The school saved by a head aged 27
... who lets his pupils play with chickens (and fire)
‘Children love den-building’
A HEADTEACHER has turned around a failing primary school with the help of chickens and conkers after being appointed at the age of just 27.
Sam Coy took over the 210-pupil school after it had been put in special measures because of poor levels of pupil attainment, weak leadership and low expectations.
Children in Year 6 – aged 10 and 11 – at Benjamin Adlard School in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, had been lagging up to nine terms behind their peers nationally in certain subjects. But Mr Coy managed to change the school’s fortunes in four years – raising the rating given by Ofsted inspectors two grades from ‘inadequate’ to ‘good’.
Modest Mr Coy, now 31, stressed it was a team effort involving all his staff, adding: ‘It’s not magic – it’s about caring.’ He says part of the secret of the turnaround is a ‘forest garden’ in the school grounds with a chicken coop, which allows children to let off steam with traditional outdoors activities. He believes it helps pupils to develop teamwork, problemsolving and resilience. It contains a wild meadow and trees, where disruptive children can go to calm down.
Pupils get lessons there on looking after chickens, den-building, making fires for cooking, planting vegetables – and playing conkers. Sessions are also held on orienteering, wildlife, bug hunts, gardening and willow-weaving.
Mr Coy, who qualified as a teacher in 2009, insisted: ‘The children absolutely love the den-building, just generally getting dirty and the nature hunts. One child recently told me that he loves going to the forest school on a Tuesday afternoon so much as it helps him to behave all week as he never wants to not be able to go.
‘It has had a really positive impact and helps to give pupils new experiences.’
The school is in a district which has high levels of unemployment and crime. Seven in ten children are entitled to free school meals and 40 per cent have special educational needs, compared to a national average of 14 per cent.
When Mr Coy was appointed as head in 2014, just a third of the children were achieving good results in reading, writing and maths. But seven in ten are now hitting targets. He credits the head of a neighbouring school in helping to transform Benjamin Adlard in a mentoring process.
Mr Coy said the new school approach had changed life for some of the area’s most disadvantaged children.
He told online magazine Molly’s Guide that the garden ‘has broadened our pupils’ understanding of the world around them’. He added: ‘It has also helped them to improve their behaviour ... they are proud of it and believe they are helping to make the school a better place for others.’
Mr Coy said another part of his strategy was a rewards scheme offering treats dreamed up by the children such as football afternoons, chocolate parties and the chance to be ‘head for the day’, wearing one of his ties.
His efforts were recently recognised with a ‘School of the Year’ award. Mr Coy told the Sunday Mirror: ‘When I first joined I was a little nervous. There were staff members who had been here for years, which was a bit daunting. I could see the drive and commitment staff had so I kept the same team. I wanted the school to get the reputation they deserved.’