Dear Parents and Carers,

A New Vision for Fortismere 

Over the autumn term, we undertook  a large-scale listening and engagement exercise with our entire school community. School leaders, supported by Governors,  spoke with students, staff, parents and carers to hear your thoughts, ideas and feedback on who we are now as a school and also your thoughts on Fortismere's future. We received such a high level of engagement from parents and carers and  I want to thank everyone who took the time to share their views with us. Your voices have been invaluable in shaping where we go next.

After reflecting carefully on everything we heard, my team and I have worked to articulate a new vision alongside a set of values that we share at Fortismere. We believe these capture who we are as a school community and the direction we're heading in together.

Throughout the process we spent a great deal of time thinking about the words ambition, curiosity, and creativity. These aren't just buzzwords for us.  They truly reflect what happens here every day: the type of learning our teachers inspire and are committed to and the students we are so proud to work with. Fortismere is a high-achieving school, but it's also a place where there is a real curiosity to test ideas beyond the confines of our curriculum and a palpable, thriving passion for creativity. That balance sits at the heart of our new vision and values which will underpin all we do and all we stand for.

Our Vision

Fortismere is a high-achieving, creative community where academic ambition and personal growth go hand in hand. We design, deliver and adapt our curriculum to ensure that all our students become curious and critical thinkers who achieve excellent outcomes. Strong relationships and a culture of mutual respect foster collaboration, empathy, and independence, preparing every student to thrive in their futures as articulate, confident and socially responsible individuals.

Our Values reflect what we stand for as a school community:

• We are ambitious for every child
• We celebrate diversity and belonging
• We encourage curiosity and creativity
• We build relationships on kindness and trust
• We show commitment and courage
• We take pride and responsibility in our work
• We prepare our students for their futures
• We are a community of learners

Ambition, Curiosity and Creativity

Fortismere is a school where academic excellence and creative expression are not competing priorities.  They are inseparable. We are proud to be a high-achieving community where students consistently excel in their studies, but we are equally proud to be a place where curiosity is nurtured, creativity flourishes, and every individual is encouraged to think boldly and independently.

Our engagement with you all this past term has been incredibly helpful in understanding how you and your child experience our school.  This is an ongoing commitment so we’d like to remind parents to use our Feedback at Fortismere form which is linked here, and on the front page of our Newsletter every week.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and partnership.  I feel incredibly fortunate to be leading such an ambitious and vibrant school, and I'm excited about what we will achieve together in the years ahead.

Warmest regards,

Zoe Judge, Headteacher