Plenty to report from the school’s newsletter of Friday 2 October — including a significant update on the school rebuild.
School Rebuild Project update
The school has shared a progress update on the School Rebuild Project, part of the Department for Education’s School Rebuilding Programme. Fortismere is currently towards the end of Phase 1, and while the full timeline isn’t finalised, this academic year is expected to bring some significant milestones:
- Design unveiling — the school expects to share the actual designs for the new facilities at some point this year.
- DfE consultation — a public meeting where the whole school community can engage directly with representatives from the Department for Education.
- Possible temporary facilities — nothing confirmed, but the school may move into temporary classrooms during construction. They note the DfE’s temporary buildings are “actually a step up from some of our current spaces”.
- New facilities — a once-in-a-generation investment across the 20-acre site.
Worth keeping an eye on, particularly the consultation meeting — that’s the moment parents get a direct say.
“A Place To Belong, A Place To Achieve”
The Headteacher revisited the school’s vision, developed last year with staff, students and parents, and expressed through four values: be ambitious, be curious, be creative, be yourself. You’ll have seen it on the banner outside school.
Open Evening
A busy and successful Open Evening, with families coming from across North London. Visitors watched science experiments, tried an “invisibility cloak” in the computing suite, saw sports demonstrations and live music, and watched the 3D printers in action — with freshly baked cheese scones throughout. The Year 8 students acting as ambassadors and tour guides drew particular praise. Three Open Mornings follow on 6–8 October.
Urban Stargazing — a new feature
The Science Department has launched a lovely new regular feature on what’s visible in the N10 night sky without leaving London. First up: Saturn reached opposition on 4 October, making it especially bright with its rings well placed. Look to the south-eastern sky around 10pm — it’s the brightest thing in that part of the sky, and a small telescope at x100 or more will show the rings and larger moons.
Drama
Around 50 students from Years 7 to 13 took part in the annual Inter-School Drama Festival, devising short performances from scratch around the theme “Into the Wild” and performing them to visiting Year 6 families. School of Rock rehearsals continued despite losing their usual spaces to the North Wing works — the cast have been rehearsing on the field, and a student marketing team is now planning the show’s campaign.
Music — concert date changed
The Welcome Back Concert has moved to Thursday 8th October at 6pm. Tickets are on sale or you can pay on the door, with the bar open from 5.30pm — full details here.
Sport
The new senior football team opened their season with a hard-fought Middlesex U18 Cup match against St Thomas More, going down 0–2 in a tight contest, and a team captain has been named for the season. Congratulations also to everyone who ran at the Haringey Borough Cross Country Championships, several of whom stepped in at very short notice. A note from the PE department: if your child can’t make a fixture, do let their PE teacher know early so the place can be offered to someone else.
Worth noting
- School photos — Fizz Photography visit on Friday 9 October for Years 7 to 11, year by year through the day.
- Young carers — the school is asking families to get in touch in confidence if a child has caring responsibilities at home, so extra support can be put in place. Contact [email protected].
- Chess Club runs Monday to Thursday lunchtimes, all years and all levels welcome.
Our Funfair & Laser Show
A reminder to save the date for the Fortismere Funfair & Laser Show on Thursday 5th November, 5pm–9pm on the Field. Ticket sales and volunteer requests are coming very soon.
Summarised from the Fortismere School newsletter of 2 October 2026.
Download the full newsletter — 2 October 2026 (PDF)
All school newsletters are also available on the school website.