The building has been empty for a long time now, save for the bric-a-brac that had been piled up inside. But Year 4 teacher Brady Clayton, who recently took on an extra role as the school’s Academy Community Pioneer, has made it her mission to reinvigorate the building and make it into a safe, informal and welcoming space for the school and wider community.

Brady is part of a team of Academy Community Pioneers - each Co-op Academy has one to drive community initiatives in and around the school they are based in. The Pioneers programme is one of the things that make the Co-op Academies Trust so special with its firm commitment to putting schools at the heart of their communities. 

Brady quickly saw that the Community Cottage, which can be accessed separately from the school, is a spacious resource with a lot of potential. She’s been asking parents and carers in the playground about how they feel about the neighbourhood and how Co-op Academy Hillside - and the Cottage -  can be part of making it an even better place to live. 

As well as tidying the space and arranging for essential maintenance, Brady has also been finding funding streams for building improvements and making ambitious plans for ensuring the facility will be well-used. 

Over the next few months and years, we aim to host parents and tots groups, enjoyable courses and a become a place to just drop-in for a chat and a brew. 

The Community Cottage will be the home of the school’s preloved uniform exchange and social supermarket - services that are offered to any families that need it and away from the hustle and bustle of school reception. It will also be the base of the Parents and Carers Community Group that Brady has set up. This group is here to help parents get more involved in school life as well as growing their social networks. 

Whilst we’re not quite ready to open just yet, we are incredibly grateful to all those volunteers who have given their time to help improve the space. The list of Hillside helpers includes staff and parents and also colleagues from Co-op and its suppliers. 

We look forward to keeping you updated with the progress of this exciting project.