Robyn Bennett

Beacon High School students in Islington are celebrating GCSE and vocational results that have opened pathways to A-levels, further education, apprenticeships and employment. Ahmed Shatiri achieved ten GCSEs, including seven grade 9s, while Yusef Al-Gaby and Peter Hooke achieved nine and ten GCSEs respectively. School and Lift Schools leaders praised the students’ hard work and emphasized that the results mark the beginning of their educational and professional journeys.

Haringey students are celebrating A-level, BTEC and vocational results that have opened pathways to university, apprenticeships and training. Council representatives Georgia Twigg and Mark Blake visited Fortismere School to congratulate students and staff, praising their hard work and the support provided by teachers, families and the wider community. Students needing guidance can access help through schools, colleges, Haringey Council youth services and Haringey Works.

Camden’s first T-level cohort achieved a 100 per cent pass rate, exceeding the national average of 93 per cent, while 92 per cent of students earned distinction or merit grades. Students across the borough also achieved strong A-level and vocational results, with destinations including Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, King’s College London and degree apprenticeships. Employer partnerships, including placements at the Francis Crick Institute, supported technical students, while Camden Council and Camden Learning reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening post-16 education.

Highgate School reported its strongest-ever A-level results in 2026, with 51% of grades at A*, 86.5% at A* or A, and 98% between A* and B. Ninety-four percent of university applicants received offers from their first-choice or insurance institution, while 13 students secured places at overseas universities. The school credited students’ discipline and consistent work, alongside staff support; individual students highlighted the school’s encouragement, community and teaching.

Hampstead School’s Year 13 students achieved an increased average point score of 28.3, up from 28.1 the previous year and 19.1 in 2019. Ninety-six percent of students earned grades from A* to E, with biology and English literature among the strongest subjects. Yusuf Sherzad achieved three A* grades and will study medicine at Imperial College London, while Noha El Haouass El Mengadi will study law at Queen Mary University of London. Headteacher Matthew Sadler praised the cohort’s resilience and achievements after their education was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

LaSWAP, a London sixth-form consortium comprising La Sainte Union, William Ellis, Acland Burghley and Parliament Hill, reported its strongest results since curriculum reform. Twenty-five per cent of A-level grades were A or A*, while 82 per cent were C or above, and more than 1,000 academic, technical and vocational qualifications were completed. The consortium’s first Media, Broadcast and Production T Level cohort achieved a 100 per cent pass rate, with 82 per cent earning a merit or higher. Numerous students secured places at leading universities including Cambridge, Oxford and UCL, while the consortium also highlighted strong outcomes for disadvantaged students.

Harry Heber MBE, who escaped Nazi persecution from Innsbruck via the Kindertransport at age seven, has died aged 92. He and his sister Ruth were reunited with their parents shortly before the Second World War. The Association of Jewish Refugees praised his lifelong commitment to helping others, including a global project providing spectacles to people in need after his retirement as an optician.

Argyle Square Basketball Court near King’s Cross will be refurbished through a pilot project involving Camden Council, the Greater London Authority, the Mayor of London’s Basketball Taskforce, the NBPA Foundation and London-born NBA player OG Anunoby. The project aims to strengthen grassroots basketball and improve the wider Argyle Square Gardens, home to the Argyle Kings community group. The renovation will also honor local player Anthony “TJ” Hibbert, who died in a 2025 car accident. Final plans will follow community engagement.

Little Angel Theatre will host a free exhibition of historic and contemporary marionettes at its Cross Street workshop in Islington from August 22 to September 6. The exhibition marks the theatre’s 65th anniversary and forms part of its “600 Years on Strings” programme, which also includes restoration work, training schemes and a beginner’s marionette-making guide. Celebrations will culminate in the world premiere of Oliver Hymans’s production The Sorcerer’s Apprentice at the Little Angel Puppet Festival. Advance booking is required.

JW3 is celebrating its 13th anniversary with a season of music, comedy, talks, family events and Jewish cultural programming at its Finchley Road venue. Highlights include performances by pianists Jeremy Sassoon and Boris Giltburg, a discussion of Catherine Ostler’s book The Renoir Girls, talks on Jewish history, geopolitics and refugee stories, youth events, and the return of the family pantomime Dick Whittingberg Gets Into a Pickle, running from December 6 to January 3.

An Arsenal-themed art exhibition called Arsenal at Home will be shown at Art@111 Gallery on Highbury Park from August 20 to 23. The exhibition features collages, prints and photographs responding to Highbury and the Emirates Stadium, and celebrates Arsenal’s heritage and role in the local community. Artist Gail Seres-Woolfson was invited by Highbury Stadium Square to create the work, which has also been presented at a community event involving children, families and Gunnersaurus.

The first cohort of Camden students has graduated from AI Connect, a two-year programme delivered at the London AI Campus in partnership with Google, Camden Council and Camden Learning. The initiative gives young people, particularly those from underrepresented groups, practical experience of artificial intelligence through professional sessions, masterclasses, visits and projects. It forms part of Camden’s wider Summer of STEAM programme, which provided hundreds of pupils with career and educational opportunities, including work experience, vocational qualifications and arts activities. Organizers and GSK said the programme could help expand the UK’s STEM talent pipeline and address the AI skills gap.

Noha El Haouass El Mengadi, a Year 13 student at Hampstead School, received the first Ben Ackland Community Award for her kindness, mentorship and contribution to the school community. Established by the family of former deputy director of post-16 education Ben Ackland, who died in March 2025 after a long illness, the award includes a £100 prize and trophy. Headteacher Matthew Sadler described the award as a fitting legacy for Ackland, who worked at the school for 23 years.

Camden Council has reopened its annual Camden in Bloom competition, inviting residents, businesses and community groups to showcase gardening and environmental projects across the borough. New and existing categories, including Best Front Garden, Best Community Food Growing and a new Treemendous Trees Award, aim to encourage widespread participation. Sponsored by Camden Garden Centre and Treehab, winners will receive prizes and be honoured at a Town Hall ceremony. Entries are open until August 31.

A wide range of recent planning applications submitted to Haringey Council includes extensions, tree works, window replacements, loft conversions, certificates of lawful use, and detailed conditions for ongoing redevelopment projects such as the Chocolate Factory and Parma House. Additional submissions cover school improvements, energy assessments, landscaping details, and property reconfigurations across Wood Green, Tottenham, Hornsey and surrounding areas.

Four pupils from Rhodes Avenue Primary School won first place in the national CLiPPA poetry performance competition with their rendition of Sam Gayton’s poem Online Boy at the National Theatre. Their achievement was celebrated by teachers, attending poets, and the award organisers, highlighting the school’s engagement with poetry and the nationwide participation of over 600 schools.

A trading standards operation in North Finchley led by Barnet Council seized nearly £78,800 in illegal goods, including thousands of illicit cigarettes, counterfeit electrical items and stolen mobile phones. One business accounted for £73,000 of the haul. Additional offences were uncovered, including Blue Badge fraud, unlicensed street trading and fly-tipping. The council is investigating the implicated businesses and considering actions such as closures, cautions and prosecutions, while financial investigators examine unlawfully obtained funds for potential freezing under the Proceeds of Crime Act.