Please be aware we are a nut free school. For more information please visit our Lunchtime Page.

Looking to join The Gordon Children's Academy in September 2026? 

Come along to our Opening Evening on 3rd November at 5pm.
See our school in action during one of our Open Day tours on 5th, 12th, and 19th November. Choose from 9:30-10:30am or 1:30-2:30pm tours.

Contact our office for more information. 

Accredited Thinking School

A Cognitive Approach to Education

As part of the Thinking Schools Academy Trust, we take pride in the unique approach we take to education: we provide our children with the skills and tools they need to think in a variety of ways and become lifelong learners. The transferrable Thinking Tools that we teach our pupils are designed to prepare them for the range of scenarios, dilemmas and circumstances that they may face in later life as part of modern society.

The University of Exeter’s School of Education – which leads the way in research on Metacognition, Thinking Skills and Creativity – provides a framework for schools to become recognised Thinking Schools. We received our level 1 thinking accreditation in 2018 and we are proud to share that the University recently assessed evidence of our school’s teaching and learning practices, the quality of our curriculum and the impact it has on our pupils, and, as a result, rewarded us our accreditation as an Advanced Thinking School.

View our 2025 Report

We were delighted with University of Exeter's report, which highlighted the positive impact our thinking culture has had for our students:
 

  • “The Gordon Children’s Academy goes well beyond the surface of educational excellence.”
     
  • “There is an exceptional thinking culture that permeates every facet of school life and The Gordon Children’s Academy truly lives up to its Thinking School mantra in that it really is ‘The way we do it here’.”
     
  • “The Gordon Children’s Academy disseminates high-impact practice across internal subject areas, the local community, cluster schools, nationally and internationally.”
     
  • “The Deputy Headteacher’s case study on Retrieval Practice stands as a model of outstanding dissemination.”
     
  • “High achievement and wellbeing flourish because of an unswerving focus on holistic lifelong learning.”

What is a Thinking School?

A Thinking School is unique in their focus to share with your child the tools to become a life-long learner, and to develop the best possible habits for success in life. It is an educational community which involves both students and staff learning how to think reflectively, critically and creatively. 

We want every student in our schools to be inquisitive and confident in themselves. Our thinking toolkit is how we support them through this journey. These tools are used in tandem with an approach to teaching that instils a growth mindest and ‘can do’ attitude. Through their time in a Thinking School, students will develop the right habits to ensure they are successful throughout education and beyond.

Thinking about Our Thinking: Hats, Maps and Keys

A core part of Cognitive Education is the use of 'Thinking Tools'. Students in our classroom will learn to structure and organise their thinking through the use of Thinking Hats, Maps and Keys. 

Each tool helps navigate students through three distinct pathways: Hats Organise thinking; Maps Visualise thinking; and Keys Engage and Motivate thinking. Together they form a comprehensive and rich structure children utilise for problem solving and creative thinking. It is our aim to develop our young people into lifelong learners and we firmly believe children will find themselves continuing to use this framework when they progress to Secondary School and beyond.