GCSE success for Newham pupil who travelled from Ipswich to school

One east London pupil has excelled in his GCSE exams – despite having to travel almost three hours to and from school.

Forest Gate Community School’s Shivam Gogna insisted on staying at the school after his family moved to Ipswich in Suffolk – around 70 miles away.

Shivam said he had to leave home as early as 6am to get to school but said he wanted to remain a pupil at Forest Gate because “it has among the best exam results in the country”.

He added: “The school ran extra revision classes before and after school every day during Year 11. It meant I sometimes left home at 6am and didn’t get home for 12 or 13 hours.”

READ MORE: GCSE results 2023 LIVE: East London pupils learn results

His hard work paid off, scoring 7s, 6s and 5s across his exams. Shivam will now study A-level maths, economics and accounting.

Thomas Leather, his teacher at the school, said: “He deserves great results more than most.

“He never missed a revision session, an intervention or even a class during the whole of year 11.

“He dedicated himself completely to getting the best possible results and his hard work has paid off. He is a shining example to his fellow students.”