Forest GateCommunity School is a mixed comprehensive secondary school in the London Borough of Newham, rated Outstanding by Ofsted in 2016. The school was extended from eight forms of entry to nine – rising to a total of 1,350 pupils – starting with the Year 7 admission in September 2019 to meet demand from local parents. The school was described in an article in the Daily Mail as "one of the most inspirational in Britain". The school was ranked in the 50 in the country for progress in GCSE results in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. In 2017, disadvantaged students made progress over on grade higher than the national average, source Department for Education
History
The school was built by architects Colquhoun and Miller in 1965 to replace Whitehall Place School Senior Mixed School. It was opened in February 1966 by The Right Honourable Sir F. Elwyn Jones, who was the Labour MP for West Ham South at the time. It was originally called Forest Gate County High School.
Awards and Nominations
World Class Schools status, 2017 - ACCREDITATION
The Chartered Institute of Assessors, 2017 - ACCREDITATION
The Evening Standard outstanding achievement in challenging circumstances award, 2017 - WON
The TES secondary school of the year, 2017 - NOMINATED
The school had a £15m remodelling in 2011, as part of the London Borough of Newham’s Building Schools for the Future Programme. This included the introduction of a new four court sports hall, an open plan breakout space and a new passenger lift and staircase. The school also has an on-site fitness suite/gym, including separate facilities for muscular and cardio workouts. It is open to the public outside of school hours.
Scholarship Programme
Since September 2013, the school have run a scholarship programme helping very bright pupils win places at top independent schools. In February 2014, Ishak Ayiris and Irfan Badshah became the first students to be accepted on scholarships, winning places at Eton and Winchester College, respectively. In 2017, Kaashif Kamaly became the second student to win a scholarship at Eton. In total, ten students have won scholarships.
