Gosfield School
About this Organisation
About Gosfield School
Gosfield School was established at Cut Hedge Park in 1929 when the daughter of the textile manufacturer, George Courtauld purchased the land and buildings from the executors of her late father’s estate. Constance Cicely Courtauld started a senior boy’s boarding school the same year with pupils relocating from Leigh Hall School in Southend. In 1944, Cicely gifted the school and estate to headmaster John Turner who continued the work started by Cicely. In 1967, the school became a charitable trust and in 1986, the school became co-educational. A Prep School was opened in 1989 and we welcomed our first 6th Form students in 1994. In 2006, Gosfield School Ltd purchased the freehold of the estate and building from the Turner family and 2016 saw the opening of the school’s nursery.
Cicely’s founding principles for the school were to create a family environment in which young people would flourish and we remain faithful to those principles today.
We are committed to the development of our young people in an environment where all pupils feel valued and are able to achieve excellence in all aspects of life. We have non-academic entry criteria and consistently achieve outstanding outcomes when compared to schools with academic entry criteria.
In 2015, we opened Meadow Court, a purpose built Prep School, which is home to Reception Class to Year 5, within the grounds of our 100 acre estate. Meadow Court also houses our newly opened and thriving Nursery School. The new building complements the Victorian Manor House that is the heartbeat of the school and offers excellent facilities for our transition Year 6, Senior School and 6th Form. We continue to develop and upgrade our infrastructure and with Forest School very much a part of our Prep School curriculum, we are delighted to be opening our new Forest School and Cricket Pavilion in May 2017.
Class sizes are small by design. A maximum of 20 children per year in our Prep School rising to a maximum of 40 per year group, in two forms in the Senior School. Our class sizes enable every member of staff to understand each pupil individually and maintain the founding principles of the school. We remain a small school of some 230 pupils plus nursery children and although small, in September 2016, we welcomed our largest cohort in the school’s 87 year history.
Children do not learn unless they are happy, so making sure that each child that joins us feels safe, settled and supported is our primary concern. We believe that children will flourish if they are allowed to grow at their own pace, which is why our pupils mix often and readily across year groups. This builds the confidence of our youngest children and helps our older pupils remain kind and caring through their teenage years. We get to know our pupils very well and appreciate their unique personalities and approaches to learning.
We are proud to maintain the founding principles of our school some 87 years ago and look forward to welcoming our new Principal to our family as we continue our journey with the young people in our care.
