Dallow primary has long since moved on from joined-up thinking to joined-up doing.
The 620-pupil school in Luton is in one of the most deprived wards in the country. But a determination to bid for everything and work with anyone means it boasts a multi-use floodlit sports area, family support groups, adult education and a wealth of after-school and lunchtime sports and other activities for pupils, parents and other adults and children.
The school helped set up the Dallow development group, which includes local ward councillors, community representatives, and people who live and work in the area. The group has already secured a new community centre and is now ambitious for a children’s centre.
David Tuck, headteacher, said: “We are trying to make sure there are facilities for children and young adults so they have got somewhere to go.
“It’s the whole person you are teaching, and the whole family and community. If you can get the whole community to be a learning community, then you are going to make a difference.”