Church school partnerships and extended services support community cohesion

Case study

Samworth Academy brings all ages together, delivering on a site that reflects every aspect of life.

Key learning

Partnerships are crucial to offering improved opportunities. Samworth’s partnership with Leicester College enables it to open the door to adult learning opportunities.
Opening up the site to different agencies enables the academy to respond quickly as need arises; Ofsted has commented on Samworth’s “quite exceptional” care, guidance and support for pupils.
The local community says the academy is helping to reduce crime. More significantly, local people now see Samworth as a valued centre of community life that is open to them for seven days a week.
The school has seen a dramatic drop in anti-social behaviour, exclusions and absenteeism. At the same time standards are rising with 70 per cent of young people achieving level 4 in English and Maths in Year 7, compared to only 44 per cent two years ago.

Background

Samworth Enterprise Academy in Leicester offers local people a community hub in which children are educated alongside a range of social and learning opportunities for adults and young people. The site hosts numerous services and the local church is a focal point for children and families. Samworth also has a crèche and space for classes, clubs and activities.

The academy, an all-through school, replaced a failing secondary school. It currently caters for young people from nursery age to Year 9 and is sponsored by the Church of England and a local businessman, for whom it is named. The academy is a single school with one governing body whose members are appointed by a registered charity. The charity’s primary business is to run the school. More than half of the students are entitled to free school meals and about one fifth are from minority ethnic families.

Key challenges

Open access and safeguarding

Safeguarding can be a problem for schools that want to open up to their local communities in this way. There needs to be a careful balance between an offer of inclusivity and welcome and the need to protect children.

Solutions

Safeguarding

The academy applied rigorous safeguarding procedures, deemed outstanding by Ofsted, while offering a genuine welcome to adults, notably those who take classes on site with Leicester College.

Active support from the church

The on-site church creates spiritual, moral, social and cultural opportunities for pupils. Its pastoral team is closely involved in the life of the school and the church is a focal point for special occasions and activities, creating a powerful sense of community.

Other agencies hot-desk on site

Partnerships are fostered through provision of hot desks for key agencies. The academy also sponsors a local police officer, providing a bike and a desk.

Next steps

In the longer term Samworth will continue to expand to cater for pupils of all ages.

Further information

For further information contact Samworth Academy by email at office@samworthenterpriseacademy.org.