Galleywall Primary City of London Academy

Where the World comes to Learn. Welcome to Galleywall Primary School. At Galleywall we welcome all families who support our shared values and are ambitious for their children. To create the highest possible outcomes for children we recognise the need to have the highest possible expectations of them and of ourselves as a school.

As a school we will set high expectations, but it is only with the support and active engagement of you and your family that these expectations can be realised. We promise you; a school which will be warm, nurturing and creative, and a curriculum which will be engaging and challenging.

At the foundation of Galleywall school lie our values. We are an inclusive school welcoming children of all abilities, all religions, and from all cultures and backgrounds. If you share our values, and have outstanding ambition your children, this is the school for you

We are fortunate to have the City of London as our sponsor. With almost 1000 years of history the City is one of the most influential and prestigious institutions in Britain. In addition we have the support of our sister schools across London including some of the most successful independent schools in England. Our strength is further enhanced by our local federation of Redriff Primary and the City of London Academy. In active partnerships with Southwark Council, we are confident we can bring something new and of substantial value to the Bermondsey community.

Our overarching vision is to found a school which will exemplify ‘Outstanding’ primary practice, evidenced by outstanding attainment and progress for all children. From the outset we wish to ensure that all the work of the school is underpinned by shared values and ambitions.

At Galleywall School we believe in a just and open society, free of prejudice, we shall aspire to be:

• Enlightened
• Aspirational
• Entrepreneurial
• Entrepreneurial
• Compassionate

A strong partnership with the local community will be at the heart of the school’s ethos. We will use professionals from business and commerce as mentors so that the children will benefit from the skills of those living in their local area.

The City is committed to ensuring that its rich cultural offer is readily available and accessible to all Londoners. We believe that creativity and creative thinking are fundamental to the future economic wellbeing of our city and our nation, and that the creative arts, music, drama, dance are essential development for the children of Bermondsey. Sitting at the heart of one of the great cultural capitals of the world, we believe it to be their heritage and their entitlement. For this reason one of the key components of our new school will be an ‘extended day’ with an extended cultural offer.

As part of our offer every child will be able to remain within school until 4.30pm with a further option of quality care until 6pm daily. In this way we will ensure that all children access extended opportunities in the creative arts, music, dance, drama and sport. We will provide summer camps for our children specifically to extend and enrich their cultural experience and appreciation of their city.

Our curriculum is one which generates innovative approaches. We develop every child’s understanding, confidence and courage to take risks along the way, while promoting a developing sense of autonomy and a love of learning. We encourage a growth mindset.

In Reception, there is an investigative, play based approach to learning maximizing the use of both the indoor and outdoor classroom. As we live in the most exciting capital city in the world, our curriculum is uniquely designed to make the most of all the learning opportunities that London has to offer.

Through Dramatic Progress in Literacy, Drama is an integral part to any Literacy work we will do. It has great impact upon the child’s writing, speaking, listening power and ability. Imaginative role play will be fundamental in the Reception and KS1 curriculums with opportunities to perform to wider audiences through assemblies and events around key festivals. The children will be taken to theatrical performances and be expected to stage their own.