Pastoral : Lower School

The first three years of the High School, Years 7 to 9, known at Gateways as Upper III, Lower IV and Upper IV, make up Lower School. When they join the High School the girls are divided alphabetically into three forms. This ensures a mix of pupils who are new to the school and those who were in the Gateways Prep. Girls get to know their form tutors well during form time and also PSHE lessons. The form tutor is always the first point of contact for a pupil and for her parents. Every girl is allocated to one of the three Houses: Harewood, Beningbrough or Newby. There is healthy rivalry between the Houses and girls are encouraged to collect Housepoints for good work or contributions to school life. There are also regular inter-house competitions. To help girls settle into life at Gateways they are invited to a New Girls’ Afternoon during the Summer before they join Upper III. They spend the first morning of the Autumn Term with their form tutor and then early in the term all are encouraged to join in the residential weekend visit to Bewerley Park, an outdoor pursuits centre in North Yorkshire, specialising in team-building and challenging activities.