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William College opens in Stratford with two law degree courses

We talk to former barrister and Planet Education Networks director, Professor Cedric Bell, about the group’s new east London operation

Image shows Planet Education Networks director Professor Cedric Bell, a man with white hair and glasses wearing a blue suit
Planet Education Networks director Professor Cedric Bell

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William College is set to open its doors in Stratford, welcoming students on its first two courses in September, 2024.

The campus will initially offer an LLB in law over three years plus a business and management (law) course with a foundation year over four.

Both will be accredited by a leading university.

The launch is the latest from Isle Of Dogs-based Planet Education Networks (PEN), which now operates a total of seven organisations including the Elizabeth School Of London and the Victoria College Of Arts And Design.

PEN director, Professor Cedric Bell, said: “William College will be where we have our law, criminal law, policing and criminology courses to complement what we’re doing with business and management at the Elizabeth School Of London.

“There is a real synergy between business and law and the latter is very popular with our student constituency.

“We don’t tend to have traditional university students – ours are often older, in their mid-to-late 20s or early 30s, and have domestic caring responsibilities.

“A lot of them are interested in studying law, whether to become solicitors in their own right or because they want to provide support for people in their communities on human rights or immigration issues. 

“Having been a lawyer myself at one stage, I see it as a good qualification.

“It opens up a range of great career opportunities.”

Image shows the exterior of William College in Stratford, an office block with yellow window frames
William College in Stratford is set to open in September 2024

reaching full potential

PEN’s philosophy is very much about providing opportunities for “lifelong learning” as an agent of societal advancement – an ethos common across its operations and one that especially resonates with Cedric.

“I have a sympathy with people who may not have attained their full potential as yet,” he said.

“When I was younger, I struggled academically – I couldn’t read until I was seven – and the teachers at the school I attended in Belfast were not keen to encourage me because they felt I wasn’t up to it.

“I did better at A Level than I was expecting and, as a result, felt studying law was more realistic and attainable.

“I decided to take my future into my own hands and went to university.

“Personally, I don’t think you can judge a person by what they’ve achieved in their teens or when they were younger.

“That’s why we’re keen on widening access to give people a genuine opportunity to fulfil their dreams.

“By and large the students we have take a conscious decision. They don’t rush into it.

“For many who have been away from formal education for a number of years, it’s a huge step of faith to come back into it – but once they find they have the courage to do that and once they realise they’re in a supportive environment, they work very hard, because they’re more conscious of the commitment.

“For this reason we’re comfortable about offering law, because it’s a serious discipline, and it resonates with some of the decision-making of our students.”

Image shows William College's reception area with LED lighting and a silver logo
The college will offer two law-based degree courses when it opens

at the heart of Stratford: William College

The new campus is based on Stratford High Street, a few minutes’ walk from the area’s main station, offering connections to the Elizabeth Line, Jubilee, DLR, Overground and national rail services. 

“The facilities we offer are excellent, William College is very well appointed,” said Cedric.

“We have a large reception area and spaces over a number of floors, which all emphasise that students are in an environment where they can connect with other like-minded people, a place that’s conducive to their needs.

“We’ve put a lot of resources into it, which we’re happy to do, because we’re in it for the long term.

“Choosing Stratford was both historical and an extension of our philosophy at PEN.

“We’ve always been in east London, so our roots are very much here, and we’re very committed to working with those from less fortunate backgrounds. 

“If you look across the group, we’ve positioned our campuses in big cities so the communities we want to serve can access them easily. 

“Stratford is also very good in terms of travel – it’s become a thriving place.”

Image shows Willaiam College's library with shelves, seating and computers for students to use
Facilities at William College will include a library area

aimed at a local audience

“Nearly all our campuses concentrate on attracting students from the UK rather than people from overseas. 

“Increasingly, more and more young people are asking themselves why they should do a degree course.

“What I’ve found is they ask two questions – will this course increase my employability and is it good value for money?

“The two main dynamics are employability and affordability. I’m not saying that a university degree is the best way forward for everyone.

“But I always say to young people: ‘Don’t put a glass ceiling over your head’. If you aspire to do something, you’re more likely to achieve it.

“The majority of people who studied law with me at university expected to practise as solicitors or barristers throughout their careers and I’m sure most have done that.

“But I enjoyed teaching law more than practising as a barrister and I had an opportunity within business and I built up a company, working in Malaysia and Africa.

“I can’t say that I thought while I was at university that my career would take the steps it has done.

“While law will obviously be our flagship course – with policing and criminology an extension from that, forming a group of courses – business and management are natural partners too.

“I work on the principle that you might be a very distinguished and capable musician, but to harness those talents you need to know something about how to run a business. 

“An awful lot of law in practice is dealing with business, so we want to optimise our students’ skills for their post university careers.”

Image shows a meeting room at William College with leather chairs and a blue and white colud design on the ceiling
William College’s degrees will be accredited by a leading university

key details: William College

William College is located in Stratford and is currently offering two degree courses, one in law and one in business and management (law).

Find out more about the courses here

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
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Isle Of Dogs: How the Elizabeth School Of London is growing to serve more students

The institution offers a wide range of courses and has taken space at Harbour Exchange to host them

Professor Ian Luke of the Elizabeth School Of London

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The Elizabeth School Of London (ESL) is enjoying something of a boom.

A higher education provider, which delivers a range of courses on behalf of various institutions, it’s expanded to seven sites across the country supporting some 9,500 students.

Its operation includes campuses in Birmingham, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester and Northampton as well as two in London.

Alongside its Holborn site, ESL recently moved into Harbour Exchange on the Isle Of Dogs with a second floor of the building already in the pipeline.

For the institution’s provost, Professor Ian Luke, himself a recent arrival, it’s a time of great opportunity for the organisation.

“The exciting part of ESL is that it’s in its infancy, so what I would like to see is it pushing the boundaries of teaching and giving students authentic experiences so they can immediately use what they’ve learnt in their careers or even during their time with us,” he said.

“Canary Wharf is an inspiring place, especially if you’re working in the sectors covered by our courses.

“The fact that students are working around multi-million pound companies, and we are creating links with those firms, is very special.”

ESL has a growing campus at Harbour Exchange on the Isle Of Dogs

ESL provides teaching and facilities on behalf of a number of organisations that act as awarding bodies on its courses.

These include Bath Spa University, St Mary’s University in Twickenham, Canterbury Christ Church University, the University Of Bolton and Newcastle College Group

It offers courses in the areas of business and management; finance and accounting; health and social care; construction and computing, attracting many students seeking a change of direction.

“We currently have about 9,500 students,” said Ian.

“Many are mature students who are looking to make a career change or who higher education may have passed by.

“For ESL, it’s all about providing access to opportunity.

“The joy of our system is that we haven’t got the infrastructural arrangements of a university.

“Most universities engage in research. But generally they will only receive at best 75% funding for those activities.

“We’re not a research institution, although we’re very much about scholarly research-informed teaching.

“That means all our resources can be focused on the students themselves rather than anything else – hence the investment in campuses such as Harbour Exchange.

The campus is arranged over one floor, with a second in the pipeline

“While many universities have fixed locations, ESL has the flexibility to go where its services are needed.

“The benefit to the student experience is incredibly positive and, for the partners we work with, it means they don’t have to invest in a new campus themselves in these locations.”

Part of Planet Education Networks, a collection of institutions based at Marsh Wall, ESL’s expansion has seen a whole floor of Harbour Exchange’s main building fully refurbished.

“There are IT suites, media rooms, lecture rooms, a canteen, break-out areas and even a Dragons’ Den-style pitching area,” said Ian.

“The whole place has been designed for the students to have fluidity in physical and digital resources. 

“Because we’re not trapped in campus buildings, we’ve been able to design this new facility for the way we want to teach students.

“One of the key things for us is that we’ve designed the actual timetable to support people.

“We understand that there’s a cost of living crisis and that many students have to work while they’re studying – we understand that they’re got care responsibilities.

“That’s why we operate over six days.

“Students get very focused work so they can manage their parental and other commitments.

“We also deliver evening and weekend sessions, so we try to make the timetable as bespoke for them as possible.

“What we’re delivering in terms of pedagogy is different to a university, in that we’re trying to tailor everything to an understanding of students’ lives, and more importantly, to their careers and employability afterwards.

“We know our students very, very well – who they are – and when that’s the case, you can cater for their needs.

“ESL is really about people who want to change their lives, and we’ve got the flexibility to help them do that.

“It’s crucial for us to be able to move with our students so we can offer something bespoke.”

This is all very much in Ian’s wheelhouse.

“With an academic and professional background in education, it’s no surprise he’s decided to join an institution where the importance of teaching is stated as a core value.

“I was deputy vice-chancellor at Plymouth Marjon University, a very small organisation down in the south-west, and I looked after everything there, apart from research – the academic schools, the quality of the teaching and the digital development,” he said. 

“London is a complete shift for me, but I was a teacher and my PhD and professorial were in learning and teaching so I’m hoping to bring that to ESL.

“I have an understanding of quality systems and how they work, and how to make them more robust.

“There’s something incredible happening here with ESL – there’s a very big demand for what it’s doing – and it’s very successful.

ESL boasts extensive facilities close to Canary Wharf

“The focus is heavily on the students – they want to come – so it’s up to us to manage that growth well for them.

“The joy of multiple institution awarding is that you get the best practice from everyone, and you can make sure that we represent the programmes.

“In doing so, we try to serve the community, individuals and their careers.

“We get a whole range of people coming to study with us – they are multicultural, often older and may be returning to higher education.

“ESL is rigorous in terms of the students it accepts to ensure we are recruiting people we think we can support appropriately. 

“Because the students are more mature, there is an engagement level here that not all universities experience. 

“The staff are very passionate and the students really want to make the most of these opportunities.

“It’s very inspiring for me in my role to see how they are working to grasp those at ESL.”

Typical yearly fees at ESL are £9,250.

Find more information about the Elizabeth School Of London here

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
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