Our Prospectus
Principal’s Welcome
I would like to extend my personal welcome to you and to our ‘Outstanding’ community at Eastgate Academy. Eastgate Academy opened in April 2014 and is sponsored by Eastern Multi-Academy Trust.
Our academy is very much part of the local community in King’s Lynn and being part of the trust builds on this. We have high aspirations for all our pupils and aim to provide a stimulating and challenging environment where children can excel.
In 2023, Ofsted rated us ‘outstanding’ for the second time, saying that: “Eastgate Academy is a trusted, respected and loved part of the local community. Pupils are extremely proud to attend the school. Parents are supportive of the work of the school. They value the support leaders provide in equal measure to pupils and their families” adding our “children don’t see differences, they just see friends.”
Every child that comes to us brings something special to our community. We welcome everyone and do our utmost to support both pupils and their families. Our door is always open and we actively encourage families to be involved in academy life.
Linda Hothersall Principal
Academy history
Launched in 1911 as St. James, the original school building burnt down and was rebuilt, splitting into St. James Boys and St. James Girls infant schools in the 1960s. In the 1980s the schools merged to form Eastgate Community Primary School, educating up to 270 pupils with a main catchment area of the North Lynn area of King’s Lynn.
In April 2014 the school was the second primary education member to join the Eastern Multi-Academy Trust and was renamed Eastgate Academy.
We are proud of our academy and stand by our ethos: “We believe education empowers children and families.”
Ethos and aims
Statement of intent
I would like to be the best that I can be
A happy, confident and caring person
Who is content to be me
I want to love learning
And be inspired to learn for life
To discover and develop my interests and talents
And be ready to use them for the benefit of others
I will treat others as I would wish to be treated
With kindness and respect
For the uniqueness of each person
I will care about the environment
And my place in the world around me
I will know that with rights come responsibilities
And I will always be proud to have been at our academy
I want to be ready to take on new challenges and opportunities
And continue to make a difference
Our ethos is:
“We believe education empowers children and families”
Through this we want to ensure that Eastgate Academy offers the highest standards of education.
We will do this by:
• Sustaining and developing an environment where every child matters
• Driving up academic standards to exceed national levels
• The pupil voice leading change and informing improvement
• Promoting inspirational teaching, challenging lessons and independent learners
• Facilitating staff development through mentoring and coaching to achieve excellence
• Delivering an outstanding curriculum that inspires and engages
• Engaging parents and carers to raise aspirations within our local community
• Having a sense of pride within our academy community
Our aim is to be an outstanding academy changing lives through learning.
Teaching and learning
Our curriculum
We follow a knowledge-based curriculum and our aim is to provide a personalised education for every pupil, based on individual needs and aspirations, focusing on ability and not age. To do this, we offer a curriculum that:
• Is engaging, relevant and challenging
• Encourages creativity, problem solving and risk taking
• Develops highly confident, independent learners
• Focuses on the development of literacy and maths
• Encourages students and teachers to be enterprising and explore new technologies
• Readily provides for meaningful progression to further study
• Is coherent through the key stages and supports transition
• Supports personal growth, development and good behaviour
• Enables pupils to develop a view of the wider world and take pride in their place in it
We want our pupils to be at the centre of their own learning. We actively encourage our pupils to challenge themselves and have the confidence to try new things. In marked work, children are given guidance on their next steps so they can move forward.
With around 280 pupils aged from 4 to 11 years old, the academy has nine classes, three infant classes and six junior classes. We have an intake of thirty children into reception each year.
In Year 3 we have approximately 15 pupils from Highgate Infant School join us, so we have around 45 pupils in the year group. In Years 3 and 4 we have one class of Year 3, one class of Year 4, and a mixed class of both Years 3 and 4. This structure is the same in Years 5 and 6 and enables us to provide additional mastery to the class with the mixed year group.
Our timetable includes key times of day where lessons focus on maths and literacy but also allows for study of themed learning where all the pupils’ skills are used. All classes have a physical education lesson each week and pupils have the opportunity to try different sports, such as fencing and archery.
Swimming lessons start when pupils reach the junior classes and, where possible, we also offer top up lessons for Year 6 pupils to ensure they are able to swim at least 25 metres before leaving Eastgate. We encourage all pupils in music and have whole academy singing sessions. The academy also regularly resounds to the sound of djembe drums as each of the junior classes gets an opportunity to learn to play them.
We try to make the most up-to-date information technology equipment available, which our pupils use in lessons.
We have introduced a phonics-based system across the academy, which provides accelerated progress in reading and writing. This extends into other areas of the curriculum so that pupils apply these skills in their topic areas.
An important part of academy life is the trips which link to topic areas. Our trips have included going on the London Eye, visiting the London Aquarium, Cadbury World, Gressenhall museum and trips to the beach, the Royal Norfolk Show and Banham Zoo. In Key Stage 2 we also offer a residential trip for a week to the children in September on a three year rolling programme – Cheddar Gorge, Boggle Hole and Cumbria.
The academy and home
We want parents and carers to be actively involved in the learning journey of our pupils and encourage a two-way dialogue between home and the academy. Teachers are available at the beginning and end of the day for parents to talk to. We hold parents evenings to keep them up-to-date on the progress of their children and run sessions on specific areas of learning so that they can help support their children at home.
Parents are invited to come in for special assemblies so that the children can show them what they have been studying during the term and to weekly assemblies where we celebrate our stars of the week and other awards.
Community
Our local community
Being part of the community is very important to us and we have built strong links with local people, businesses and other schools/nurseries. We have good links with local nurseries, infant and high schools to ensure that transition between the different phases of education goes smoothly for all our pupils.
Businesses have generously supported us by providing opportunities for pupils to try new things such as tasting Indian food. We have end of term attendance prizes, which are sponsored by two local businesses. We regularly have visitors to the academy such as the local fire crew, police officers and authors who tell us about what they do. We also take part in local activities such as the raising of the flag on Armed Forces Day and Christingle services at the local church. Our pupils have taken part in public speaking competitions in King’s Lynn and our choir has sung in local carol services.
Our academy community
We aim to promote a sense of community within the academy so that the pupils will help and support each other. Through restorative practices, they are able to express their thoughts and feelings and take responsibility for resolving problems. The older pupils take on jobs within the academy such as librarians, pet squad, subject leads and register monitors.
Parents, local people and businesses support us in fundraising activities through the Friends of Eastgate. We hold Christmas fairs and summer spectaculars, bingo, quiz nights and many other events.
We work with parents to raise their aspirations for their children’s future. There are regular events where parents take part in activities with their children, such as making a bear or art club.
Academy times and dates
In order to make sure that Key Stage 2 pupils receive the recommended teaching time and to accommodate all pupils during lunch time, hours for infants (Foundation and Key Stage 1) and juniors (Key Stage 2) are different.
Our gate is open from 8.15am to 8.30am.
The day is structured as follows: Infants
Morning session 8.30am - 11.45am
Lunchtime 11.45am - 12.30pm
Afternoon session 12.30pm - 3.00pm
Juniors - Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4)
Morning session 8.30am - 12.15pm
Lunchtime 12.15pm - 1.00pm
Afternoon session 1.00pm - 3.00pm
Juniors - Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5 and 6)
Morning session 8.30am - 12.30pm
Lunchtime 12.30pm - 1.15pm
Afternoon session 1.15pm - 3.00pm
Eagles, Puffins, Robins, EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2 have a 10 minute break in the afternoon.
Juniors have a break each morning of 15 minutes.
Term dates can be found on our academy website.
Uniform
At Eastgate Academy our uniform is formal, clearly defined and we expect all pupils to wear it correctly with pride. All pupils should wear the appropriate uniform unless there is a valid medical or cultural reason why they cannot wear a particular item or why they have to wear an additional garment. For more information on our uniform please visit eastgateacademy.co.uk
Facilities
Our academy is located in the centre of King’s Lynn and we have playgrounds and a small field on-site. Our reception building was purpose built with a secure outdoor play area. We have incorporated an outdoor play area for our year one class and have developed the infants’ playground with play equipment and garden areas. We have a science garden and an Outdoor learning classroom, which includes a greenhouse, planting beds and even a pond which has been very popular.
Inside we have two halls which are used for assemblies, PE, lunches and many other activities as part of academy life. We have a well-stocked library, which the pupils run under the direction of our school librarian. We have a speech and language room, mental health support through sessions in school both in meditation for Key Stage 2 and support through a thrive approach. All the infant classes have access to computers and we have laptop in the junior classes. Each class has an interactive whiteboard to aid learning.
Our site manager has also developed a menagerie of animals which come to us from people who can not look after them anymore. We have guinea pigs, rabbits, finches and doves. This makes a great de-escalation area for all members of our community.
Our Year 6 pupils have taken a special interest in looking after the many animals we have in school.
Activities
We feel that an important part of academy life is the opportunity to try out different things. We want to encourage pupils to do this and offer various clubs free of charge. The clubs vary from term to term depending on the season and have included:
Mini sports
Stamp collecting
Guitar
Football
Choir
Cookery
Maths booster
Reading
Netball
Drama
Glee club
Kwik cricket
Archery
Art skills
Computer club
Dungeons and Dragons
Each year we take 45 of the older pupils on a residential trip to different parts of the country, we have been to Cumbria, Cheddar Gorge and Boggle Hole. Each time they have had the opportunity to experience history, geography and activities they would not normally have at home. A particular highlight is Cumbria with the fells and waterfalls providing a completely different landscape to Norfolk.
Friends of the academy often organise activities for parents both to work with their children and for parents themselves. These have included literacy skills, supporting children learning to read, budget management, jewellery making, cookery, food taster sessions, pottery and board game
Wellbeing
Our pupils are at the heart of what we do at Eastgate Academy, we want them to be happy, healthy and ready to learn.
We are a restorative practices academy which means pupils are encouraged to share their thoughts and feelings so they have a better understanding of how to support each other. This has proved a very powerful means of improving behaviour as they take ownership for resolving conflict but know when to seek support from staff as well. We also have a family support manager whose door is always open to pupils and families.
Mental health wellbeing is important for all our children. Pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6 have a 45 minute meditation lesson each week, which helps to give them techniques to aid their sleep and help them to understand the importance of mental health wellbeing.
We promote an ethos of caring so that pupils learn to care for each other both in learning and in play.
Our school council, House Captains and Subject Leaders play a big part in the life of the academy and the pupil- elected representatives are consulted on a variety of things connected with academy life. Pupil voice has changes lots of things around the school including removing the afternoon playtime for KS2, bringing the kitchen into Eastgate so that the children can help to choose the dishes we serve and the animals.
Local governing body
The purpose of the Academy Council is to work with the academy on planning, developing policies and keeping the academy under review so that all learners achieve their full potential. For more information about the Academy Council and how to become a member of the Academy Council please visit our website.
