SOUTH GOSFORTH FIRST SCHOOL – ABOUT US
South Gosforth First School originally opened in 1891 and quickly established itself as a popular and successful school which was really at the heart of the local community. Fast forward over 125 years later and the school has maintained this vision, building strong relationships with all of our families and stakeholders and upholding high standards for all of our pupils.
Over the years, the school slowly expanded in size and more recently, due to the school's increasing popularity, now has 300 pupils on roll. In 1992 the school, often referred to as 'the pyramid school' due to its large triangular roof structure, opened on a brand new site, fairly close to the setting of the original building. Our current site was purpose built to meet the needs of a modern curriculum and is equipped with many facilities for our children including: 2 large hall spaces for the children to exercise, eat and perform in, a big school field for all kinds of sporting and enrichment activities alongside a playground space with climbing frame and other equipment, 2 additional 'creative spaces' where the children complete art-based activities, a sensory space which we call 'The Rainbow Room', a well-resourced Reception outdoor area, a mini allotment, a school pond with all kinds of wildlife and even a school nature garden! We are really proud of our school and all that we have to offer, but we are constantly looking for ways to develop and grow, keeping abreast of the most creative and current educational practices in order to provide the best possible learning experiences that we can for our children.
At South Gosforth First School we believe that all children are special and have their own unique talents which are just waiting to be unlocked. We seek to provide an aspirational, creative and truly ‘irresistible’ curriculum which enables all pupils to flourish, running alongside a broad range of enriching and memorable experiences that stimulate our children’s interest about the world around them. We are in a fantastic geographical location with excellent transport links, which enables us to access the rich cultural and historical heritage that exists in Newcastle and further afield.
We are lucky enough to be part of a wider school community who have a strong set of skills; whilst we acknowledge the challenges that busy family life can bring, we are keen to utilise the talents and abilities of our community as much as possible in order to benefit everyone in school. We embrace our diverse school population and see this as a valuable asset in helping us all to respect and appreciate each other and our differences.
Our enthusiastic staff team is comprised of experienced and reflective practitioners who are fully equipped to support our pupils’ academic, physical and creative development. We encourage all children to play an active part in their learning and aim for excellence in achievement in reading, writing and maths, as well as across the wider curriculum. Our ambitious and progressive curriculum is based around four key drivers: ‘Character’, ‘Culture’, ‘Creativity’ and ‘Challenge’ and these concepts lie at the heart of everything that we do in school, alongside our core values which are ‘Kindness’, ‘Empathy’, ‘Respect’, ‘Responsibility’ and ‘Perseverance’. We also believe that our children should leave us at the end of Year 4 knowing what they are good at and what they enjoy, so we offer our pupils many different high-quality opportunities throughout their time in school including singing, dancing, playing sports, investigating and exploring in science, researching in history and geography and creating in art – at South Gosforth First School learning really is an adventure!
Running parallel to this, we fully recognise the importance of meeting the social and emotional needs of our pupils and we pride ourselves in providing a range of nurturing opportunities to ensure that our children are happy young people who have a strong set of core values, show kindness and empathy towards others and are fully ready for the next stage of their education.
