Whitefield School and Joseph Clarke School will join the Learning in Harmony Trust on 1st January
Flourish Learning Trust, which consists of Whitefield School and Joseph Clarke School, has announced plans to join the Learning in Harmony Trust in January.
Flourish is a small trust of two special schools and said it plans to join the larger and well-regarded multi-academy trust, which has expertise in SEND provision, so it can continue to provide the best possible education for its pupils and professional development opportunities for its staff.
Whitefield School and Joseph Clarke School have already been working closely with the Learning in Harmony Trust since September, sharing best practice and expertise.
The Learning in Harmony Trust comprises ten primary schools and two special schools across London and the East of England, with seven schools located close by to Whitefield School and Joseph Clarke School.
Learning in Harmony says it aims to have the “greatest possible impact on society” by providing “the very best education and enrichment opportunities” for its pupils and the “strongest support system” for its families.
The Department for Education has given approval for these plans to go ahead, and the two schools and Learning in Harmony will now work together through the next steps of the transition process.
Jo Conduit, Interim CEO of Flourish Learning Trust, said: “At Flourish, we are committed to continually enhancing our provision to ensure our pupils receive the best possible education and care. Following a very successful partnership, we are confident that joining the Learning in Harmony family is the right and natural next step for us.
“Joining the larger trust will provide a wide array of benefits for both our pupils and staff as we can share expertise with other schools in our community and across the country; take part in additional professional development opportunities; and join a like-minded community – all of which will mean our pupils receive high-quality teaching and learning in our classrooms every day.
“We now look forward to building on these exciting opportunities by joining the Trust and we will continue supporting our staff and families through the next steps of the process.”
A spokesperson for the Board of Trustees at Flourish Learning Trust added: “The board unanimously agrees that joining the Learning in Harmony Trust will provide the expertise, resources and capacity to ensure our schools can continue to provide the best possible education for our young people for a long time to come. We look forward to formally coming together with the Learning in Harmony community and seeing all the exciting opportunities this will bring for our pupils and staff.”
Whitefield School made headlines in 2021 and earlier this year when a BBC investigation revealed at least 39 pupils were subjected to physical and psychological abuse while placed in so-called “calming rooms” at the school between 2014 and 2017.
The calming rooms were closed in 2017 following an Ofsted inspection, and allegations first emerged in 2021 when secret CCTV footage was discovered by new leadership at the school.
Pupils were left alone in the window-less calming rooms for up to four hours at a time, sitting in urine, and were eating crumbs off the floor. The footage also shows children, many who were non-verbal, kicked and hit with force by staff.
No-one who worked at the school during the abuse has been prosecuted or arrested.
Flourish Learning Trust previously told the Echo that the “wrong and wholly inappropriate” abuse was a “historic matter” which predates the current leadership of both the school and the trust and that significant safeguarding changes had been introduced.
‘I want justice for my son’: Read our story on the Whitefield School abuse scandal here
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