Following a successful application to the Department for Education to set up a new secondary Free school in the Gascoigne area of Barking, Partnership Learning are proposing to open Greatfields School. Greatfields School’s permanent accommodation will be a new-build on the regenerated Gascoigne Estate.

This document sets out the opportunities for interested parties to give their views on the proposals outlined above.

Background

The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham has one of the fastest-growing school-age populations in the country: overall pupil numbers in the Borough are set to rise by 50% between 2015 and 2020. Based on student numbers already in primary schools, there will be a need for the equivalent of four new 10 form-entry secondary schools in the Borough within the next seven years.

Parents of Year 6 pupils living in the Gascoigne and central Barking areas are having increasing difficulty securing places at local secondary schools and this difficulty is being further exacerbated by the rapidly growing population as new-build housing becomes available.

Partnership Learning responded to this local need by submitting an application to the Department for Education to establish a secondary Free school – Greatfields School – on the regenerated Gascoigne Estate, offering families an accessible, high-quality learning pathway for children growing up in the local area.

The proposed school will cater for 1,824 pupils aged 11-18 years, with ten forms of entry to each year group. There will be extended opportunities for lifelong learning and personal development through wide-ranging community provision, dual use of facilities and direct links to enhanced opportunities in further and higher education and employment.

Our Proposals for Greatfields School

Our motto “Excellence for All” sums up our aims. Greatfields School will deliver outcomes significantly above the national average for pupils on all key measures, will support development of the personal qualities of confidence and resilience essential for a successful life, and support development of the skills and strategies for lifelong learning.

Greatfields School will make full use of the freedoms its status will bring to be innovative and develop a personalised curriculum that suits the needs of all its pupils. The school’s governance arrangements will enable fast, flexible decision-making at school level, enabling resources to be used efficiently and effectively to continually raise achievement.

The school will benefit from experienced leadership through being a part of Partnership Learning, in particular through close links with successful Partnership Learning secondary schools– The Sydney Russell School and Riverside School – to ensure that Greatfields School gets off to the best possible start.

We believe in provision of the same high quality learning opportunities, teaching and facilities for all, whilst rigorously tailoring learning to meet the distinctive needs of different groups of pupils. Greatfields School will ensure pupils are able to achieve their full potential and experience a wide range of appropriate challenges.

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