Forest School, Horsham
Encyclopedia
The Forest School is a comprehensive
secondary school
for boys in Horsham
, West Sussex
. It educates over 1000 boys between the ages of 11 and 16 and is a specialist Engineering
and Business and Enterprise College
. It is one of only three maintained boys' schools in West Sussex, and liaises closely with Millais School
, the girls' school in the town. It was formerly an 11-18 secondary modern school
, becoming an 11-16 comprehensive in 1976.
In 1976, education in the town was reorganised to form three comprehensive schools and a separate sixth form college
in place of the existing grammar
and secondary modern structure. The Forest school was reconstituted as an 11-16 boys comprehensive, with sixth form provision moving to The College of Richard Collyer
.
In 2008, the past 'Houses' (Tudor, Stuart, Lancaster, and York) were disbanded, and new "communities" were formed (Branson, Marconi, Dyson, and Hawking respectively). The School has also introduced a 'Vertical Tutor Group' system, which was put into practice June 22, 2009.
At the end of 2009 The Forest School Radio was launched. The radio itself is run by students, and the episodes are downloadable pod-casts usually available weekly.
On Friday the 23rd of April 2010 the new school website was launched complete with virtual learning facilities, which are now used mostly for homework and revision material.
72% achieved 5 or more A* - C grades
61% achieved 8 or more A* - C grades
50% achieved 10 or more A* - C grades
62% achieved 5 A* - C GCSE’s including English and Maths.
22 pupils gained 8 or more A* / A grades
13 outstanding pupils achieved 10 or more A* / A grades
In 2010, a new summer uniform was introduced which consists of a black polo shirt with the school's logo and community name, instead of the usual white shirt with tie. The uniform however returns to normal during the winter.
Tribute Group The Thrillerz who performed a medley of Jacksons hits from the 80's. In July 2009, three pupils- Shaun Gallard, Ben Parsons and Charles Lowe-Riddle organised and choreographed a 'Teacher's got talent' show. It was a variety of musical performances from the staff - also featuring successful acts from the 2009 FM Factor. The event raised £500 which went towards a local school for children with disabilities. In June/July 2010 the school collaborated with Millais School
to produce a production of 'Billy Elliot: The Musical'
in celebration of the shows 5th anniversary in the west end. It was performed at The Capitol Theatre in Horsham and was a huge success with three sold out performances. On the second to last night of the summer term the school held the second FM Factor, the winners being Tribal Gaffa Tape who performed The Tesco Song.
In April 2011 the school put on a production of Joseph and the Amazing technicolour dreamcoat.
The School has also become regular entrants to the UK Rock Challenge
. Its awards from this include 'Performers Choice' and 'Drugs Awareness Award' in 2009, 'Best Staging' in 2010, and 'Best Backstage Crew' in both 2009 and 2010.
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
for boys in Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. It educates over 1000 boys between the ages of 11 and 16 and is a specialist Engineering
Engineering college
Engineering colleges generally refer to institutes of higher education which offer an engineering course at degree level. The duration of the course is four to five years depending upon the university to which the college is affiliated. The students learn little of basic science concentrating...
and Business and Enterprise College
Business and Enterprise College
Business and Enterprise Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields...
. It is one of only three maintained boys' schools in West Sussex, and liaises closely with Millais School
Millais School
Millais School is an girls' comprehensive school for students aged 11–16 situated in Horsham, West Sussex and an Outstanding School following an Ofsted inspection in 2010. There is no sixth form and the number on roll is 1495. It is a specialist language college and a training school.The school's...
, the girls' school in the town. It was formerly an 11-18 secondary modern school
Secondary modern school
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s, under the Tripartite System, and was designed for the majority of pupils - those who do not achieve scores in the top 25% of the eleven plus examination...
, becoming an 11-16 comprehensive in 1976.
History
The school began its life following the separation of the Oxford Road senior school into separate schools for boys and girls in the mid-1940s. The boys' school - then named Horsham secondary modern school for boys - moved to its current campus in Comptons Lane in 1954. In 1958, the girls' school was relocated to a nearby site, and both schools were renamed under the Forest name, leading to the opening of the Forest secondary boys' school.In 1976, education in the town was reorganised to form three comprehensive schools and a separate sixth form college
Sixth form college
A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Belize, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 18 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels, or school-level qualifications such as GCSEs. In Singapore and India, this is...
in place of the existing grammar
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
and secondary modern structure. The Forest school was reconstituted as an 11-16 boys comprehensive, with sixth form provision moving to The College of Richard Collyer
The College of Richard Collyer
The College of Richard Collyer, or Collyer's, is a coeducational sixth form college in Horsham, West Sussex, England.-Admissions:Collyer's serves about 1600 students between 16 and 19 years of age. It offers AS and A-level courses in 45 different subjects, including a selection not taught at other...
.
In 2008, the past 'Houses' (Tudor, Stuart, Lancaster, and York) were disbanded, and new "communities" were formed (Branson, Marconi, Dyson, and Hawking respectively). The School has also introduced a 'Vertical Tutor Group' system, which was put into practice June 22, 2009.
At the end of 2009 The Forest School Radio was launched. The radio itself is run by students, and the episodes are downloadable pod-casts usually available weekly.
On Friday the 23rd of April 2010 the new school website was launched complete with virtual learning facilities, which are now used mostly for homework and revision material.
Campus
The school's current buildings were first opened in 1954, and many of the buildings still in use today date from that time. Its 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) site now also houses the Business & Enterprise Centre, which contains 6/8 classrooms and a 200-seater seminar room. The building cost £1.5 million, and was officially opened on 18 October 2006.Results
In August 2010 the school achieved their best results to date.72% achieved 5 or more A* - C grades
61% achieved 8 or more A* - C grades
50% achieved 10 or more A* - C grades
62% achieved 5 A* - C GCSE’s including English and Maths.
22 pupils gained 8 or more A* / A grades
13 outstanding pupils achieved 10 or more A* / A grades
Uniform
The school's uniform consists of black trousers, a white shirt (long or short sleeves) a black v-necked jumper (with the school's logo) and a tie also with the schools logo and with stripes the colour of the community. Prefects wear the same uniform except for the shirt, where instead of white they wear blue and the tie, prefects ties have silver stripes.In 2010, a new summer uniform was introduced which consists of a black polo shirt with the school's logo and community name, instead of the usual white shirt with tie. The uniform however returns to normal during the winter.
Special Events
The School hosts a lot of special events, organised by staff and pupils. This includes football matches between the students and the teachers (the school also has its own football, rugby, and cricket team). Also there is an annual Performance evening, which is a variety of Drama, Dance, PE, Music, Art and much more. In June 2009, a new annual event was introduced called 'The FM Factor', a talent show featuring pupils from both Forest and Millais school (hosted at Forest) in which pupils perform various acts, dancing, singing, acting, stand up comedy, etc. In 2009, the contest was won by Michael JacksonMichael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
Tribute Group The Thrillerz who performed a medley of Jacksons hits from the 80's. In July 2009, three pupils- Shaun Gallard, Ben Parsons and Charles Lowe-Riddle organised and choreographed a 'Teacher's got talent' show. It was a variety of musical performances from the staff - also featuring successful acts from the 2009 FM Factor. The event raised £500 which went towards a local school for children with disabilities. In June/July 2010 the school collaborated with Millais School
Millais School
Millais School is an girls' comprehensive school for students aged 11–16 situated in Horsham, West Sussex and an Outstanding School following an Ofsted inspection in 2010. There is no sixth form and the number on roll is 1495. It is a specialist language college and a training school.The school's...
to produce a production of 'Billy Elliot: The Musical'
Billy Elliot the Musical
Billy Elliot the Musical is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Sir Elton John, and book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around motherless Billy, who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes...
in celebration of the shows 5th anniversary in the west end. It was performed at The Capitol Theatre in Horsham and was a huge success with three sold out performances. On the second to last night of the summer term the school held the second FM Factor, the winners being Tribal Gaffa Tape who performed The Tesco Song.
In April 2011 the school put on a production of Joseph and the Amazing technicolour dreamcoat.
The School has also become regular entrants to the UK Rock Challenge
Rock Challenge UK
UK Rock Challenge is the British arm of the Global Rock Challenge and the Australian Rock Eisteddfod Challenge. Rock Challenge is an anti-drug and crime-prevention that takes the form of a friendly performing arts competition for schools and colleges. In 1996, the first Rock Challenge event in UK...
. Its awards from this include 'Performers Choice' and 'Drugs Awareness Award' in 2009, 'Best Staging' in 2010, and 'Best Backstage Crew' in both 2009 and 2010.