'Beardy upstart' plans technology school after quitting as David Cameron's adviser

 
Excited: Benjamin Southworth wants to open free school
Glenn Copus
Benedict Moore-Bridger18 September 2013
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

One of David Cameron’s former technology advisers is planning to open a free school for disadvantaged children to train up the next generation of internet pioneers.

Benjamin Southworth, 32, was picked by No 10 to build links with the start-up business community around Old Street’s “Silicon Roundabout” — but stood down as deputy chief executive of the Tech City initiative in June.

Mr Southworth, who described his time working for the Government as “National Service”, said he now wants to address the skills shortage he says is apparent in the UK.

He aims to produce “digitally savvy, business savvy wannabe entrepreneurs” who will be equally prepared for university or the jobs market, having developed industry contacts and gained “a footing in the reality” of working as a tech start-up. Mr Southworth, who described himself as a “beardy, sweary, non-suit-wearing upstart”, said he had been through “sanity-checking processes”, including speaking with the Greater London Authority and Hackney council, before deciding to pursue his plans.

The school would take about 30  16 to 19-year-olds and is provisionally called the Ada Lovelace Academy, after poet Lord Byron’s daughter who is credited with being the world’s first-ever computer programmer and was friends with technology pioneer Charles Babbage who worked on developing the world’s first computer.

Mr Southworth said the facility, which he hopes to open in Hackney within 18 months, would be based on the Harkness model of education practised at the Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, where students and teachers exchange ideas and information around a table.

It would focus on design, business and programming, and involve a lot of debate and conversation, as well as practical projects. “There is a lot of potential for exciting ideas. It is a great framework to experiment with education, to do what I want within reason, as long as parents and students are happy,” he said.

Details of how success and failure rates could be assessed were still “being discussed”, as was the board of governors.

Mr Southworth said no one should feel excluded from applying: “There will be interviews, application processes, but I want it to be as open as possible — you can’t discriminate.”

He is meeting the New Schools Network next month before submitting his formal application next May.

A Department for Education spokesman said free schools were “challenging the status quo and providing innovative opportunities for local children.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in