Headteacher

Fort Pitt opened as a grammar school in 1984 and is one of the remaining 163 in the country. Prior to this it was the first technical school for girls in the country and opened in 1926 serving the communities of Rochester and Chatham.

Fort Pitt’s history is deep rooted in the local area with its oldest building dating from 1853 when it was a military hospital during the Crimean war and Florence Nightingale’s first teaching hospital. Visited three times by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert the buildings, estate and school continue to be of national historical significance.

Fort Pitt is one of six selective schools located within the Medway Local Authority area, three of which are single sex 11-18 grammar schools for girls.  Much of our intake includes first generation grammar school students as well as first generation sixth-form students and university aspirants. Therefore, one of our key aims and challenges is to raise the aspirations and expectations of both students and parents. Due to this we firmly believe that our school’s mission is to continue the work of the original grammar schools enabling middle and high attaining students from any background to achieve academic success and in-turn enable social mobility and increase life chances and choices.

We are not a ‘super-selective’ school and accept any student who has passed the Medway 11+ test.

We are oversubscribed in every year group and draw from a large geographical area which includes Kent and London.  Our catchment area is reducing year-on-year and this is a demonstration of our increasing popularity.

We are known for having a strong supportive ethos providing an individualized approach to both pastoral care and academic support. This is cited as a reason why most parents choose the school (and why we continue to be oversubscribed) and why our mobility is extremely low. We have a thriving Sixth Form, which became co-educational in September 2013.

Fort Pitt is an ‘Outstanding’ school and its last Ofsted inspection was in October 2022.  It continues to provide an outstanding education and exceptional pastoral care. We are members of the Beyond Schools Trust, a Trust with a strong belief in the value of lifelong learning, and one that fully prepares children so they have the skills, knowledge, values and character to be successful in the world beyond our doors. Everything we do is aimed at providing our staff with the resources and leadership to achieve their best. We believe that a happy, supported and motivated team creates the best environment and opportunities for students to achieve their full potential.

Most importantly, Fort Pitt is a supportive, caring, nurturing, challenging and fun place to study or work.