School for refugee kids goes from 'inadequate' to 'outstanding' in five years

14 November 2023 , 19:36

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Pupils at Corporation Road Community Primary (Image: Corporation Road Community Primary)

A school that is a haven for children who have fled war and persecution across the globe has been rated outstanding by Ofsted.

Corporation Road Community Primary has become a beacon of hope for pupils struggling to cope with the horrors they have witnessed. Just five years ago, it was rated inadequate by Ofsted but thanks to the hard work of dedicated staff its fortunes have been turned around.

Some have even done the washing for hard-pressed parents. The school teaches children from 28 countries, including war-torn Ukraine and Syria, Iran, Iraq and Kurdistan – many who made part of the perilous journey on small boats.

School's Ofsted rating has turned around (Corporation Road Community Primary)

Head Mark Dipple said: “The staff are incredible, always wanting to go the extra mile for the children. Last night, a member of staff took clothes home for a family which doesn’t have a washing machine. The clothes came back washed and dried, and the school office will find the family a washing machine.

“That’s the hidden side of ­education… the love, care and a­ttention that’s needed. We can’t think about teaching them if they haven’t got clothes, or food, or somewhere warm.” Ofsted last month rate the school, in a deprived area of Darlington, Co Durham, good overall but outstanding in personal ­development, early years provision and behaviour and attitudes.

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To help families integrate, it has a community hub, used for Citizens Advice meetings, English lessons and a charity that distributes cut-price surplus food from supermarkets. One of the after-school activities is a cookery club, which produces dishes from different countries.

The school doesn’t have its own playing field, so sports day was held at a nearby park with the local mosque offering the use of its toilets. Mr Dipple added: “It’s not just about education for us, it’s about being at the heart of the community. Multi-culturalism is a positive here because the children learn so much from each other’s experiences.”

English lead Charlie Johnson said: “I’ve never seen children so welcoming to each other.” Maria Vasylyshyn fled the war in Ukraine with her two boys, Ostap, eight, and Artem, seven, in May last year and has since become a nursery teacher at the school.

Jeremy Armstrong