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The doors are open to pupils at GSAL’s new Primary School

Tuesday 8 September 2020

Children returning to The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL) this week are all together at the Alwoodley Gates campus for the first time in the school’s history. The move is the final piece of the jigsaw following our 2008 merger of Leeds Grammar School and Leeds Girls’ High School to form GSAL.

Until now, the youngest children on site were Year 3 but they will now be joined by pupils in Nursery to Year 2, who were previously based at Rose Court in Headingley. The Alwoodley site has been extensively refurbished so that Nursery to Year 4 can be housed in the former Junior School building with Years 5 and 6 joined by an elevated glass walkway to their own corridors, previously part of the Senior School building.

All year groups will enjoy access to age-appropriate learning spaces, play areas and libraries, and the extensive sporting and other facilities on the main school campus, which is home to 2,000 pupils.

Gabrielle Solti, Vice Principal and Head of Primary School, joined GSAL last September to lead the big move.

She said: “Creating a new primary school fit for the future has been hugely exciting. This has given us the opportunity not only to develop state of the art learning environments but also to enable exciting new approaches to how we teach children both inside and outside. There were huge smiles on the children’s faces this morning as they saw the transformation.”

Principal Sue Woodroofe said: “This is a very special moment for me; it has been my goal since joining the school four years ago to bring the whole GSAL family together as a single school community, sharing our daily experience of school life in this outstanding learning environment. I am so grateful to everyone who has worked so hard to make this happen, particularly in such challenging times.

“We are excited to welcome all the pupils back this week, from Nursery to Sixth Form, and it will be wonderful to have a school buzzing with young people again.”

The Rose Court site has been acquired by Leeds City Council to create a new school for pupils aged 4-16 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Under current government restrictions we are unable to host prospective pupils and their families in person, so we invite you to our virtual open events on Friday 18 September and Saturday 10 October. Please register at www.gsal.org.uk.

 

Pictured are pupils in their Year 1 bubble, making a collage on their first day at GSAL Primary School

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Or, if you prefer to chat to someone please call our admissions team. For Senior School call 0113 228 5121 and for Primary School call 0113 228 5113.