cultivate a strong pipeline of skills and talent for financial and professional services.
• The Adult Skills and Education Services' practical programmes that provide skills and qualifications to residents.
• The City Corporation's SME Strategy, which aims to support small businesses within the City Corporation.
• Apprenticeships, work experience, and graduate programmes.
• The Education Strategy Unit's work to improve employability.

Appointments to Sub-Committees

The Education Board was scheduled to review and approve the proposed terms of reference and composition of the Nominations Sub-Committee and the Member Development and Standards Committee for the 2025/26 municipal year. The board was also expected to appoint two members to each sub-committee and approve the renewal of the term of office of external member Jane Hindle for a four-year term expiring on 30 October 2029.

Other Items

The agenda for the meeting also included:

• Agreement of the public minutes of the meeting of 10 June 2025.
• A report on outstanding actions.
• A verbal mentoring update.
• A verbal London Careers Festival update.
• The 2025-26 ESU Events Calendar.