The Forest School began as Woodley Hill Grammar School in 1957, becoming the Forest Grammar School. The school was founded by Walter G. Jackson (also the mayor of Wokingham in 1953[4]), the first headmaster of the school. Jackson retired in 1968, to be replaced by J.F.F. (Jack) Pearcy.[5]
In November 1965, the Nestlé company donated an Elliott 405 computer to the school, which was a first generation valve computer. The BBC science television programme Tomorrow's World broadcast a story on 5 February 1969 about how the school used this computer to teach the pupils.[6][7]
There are currently seven houses at The Forest School, all named after large forests in England. Boys are given a house upon entry in Year 7, and any future siblings are placed in the same house. The houses were assigned animals in September 2015.[8]
The school deems the house system to be an integral part of school life, providing opportunities for boys attending the school to "engage in a wide range of activities in which they can experience friendly competition and rivalry". Commendations received by boys from school staff constitute to "ASPIRE House Points" which are recognised individually at House in Celebration assemblies at the end of each term. Boys are awarded additional points by staff for outstanding punctuality, attendance levels above the school’s 96% target, receiving zero discredits and working at or exceeding academic target grades.[9]
Competitions are provided for boys to "experience camaraderie and a sense of belonging to their House and school". The school advocates that such competitions provide practice in essential life skills of managing “success with humility and defeat with dignity".[10]
The seven houses and their animals are:
AshdownAntelope
BramshillBear
KielderKite
LangdaleLion
NewNighthawk
SherwoodShark
WindsorWolf
Pastoral care
Whenever possible, students keep the same Form Tutor and Head of Year throughout Years 7–11. The school currently has a 'Drop In Centre' which consists of the Pastoral Support Officer's office, confidentiality boxes[clarification needed], support rooms and the school counsellor's office for each year group.[11] A comprehensive PSHE programme is run within the school for 20 minutes each day, following a 5 minute registration.[12]
Business and Enterprise specialism
As a Business and Enterprise specialist, the school encourages pupils to develop their own businesses. Students are involved in managing a business, talking to potential clients, producing quotes and providing goods and services to both internal and external clients.
Forest Sixth
The school won a bid in early 2014 to build a new sixth form centre. The planning application was approved on Monday 19 January 2015. The building has ten classrooms, ICT work space, a lecture theatre and a cafe.[13]
* Further Maths is optional at A Level.
^ Students can opt for one of the following: Electronics, Graphics or Product Design.
Sports
In 2006 the school's under 15s (U15) football team won the National Cup. In 2007 the school's under 16s (U16) football team were runners up in the National Cup, losing narrowly to the opposition. In 2009 the school's under 14s (U14) football team were runners up in the National Cup, losing 2–1 to Audenshaw School. The match took place at Manchester United's Old Trafford Stadium in front of over 600 Forest School supporters.[citation needed]
The school has also produced several rugby players,[citation needed] the most notable being Rhodri McAtee, ex-England school boy who is now consistently selected for the Welsh International Sevens team, whilst playing for Cornish Pirates in National League One.[citation needed]
Notable former pupils
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations.(July 2021)
Marcus Willis – British tennis player ranked 772th in the world, playing at Wimbledon 2016
Joshua Zeller – Team GB Hurdles athlete, Commonwealth Games and World Athletics Finalist
Forest Grammar School
Dr John Bramley – Professor Emeritus of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics; President of the University of Vermont, 2011-2012
Prof Martin Chalkley -[14] Professor of Health Economics from 2011 at the University of York and Professor of Economics at the University of Dundee, 1999–2011; President of the Scottish Economic Society, 2006-2008
