In 2004 I took on a school in crisis – a primary school in an area of high deprivation in the city centre of Hull that was in special measures. There were high needs; relationships had broken down on all levels; and the governing body had been replaced.
The previous head had left under a cloud and the school was deemed to be ‘failing’ on leadership, behaviour, attendance and achievement. But what impressed me most of all was that despite all the problems, the parents were determined that the school should continue and remain at the centre of the community. This became evident when the authority threatened to close the school. Suddenly the hall was filled with over 100 angry parents demanding something be done about ‘their’ school. This demonstration of support for the school was one of the factors that drove me to apply for the headship of Collingwood Primary School. That, and the fact I believed that the children deserved something better. I knew that with the strength of feeling in the community I had something I could use to help move the school forward.
So In 2004 I started as a new head, a white middle class woman with the challenge to find the best way of serving this deprived, mixed-race community.
The story of Collingwood Primary School and the development of restorative practice
- 2004: Collingwood Primary School in special measures and has one of highest rates of excluding children in Hull.
- 2004: New head, Estelle MacDonald appointed
- 2006: Ofsted outstanding achieved
- 2006: 32 schools in Hull City Council adopt restorative practice in the region
- 2007: Inspired by the success in Collingwood and elsewhere, the Hull Centre of Restorative Practices opens
- 2009: no children are excluded from Collingwood
- 2011: 6,000 staff have been trained at the Hull Centre of Restorative Justice. The aim is to train all 27,000 staff in the authority
Building from crisis
When I started I observed a school community in crisis. This manifested itself in staff working in isolation, parents angry with the school, and children behaving badly, fighting, running out of class and school. There was very little respect, no teamwork and no clear direction or way of working. I observed some good practice but no coherence or clear paths forward.