The Prince of Wales visits Kensington Aldridge Academy

Today, The Prince of Wales visited Kensington Aldridge Academy, a secondary school situated in the heart of North Kensington. The school lost five students in the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017 and many staff and pupils had to be rehoused as a result of the fire. The academy opened brand new buildings in September 2014 and over the last five years has grown from just Year 7 into a full school of over 1,200 students. In 2017, Ofsted graded the school not only “outstanding” in all areas but “exceptional”. Kensington Aldridge Academy (KAA) is now recognised as one of the top academies in the UK.

On the visit, The Prince met Teach First Ambassador and Headmaster, Dave Benson, before observing a history lesson and meeting pupils and staff at a reception. His Royal Highness also met representatives from Teach First, a charity of which The Prince of Wales is Patron, which has helped support the school in recent months.

Addressing a number of pupils from the school, His Royal Highness said:

I hope you have the greatest possible success in the future - it isn't always easy, there are a lot of appalling challenges out there, but I hope your experiences here will help you a little bit to cope with those challenges and above all make a real difference to the future of this country