Thomas Deacon Academy and Peterborough Citizens Alliance celebrate housing campaign milestone
On Tuesday 18th November, Thomas Deacon Academy (TDA) proudly welcomed 55 representatives from schools, community and faith groups, businesses, charities, the Peterborough City Council housing team, and Councillor Hogg, to the Thomas Deacon Education Trust (TDET) boardroom: together, they celebrated a landmark achievement for Peterborough after years of determined effort to support homeless children and families across the city.
Two years ago, Kelly Joiner, Pastoral and Character Lead (KS2), and Community Engagement Lead at TDA, joined other leaders at Peterborough Museum to launch the Peterborough Citizens housing campaign. Peterborough Citizens is an alliance of education, faith groups, charities and trade unions who work together for the common good.
Over 10,000 Peterborough residents had voiced housing as the city’s most pressing issue affecting children. The campaign focused on two crucial issues: creating a schools’ notification system, which would enable schools to act swiftly and offer support to students experiencing homelessness, and ending children’s placements in hotels or B&Bs except for emergency overnight use.
After two years of dedicated campaigning by the Peterborough Citizens Housing team, Peterborough City Council agreed this week to both demands, which include a notification system to alert schools within a period of 24 hours to one week when a family becomes homeless, provide training for housing officers on the importance of this, and create personalised support plans for families who do not consent to information sharing. Importantly, the council confirmed that there are now no families with children housed in hotels or B&Bs, a dramatic change from January 2025, when around 120 families lived in such conditions.
Kelly Joiner expressed her pride in the campaign’s success: “This achievement speaks to the power of perseverance and partnership. Being instrumental in driving such a significant change that directly improves the lives of children and families in Peterborough fills me with immense pride and hope. No child should face the hardship we have seen, and knowing that families now have more stable, supportive housing and schools are ready to respond means everything. I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported this effort over the last two years.”
At the event, the Pastoral Power Action Team was also launched. This team, comprising 40 people from 18 schools, including family liaison officers, headteachers and safeguarding leads, pledged to meet regularly to share expertise, develop training and create a sustainable network supporting families across Peterborough. Their work aims to address systemic barriers to learning and wellbeing in a lasting way. The next Pastoral Power meeting will take place on the 3rd of February, 1:30–3pm. All pastoral leads in Peterborough are invited to attend.
Scott Hudson, CEO of Thomas Deacon Education Trust and co-chair of Peterborough Citizens Leadership Team, praised Kelly’s commitment and the campaign’s impact:
“Kelly’s leadership and dedication have been pivotal to this landmark success. This campaign shows what schools and communities can achieve when they unite around a common cause. At TDET we are committed to removing barriers to learning and this new agreement offers families the stability and support they need to thrive. We celebrate this milestone not only as a victory for today, but as a foundation for lasting change across Peterborough.”