More Able Students

Aim

Forest Gate Community School is a learning community where our students have high aspirations for themselves and each other. We want our students to grow into well-informed, well-balanced and confident citizens. We aim to provide a disciplined, safe environment where children learn effectively and respect each other.

How do we identify the most able?

We believe in the principle that any student who excels in any given subject should be regarded as more able within that subject area regardless of their prior data or how they perform in any other subject. Therefore the school will identify more able students based on two strands:

1. The first strand will be more able students identified based on their prior data in English and Maths. Students identified as level 5 in English will be more able in English, similarly in Maths. For foundation subjects, students with an average level 5 (between Maths and English) will be regarded as more able in those subjects. In the case that a student does not have prior data, then the baseline test in English and Maths will determine their status.

2. The second strand of identifying more able students will be those who excel within any subject regardless of their prior data (below level 5). It is the prerogative of the subject teachers to determine which students are more able based on a series of rigorous formative and summative assessments.

In the classroom

Forest Gate Community School is committed to raising the achievement and attainment of all students. Research shows that where the highest expectations are made of more able students, learning and achievement for all students improves. All students, including the most able, have a right to an appropriate and challenging education. Like all our students, our most able students have individual needs.

We recognise the needs of the individual and the importance of providing a personalised curriculum. As teachers, we recognise that many of our students are more able and we endeavour to foster and extend their abilities to their maximum potential.

We believe that the most effective way to develop more able students is through excellent teaching and learning. We are committed to ensuring that more able students are continually challenged in their learning, they meet demanding curriculum targets and that they achieve the highest grades in public examinations. We expect students who are identified as more able in particular subjects to excel in those areas of learning within and beyond the boundaries of Forest Gate Community School through extra-curricular activities.

Outside the classroom

We feel it is vital for all our students to enjoy a full and rounded education and this means encouraging them to take part in the many clubs and extracurricular opportunities on offer to explore and develop their talents. For example, talented musicians are able to have additional music lessons and take part in our concerts, performing in bands or one of the many other groups that practice regularly and perform together in school. The drama department offers many opportunities for both writing and performing in plays and musicals and our able sportsmen can compete in a whole range of sports.

We have strong links with a number of universities and as we encourage our more able students to aspire to attending university, we reinforce this by taking them on university day trips so that they can experience university life for themselves.

Each year selected students take part in The Brilliant Club Scholars Programme. The Brilliant Club is an award winning organisation which matches leading PhD researchers with schools to help stretch students beyond the curriculum. Students take part in university style tutorials, attend launch and graduation trips at prestigious universities and complete an extended project.

Every morning there is a subject specific ‘Excellence Lecture’ that is run by subject specific staff that caters to our top end pupils. These help students to further challenge themselves outside of the classroom.

All of our P2X students receive a subject specific booklet with exam questions and model solutions to enable our students to study independently.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award (DoFE)

We also offer a life-changing experience for our more able students by giving them an opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE). This provides pupils with an opportunity to have fun with friends and a chance to discover new interests and talents. A tool to develop essential skills for life and work. A recognised mark of achievement, respected by employers. Year 9 and 10 students can do a DofE programme at one of the two progressive levels which, when successfully completed at FGCS, leads to a Bronze (Year 9) or Silver (Year 10) Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. There are four sections to complete at Bronze and Silver level which involve

• Volunteering -  helping the community/environment
• Physical - becoming fitter and healthier, 
• Skill - developing new skills
• Expedition - planning, training for and completing a camping expedition.

Any young person can do their DofE. Achieving an Award isn’t a competition or about being first. It’s all about setting personal challenges and pushing personal boundaries.

The Prestigious Colleges Programme

The Prestigious Colleges Programme is an initiative, designed to support students in applying for bursary places at some of the UK’s top schools, including Marlborough College, Westminster School, and City of London School.

The mission of Prestigious Colleges Programme is to:

• Explore options: Introduce students to a variety of prestigious schools and help them understand which fits them best.
• Provide guidance: Assign a dedicated mentor to help with personal statements, references, and applications.
• Break barriers: Ensure every student has the support needed to reach their chosen school.
• Offer enriching experiences: School trips to prestigious institutions. Access to workshops, competitions, and events to build skills and confidence. Talks from successful alumni and other inspiring figures.
• Interview practice: including one-on-one sessions with leadership team members.
• Prepare for success: Support students with entrance exams and academic challenges through resources, workshops, and competitions.
• Foster growth: Encourage participation in extracurricular activities like chess, volunteering, and discussing current affairs through our weekly Prestigious Colleges Club.

What do we expect for our most able students?

We expect our most able pupils to make outstanding progress, to study the EBACC and their choice of creative subjects, and to achieve Grades 8/9 in as many subjects as possible so that they are able to progress on to success in their choice of A levels in 6th Form and have access to the top Russell Group Universities. We have helped numerous students obtain places at prestigious colleges across London.

Assessment, tracking and targeting

Close attention is paid to the progress of our most able students. Frequent assessments are differentiated and a range of intervention measures are put in place when underachievement is measured.

We run ‘Morning Excellence Lectures’ from 7.45 to 8.20am

NACE Award

We were awarded the NACE Challenge Award in 2023. This is a national award for excellence. Schools that are successful in gaining the award have high quality provision for all students and more able students in particular.

NACE Challenge Award

Able students from disadvantaged backgrounds

We help students and families to overcome socio-economic and cultural barriers to attending further and higher education. Some of our most able students come from homes where no parent or close relative has either experienced, or expects, progression to university. Using the Pupil Premium funding Forest Gate Community School positively discriminates and engages proactively with the parents or carers of these students to tackle this challenge and students are provided with curriculum provision, access to cultural and social activity and personalised support.

As a parent, what can I do to support my child?

There are many practical steps that you can take to support and nurture your child, for example by encouraging him/her to:

• Utilise the local library and the internet as learning and research resources
• Visit museums, science centres, nature reserves and art galleries
• Watch educational and current affairs programmes such as the news, wildlife/nature programmes and documentaries, and discuss them
• Read a quality national newspaper
• Discuss and debate topics, such as politics, the environment and the media
• Discuss homework and schoolwork
• Take part in extra-curricular activities
• Take an active part in family decision-making
• Listen to different types of music
• Read for pleasure, including demanding/challenging books
• Take regular physical exercise
• Socialise and relax in between work and learn to ‘switch off’.

You can also support your child by:

• Providing suitable learning resources such as books, encyclopaedias, magazines, computer software etc.
• Organising day trips and visits to places of cultural, historical and educational interest
• Building cultural experiences, trips and excursions into family holidays.

Who should parents contact in school?

Parents sometimes need to contact the school: if things are not going well; to seek advice; or to obtain more information in order to better support their child. The following key personnel should be contacted:

Rosie Noor - Deputy Headteacher

Robin Inayat - Deputy Lead Teacher for MAS (P2X)

• The subject teacher or subject leader for subject-specific questions
• The Head of Learning for questions relating to student well being

Success Stories

GCSE Results Day 2024

Newham Recorder - Latymer Scholarship

The Guardian - GCSE Results

Newham Recorder - UCL Summer School

Alumni Stories

My journey at FGCS from 2016 to 2021 was a transformative period, where I not only gained knowledge, but also discovered my passions and strengths. My experiences at FGCS laid a strong foundation for my future at City of London School through the Prestigious Colleges programme, and later, the University of Manchester where I am studying to be a chartered accountant.

Since leaving FGCS, I have been involved in helping with the Prestigious Colleges programme, which includes regularly going back to FGCS to help a new generation of students achieve their dreams or open their eyes to paths they did not realise existed. In addition to this, building on the foundation I developed in maths and business, I co-founded a tutoring and educational consultancy company called Quanta Academy which is aimed at helping students excel in their academic pursuits. This venture allowed me to apply my classroom knowledge in a real-world context, turning my passion for education into a meaningful initiative that supports others in their journeys.

Being part of the FGCS alumni network is vital as it extends the sense of community beyond achieving GCSEs, fostering connections that are just as important as academic achievements. My time at City of London taught me that the relationships we build, both during our time at school and afterward, provide invaluable support, networking opportunities, but most importantly, a shared commitment to giving back. The benefits of FGCS should go far beyond the classroom, it should nurture a network of like-minded individuals who continue to inspire and uplift others as we navigate our own respective paths in life.

Dhruv Parmar, Class of 2020-2021

Hi, I’m Adam. I studied at FGCS from 2016 to 2021, leaving with Grade 9s in all 11 GCSE

subjects. During my time at FGCS, I served as a Student Councillor for a full 4-year term, and was also Head Student from 2019 to 2020. Naturally, this involved being part of the ‘life’ of the school more than would otherwise have been usual. I produced promotional videos, edited the Student Newsletter, assisted parents and staff at numerous after-school events, met with SLT and the Local School Board to discuss improvements, while playing a key role in the World Class Schools Quality Mark re-accreditation process that culminated in FGCS winning School of the Year in 2020. 

All of this culminated in me winning a Jack Petchey Award just before lockdown, a difficult time throughout which the School gave us all so much support.

During my time at FGCS, aside from the top-drawer teaching and lifelong friends I made, I also benefitted from countless initiatives. These included tailored work experience, Pathway X, and Prestigious Colleges. Via a 2-week hospital placement, the former provided me with invaluable insight into the career as a doctor that I intended to pursue. Pathway X ensured I was kept on my toes in all of my subjects. And the latter meant that I received personalised support for my applications to the country’s top independent schools, with access to paid-for application fees interview practice, personal statement feedback, and entrance exam preparation.

As a result of this, I won a full scholarship to City of London School for my sixth form education.There, I studied A-Levels in Biology, Geography, and Chemistry, achieving A*A*A. This was alongside completing an EPQ on solutions to food poverty, which also received an A*. The phenomenal teaching and resources, coupled with the sensational future guidance on offer, meant that I received offers to all of the medical schools that I applied to. Currently, I’m a second-year medical student at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. It’s academically rigorous. At times, it can be intense. Even taxing. But it’s also sorewarding. Nothing could have better-prepared me for this life than the educational pathway that FGCS set me on - by learning not just for the sake of passing exams, but because of a naturalcuriosity about the world around me, and a desire to shape it. For this, I am always grateful to the School.

That gratitude I feel is a major factor behind my continued involvement with the School, as part of the Prestigious Colleges programme that has seen a steady stream of students win scholarships to the country’s top independent schools year after year. My aim is simple: to give back to the School that gave me so much, by helping the next wave of students realise their ambitions, and by demonstrating that one’s background does not have to be a limiter. Since I finished my GCSEs in 2021, I’ve conducted mock interviews, provided tailored feedback, and conducted talks (to students and parents alike) about both the application process and life at an independent school.

I’ve always enjoyed public speaking, and good communication is a crucial skill to have in medical school, so for me, these events are a great opportunity to practise my skills in front of an audience. And it’s also immensely humbling to know that as a result of the experiences I shared, the advice I could provide, or simply by provoking some thought, I’ve played a small part in FGCS students receiving life-changing opportunities.I’ve been part of the FGCS community for 8 years now. It’s clear that the alumni community theSchool is building is an exciting opportunity for us all. As alumni, we get to practise different skills, to give back, and to inspire the next cohort of students. Those students get a chance to learn from people who have very recently gone through the same process as them. And for the School as a whole, they gain access to a diverse network of people who are studying or working in a range of sectors, all with expertise that they are willing to share. It’s a win for everyone, and I’m glad to be a part of it!

Adam Patel, Class on 2020-2021