Gatehouse Primary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 February 2026

Pupils’ sense of belonging at Gatehouse Primary Academy is clearly evident. They feel safe, included and valued within the school community. They know that staff look out for them and relationships between pupils and staff are characterised by kindness and respect. Pupils generally attend well and the school’s clear emphasis on inclusion helps create an environment where they feel supported, which has a positive impact on their attendance. Pupils speak positively about the social, emotional and academic opportunities the school provides. The variety of roles of responsibility give pupils a voice in shaping their school. A rich range of experiences broadens pupils’ horizons and prepares them to be positive members of their communities. Pupils value the time given to celebrate their successes and achievements, such as through assemblies and the house system. Pupils, including children in early years, enjoy school. They engage positively in play and learning and benefit from clear behaviour expectations and rewards that reinforce good choices. Typically, pupils are confident that staff respond appropriately when others struggle to manage their behaviour, including in rare cases of bullying. Pupils’ achievement in national tests over time has not been as high as it should be. Pupils do not consistently secure important early skills, particularly in writing. However, more recently, pupils show the increasing impact of leaders’ work to strengthen those skills that underpin learning across the curriculum, such as reading and writing. They have frequent opportunities to practise reading and writing across subjects. Pupils learn well across the wider curriculum and make links across subjects. Staff identify pupils’ needs and barriers to learning quickly and use strategies to support learning so that all pupils learn as well as they can. At times, teaching does not match pupils’ starting points closely enough, leaving some pupils unchallenged or without the adaptations they need.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should continue to embed the impact of their work and the work of staff, to develop and secure pupils' important foundational skills, particularly in writing.
• Leaders should strengthen teachers’ expertise in adapting learning so that more pupils can learn successfully from their starting points.
• Leaders should continue to drive forward school improvements to embed secure and consistent practice across all areas of provision.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)