Teacher of History and the Personal Development Curriculum (Citizenship)

Our students and staff are at the heart of everything we do. Committed to the highest standards of teaching and learning, we continue to use a combination of challenge, support and praise to ensure that all students fulfil their potential and achieve their best. We are equally committed to the highest standards of professional learning for our staff and have an embedded culture of learning across the school, where all staff model lifelong learning for our students. The school organises its own training programme utilising both external and internal expertise and which is tailored to match the professional needs of staff. In this way we can be sure to secure maximum impact on students’ progress. Subject Team Leaders are empowered to lead excellent professional development activities for colleagues in their teams and have their own external professional performance coach to support the development of their own leadership skills. Our results this year are a true testament to the hard work that both our students and staff have put in over the past three years.

We are an inclusive school, committed to providing the best education possible to students of all abilities, in order for each individual to achieve their personal best. Our SEND provision is highly thought of in the local authority. We work hard to identify barriers to learning, and then endeavour to work with parents, colleagues and educational professionals to address these barriers, so that no child leaves us without achieving their best.

We have very high numbers of students on our More Able and Talented register, and cater for them through our broad curriculum offer, our Effective Learning Groups policy and our wide range of extension activities. We are proud of our excellent facilities, designed to enhance the delivery of our curriculum and to enhance our own teacher training and our own Continuing Professional Learning programme. We have invested heavily in our school building with around 90% of our school being refurbished over the past three years.

Ofsted visited the school in January 2022 and produced an extremely complimentary report. Highlights include ‘Pupils are respectful, polite and courteous towards each other. They are hospitable towards visitors and proud of their school’; ‘Leaders have designed a curriculum to inspire and enthuse pupils. The intent of the curriculum is clear, and the content is ambitious and well considered’; ‘The number of pupils proceeding to post-16 education is very high. Pupils spoken to had high aspirations for their future as ‘confident, articulate and caring adults’.

We also work closely with our other local schools, Millias School, Tanbridge House School and The Weald School, Billingshurst, and our local 16+ providers, Collyer’s Sixth Form College, Brinsbury College and Crawley College. We have a range of vocational provision for our students. Liaison with local primary schools is strong, with staff and students sharing in various activities. Our students also visit primary schools to assist in activities such as sport and assemblies or to provide musical support. We also share in curriculum development work, information exchange and INSET through joint projects funded by Forest. These projects enable secondary and primary colleagues to share and exchange professional expertise and ideas.

We believe our school is very special happy and safe environment in which our students can learn, grow and develop into confident and successful young people. Through our strong pastoral care system we place emphasis on the wellbeing of all our students and the school has been recognised for this provision with the Carnegie School mental Health Award.

Forest School values each individual as unique and special. We believe we offer something for every student, whatever their ability, whatever their interests. We want each of our students to leave the school well qualified and well prepared for the next stage of their education. We emphasise personal responsibility, integrity and courtesy in all that we do because it is also important to us that they leave as kind, thoughtful, caring and well-rounded young people, who are pleasant and polite and who other people want to know. Most importantly, we want our students to look back at their time at Forest with pleasure and pride.