Logo Logo Logo Logo Logo
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Gainsborough
      • Headteacher’s Welcome
      • School Facilities
      • Development Objectives
      • Our Mission
      • Who We Are
      • Staff List
    • School Policy
      • Ofsted Report
      • Primary Advantage Policies
      • School Policies
      • Pupil Premium
      • PE & Sports Premium Funding
      • Rights Respecting School
      • Test Results
      • Inclusion & Equalities
      • SEND
    • Governance
      • Our Governors
      • Local Advisory Board
    • Primary Advantage
      • Introduction
      • Current Vacancies
      • Our Partnerships
      • Our Teaching Schools
  • News & Events
    • News Archive
    • Calendar
    • Newsletters
    • Term Dates
    • Letters Home
  • Curriculum
    • Teaching & Learning
      • Phases
      • Curriculum and Assessment
      • The School Day
      • EYFS
      • Key Stage 1 & 2
      • Homework
    • Subjects
      • Art
      • Computing
      • Design & Technology
      • English: Reading & Phonics
      • English: Writing
      • Mathematics
      • MFL: Spanish
      • Music
      • Campaign Curriculum
      • Physical Education
      • Religious Education
      • Science
  • Children
    • Year Groups
      • 2 YO Nursery
      • 3 YO Nursery
      • Reception
      • Year 1
      • Year 2
      • Year 3
      • Year 4
      • Year 5
      • Year 6
    • Extra-Curricular
      • Forest School
      • Music Tution
      • PA Sports
    • Pupil Voice
      • Sports Leaders
      • RRS Ambassadors
      • Green Ambassadors
      • Reading Rangers
      • School Council
      • Peer Mediators
  • Parents
    • Admissions
      • School Admissions
      • Nursery
      • Reception Admission
      • Secondary School Transfer
    • Parent Information
      • Parents Introduction
      • Trips and Visits
      • Attendance and Punctuality
      • Behaviour
      • School Uniform
      • Parent’s Evenings
      • Healthy Schools
      • School Meals
      • Friends of Gainsborough School
      • Online Safety
      • FAQs
    • Extended School
      • Breakfast Club
      • After School Clubs
      • Play Centre
      • Parent Workshops
  • Children’s Centre
    • About our Children’s Centre
    • Events and Activities
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Gainsborough
      • Headteacher’s Welcome
      • School Facilities
      • Development Objectives
      • Our Mission
      • Who We Are
      • Staff List
    • School Policy
      • Ofsted Report
      • Primary Advantage Policies
      • School Policies
      • Pupil Premium
      • PE & Sports Premium Funding
      • Rights Respecting School
      • Test Results
      • Inclusion & Equalities
      • SEND
    • Governance
      • Our Governors
      • Local Advisory Board
    • Primary Advantage
      • Introduction
      • Current Vacancies
      • Our Partnerships
      • Our Teaching Schools
  • News & Events
    • News Archive
    • Calendar
    • Newsletters
    • Term Dates
    • Letters Home
  • Curriculum
    • Teaching & Learning
      • Phases
      • Curriculum and Assessment
      • The School Day
      • EYFS
      • Key Stage 1 & 2
      • Homework
    • Subjects
      • Art
      • Computing
      • Design & Technology
      • English: Reading & Phonics
      • English: Writing
      • Mathematics
      • MFL: Spanish
      • Music
      • Campaign Curriculum
      • Physical Education
      • Religious Education
      • Science
  • Children
    • Year Groups
      • 2 YO Nursery
      • 3 YO Nursery
      • Reception
      • Year 1
      • Year 2
      • Year 3
      • Year 4
      • Year 5
      • Year 6
    • Extra-Curricular
      • Forest School
      • Music Tution
      • PA Sports
    • Pupil Voice
      • Sports Leaders
      • RRS Ambassadors
      • Green Ambassadors
      • Reading Rangers
      • School Council
      • Peer Mediators
  • Parents
    • Admissions
      • School Admissions
      • Nursery
      • Reception Admission
      • Secondary School Transfer
    • Parent Information
      • Parents Introduction
      • Trips and Visits
      • Attendance and Punctuality
      • Behaviour
      • School Uniform
      • Parent’s Evenings
      • Healthy Schools
      • School Meals
      • Friends of Gainsborough School
      • Online Safety
      • FAQs
    • Extended School
      • Breakfast Club
      • After School Clubs
      • Play Centre
      • Parent Workshops
  • Children’s Centre
    • About our Children’s Centre
    • Events and Activities
  • Contact

Introduction

Home > About Us  > Primary Advantage > Introduction

We are a group of schools working together because we believe our schools can gain many benefits from working collaboratively. We have made a commitment to a shared responsibility to the wider school community, the provision of good quality education and the improvement of life chances for pupils in the community beyond that of our own schools. Teachers, support staff, school leaders and governors have added expertise in working alongside colleagues to improve provision and outcomes for our pupils.

Primary Advantage Journey

St John and St James opened as a Fresh Start School in Sept 2000. The Governors and School Leadership team were committed to ensuring long term, stable, good quality provision for children in our community. We succeeded in our aims to broaden horizons, impact on barriers to learning and secure good outcomes for children, equipping them for the next stage in their educational journey.

St John and St James joined a collaborative partnership with Holy Trinity when the school went into special measures and formed a Hard Federation in Sept 2006. At that time, the joint Governing Body made a commitment to a shared responsibility to the wider school community, the provision of good quality education and the improvement of life chances for pupils in the community beyond that of our own school. We have lived out that vision since 2003 through our partnership work with other schools. The five school Hard Federation started formally in Sept 2011 following a period of partnership with each school. After working in a partnership, Morningside Primary School joined the federation in September 2013, with Gainsborough Primary School and De Beauvoir Primary School joining in April 2017. Our eight school federation now has considerable experience of working in partnership with schools in challenging circumstances to secure rapid and sustainable school improvement. Teachers, support staff, school leaders and Governors have added expertise in working alongside colleagues to improve provision and outcomes for pupils. The Federation has three National Support Schools and three National Leaders in Education.

What is a Federation?

A federation is a group of two or more schools that have made a formal commitment to work together under a single governing body. This enables the schools in the federation to:

  • work together efficiently and sustainably to raise standards,
  • improve services and increase opportunities for pupils and staff; and
  • share resources, staff, expertise and facilities.

The legislation that allows schools to federate is set out in regulations made under sections 24 and 25 of the Education Act 2002. The decision to create or join a federation is usually taken by governors, although in some circumstances the local authority can require schools to federate. In recent years, it has become increasingly common for schools to work together in a federation. Some of the other federations in Hackney are:

  • The Horizon and Downsview Federation, which is made up of two special schools.
  • The New Wave Federation of Grazebrook, Shacklewell and Woodberry Down Primary Schools.
  • The Viridis Federation of Hoxton Garden, Orchard and Southwold Schools.

The benefits of federation

Working together in a federation brings important benefits to Primary Advantage. It means the schools are able to:

  • Share the knowledge , expertise and ideas of individual members of staff
  • Negotiate discounts and deals with suppliers because we are buying for all eight schools instead of just one
  • Provide staff with excellent training and development opportunities within our federation such as:
    • Assesstival (a Festival of Assessment, an INSET day centred around Assessment and Deep Learning.)
    • Working with other teachers across all schools

Leadership of our Federation

All of our schools share the same governing body and Executive Principal, while each school has its own Headteacher.

While the Primary Advantage Schools work together very closely, they continue to be separate schools. This means that:

  • Each school has its own name, identity, logo and uniform.
  • Pupils stay at the same school site for all their lessons.
  • Hackney Learning Trust considers each school separately when they are processing applications for school places.
  • Ofsted carry out separate inspections of each school.
  • The Department for Education publish separate entries for each school in the performance tables on their website.
Related Pages
  • Introduction
  • Current Vacancies
  • Our Partnerships
  • Our Teaching Schools
  • Latest News
    Year 2 Coat appeal
    Year 2 are doing a coat appeal. If you have any old winter outerwear that is no long any use to you please donate it to our Year 2...
  • Latest News
    London College of Fashion Innovation Challenge Prize
    Last a year 5 year 4 and 5 girls took part in the London College of Fashion Innovation Challenge. The girls designed a costume, modelled by Yasmin below, they...
  • Latest News
    World Children’s Day
    World Children’s Day is UNICEF’s annual day of action for children, by children. This year is extra special as it marks 30 years of the Convention on the Rights of...
  • Latest News
    Black History Month @ Gainsborough
    This year, we will celebrate Black History Month by: Learning a range of songs by Black artists from this century Learning and retelling Anansi stories which are traditional Ghanaian stories...
  • Latest News
    Year 4 Trip - British Museum
    Year 4 attended a workshop at the British Museum, we learnt how Britain was ruled by the Romans. ‘We saw different kinds of statues of Romans including Augustus! Augustus is...
  • Latest News
    Year 5 Trip - Thames Water Explorer
    Year 5 explored the Thames at Greenwich. We dug around in the riverbank and excavated some old sheep bones, 500 year old bricks from a palace and unopened can!...
  • Latest News
    Climate Change Protest
    We sent four of our school Green Ambassadors to the Climate Change Protest at Hackney Town Hall. Mia, from year 6, stood on the steps of Hackney Town Hall...
  • Latest News
    Good Luck Sandra
    We have been very fortunate over the years to have the kindest, most caring and professional lollipop lady a school could wish for. Sandra has made the decision over...
  • Latest News
    Year 2 Trip - Ridley Road Market
    Year 2 went to Ridley Road Market on Tuesday 10th September to buy a range of different fruit and vegetables. We were just about to start reading the book...
Get in touch

Gainsborough Primary School
Berkshire Road
Hackney
London E9 5ND

Tel: 020 8985 4622
Email: admin@gainsborough.hackney.sch.uk
Executive Principal: Sian Davies
Executive Headteacher: Jenna Clark

Primary Advantage

The Primary Advantage Federation are a group of 8 schools working together because we believe our schools can gain many benefits from working collaboratively.

Visit Website