'˜Onwards and upwards' for delighted Gatwick School team

The school, in Gatwick Road, is part of the Aurora Academies Trust and currently has pupils in Reception and Years 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9. It opened in September 2014 and underwent a two-day inspection in May.

In her report, lead inspector Kathryn Moles said all children had made “increasingly rapid progress” across a range of subjects, while teachers were seen to have “consistently high expectations” of their pupils.

Ms Moles added: “The whole staff is committed to the ongoing development of this new school as it grows. Staff are rightly proud of what they realise collectively for the pupils in their care.”

Attendance and behaviour were seen to be “good and improving”, though disadvantaged children did not attend school as regularly as their peers.

When it came to the progress of the children, Ms Moles said the proportion achieving at least the expected standard in the primary phase was increasing year on year.

Those at secondary level were described as on track to achieve above average outcomes at GCSE by the end of Year 11.

There was praise in the report for executive headteacher Paul Reilly and head of school Mark Roessler, who were seen to be “working effectively” together.

Mr Reilly said: “I am extremely proud to be the executive head here. This report clearly shows how an all-through school can lead to happy children, who feel safe, valued and protected and who are achieving well.”

Mr Roessler added: “This very positive report is a result of a huge team effort on behalf of all of my staff team.

“My staff work exceptionally and consistently hard on a daily basis to offer quality all-round provision. This ensures all children at The Gatwick School have the best life chances possible. It is exciting to be part of a school that continues to expand rapidly and I look forward to leading the school to outstanding.”

When it came to areas requiring further improvement, Ms Moles said lesson plans needed to be refined to ensure pupils of all abilities were challenged. In addition work needed to be carried out to ensure disadvantaged pupils made consistently rapid progress, closing the gap between them and their peers nationally.

Tim McCarthy, CEO for Aurora Academies Trust, said: “These are exciting times for The Gatwick School. The education provided is now officially good, parents and pupils are very happy with the school, our numbers are rising sharply and we will soon have the next phase of state of the art classroom spaces completed.

“ For us it is always onwards and upwards!”

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