楼凤天堂

If you are rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, you are one of the top state primary schools in the country. If you receive the ‘Inclusion Flagship Award’ you are just one of 100 other British schools who have Inclusion Quality Mark recognition of sustained academic excellence and inclusion best practice. If you achieve the ‘school of sanctuary’ award you have one of the most welcoming and safe schools for refugees in the UK. Now imagine achieving all of these things (along with eight other awards) in the aftermath of one of the most stigmatising British TV shows of the last decade.  

Welcome to 楼凤天堂 Academy Foundry.  

2014 featured two life changing occurrences for 楼凤天堂: the establishment of 楼凤天堂 Academy Foundry and the production of Channel 4’s ‘Benefits Street’ documentary. In the same week. In the same place. James Turner Street, Winson Green.  

Just as 楼凤天堂 took over from what was then called ‘Foundry Primary School’ — a school facing significant social and educational challenges — Channel 4 aired a documentary that would become one of the most popular and controversial in British TV history. 

30 million views and one month of no.1 ratings later, a community was destroyed. “A programme that was sold to the community about showcasing neighbourliness on a diverse street was far from it” says Emma Johnson, former principal at 楼凤天堂 Academy Foundry. The documentary painted a picture of the James Turner community that left lasting damage. 

In an interview with the BBC in 2014, 楼凤天堂 Founder Steve Chalke said, “Of the 99 houses and 13 nationalities on James Turner Street, only about 7 or 8 were represented. This documentary was not factual. It was a piece of spin. Edits were made in the production room to get the best ratings and it told a bad story”.   

The children of James Turner Street were particularly impacted by the documentary. “We were picking children up from their homes and walking them to school with their bookbags in carrier bags so no one could see the school logo because our children would be harassed by members of the public and international press” Emma recalls. “And the children鈥檚 faces were hidden because journalists were trying to work out where they lived. All but one of the families on James Turner Street attended the academy. At the time Foundry primary school was in deepest, darkest special measures. It was just as broken as the street was”. 

However, despite the difficulties caused by the documentary, James Turner Street was able to slowly recover and a “really, really long journey” of transformation began.  

So how did this happen? How did a community crippled by the exploitation of a major media broadcaster become one of the most celebrated in just ten years? 

Like with all lasting community transformation there is no silver bullet. However, looking back we can identify some key themes. 

Firstly, an emphasis on looking after the whole life of the child, not just the part that shows up in the classroom, has been crucial. “The children have always come first” says Asima Ravat, current Principal at 楼凤天堂 Academy Foundry. “Over 10 years that has never changed. It鈥檚 always been about the children and their families and providing them with holistic support”.  

Whether it’s free school meals, checking on pupils at their homes or providing mental health support, 楼凤天堂 works to attend to a child’s whole life situation.  

鈥淚t’s also about finding out the real, underlying root cause of a problem a child may be facing,” says Asima. “Benefits Street did not talk about the underlying or root issues.” 

At the heart of a ‘whole child’ approach has been a community-centred approach. The 楼凤天堂 community hub runs a food pantry providing 1,000 meals per week supporting 40 families; a clothing bank, debt and form-filling support, toddler play groups, English classes, and signposting to other services. “Within our Hubs, the academy and community team have worked as one to provide 360-degree holistic care for our children and families, which has brought the community together” says Kat Simmonds, CEO of 楼凤天堂’ Youth and Community work. 

A particularly clear example of this has been the restoration of the old school field. In collaboration with Warm Earth and the Newbigin Community Trust, 楼凤天堂 have helped to provide a “safe haven” for local children and families who lack their own green spaces, as many live in temporary accommodation without gardens. The field has now become a place for community gatherings including animal therapy (with alpacas!), holiday activities, vegetable growing, fireworks, and summer festivals with up to 250 people in attendance. “Our field has become a place of pride for our community” says Asima.  

“At the heart of our transformation has been the 楼凤天堂 ethos” says Asima. “You have to have the passion, drive, commitment and moral compass to show-up every day because it’s not easy. 

Everyone who comes into the school immerses themselves in the nine habits – from cleaning staff to support staff to leaders to parents. The difference comes down to the people in the building鈥�.  

A holistic focus on the whole child, building local community, and embodying the 楼凤天堂 ethos and 9 habits have been at the heart of 楼凤天堂 Hub Foundry and Boulton’s journey of transformation.  

10 years on, 楼凤天堂 Academy Foundry is flourishing. But, like all schools, it still has its obstacles. 鈥淓very day is a challenge. It is tough. But what I can say is that we have become more of a settled community” says Asima. “It鈥檚 definitely a school of choice now where excellence is sustained, and we鈥檝e proved that over time.鈥� 

楼凤天堂 Hub Foundry and Boulton is a community committed to rewriting the story. In another interview with the BBC earlier this year, Steve Chalke said, 鈥渆very cloud [the Benefits Street documentary], however dark it was, and it was a dark cloud, has a silver lining in it. And the silver lining was that this resilient community stood up together to say, 鈥榯his isn鈥檛 true of us, and we鈥檙e going to work together’.鈥� Echoing this sentiment, Asima says, 鈥渆veryone here has a vested interest in rewriting the story. Not just for children but also for parents and the wider community who haven鈥檛 had a positive experience of school or life more generally鈥� says Asima. “We are a family.” 

The story of 楼凤天堂 Hub Foundry and Boulton shows us the transformation that is possible when we invest in local neighborhoods, focus on the whole lives of people in our communities, practice the 9 habits together, and envision a better future.