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Agent3: Helping pupils bridge the gap between classroom and workplace

Simon Elliott

October 02, 2019

I know from feedback from the students that the opportunity to visit the offices of Agent3 and to interact directly with employees who are working in a cutting-edge industry such as theirs is of real benefit.

Agent3 is strongly committed to supporting the local community and takes great pride in its ongoing partnership with a nearby secondary school, with staff taking the time to provide practical guidance to pupils eager to understand what the world of work is all about. In this special guest blog, Simon Elliott – Executive Head Teacher of Forest Gate Community School – gives his views on the importance of this relationship.

As Headteacher of Forest Gate Community School, I am always looking for ways to develop young people. Whilst our school has been in the top 50 schools in the United Kingdom for the last three years running, I recognise that there is always room for improvement. I’m also mindful of the fact that, whilst my students leave with exceptional grades, they do not always have the opportunity to have the same guidance as students from more privileged backgrounds. Students in my school often lack the family connections, aspirations, and understanding of the wider world of work that others possess. It is for this reason that the opportunity to partner with companies such as Agent3 is of such benefit.

Agent3 has a clear commitment to being a socially responsible organisation and have directly contributed to developing the aspiration of students in my school. Through the forward thinking nature of the company we have been able to develop an employability day based around work in their industry, student workshops and career talks, and we are currently working on developing some work experience placements for our students.

Any opportunity to motivate students and to get them to think about their long-term goals is to be welcomed and to have such direct input from a company such as Agent3 has been fantastic for our students. By partnering with Agent3, I feel we are able to work very closely with committed professionals who really want to make a difference to children’s lives. In my experience, students that have a career path and a goal are far less likely to get into trouble and are far more likely to work hard to achieve.

I know from feedback from the students that the opportunity to visit the offices of Agent3 and to interact directly with employees who are working in a cutting-edge industry such as theirs is of real benefit. I really look forward to continuing to work together to improve the lives of children in the future.

Who is Simon Elliott?

Simon Elliott is CEO of the Community Schools Trust and Executive Headteacher of Forest Gate Community School in Newham, East London. FGCS has ranked 14th, 6th and 48th in UK respectively over the last three years with a P8 above +1. FGCS was rated as Ofsted Outstanding in 2016 and is ranked in the top 1% of schools for financial efficiency.

The school was praised by the Chief Inspector of Schools, Michael Wilshaw in his final report (2016) for “establishing a culture of high expectations for all pupils’ achievement” and has obtained the NACE Challenge School Award for work with more able students and the Chartered Institute of Assessors Excellence in Assessment Award for outstanding curriculum assessment.

FGCS received the London Mayor’s Office “Schools For Success Award” in 2017 and 2018, has been nominated at the TES awards for the last three years, and was a Bett finalist for its innovative curriculum tracking product, DPR, in 2019.

The school was chosen as Evening Standard Secondary School of the Year 2017 and Simon was named by the same paper as amongst London’s 1000 most influential people as a “social pillar of education”.

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