The Foundation

Sir Rod Aldridge OBE

"A good education gives people skills and qualifications, and it instills confidence, along with preparing young people for the challenges of life. Everyone has the right to expect an exciting, engaging and relevant education, regardless of who they are, or where they live.”

The Aldridge Foundation sponsors four entrepreneurial academies, with a further academy, two UTCs and a Studio School in development. Sir Rod Aldridge endowed the Foundation in 2006 after retiring from Capita plc, the business he set up and which became one of this country's most successful companies.

Our Vision

Is of a more successful society where young people, irrespective of their background, have the essential skills and entrepreneurial qualities they need to take control of their own lives and contribute to the community around them.

Our Mission

Is to tackle educational under-achievement and social immobility, working to secure essential life skills for young people. The Foundation aims to harness entrepreneurship for social change.

Our Belief

Is that by introducing young people to, and helping develop in them, the core attributes of entrepreneurship, we can provide context and relevance to their learning, foster creativity, resilience, determination, and self-reliance. These characteristics of successful entrepreneurs lead to the acquisition of further vital skills for adult life.

We work with as wide a range of partners as possible, believing that innovation through partnership is more sustainable and more likely to succeed. Our work directly supports young people, and therefore we believe that wherever possible, this work should be shaped with young people.

 

THE WAY WE WORK

We are unafraid to challenge conventional thinking, and a culture of low expectations. We believe there are no limits to what people can achieve.

In our academies, the emphasis on entrepreneurial characteristics provides context for the learning of core subjects and is integrated into all areas of academy life. All students have the opportunity to participate in entrepreneurial-related activity within and beyond the formal curriculum. These are based on a 'learning through doing' approach, ensuring that we bring the real world into the classroom, and take the classroom into the real world.

Aldridge Creates

In each Aldridge Academy we are developing Creates Hubs. With a suite of incubation units and dedicated staff, these Hubs support students and members of the community to develop the personal and professional skills vital to their future progression.

Opening Eyes

The Foundation is committed to supporting our academies to deliver a range of international social enterprise experiences for our students, designed to raise confidence and aspiration.

Community Entrepreneurship

In addition to improving life chances through skills acquisition, we aim to support community regeneration. We focus our work in communities identified as being in greatest need or where there has historically been a lack of investment.

We develop young people as active citizens and social entrepreneurs through volunteering, generating ideas and undertaking projects that help improve the community, working with the support and input of local businesses and social enterprises. We seek increasing levels of engagement with both young people's education and with the Academies and Colleges from the community as a whole.