Lordswood Boys' School had been failing so badly for so long that the Department for Education became concerned enough to call for a major shake-up. It was duly delivered through a transformative trio who had somehow become headteachers against the odds.


One had left his own school in Bradford, aged fourteen, with no qualifications whatsoever. Another had turned down the chance to train as a teacher at the prestigious Goldsmith's College in London so that he could go to a polytechnic close to the home of his beloved Manchester City. The third had once been the lead vocalist in a Brummie heavy-metal band.


Three years after they took over, LBS has become one of the highest achieving non-grammar schools in Birmingham. GCSE results are well above the national average. Yet the vast majority of pupils live in poor parts of the city. Some arrived in the UK comparatively recently. Most are Asian or black.


One boy, half Chinese and half Indian, won a scholarship from Lordswood to Eton. Another, of Pakistani heritage, had somewhat surpassed predictions by gaining grade eights, the equivalent of A*s, in English language and literature.


There are more heartening stories. Many more. One or two sad stories too as students and staff talk to author and former national journalist Chris Arnot against the background of a rampaging pandemic.