Welcome to the Jo Richardson Community School website. JRCS, which opened in 2002, was the first new secondary school to be established in Barking and Dagenham for over forty years.  Our motto” Success for All” underpins everything that we do at the the school and puts the students' achievements at the centre of our vision. We have a commitment to the highest academic standards combined with a wide range of curricular and extra-curricular activities aimed at enhancing the opportunities offered to all our students.

In November 2008, OFSTED said that JRCS was an outstanding school.

We moved to Castle Green in September 2005 into purpose-built state of the art facilities. JRCS is a community school in the true sense of the word, benefiting from all the sports, social and educational facilities available on Castle Green. We are a specialist music college and have a real commitment to involving as many of our students as possible in celebrating and performing in a wide range of arts based activities.

At the heart of what we strive to achieve at the school is a commitment to every student, to offer them the best teaching and support to achieve their full potential. Whilst we have strict and clear expectations in relation to students’ behaviour, the school also has a reputation as being welcoming to both young people and adults.

I take pride in being one of the members of a large team of staff who have been working at JRCS since its foundation in September 2002. The school was established on the principles that Jo Richardson, the MP for Barking and Dagenham between 1974 and 1994, was committed to: equal rights and access to education for all. The legacy of her work in the borough is carried on through the ethos established at the school.

We operate an anti-bullying and behaviour policy that is based on zero tolerance. This approach extends to all areas of our behaviour management. We make no apologies for the hard line we take in this respect. We strongly believe that all students need to know that they come to school free from the fear of intimidation, and where our lessons will be focused on academic success.  We are committed to the establishment of a well ordered and respectful environment where only the highest standards of behaviour are acceptable and where all our teachers are fully committed and able to ensure that our goals become a reality.

Thank you for visiting our school’s website and I hope that you are able to access all the information you require.

Ges Smith