Eugenie Dolberg, 44, feels heartbroken every time she approaches the school gates. The artist and mother-of-two has felt a particular affinity with her daughter’s school, Colvestone Primary in Dalston, ever since staff were so kind and patient with her other daughter, who has ADHD, throughout the turbulent years of Covid lockdowns.
Despite being in the heart of Hackney, Dolberg says Colvestone had always maintained a “village school” feel: it has long been popular with families of children with special needs for its calm, nurturing environment; is the only non-denominatoinal school in Dalston; and parents say its small, single-form nature is at the heart of its appeal, with children from all year groups playing together in a historic, Grade-II listed building next to Ridley Road Market.
