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This paper focuses on a primary school located in an urban environment and whose student body is made of poor and at-risk children. Three years after the arrival of a new pedagogical team specialized in the Freinet pedagogy, this school, which was once avoided due to violence, not only lost its bad reputation, it also became appealing. The analysis of data collected during five years in this school and the comparison with 30 other schools reveal an “establishment effect,” which is the result of ongoing teamwork constructed around a coherent pedagogical plan on which professional practices and relations with students/parents are based.