A child’s years in primary education should be the most enjoyable time of their youth. Schools should be places where children learn and play, but unfortunately, over the past couple of years, challenges from wider society have encroached upon that core mission.
At Feversham Primary Academy in Bradford, we have seen the consequences of such challenges in full force. Approximately 60 percent of families are employed in the informal economy with insecure employment. They are no strangers to hardship at the best of times, so this year has tested the school community like never before.
In classrooms, we have seen the distressing impact of daily struggles faced by families absorbed in their children's mental health. Many children simply have not been coming to school prepared to learn.
The power of schools to level the playing field and reduce the disadvantage gap is a belief that motivates teachers such as ours to be at their very best daily. Teachers at Feversham want nothing more than to see our students succeed.
But for all their passion and expertise, traditional training has left them ill-equipped to support pupils. Classroom strategies can only go so far in supporting students struggling with stress in their home lives.
Bradford is a city full of complexity. People often feel disconnected from society, and many distrust authority figures. The fear of being judged often stops them from accessing necessary services.
And so, after careful consideration, we concluded that the school's role needed to be expanded to help our children achieve their potential. We embarked on a community project this year, bringing together significant people and support from the local area.
The mission is simple: to connect the community.
Using our school estate, we are committed to directing the community's resources toward those who most need support. We have partnered with various agencies through our food and clothing bank, mental health counselling sessions for adults, and a drop-in centre where families can gain critical guidance - including welfare, housing, and immigration.
We strive to build relationships with every member of the community, not just parents, to strengthen the social fabric of our area. In total, we have developed 28 new initiatives since the launch of this project with a range of different organisations, including a community choir and hiking club.
This has seen us going beyond supporting the most vulnerable to build relationships and a sense of belonging. More recently, we have been making our school a social hub for the community. Offering English lessons, DIY workshops, and sewing classes, we are making our school a place where families can meet new people and learn new skills together.
Historically as a school, we have invested considerable time into building a solid reputation. Our media presence, especially in local press coverage, has been consistently strong. Teaching standards have been recognised through prestigious accreditations and awards, such as those from Tes. With a robust social media profile, we have shared these successes for the world to see.
But none of this really meant anything. Our focus on building a ‘profile’ did not reach the grassroots audiences - the very people we exist to serve.
Across the country, our communities are fragmented, leaving the most vulnerable members feeling helpless and without options for support. Continuing as though it is business as usual will only deepen existing chasms. With support systems struggling to keep up, it is crucial that we take a moment to reflect and really think about how we organise ourselves as schools within our local systems.
At its core, creating positive engagement with families builds trust, especially with those who may be struggling or experiencing social isolation. Meaningful engagement, in turn, will be instrumental in improving the education experience for children facing the most adversity.
Yet, many school leaders simply don’t feel like they have the bandwidth to try these things that take place beyond the walls of a classroom. The harsh reality about this community programme is that we have the licence to innovate because Feversham Primary Academy is a school with an Outstanding label from Ofsted.
Undoubtedly, it’s the schools that are underperforming, where the focus is exclusively on intervention programmes, booster clubs or anything else they can do to increase contact time to improve academic outcomes.
But operating as though the weight of children's emotional and social challenges disappears as soon as they enter the classroom is shortsighted in the extreme. The classroom is not the only factor that impacts education outcomes; it takes so much more than that.
Whether we refer to it as community anchoring or connecting, the benefits of continued community investment are crystal clear to us at Feversham. By attempting to strengthen the community's core, we anticipate seeing benefits not only in the overall welfare of our people but also in the long-term outcomes and well-being of children as well.