Search the Community

Gayhurst is a school where children come first a vibrant, inclusive school that reflects the community it serves. Every child here is valued, cared for, and nurtured in an environment that stimulates intellectual curiosity and develops not just academic achievement, but physical development, imagination, and creativity, spirituality, personal, social, and cultural development. We aim to prepare children for their future and for the possibilities of a world that is rapidly changing due to new and exciting technologies. We aim to equip them with the skills they need for their future, and a means by which they can continue to be inspired to develop independently. We have an ambitious vision for the development of the school reflected in our core commitment to learning and excellence, to ensure that your child receives a broad and balanced education that fosters a lifelong love of learning. We include parents, carers, families, and staff to ensure that we provide development opportunities for the wider school community to create a happy, united, and successful school. Gayhurst is a school where everyone can succeed, where every voice is heard, and where no child will go unsupported in developing to their full potential. At Gayhurst Community School, we foster a love of learning by delivering an innovative curriculum rich in creativity and high in academic expectations. From Nursery to Year 6, cross-curricular topics have been created that cover the National Curriculum subjects in a relevant and engaging way. Our topics have also been created to make full use of the local area. This might include looking at the geographical features of our local area or studying the people of different places. A recent project, My Hackney, saw children across the school visiting the local area and sharing their favorite places. We understand that children learn in different ways and a range of environments, so we aim to be learning outside the classroom and outdoors as much as possible. Trips range from visiting local parks to having a day at The Natural History Museum. The result should be well-rounded individuals who are curious about the world around them and hungry to learn more. At Gayhurst we follow the local authority admissions procedure. All admissions are managed by The Learning Trust. In-year admissions are also managed by The Learning Trust but the school welcomes parents who wish to tour the school or make inquiries about places in specific year groups. Once children have been offered a place at Gayhurst families will be invited to complete admissions paperwork and discuss their child's needs at the school. Our curriculum is designed to fully meet the requirements of the new National Curriculum but also to ensure that we provide rich learning opportunities, which deepen and extend understanding. The curriculum is divided into subjects and the majority of these are taught weekly (or daily for English and Maths). Besides, several subjects are taught in blocks. Parental involvement is welcomed and valued at Gayhurst and is crucial to enriching the experience of the children at the school. The Parent Teachers' Association at Gayhurst is called COGS (Community of Gayhurst School). COGS works to create strong links between the staff, parents, and others associated with the school. It organizes regular events such as the Summer and Winter fairs and International Evening which bring the school together and are always fun occasions. These, along with the Friday cake stalls, also help to raise funds for activities and equipment that are not covered by the school's main budget. COGS holds regular meetings which all are welcome to attend, a member of the senior teaching staff is usually present too. This is a chance to talk about where funds should be spent and ideas for events, as well as an opportunity to meet other parents from across the school. Gayhurst, Kingsmead, and Mandeville school work in partnership to ensure outstanding outcomes for all the children of our schools and beyond. In June 2017 the schools became a three school federation and now we have one governing body across the three schools. The governing body is mostly volunteers, meeting regularly and working closely with the Executive Headteacher and the senior leadership team to help the schools develop successfully and to promote high standards of educational achievement. The Governing body is made up of the school’s Executive Headteacher, Local Authority governors and co-opted governors, elected parents, and elected staff members. Together, our primary concern is for the welfare of the schools as a whole and we operate within a standard Code of Conduct for those involved in aspects of public life. At Gayhurst, we take pride in the high standards of good behavior that our children exhibit in and around the school. We believe that good behavior and respect for each other and our surroundings ensure a calm and productive atmosphere in which to learn. We have very high expectations of behavior and always aim to develop children’s understanding of the impact of choices they make, whether positive or negative. Positive praise for doing the right thing is very important to us here at Gayhurst and rewards for good behavior are many and varied. They begin with praise and are reinforced with stickers, certificates, and whole school recognition in the form of a ‘Gold Award’ which is awarded in an assembly. There are also whole class awards when the prize is a class picnic, cinema trip or another treat – sometimes picked by the children themselves. The school operates a ‘Stay on Green’ behavior system whereby children are rewarded for ‘staying on a green’ by having golden time at the end of each week. Golden time is a fun time when children get to play games in their classroom or outside on the playground. View full school