Former prime minister honoured at official opening of A-level academy in east London

Special guest: Clement Attlee’s great grandson Tom Roundell Greene with the plaque. Photograph: NCC

A new A-level academy in east London has been named after former prime minister Clement Attlee – whose great grandson was at the official opening to see a plaque unveiled in his honour.

Attlee was an MP for Limehouse and headed up a post-war Labour government from 1945 until 1951 which is widely credited for overseeing important social changes in Britain, including the introduction of the NHS.

Staff, students, parents and invitees gathered to see a commemorative plaque unveiled to celebrate the launch of the Attlee A-level Academy in Tower Hamlets on 19 September.

Special guests included Attlee’s great-grandson Tom Roundell Greene and Alun Evans, chief executive of the British Academy and chair of anti-poverty charity the Attlee Foundation.

The A-level centre is part of New City College (NCC), formed by the merger of Tower Hamlets College and Hackney Community College in 2016 – and more than 300 students from the two boroughs are already studying there.

Attlee Foundation chair Alun Evans (fourth from left) and Tom Roundell Greene (centre) with staff and students. Photograph: NCC

NCC principal Gerry McDonald said: “This is an exciting moment for our college as we celebrate opening our new A-level centre in the heart of east London.

“Clement Attlee stood for social progression and opportunity and we will dedicate our modern resources to providing all of our students with the highest quality education, individual confidence and aspirations to be the very best they can be.”

Tom Roundell Greene said: “I am delighted that my great grandfather’s name and legacy has been chosen for this new venture. I wish the students and staff the very best of success.”

In August, a number of NCC students earned places at top London universities, including Imperial College and King’s College London.

The college is the second largest in London, with 20,000 students aged 14-19 enrolled at campuses across east London.

Alun Evans said: “Clement Attlee would have been very proud to know his name lives on in an area he felt strongly connected with and for an enterprise dedicated to the power of education for the wider good.”

NCC invested over £1.6 million to refit the campus over the summer in preparation for the new centre.