As Gordano School prepares to welcome its new Year 7 cohort in September, the school is placing a strong emphasis on its extensive and carefully designed Transition Programme, one that goes far beyond a single event and instead offers sustained support for children and families over many months. 

Recognising that the move from primary to secondary school is a significant milestone, Gordano School has developed a programme that prioritises confidence, familiarity, and a sense of belonging from the very start. Through a wide range of opportunities, prospective students are able to engage with the school community well in advance of their first day. 

The transition journey begins in the Autumn with an impressive open evening, giving families an initial insight into school life, followed by a series of open mornings during the school day. A dedicated Parent Welcome Meeting in March provides further reassurance and information, while additional meetings between March and July ensure that every family feels informed and supported throughout the process. 

For children, a Transition Day in the summer term plays a key role in building confidence, offering time within the school environment to meet peers, experience lessons, and become familiar with routines. Alongside this, Gordano School staff, including the Pastoral Team, Library and Reading Mentors Team and Head of Year 7, visit primary schools to establish early connections and provide continuity of care. 

Gordano School has also enhanced its Year 7 provision through the transformation of the Elliot Hall into a Hogwarts-inspired haven, created thanks to generous parent donations and a strong student-led vision.

The redesigned space has been carefully developed to feel welcoming, imaginative, and calming, offering Year 7 students a distinctive environment where they can relax, socialise, and feel at home as they begin secondary school life.

Beyond the school environment, the programme continues to engage children over the summer period with a reading challenge which encourages curiosity and independent learning, while the House Event held at Portishead Youth Centre offers relaxed, social opportunities for children to begin forming friendships and feel part of the wider school community. 

Through the Primary Legacies Festival Programme, participating primary schools bring children from Years 4 to 6 to take part in a wide range of sporting and enrichment activities, helping to build confidence in a new and unfamiliar environment. 

Children develop a strong sense of familiarity with the school, form connections with staff and peers, and begin to feel part of the community. This repeated exposure helps to ease anxieties and replace uncertainty with excitement, ensuring that when students join Gordano, they feel confident, prepared, and ready for the next stage of their education. 

This comprehensive approach reflects Gordano School’s commitment to ensuring that every child arrives in September feeling prepared, supported, and ready to thrive.

By focusing on the whole transition experience, academic, social, and emotional, the school continues to set a strong example of how to make this important step a positive and successful one. 

Gordano School’s Welcome Video can be viewed here: Gordano School - A Video Introduction to our School 

More Transition information can be found here: Gordano School - Transition from Year 6 

More about the Year 7 Elliot Hall Transformation can be found here: Gordano School - Gordano School Year 7 Elliot Hall Transformed into Hogwarts-Inspired Haven Thanks to Parent Donations and Student-Led Vision 

Gordano School is delighted to announce that it has been awarded a Local School Nature Grant, recognising its ongoing commitment to outdoor learning, inclusion, and student wellbeing.

The grant will support the development of the school’s Nurture Garden, with new hammocks and tarpaulin creating calm, sensory-friendly ‘nest’ spaces for SEND students. The project will also include seeds to encourage planting and growth, alongside a climate curriculum kit designed to strengthen environmental education across the school.

Mandi Davies, Inclusive Learning and Pupil Premium Co-ordinator at Gordano School, said:
“We are absolutely thrilled to receive this grant. The Nurture Garden is such an important space for our students, and these new resources will help us develop it further into a calm, creative and inclusive environment where young people can connect with nature and thrive.”

The school will also benefit from training and support through Learning through Landscapes, helping staff to maximise the use of outdoor spaces for learning and wellbeing.

Gordano School looks forward to sharing images of the garden updates with the wider community as the project develops.

A team of four Year 8 and Year 9 students represented Gordano School at the Regional Final of the UKMT Team Maths Challenge competition. Held at Sidcot School, this competition brought together the region's most talented and dedicated young mathematicians for a day of competitive problem-solving. We were hoping to build on our fantastic 4th place finish from last year and knew that winning would earn us a place at the National Final in London.

Students from Gordano School have returned from an unforgettable Easter ski trip to Folgarida, Italy, where around 60 Year 10 and Year 12 students experienced an action-packed week of adventure, culture, and camaraderie.

The trip, organised in partnership with Max Ski, provided students with expert ski instruction in the stunning Italian Alps. Whether beginners or more experienced skiers, all participants benefited from high-quality tuition and made significant progress on the slopes over the course of the week.

Beyond skiing, the trip offered a rich cultural experience, with students enjoying authentic local Italian cuisine and immersing themselves in the vibrant atmosphere of the region. Evenings were filled with a variety of engaging social activities, including karaoke, lively games nights, and a creative fashion show.

The trip exemplifies Gordano School’s commitment to providing exceptional extracurricular opportunities that extend far beyond the classroom. From international travel experiences to a diverse programme of enrichment activities, the school continues to offer an unrivalled range of opportunities that inspire, challenge, and engage students.

This ski trip is just one example of the school’s broader dedication to enrichment, as seen in its highly successful Activities Week and the extensive “Gordano Extra” programme, both of which showcase the breadth and vibrancy of opportunities available to students throughout the year.

Jason Boulton, Co-Director of Sixth Form and trip organiser said:
“We are incredibly proud to offer experiences like this ski trip, which not only develop new skills but also build confidence, resilience, and lasting friendships. The enthusiasm and conduct of our students throughout the week were exemplary, and it was fantastic to see them make the most of every opportunity.”

Gordano School continues to lead the way in delivering enriching extracurricular experiences, ensuring students benefit from a well-rounded education that prepares them for life beyond school.

Gordano School recently welcomed 71 primary school pupils as part of its Outreach Programme, delivering an engaging and energetic Legacy Year 3/4 ‘Give it a Try’ Arrows Archery and Cornhole Festival. The programme is designed to support a smooth and confident transition from primary to secondary education, giving younger students a taste of school life through fun, inclusive activities.

Across the afternoon, participants took part in hands-on workshops in Arrows Archery and Cornhole, embracing new challenges while developing confidence, teamwork, and resilience. Staff were particularly impressed by the enthusiasm, determination, and collaborative spirit shown by all involved, as pupils pushed themselves to achieve their personal bests.

Arrows Archery provided a safe and accessible introduction to the sport, using real bows and specially adapted arrows fitted with engineered suckers. Pupils tested their accuracy on fixed targets, explored shooting for distance, and combined their skills in the exciting Clout Challenge. This activity required archers to aim for an enlarged target area, with the ultimate goal of landing their arrow in the ‘bullseye’ bucket. Despite the added challenge of judging wind direction and adjusting trajectory, many participants successfully struck the target, with three standout archers achieving the impressive feat of landing their arrows directly in the bucket.

Cornhole, a traditional American game, offered a different kind of challenge. Pupils worked in small teams to throw corn bags toward a raised target, quickly discovering that the seemingly simple activity demanded focus, coordination, and teamwork. The session culminated in the ‘Fill the House’ challenge, where teams raced to land all eight bags in the target as quickly as possible. A team from Trinity Primary School delivered an outstanding performance, topping the leaderboard with a time of 1 minute and 23 seconds.

The festival not only introduced pupils to new sports but also fostered friendships, confidence, and a positive outlook toward their future transition to secondary school. Gordano School looks forward to continuing the Legacy Festivals Programme, providing more opportunities for young learners to engage, grow, and thrive.

With thanks to Trinity Primary School for providing the pictures.

Cromarty Charity Week was a huge success, bringing our school community together for a brilliant mix of fun, competition, and fundraising, all in support of Macmillan Cancer Support. Thanks to the enthusiasm of our students, staff, and the fantastic leadership of the Cromarty House Captains and Vice Captains, we raised an impressive £373!