The Gateway Primary Free School

What The Gateway Primary Free School does

The Gateway Primary Free School is a state-funded primary free school for children aged 3–11 (Reception through Year 6), located on Marshfoot Road in Tilbury/Chadwell-St-Mary, Essex. It is sponsored by the Ormiston Trust, one of the UK's largest non-profit academy sponsors, and operates as part of the Gateway Learning Community (GLC) multi-academy trust, which provides shared governance, resources, and best-practice exchange across its member academies. The school also operates Growing Little Champions Nursery, an on-site provision for babies and two-year-olds offering flexible sessions between 7:30am and 5:30pm during term time.

The school's core offering is free, state-funded primary education delivered through a blended-learning approach, supplemented by wraparound care (breakfast club, extra-curricular activities), a range of pupil-development programmes (Thriving Families, All Creating Our Futures pupil leadership, All Protecting Our Planet / Eco Warriors, All Thriving wellbeing), and SEND/inclusion support. Pupils are taught in sets of 20 for reading, writing and maths to enable focused academic attention. The technology stack is intentionally non-proprietary, relying on commercial platforms for parent communication (Class Dojo), digital learning-sharing (Padlet), payments (ParentPay), site hosting (Juniper Education) and staff wellbeing (Westfield Health, Headspace, Education Support, Cycle Solutions).

The business model is not commercial in a traditional sense. The primary revenue stream is per-pupil government education funding routed via the Department for Education framework, with the Growing Little Champions Nursery providing a supplementary fee-based stream of £7.00 per hour (term-time only, with the government free early-education entitlement accepted to offset costs for eligible families). Distribution is via a formal admissions process for Reception–Year 6 (including appeals) and direct nursery enquiries for under-threes, supported by open days and school tours. Customers are local families in the catchment area, with the school also engaging parents through GLC newsletters, Class Dojo and social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X). Governance sits with a Local Governing Body, chaired by Anne Fraser, under the Trust's overall oversight, with day-to-day leadership provided by Head of School Emma Pattison.

Name

The Gateway Primary Free School

Legal name

Gateway Primary Free School

Website

https://theglc-primaryfreeschool.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

State-funded primary free school in Tilbury/Chadwell-St-Mary, Essex, serving children aged 3–11 (Reception–Year 6), sponsored by the Ormiston Trust and part of the Gateway Learning Community Trust, with an on-site Growing Little Champions Nursery for under-threes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nursery School Programs (2–4 Years) (EDACACAB), Full-Day Nursery Programs (EDACACAD)

Keywords

• Primary education
• State-funded school
• Early years nursery
• Free school meals
• Wraparound childcare

Headquarters

HQ city

Tilbury/Chadwell-St-Mary

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding: State-funded school receiving government funding to provide free education for children aged 3-11 in Reception through Year 6.
2. Nursery Session Fees: Hourly fee-based nursery services for children from 7:30am to 5:30pm, with £7.00 per hour charge. Government funding accepted to offset costs for eligible families.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Gateway Primary Free School is a state-funded primary school for children aged 3-11, delivering education from Reception through Year 6. It is sponsored by the Ormiston Trust and operates as part of the Gateway Learning Community Trust. The school also runs Growing Little Champions Nursery, providing wraparound care for babies and two-year-olds from 7:30am to 5:30pm at £7.00 per hour.

Product overview

The Gateway Primary Free School operates as a state-funded primary institution for children aged 3-11 years, sponsored by the Ormiston Trust and part of the Gateway Learning Community Trust. The school provides a unified educational offering comprising the main primary school (Reception to Year 6) and the Growing Little Champions Nursery for babies and two-year-olds. Additional educational programmes include the Thriving Families Programme for family engagement, the All Creating Our Futures pupil leadership initiative, the All Protecting Our Planet environmental programme, and the All Thriving wellbeing initiative. The school also offers wraparound care, breakfast club, and extra-curricular activities to support working families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Growing Little Champions Nursery: On-site nursery provision for babies and two-year-olds, offering flexible sessions from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, term-time only.

Products and services

• Gateway Primary Free School
• Growing Little Champions Nursery
• Growing Little Champions Curriculum
• Thriving Families Programme
• All Creating Our Futures
• All Protecting Our Planet
• All Thriving
• Breakfast Club and Wraparound Care

Quantifiable outcome

• Pupils taught in sets of 20 for reading, writing and maths, enabling focused academic attention
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gateway Learning Community TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe school is part of the Gateway Learning Community Trust, a multi-academy trust that enables resource sharing, best practice exchange, and collaborative educational initiatives across all member academies.
• Royal Opera HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe school maintains links with the Royal Opera House for cultural enrichment, providing pupils with access to arts and cultural experiences beyond the standard curriculum.
• Community Partners (Careers Week)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVarious community members and partners visit the school during Careers Week to speak to children about their roles and career journeys, helping to inspire and broaden aspirations. Partners include Little City (role-play city experience provider).
• Gateway AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe secondary Gateway Academy participates in shared careers events and fairs with the primary schools in the GLC, providing pathway information and mentorship opportunities for primary students.
• Westfield HealthminorOthersPartnership with Westfield Health to provide staff with health and wellbeing benefits including 24/7 doctor access, dental treatment, therapies, gym discounts, and various rewards.
• Cycle SolutionsminorOthersCycle Solutions provides the school's cycle to work scheme, enabling staff to hire bikes and equipment with salary sacrifice before national insurance and income tax deductions.
• Education SupportminorOthersEducation Support is the only UK charity dedicated to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and education staff. They provide a helpline (08000 562 561) and resources for GLC staff.
• Uniforms by NikkiminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial uniform supplier for the school, providing branded nursery and school uniforms including polo shirts, sweatshirts, and summer dresses. Located at Walton Hall Farm, Walton Hall Road, Linford, SS17 0RH.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Class Dojo: Parent-school communication platform adopted by Gateway Primary. Comparable as a technology provider enabling the school's blended learning and parent-engagement model, though not a competing school.

Broad incumbents

• Harris Federation: One of the largest UK multi-academy trusts, running primary and secondary academies on government funding with shared governance, enrichment programmes, and wraparound care offerings comparable to those at Gateway Primary.
• Dixons Academies Trust: Northern England-based multi-academy trust running primary and secondary academies with a similar extended-day, enrichment-led approach to learning. Comparable on business model (state-funded with strong enrichment programming).
• Ormiston Academies Trust: Multi-academy trust that sponsors The Gateway Primary Free School. Operates a network of primary and secondary academies across England with a similar state-funded model and shared central services, making it the closest structural comparable.
• E-ACT: National multi-academy trust operating state-funded primary and secondary schools in England. Comparable in funding model, curriculum breadth, and trust-level resource sharing.
• ARK Academies: UK education charity running a network of academies with an extended-day, enrichment-rich model. Directly comparable on mission (state-funded primary education with wraparound and enrichment) and target demographic.
• Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT): Large multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary schools across the South East of England, including Essex-adjacent areas. Comparable state-funded operating model and shared-services structure.

Direct peers

• Reach Academy Trust: Small multi-academy trust running free schools with extended school day, family engagement, and enrichment programmes; very similar in size and philosophy to Gateway Primary Free School.
• Herringham Primary Academy: Sister primary academy within the same Gateway Learning Community Trust, sharing central services and governance. Directly comparable in operating model, target age group (3–11), and catchment profile.
• Gateway Academy: Secondary academy within the Gateway Learning Community Trust, co-located in the same MAT and feeding into shared events like the Careers Fair. Same trust governance and overlapping student cohort.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GlcTeaching
• Facebookfacebook.com/100083335809585
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-gateway-primary-free-school
• Instagraminstagram.com/thegatewaylearningcommunity

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Gateway Primary Free School