About our bit of Newham

Gallions Primary School opened in September 1999 on the Winsor Park Estate in Newham, East London. It is a community school for all children aged 3 to 11 years, including pre-school. The Index of Multiple Deprivation identifies Newham as the 11th most deprived area in the country and the 4th most deprived in London.

The Winsor Park Estate is one of the poorest areas in Newham, consisting of 95% social housing. The school has a diverse ethnic intake with over 60 different languages being spoken by the pupils and staff. There are a large number of refugee families. 38% of the pupils at the school are entitled to free school meals, compared with a national average of 16.8% per school. 29% of the pupils have Special Educational Needs.

We strongly believe that all children, no matter what their background, should be given the opportunity to try things, to learn, and to excel. The children we support are not defined by their background, but by their talent.

Sadly, it does happen that children from this type of demographic achieve less academically. In our case, thanks to the dedicated work of the teachers and the investment in music education, this is not the case.

“There’s just me and my Mum and I look after her because she’s got MS. I didn’t really want to be at school, but Mum said I had to else I’ll end up with no job like her.” Ayesha, Age 8