At Gonville, part of STEP Academy Trust, we are proud of the education we offer our children. We believe strongly that a great education is one of the most precious gifts a child can receive. Underpinning all we do is a belief that every moment a child is in school must be used effectively — if time is wasted, it is lost forever and cannot be given back. All our structures and policies are designed to maximize the learning potential of the time our children spend in school.
At Gonville Academy, we strive together to achieve excellence in all we do. Working with our community, we aim to provide opportunities for local children to reach their full potential in a safe, happy and multicultural environment.
Gonville Academy is a learning community, which aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and mindset they need to become leaders in their chosen fields. Our PUPAC values are the foundation for all learning and interactions at Gonville Academy. We expect all members of our learning community staff, parents and carers, children and visitors to have our values at the heart of everything they do.
Our Aims:
- Inspire creativity by promoting and fostering the confidence to take risks, celebrate each other’s individuality and develop imagination.
- Promote health and sustainability so that our children recognize the need to work together to protect the natural world, knowing that their actions today can make a difference in the future.
- To produce honest children who have integrity and sound personal values such as respect and an awareness of the needs of others.
- Foster skills across the curriculum, so that our children can combine skills and knowledge to become successful learners.
- Instill aspiration in everyone so that they reach their full potential and strive beyond.
- Foster resilience by creating a safe environment for all members of our community through building self-esteem and developing a supportive culture where asking for help and never giving up are valued.
- Encourage positive communication between all members of the school community, so that children learn that collaboration and empathy are essential to building successful relationships.
- Widen our vision of the world and create a sense of belonging by promoting an awareness of and pride in diverse cultures to unite our children as a community of responsible global citizens.
At Gonville Academy, we believe in quality teaching and learning. We aim for our children to participate in a creative curriculum that engages their imagination and encourages the next steps in their learning. We plan our subjects through topics from the International Primary Curriculum (IPC). Each topic takes appropriate objectives from the National Curriculum which are then taught creatively to make even the most abstract of ideas real to the children. Each topic starts with an exciting start to ‘hook’ the children into their new learning and ends with a purposeful outcome. Throughout the topic, children are encouraged to think about what they are learning, why they are learning it, and how they will be able to apply these new skills in a meaningful context. The creativity is backed up by a rigorous set of basic skills such as times tables and spelling patterns which are taught every year. This ensures that the curriculum has balance and rigor.
Children work in a variety of ways: as a class, in groups, pairs, or individually. The emphasis is always on the active and meaningful involvement of children in their learning. All children have regular opportunities to engage in musical and creative activities. Besides, the curriculum has a strong international focus. As such, our Academy has developed numerous links with partner schools and organizations abroad.
