Also a parent with kids at Gower (since nursery). While I have been generally satisfied there are pluses and minuses.
On the positive side:
Teachers are very good and give a lot of one on one attention to the kids. You can tell they really care.
The school does a very good job of fostering a caring and conscientious atmosphere amongst the children most of whom seem to be happy and well adjusted.
Big emphasis is placed on environmental issues.
The kids do a lot of public speaking and presentations from reception up so they all seem to speak with great confidence.
Children are really nurtured to be kind, confident, sociable and conscientious.
There is good after school provision for working parents.
Have been very pleased with my children's level in reading, writing and maths.
On the minus:
Staff turnover has been a huge problem every year. It is not uncommon for teachers to leave at the end of each term with what seems like half the staff leaving every year. One of my children had three different teachers in one year. This really does the children a great disservice.
The uniform requirement is, in my opinion, excessive. Including things like: £75 school blazer, monogrammed yoga towel, three different kinds of shoes, a different school bag for everything from p.e., to music, swimming, shoes, books plus rucksack. This is in addition to standard winter uniform, summer uniform, winter p.e. kit, summer p.e. kit, swim kit etc. There seems to be an overly complicated schedule of costume changes - especially for the younger kids who aren't capable of keeping themselves organised. There are poor storage facilities at school for all the belongings and it's not uncommon for items to go missing.
Food. My kids have never liked the food. While it is cooked fresh on site, it is vegetarian and seems to mainly be pasta and beans on jacket-potatoe type dishes. Not so sure about the 'organic when possible' claims made on the website considering the Iceland truck that makes food deliveries. ;-) And now that kids are bigger they complain that there isn't enough to go around.
The building, while very new and modern is also very small. The school has grown rapidly so classrooms are very crowded. One room that originally housed a single class has now been divided for two classes. Another room that was once a small art room is now a classroom. While the kids go to local parks for P.E. there is very little outdoor space at school. It often feels a bit claustrophobic.
You will be required to provide a snack for the entire class once a fortnight or so and once a month your child will have to bring flowers to decorate the class. While this is a nice idea for the kids, many parents find it a burden especially in addition to everything else. (uniform, homework, special projects etc)
There really isn't a forum for parent involvement in the school. No PTA for example and, sadly, very little consideration is given to parents' or kids' opinions & needs when major changes have been made.
Like I say, there are plusses and minuses. Overall my kids are happy there and I'm pleased with the level of education they have received and the loving care they experience from the teachers.