The main attraction in the Wembley neighborhood of northwest London is the eponymous football stadium where the England national team hosts its matches. But just half a mile away, situated in an almost aggressively unbeautified six-story office block, you’ll find an even more impressive repository of human excellence.
The Michaela Community School is a “free school.” Like charters in America, these schools aim to provide more pedagogical options to poor and marginalized communities. They are publicly funded, privately run, and controversial—both for their approaches to education and, critics say, for diverting resources from the public system. Around Michaela’s asphalt courtyard, lines from “Invictus,” William Henley’s ode to grit and perseverance—“I am the master of my fate, / I am the captain of my soul”—have been blown up to the size of billboards. The slogan “Knowledge is power” adorns a four-story…