Not Just Exam Results!

Our students do more than 'just' exams.  Recently they have....

  • Started their own businesses through Young Enterprise
  • Illustrated and published (creating their own publishing company to do so) their own children’s book; “The Heart of the Wood”
  • Complete National Citizenship Service in summer of Y11/12 – in record numbers! No school in the whole UK had more students complete NCS!
  • Performed on the stage of the Gulbenkian Theatre and National Theatre as winners of the Connexions Nationwide Youth Theatre Festival
  • Solved technical problems and overcome challenges, being national finalists and international ambassadors for STEM;
    • Worked with industry and academics to design products to make the world a better place through Teentech; awarded Teentech Silver
    • Won Samsung Solve for Tomorrow: Next Gen (first from over 1000 entries from 2357 students!)
    • Won the IET Faraday Challenge
  • Be Campaign Champions for ‘sendmyfriend’ and help shape international policy and law and contribute, actively, to the 17 SDGs
    • One of our Year 9 students, a Campaign Champion for ‘Send My Friend’, has also been invited to be a speaker at the Results UK Conference at The Human Rights Action Centre in London; she will be one of the youngest speakers at the Conference.
  • Crewed and sailed a tall ship, TS Thalassa across the English Channel! (Despite being 1 of 5 secondary schools in the district, 6 out of the 13 Shepway students selected were from FSG! All girls were FSG!)
  • Taught languages to over 1000 primary students in this past year as part of our Language Ambassador Scheme; be commended for the Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators
  • 3 out of 18 students nationwide on the 2024 JoLT expedition to Vietnam/Cambodia are from FSG.
  • join the CCF with all that that involves – including triaging casualties from a helicopter crash, planning a safe evacuation route for those troops and getting them out of there! We were awarded a ceremonial sword recently for the contingent in recognition of our success; DfE and CCF command fed back that "we would put Eton and Harrow to shame."
  • Completed Duke of Edinburgh at Bronze, Silver and Gold Award Level!
  • Debated at the highest levels locally and nationally; complete mock magistrates; Be a part of the Model United Nations.
  • Worked with Professor Mark Connolly and Dr Helen Brooks (UKC) & Imperial War Museum on ‘Walking with Ghosts’; A new, multi-modal artwork exploring Folkestone’s heritage as a place of journeying to and escaping from conflict; 9.7 million soldiers, 850,000 Red Cross and other workers, and more than 120,000 refugees during the WW1. A ‘ghostly army’ marching along the walls of Folkestone Harbour Arm and out to the channel, using the latest projection mapping techniques and IWM archival footage over an 84-hour performance with contributions from both History students at FSG & our CCF contingent
  • Used a Scanning Electron Microscope as part of a project with the Institute for Research in Schools and presented to the Royal Society! We were one of just 10 schools selected to do this across the country.
  • Supported local primaries as part of Sports Ambassador programme; “FSG girls were superb! So patient with the children and explained each activity clearly, taking into account the learning needs of the children. They have demonstrated a real skill in Sports Leadership."
  • Auditioned and be selected for the National Youth Theatre & perform and direct in the West End as well as our own school productions
  • Competed in sports competitions; completed obstacle course, Ninja Warriors, Mud runs...
  • Learned self-defence
  • Worked together to solve problems and escape our Escape Room!
  • Met and made new friends from all over the world – Tanzania, Nepal, Cuba, Morocco, Spain, France, Bangladesh, Lebanon; We have an International School Award and a Global School Award
  • Presented their own radio shows on our award winning radio station (winner -  Best Music show in the National Young Audio Awards!)  or write articles for our in-school magazine, ‘Sea Views’
  • Written, recorded and performed their own music
  • Produced and displayed stunning works of Art
  • Choreographed and performed their own dance pieces; devised and performed their own drama
  • Created their own websites
  • Achieved Silver Industrial Cadet Award for CANSAT
  • Taken part in the UK Bebras Computing Challenge, in partnership with the University of Oxford and Raspberry Pi Foundation.
  • Attended a 5-day residential for Cyberfirst Defenders and achieved The Royal Signals Medal for Excellence!
  • Taken part in a mock-interview programme, met local and national employers in our careers fayre and learn that ‘all education is careers education’
  • Volunteered and supported our school community through FSGAmbassadors Scheme or our local community through our Listening Project or Bridging the Gap Scheme
  • Completed the prestigious Ivy House Award and find their ‘Inner Rhino’
  • Won Tryangle Awards for their ‘Relationship Ambassadors’ project - exploring healthy and unhealthy teen relationships and the signs and support to be aware of in unhealthy or toxic relationships.
  • Our students have championed the hunger crisis in the horn of Africa addressing MPs in parliament and been invited to attend the party conference season.
  • Developed resilience through our whole school approach to emotional well-being – Kent Resilience Award
  • Been amongst the first schools nationally, post covid, to recommence student exchange/language trips - to both Spain & France. The Spanish Embassy and British Council both using FSG as exemplary practice in their publications.
  • Gained self-confidence through climbing, mountain biking, archery, cheer, CoJo…..  as part of our unique character education & personal development programme, The FSGBacc

They sign up, join in, take part and STAND OUT!

Some facts and figures....

  • 400+ Duke of Edinburgh
    • Well over 2000 volunteering hours (nearly 100 days) paid back to our local community through D of E
  • 300+ Combined Cadet Force Contingent
  • 92% engage regularly with co-curricular activities; 90% of staff help run it!
  • National Citizenship Service - the biggest cohort of any school! We are a Gold Champion Award School - across all of Kent 510 students signed up for NCS,  88 of those were from FSG!
  • 82% have been on a school trip – last year alone!!
  • Over 1000 primary students taught by our Language Ambassador Programme (All FSG Year 8)
  • Over 120 students auditioned for parts in National Theatre Connections – following on from our success in 2024
  • Over 180 students auditioned for parts in ‘We Will Rock You’ - our summer show for 2025

Apart from the many supportive teachers that deliver an extensive required curriculum, the school offers a varied extra curriculum of activities, engaging all abilities to participate and the staff ensure that these learning activities are fun and meaningful.  My daughter is now in year 11, and 5 years ago in the first welcome to new parents meeting, Mr Lester encouraged everyone (the pupils of incoming year 7) to put up your hand and put yourself forward for any opportunity given...  Wow, I don't think my daughter has ever put her hand down!