Year 10 student leadership have been focusing on the key value of Aspiration and working on:

1. Careers fair for the entire academy on 12th March
2. Revision resources and strategies to share in assembly and in tutor time
3. Clubs to promote skills for the CV
4. TV show for the academy showing the importance of aspiration and resilience including interviews with Mrs McLaughlin and Kara Meade (Deputy Head Girl)

This term, Year 10 have been doing exactly that! By learning to do this themselves, students aren't just practising knife skills—they are also learning about portion control and cost-effectiveness in a commercial kitchen.

A huge well done to everyone for handling such a complex task with maturity and skill.

Words could not really explain how proud I am of this group of young hoopers in our first ever European Tournament.

The U16 boys came together and made history. The first club level team from the UK to ever make it to the finals in the X-Mas Tournament in Belgium. Placing 2nd for Silver above some of the very best club teams in Belgium, France, Netherlands, Germany and beyond.

In many ways we were at a huge disadvantage having only practiced together once per month, and even then some of the players had only met for the first time on the minibus to travel out there.

The U14 boys with far less experience than the U16’s put themselves in the runners up final too. Losing their first game to the tournament bronze medalist, they then went on to win 3 games back to back.

I rewind back to September 2023 and Gators Basketball started out with just myself, Coach Stephane and a handful of players at one session once per week on a Saturday afternoon at The Gateway Academy in Tilbury.

Today we are developing some of the best players in the area and with the addition of Coach Aks we are also attracting elite talent from London and the surrounding counties to compete in high level International Tournaments that feature some of the best clubs, academies and players in Europe.

Firstly, can I take this opportunity to express my absolute gratitude to our exceptional students, who make working at The Gateway Academy a truly wonderful experience. Every day, we continue to reach new heights, and it is a testament to the culture, ambition, and commitment that exists across our academy.

We are increasingly welcoming visitors from other schools who come to see the outstanding work taking place here on so many levels. Most recently, we were delighted to host colleagues from BOA Academy, who commented:

“We thoroughly enjoyed the visit and came away with a wealth of ideas to reflect on for our own school. It was also truly heartening to see the journey the Trust has been on and to witness first-hand the profound impact it is having on the lives of the students it serves, both academically and in their wider development.”

What is clear is that, supported by our exceptional staff, our students are achieving success across a wide range of fronts. Our basketball teams are competing at a national level, academic achievement is above the national average, staff and student attendance continue to exceed national figures, and staff retention remains above 95%.

We are incredibly excited about how far we can go. We firmly believe our students have the heart, determination, and work ethic to compete with the very best — and the future of The Gateway Academy has never looked brighter.

Year 11 Parents and Carers Evening – Thursday 05 March 2026 1600 – 1900

Year 11 students took part in a Christmas rewards trip to Flip Out, enjoying a fun and well-deserved celebration of their commitment and achievements.