School outdoor legacy site is a fitting tribute to former head
AN outdoor area for drama, dance and reflection has been unveiled at a Derby school in memory of former head teacher Jon Fordham, who died after a short illness on the eve of his 42nd birthday in December 2021.
The Legacy Courtyard has been inspired by Mr Fordham, who had been head at Allenton Community Primary for seven years.
Pupils and staff launched a fundraising campaign, which raised £6,000, and a large number of local companies and individuals volunteered to donate goods or time into bringing the vision for a outdoor learning space to life.
Mr Fordham left a lasting impression on the school with his creation of four Marvel-inspired colourful Learning Superheroes.
Each superhero was designed to encourage the children in his care to believe in themselves and help them understand what it means to be a great learner.
Jon’s design and animation of each character (Resilience, Reciprocity, Reflectiveness and Resourcefulness) and the meaning behind them, are still applied to encourage the children to fall in love with learning, whilst gaining confidence and independence and building their resilience. It was his legacy that inspired the design of a colourful space at the heart of the school.
After pupils were shown the completed courtyard for the first time, they were soon balancing on beams, somersaulting over bars and gathering in groups to debate their new space.
Creative conversations were heard and dance routines were performed, whilst some children enjoyed some quiet time in the reflective yellow seated area.
The excitement built later in the day as staff, families and friends of the school lined the playing field and cheered on the children in their fundraiser Colour Run, which raised £1,100. The children made their way around the course running through rainbows of powder paints thrown by their peers.
The Legacy Courtyard has undergone months of planning and construction under the watchful eye of the school project team, which involved new head Jacqui Trowsdale and Liam Williams, head of school operations.
Ms Trowsdale said: “I feel so proud of this school community I have had the privilege of being part of the process from the start and I am full of gratitude for everyone who has contributed to bringing our Legacy Courtyard to life.
“Our school and trust values are lived out every day here at school and our colourful superheroes are meaningful reminders of Jon’s desire to support children in their learning and personal development.
“This wonderful outdoor area offers so much flexibility. It is an additional learning space (which) can serve as a place to read, reflect and enjoy quiet conversations, or a performance space for children to work on their creative performances and oracy skills, which helps build their confidence and resilience.”
Mr Williams added. “For those who know our school well, we have wanted to revamp our quadrangle outdoor space for some time.
“It’s literally the centre of our school, with all of our classroom corridors overlooking the space. It was tired with an old wooden hut dominating the space which wasn’t very user-friendly.
“Now it’s a bright and cheery multi-purpose space with colourcoded areas that chime with our superheroes and their meaning.
“Its prime location has enabled the children and staff to watch the weekly progress. The main transformation, however, took place over the Easter holiday and the final touches were only made recently - so you can imagine how excited the children were to be able to enjoy it for the first time.”
Designer Megan Hough, of the Playground Company, worked closely with the school to bring the Legacy Garden to fruition and was delighted to witness the children’s reactions to the space.
She said: “I’m so happy to be here today. My job is to create spaces that are fun, safe and educational for children of all ages and abilities, and every design should be unique to the space.
“Seeing the children’s faces here today and watching the space come to life is a joy.
“I’m so happy that we’ve nailed the brief. It’s wonderful to hear and now see how this has all come together.”
Parent Vicky Dunkley said the space was a great way of remembering Mr Fordham.
She said: “He did so much for the school. As the current head girl, and one of the most senior children of the school, my daughter had the privilege of being taught by Mr Fordham and was one of the first to explore the Legacy courtyard today. She loves it.
“I think Mr Fordham would be really proud of the staff and everyone who has helped create this space.”
Support in many shapes and forms has come from local businesses and the wider community throughout the creation of the courtyard.
The support continued at the opening event with Wathalls Funeral Directors covering the costs of the children’s white t-shirts and Aquinas Education making sure there was plenty of coloured powdered paint to be thrown in the path of the older children during the Colour Run.
Mr Fordham’s wife, Helen, attended the event and said: “We are just so grateful as a family for the ongoing support that the school has shown to both Jon and our family over the past two years. It’s just lovely to see the children of Allenton, still remembering him, but also moving on and doing great things together.
“Everything is nice and colourful - the Legacy Courtyard and the Colour Run– it’s a fitting tribute for Jon. He would have loved it.”