The Gateway Primary Free School

The Gateway Primary Free School is a friendly, inclusive school where pupils feel safe, behave exceptionally well and achieve well. Inspectors found an ambitious curriculum that builds knowledge progressively from the early years, strong teaching and subject knowledge, and a high priority on reading with effective support for pupils who need to catch up. Personal development and early years provision are particular strengths, with rich enrichment opportunities, pupil leadership and strong relationships across the school. Leadership and governance are effective, staff feel well supported by leaders and the trust, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school is part of The Gateway Learning Community trust, has provision for two-year-olds, and this was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. The main area for improvement is how the school checks what pupils have learned in some parts of the curriculum. In a few subjects, the school does not gather enough information about what pupils have remembered and retained, so leaders cannot be fully clear how well pupils are meeting curriculum aims. Attendance is improving through leaders’ work with families.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, flourish and achieve well in a friendly, inclusive community.
• Pupils behave exceptionally well, are polite and respectful, and lessons proceed without disruption.
• Strong, trusting relationships between pupils and staff create a nurturing environment.
• The curriculum is ambitious and builds pupils’ knowledge progressively from the early years.
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge and receive effective support and training.
• Reading is a high priority, with well-trained staff and effective support for pupils who need to catch up.
• Teachers check pupils’ understanding regularly and adjust teaching to close gaps.
• Personal development is exceptional, including age-appropriate learning about relationships, healthy lifestyles and equality.
• A wide range of enrichment opportunities develops pupils’ confidence, independence and leadership skills.
• Early years provision is outstanding, with children learning routines and engaging well from the start.
• Governance and trust support are effective, and staff feel valued and well supported.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Attendance is improving through leaders’ work with families.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects, assessment does not fully demonstrate how well pupils recall and retain the intended knowledge, so leaders cannot fully evaluate curriculum impact.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at The Gateway Primary Free School attended 92.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 2.1% of pupils at The Gateway Primary Free School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 The Gateway Primary Free School had 15.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 14.2% of pupils at The Gateway Primary Free School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 The Gateway Primary Free School received £6,949 and spent £6,488 for each of its 439 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £154,000 (£352 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Gateway Learning Community, income was £8,044 and spending £8,021 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Grays · Thurrock local authority: places and applications

The Gateway Primary Free School is part of Gateway Learning Community, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• The Gateway Academy Grays
• Tilbury Pioneer Academy Tilbury
• Herringham Primary Academy Grays
• Lansdowne Primary Academy Tilbury

What is The Gateway Primary Free School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Gateway Primary Free School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was The Gateway Primary Free School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Gateway Primary Free School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does The Gateway Primary Free School have?

The Gateway Primary Free School has 459 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Gateway Primary Free School cover?

The Gateway Primary Free School for pupils aged 0 to 11.

What are The Gateway Primary Free School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Gateway Primary Free School?

The Gateway Primary Free School is at Marshfoot Road, Grays, Essex, RM16 4LU.