Our founder, Sir Clive Bourne, purposefully re-imagined what non-selective inner-city state schools could achieve. He recognised that the children of Hackney were being blamed for the failure of local schools. As a successful businessman who started his working life in Hackney, he believed that the root of the problem was the schools’ low expectations, and not the students’ abilities. Sir Clive firmly believed that all children must be given the opportunity to succeed, regardless of background or circumstance.

In 2004, the first Mossbourne Federation school, Mossbourne Community Academy, opened on the site of the former Hackney Downs School. A decade later, Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy joined the Federation, followed in 2015 by two primary schools, Mossbourne Riverside Academy and Mossbourne Parkside Academy. We currently have 3,200 pupils across our four sites.

Our mission is to set the standard for state education in the UK. We have high expectations for both our students and staff. We are committed to maintaining an environment where all members of the Mossbourne community work together to be the best they can be.

We are successful in improving the life chances of our students because of our strategic and innovative approach to day-to-day teaching and learning and our commitment to providing access to a range of enrichment opportunities.

The support we get from the Mossbourne Charitable Trust ensures we are able to continue to provide Hackney children with the transformative educational opportunities they deserve.

— Peter Hughes, CEO, Mossbourne Federation