Gatehouse school was founded by Phyllis Wallbank in May 1948, in the gatehouse of St Bartholomew the Great Priory Church, West Smithfield. A pioneer of educational development, Mrs Wallbank was also a friend and professional associate of Maria Montessori. She set out to create a school in which:
The School moved to its present site in the mid-1970s, where Christian values and principles still form the backbone to school life. Gatehouse sets out to provide the best education possible for children, establishing a modern outlook on primary education while ensuring that it retains the key values on which it was first founded.