Pupils from Gosforth Academy and Great Park Academy have just returned from a highly successful German exchange trip to Heidelberg, Germany. This year marked a significant milestone for the exchange, as Great Park Academy participated for the first time, joining Gosforth Academy, which has proudly upheld this enriching collaboration for nearly three decades.

For an entire week, our pupils had the invaluable opportunity to fully immerse themselves in German language and culture. They stayed with host families from the Elisabeth-von-Thadden-Schule in Heidelberg, gaining firsthand experience of German daily life and attending a German school day.

Beyond the classroom and family life, the exchange offered a packed itinerary of cultural and educational excursions. Pupils explored Germany's largest interactive science centre, the Experimenta in Heilbronn, and delved into the world of media art at the ZKM Centre for Digital Art in Karlsruhe. A trip to the zoo provided a fun way to learn the names of animals in German.

Adventure was also on the agenda! After a sunny boat trip down the River Neckar, pupils embarked on a challenging hike up a steep hill to the impressive fortress of Dilsberg. This historical site offered a perfect opportunity to compare it to Dunstanburgh Castle, which pupils visited during the first leg of the exchange back in October.

A highlight of the trip involved a collaborative project where pupils, working with their German exchange partners, produced fantastic videos interviewing each other about their daily lives in each other's language. It was truly inspiring to witness the confidence with which our pupils began to use German outside the traditional classroom setting.

What Our Staff Had To Say:

"Participating in the German exchange for the first time has been an incredible experience for our Great Park Academy pupils," commented Ms Khalid, Curriculum Leader for MFL at Great Park Academy. "They've not only significantly improved their language skills but also gained a deeper understanding of German culture and forged lasting friendships. We're thrilled to be part of this long-standing tradition."

Ms Schneider, German-Exchange Coordinator at Gosforth Academy, added, "It was wonderful to see the collaboration between Gosforth and Great Park Academy pupils flourish. The exchange continues to be a cornerstone of our MFL department, providing an unparalleled opportunity for our students to develop their linguistic abilities and global awareness. The confidence they gained in speaking German was truly remarkable."

Dear Parents and Carers,

I am writing to introduce a new leadership model across our trust that will help strategic growth and collaboration across our family of schools.

From the start of the summer term, Steve Campbell will become the Executive Headteacher of Jesmond Park Academy and Gosforth Junior High Academy whilst Pete Fox will become Executive Headteacher of North Gosforth Academy and Great Park Academy.

Steve and Pete bring a wealth of experience and a passion for education, and I am confident that they will provide effective strategic leadership to both schools under their direction as well as being an asset to our wider community of schools. They are committed to fostering a culture of collaboration, inclusion, and high achievement across the Trust, and they will ensure that the schools fulfil the Trust’s vision.

Each school will also have a ‘Head of School’ who will deal with the day to day running of the school to ensure that it meets its educational objectives and that students continue to thrive.

The following Heads of School have now been appointed:

• Dave Merrifield will become the Head of School of Jesmond Park Academy
• Mark Fryer will become the Head of School of Gosforth Junior High Academy
• Susanna Cooke will become the Head of School of North Gosforth Academy
• Katherine Billingsley will become the Head of School of Great Park Academy

We are delighted that we have such an experienced and talented group of leaders who will work tirelessly to ensure that each school continues to be successful and that all students can reach their potential.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Alexandra Thorp, CEO

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are excited to invite you to our Year 9 Options Open Evening at Great Park Academy. The event will take place on Monday 13^th January at Gosforth Academy, accessible directly from the Sport@Gosforth entrance opposite Great Park Academy.

The evening will commence at 4:15 PM with a presentation by Miss Billingsley, our Principal, and Mr. Hall, our Assistant Principal. Following the presentation, you will have the opportunity to visit staff members who will be showcasing their subject areas and will be available to answer any specific questions you may have about particular subjects.

Doors will close at 6:00 PM. We look forward to sharing our Options information with you and helping you and your child make informed decisions about their future studies.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Change to school coats purchased through Michael Sehgal

We would like to inform you about an update regarding our school coats. While a school coat purchased from Michael Sehgal is still required and our school uniform policy remains unchanged, our uniform supplier's new stock of our school coats will no longer feature the school logo. Please be assured that your child should continue to wear their current school coats, which carry the school logo until this needs to be replaced due to wear or fit.

Removing the school logo will facilitate stock sharing across all our schools within our Trust, and our parents/carers may get more value from the school coat as without the logo, children can wear their school coats outside of school. This change will also make it easier to pass on unwanted, yet in still good condition, coats to family members or friends who may benefit from them.

Please note that while the coats will no longer carry the school logo, they remain a required part of our uniform policy and should continue to be purchased through our designated uniform supplier, Michael Sehgal, based in Kingston Park. Our uniform supplier will continue to sell the existing stock of our school coats, which have a school logo on them until this stock runs out and is replaced with the new stock of coats without a logo. 

We appreciate your understanding and support as we implement this change. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to the school office.

Yours sincerely

Katherine Billingsley, Principal

Please click below to view the CEO's update.

We are excited to share that following our recent Ofsted inspection in July, Great Park Academy has been rated as a Good Provider overall. This was our school's first Ofsted inspection, and we are thrilled to achieve an Outstanding rating in two out of four categories: Behaviour and Attitudes, and Personal Development.

The full inspection report can be found below. It highlights that we have created an environment where students thrive both personally and academically, which is a source of great pride for us. The report also recognises the efforts of our school leaders in establishing a unique school identity and acknowledges the positive impact of our practical science focus days, which make use of laboratory facilities within our trust.

During the inspection, our students represented the school admirably, confidently responding to questions from the Ofsted inspectors. We would like to express our gratitude to them. The report also notes that inspectors found our students to be polite and respectful. We are pleased to see positive feedback from our students and the observations from Ofsted reflected in the report.

"Pupils show high levels of respect for each other and adults. They behave well in lessons and act maturely around school, including at social times. They have pride in their school and are excited about how the school will develop as it grows in size and moves to its permanent home."

"Pupils enjoy coming to school. Attendance is very high."

"Adults know how to get the best out of each individual pupil. Pupils who need it receive highly effective support."

"Pupils achieve very highly, including in the end of Year 6 national curriculum tests."

"Pupils benefit greatly from an exceptional personal development programme."

"Behaviour in lessons and around school is exemplary. Lessons are free from disruption. Pupils get along well with each other."

"In mathematics and English, pupils, including those with SEND, achieve highly in their end of Year 6 national curriculum tests."

The report also provides valuable feedback and highlights the steps needed to move our school forward to achieve excellence, which we strive to achieve. However, the happiness of our pupils in their learning journey and their academic development remains our top priority at Great Park Academy.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to the entire school community, including students, staff, and our parents/carers. Everyone has made an enormous effort, and we appreciate your continued support.

Katherine Billingsley

Principal