School '˜energised' after converting to academy status

Gossops Green Primary opened as part of The Collegiate Trust on November 1 and immediately benefited from a £40,000 investment in the school’s kitchens.

The investment means children will now receive a full cooked meal service, prepared fresh on site, rather than the ready made fare delivered by West Sussex County Council’s supplier.

Gossops Green had been rated ‘requires improvement’ following its last full Ofsted inspection in October 2014, but was seen by inspectors to be taking ‘effective action’ to improve in 2015.

As such, the school was able to decide whether or not to become an academy, and was not forced to do so by the government.

Another bonus already provided to the school by the trust was the provision of specialist maths training for teachers in Years 5 and 6 as they prepared for the next set of SATs.

The training was welcomed by headteacher Dawn Martin, who has been in charge at Gossops Green for almost 10 years.

Reflecting on the first month as Crawley’s newest academy, she said: “It has been refreshing to be supported by a highly skilled team that has been able to provide us with an objective and constructive view of what our next steps might be.

“We appreciate the balance between support and challenge and the collaborative approach that The Collegiate Trust has taken to ensure that we continue to provide the best possible education for the children in our care.

"We have been energised by the opportunities that lie ahead.”

The Collegiate Trust only runs one other school, the Riddlesdown Collegiate, in Purley, which was rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted following an inspection in May. It also plans to open the Collegiate Free Primary School, in Purley, in September 2018.

Gordon Smith, former principal at Riddlesdown and now chief executive of the trust, said: “Gossops Green is a great school. The governors are fully involved in the life of the school, the staff are clearly talented and committed, and the children a wonderful group of young people.

"There is a real family feel here and my job is to build on this and help to create an absolutely outstanding school for our community.”

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