Hackney Education is the education directorate for Hackney Council. We provide a range of statutory and traded services to support the education of children, young people and their families in the borough. We are part of the Children and Education group directorate within the Council. We work closely with all types of schools and settings in Hackney, and provide some traded services to schools and settings outside the borough.
Hackney’s performance in its schools and settings has been strong and we have consistently performed well above the national average, regularly placing us in the top quartile when ranked against all local authorities in England.
We want to see the Hackney family of schools and settings continue to work together, developing the best possible provision for all our children and young people.
Our vision
Our vision is to improve the life chances and wellbeing of every child and young person in Hackney across all communities. Our education offer must be ambitious, anti-racist and inclusive. It will encourage individuality, whilst creating a sense of belonging and wellbeing.
We will achieve this by working together with parents, carers, settings, and partners and across the entire family of schools and settings, including academies, early years, colleges and independent providers, to sustain and evolve a high quality education offer that ensures success, excellence, equity and inclusivity for all.
We are committed to:
- Provide the best possible support for our schools and settings, our children, young people and families
- Encourage and challenge all Hackney schools and settings, individually and collectively, to develop and sustain exceptional education for all our children and young people
- Promote equity and belonging for all of our children and young people and collaboration and partnerships with all of our schools and settings
- Champion the safety, wellbeing and belonging of all our Hackney children and young people
- Promote our values in all aspects of our work
Continuous improvement
Hackney’s education system has greatly improved over the past two decades, from being one of the lowest performing boroughs to one of the best. Pupils’ performance improved dramatically, alongside a strong focus on inclusivity and diversity. Like many other local authorities, the borough is also facing significant challenges, including an increasing complexity of need, financial pressures, and falling rolls.
Our 3 year education strategic plan 2026-29 defines our priorities for the next three years in response to these challenges. It has been developed in partnership with schools, settings, families and community partners.
The plan focuses on five key priorities:
- Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and inclusion: working with partners to move beyond crisis management to early, strategic intervention and sustainable support. Find out more about our SEND and inclusion strategy
- Alternative learning provision: developing a three-tiered support model to reduce exclusions, promote inclusive practice, and ensure all pupils receive the appropriate support in the right setting. Find out more about the Hackney Education Alternative Learning Service (HEALS)
- Strength and sustainability: ensuring the family of schools, children’s centres, and settings are strong, financially viable, and flexible enough to adapt to the borough's changing population
- Sustainable school improvement: maintaining Hackney’s high outcomes while placing the child’s wellbeing first, strengthening collaboration and sharing best practice across all settings
- Equity for children and families: actively dismantling systemic barriers and dedicating support to children from the Black Caribbean, Turkish, Kurdish, and Charedi communities
The strategic plan document provides more detailed information and key actions we will take to meet our vision and priorities.
Plans, policies and publications
- 3 Year Education Strategic Plan (2026-2029)
- Hackney Education 3 Year Improvement Plan (2022-2025)
- Educational Success - the Hackney Picture (2022)
- Education Property Handbook