In what must rank as a remarkable turnaround by anyone’s standards, failing schools once judged to be some of the worst in the UK have been hailed as among the best in the world.
Now a study into this success story has identified some of the key elements behind the transformation, in what could prove to be a model for large-scale urban school renewal across the developed world.
Just 15 years ago, schools in the London borough of Tower Hamlets were in the doldrums. While the local council boasted the landmark site of the Tower of London, from which it took its name, it also had some of the worst performing schools in the UK.
Despite spending more on education than anywhere else in England, results were well below the national average. A report by school inspectors ranked Tower Hamlets as the worst performing of 149 boroughs nationwide.
Today it is a very different picture. Achievement now exceeds national averages at all levels, attendance is at a record high and the borough ranks near the top of national tables. Significantly, students from low income families shared in the success, substantially closing the gap with their more affluent peers.
All this comes despite Tower Hamlets being one of the most deprived areas of the UK, where three quarters of children speak English as a second language.
So how has this transformation been brought about? An in-depth study by academics based at the respected Institute of Education in London identified six key factors in the creation of what they describe as “some of the best urban schools in the world.”
Shared values
Researchers highlighted a commitment to overcome obstacles and a refusal to use economic deprivation as an excuse for poor performance, coupled with a high level of trust between schools, the community and the borough, as the foundation for improvement.
Effective and ambitious leadership at all levels
Key to success was persuading schools to lift their sights and believe that significant improvement was possible. Practical steps included enrolling all principals on a two-year leadership program. Drastic action was taken where school leadership was found to be lacking. Out of 48 schools identified as causing concern, 42 principals were replaced.
Schools rising to the challenge
The study suggests that, initially at least, schools were unable to improve themselves but were able to respond to the challenges set by the borough’s leadership. The emphasis on sustained improvement created a spirit of collaborative competition, where success in one school inspired others to try to follow their example.
Partnership working
Critical to success was partnership working, not just between schools and the borough, but also with parents, the local community and faith-based organisations. One example of this in action is that in an area where more than half of all students are of Bangladeshi origin, schools worked with mosques to persuade parents of the impact on their child’s education of taking holidays to Bangladesh during school semesters.
Community development
The study identified the emergence of a political leadership with high expectations as crucial to driving school improvement. At a school level, local people were given opportunities to work in schools, with some posts providing routes into teaching, helping to both overcome barriers between teachers and pupils from different ethnic groups and to cement community buy-in to schools.
A professional learning community
Tackling a chronic teacher shortage involved a range of measures including attractive recruitment and retention packages, extensive provision for professional development and promotion opportunities for successful teachers. This helped foster a commitment both to the community and to improving the life chances of some of the most deprived children in the country.
As the authors acknowledge, many of these factors are familiar to those who have studied school improvement. Indeed, there is considerable overlap with the themes identified by Charles Payne in his 2008 study of American school reform.
But much of what we know about school improvement is the result of work at school level. What makes the Tower Hamlets experience particularly useful is that it demonstrates the possibility of success not just in one school but an area level. As a result, the Tower Hamlets template offers hope not just at a local scale, but for all children.
