What Forest Gate Community School does

Forest Gate Community School (FGCS) is a state-funded secondary academy located in Forest Gate, in the London Borough of Newham, operated as a constituent school of Community Schools Trust (CST), a multi-academy trust (MAT) that runs six schools across England including Cumberland Community School, Waterside Academy, University Technical College Norfolk, The Excelsior Academy, and Haggerston School. The school serves students aged 11-18, delivering GCSE and A-Level curricula alongside co-curricular enrichment in sports, arts, music, and drama, with a Progress 8 score of +1.31 and ranking 34th nationally for progress (DfE 2022). FGCS is led by Headteacher Stacey Goyan and reports into CST governance under CEO Simon Elliott.

The school's core delivery is grounded in a standard educational technology stack rather than proprietary platforms: Dynamic Progress Reporting (DPR Education) for real-time student assessment and live marking, RM Unify for single sign-on, Behaviour Watch for student behaviour management, iTrent for HR and payroll, ParentMail for communications and payments, and Google Workspace and YouTube for content delivery. The school's primary differentiator is an award-winning teacher training programme (TES Teacher Development Initiative of the Year; Pearson Silver Award) that supports recruitment and retention of teaching staff.

FGCS's revenue model is dominated by recurrent government funding via the Department for Education, with supplementary transactional revenue from facilities hire (Edu-Lettings), school meals, and uniform sales. The school markets itself through its website, an active Twitter account (@FgcsInfo), parent newsletters, and community engagement, following the standard UK state school admissions process. As a state school, education itself is provided free to students of compulsory school age, and the school is not a commercial entity; it is a non-profit academy trust operation.

Name

Forest Gate Community School

Legal name

Community Schools Trust Ltd

Website

https://forestgatecst.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Forest Gate Community School is a state secondary academy in Newham, London, serving students aged 11-18 as part of Community Schools Trust multi-academy trust, funded primarily by UK government per-pupil grants and ranked 34th nationally for student progress.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: As a state-funded secondary school, Forest Gate Community School operates primarily through government educational funding via the Department for Education. Additional revenue may come from school meals, uniform sales, facilities hire, and grants.
2. Facilities Hire: The school generates revenue by hiring out its facilities through the Edu-Lettings platform for community events and activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Forest Gate Community School delivers free state secondary education to students aged 11–18, with structured GCSE and A-Level preparation, a co-curricular enrichment programme, and an award-winning initial teacher training course. Operated by the Community Schools Trust multi-academy trust, it supplements classroom teaching with career guidance, family support, and facilities hire, and is supported by its own Dynamic Progress Reporting (DPR) assessment system.

Product overview

Forest Gate Community School (FGCS) is an exceptional secondary school operating as part of the Community Schools Trust multi-academy trust network. The school offers a unified educational service centered on secondary education delivery, complemented by a teacher training programme and various support services. The school is supported by the Dynamic Progress Reporting platform for assessment tracking and the broader trust infrastructure connecting six schools across England.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Secondary Education Services
• Teacher Training Programme
• Facilities Hire

Quantifiable outcome

• 76% of students achieved grade 4+ in English & Maths
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Restore the MusicminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2024Restore the Music provided a £20,000 grant to FGCS for music equipment including a new piano, cellos, and an electric drum kit, enabling enhanced music education for students.
• Theatre Royal Stratford EastminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through the Share Our Stage education programme where GCSE Drama students participated in workshops with theatre directors, lighting and sound designers, and stage managers.
• Jack Petchey FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJack Petchey Foundation partners with the school to recognize and reward outstanding student achievements through the Jack Petchey Awards programme.
• Imperial College LondonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeven Year 9 students were accepted onto the prestigious Girls Engineering Summer School at Imperial College London, where they met world-leading researchers including Sir James Dyson.
• London College of FashionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents showcased their artwork at a professionally curated exhibition at the London College of Fashion, demonstrating arts education excellence.
• Community Schools TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFGCS is part of the Community Schools Trust multi-academy trust, which operates multiple schools including Cumberland Community School, Waterside Academy, University Technical College Norfolk, The Excelsior Academy, and Haggerston School.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Harris Academy Bermondsey: London state secondary within the Harris Federation multi-academy trust. Comparable as a high-performing inner-London academy with similar cohort demographics.
• Brampton Manor Academy: High-performing East London state secondary school in Newham-adjacent borough with a comparable demographic profile and a reputation for exceptionally strong GCSE and sixth-form outcomes. Direct comparable on performance and student profile.
• Haggerston School: Another CST-operated secondary school in Hackney, East London. Comparable because it sits within the same multi-academy trust, shares leadership oversight, and serves a similar inner-London demographic.
• Ark Burlington Danes Academy: London academy secondary school operated by the Ark multi-academy trust. Comparable as a London-based state secondary within a multi-academy trust structure pursuing strong outcomes.
• Cumberland Community School: A sister school within the Community Schools Trust multi-academy trust that also operates FGCS. Closest operating peer: same governance, shared back office, shared curriculum, and shared DPR data infrastructure.
• Mossbourne Community Academy: High-performing Hackney state secondary school with a similar academy-model governance and an outcomes-led reputation. Direct peer on governance type, geography, and performance orientation.
• UCL Academy: London state secondary school with university sponsorship. Comparable as a knowledge-economy-focused state secondary that leverages higher-education partnerships — similar in spirit to FGCS's Imperial College and London College of Fashion tie-ups.
• University Technical College Norfolk: Sister school within Community Schools Trust with a technical/STEM focus. Comparable as part of the same trust operating model.
• Hammersmith Academy: London state secondary academy backed by a corporate sponsor. Comparable as a London academy secondary pursuing strong attainment outcomes within constrained funding.
• The Excelsior Academy: Sister school within Community Schools Trust. Directly comparable on governance, shared services, and curriculum infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FgcsInfo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forest-gate-community-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forest Gate Community School