They’ve got talent: pupils to take on the world

Ashton Russell and Rochelle Rhodes, growing up in one of London's most deprived boroughs, are among a wave of talented teenagers to emerge from an award-winning state school.

Welcome to the class of 09 at Robert Clack school in Dagenham. Rochelle is a netball international and Ashton the star of a West End hit but the school contains future doctors, economists, artists and one pupil who wants to be the Mayor of London.

In headteacher Paul Grant's first week he suspended 300 pupils out of 2,000 to rid the school of its "anything goes" culture and replace it with a disciplined approach to learning.

That effort was rewarded last week when the school was honoured in the Evening Standard School Awards for "outstanding achievement in challenging circumstance" after unprecedented pass rates in A-levels and GCSEs.

Mr Grant said: "The children in our type of community have no chance unless they have that structure. The challenges they face at home are huge so it's really important that when they come into school it is calm and compassionate but focused on achievement."

Ashton, 15, appears as often as four time a week at the Lyric theatre, playing a young Michael Jackson in the musical Thriller Live! He said: "It is the best thing that has ever happened to me and now I feel like I can make a career out of singing and dancing. My school has been pushing me further all the time. I used to be quiet and shy but then I joined the boys' choir at Robert Clack and they were so encouraging and built up my confidence.

"The school is filled with people who want to do well and the teachers are always telling us what we can achieve."

His mother Sonia could not afford to put him in a stage school but sent him to an £8-a-week dance studio in Rainham where she works as a part-time dresser. She said: "The school has been amazing. They encourage kids so much and Ashton knows that he wouldn't be on stage if it wasn't for his teachers."

Rochelle is 16 but is already playing for England Under-19s at netball. She is tipped to play for the full side at the 2014 Commonwealth Games — netball is not an Olympic sport. She attributes her breakthrough to her parents and encouragement from teachers.

Rochelle said: "My PE teacher, Kate Georgelini, has put in so much time and effort to help. She is so passionate, like so many teachers at the school, that I feel I don't want to let them down."

Rochelle's parents Hector and Tina Rhodes have supported her netball ambitions but they, too, are quick to thank her school. Mr Rhodes, a night manager at a Tesco store in Hackney, said: "The school brought in a coach who nurtured her talent. When someone is good at something and they enjoy it you see a change in their confidence and that happened with Rochelle."

Tapfama Mawayo, 16
Studying GCSEs including music, business studies, art and history.
Ambition: "My heart lies on being a doctor. I play football and rugby for the school. I sing in the choir as well."

Tunde Sowande, 16
Studying GCSEs including history, psychology, ICT and business
Ambition: "I would start as a barrister and then progress into politics. Start off small, then go for Mayor of London."

Chris Lemmerman, 18Studying A-levels in maths, economics, physics and chemistry
Ambition: "I want to teach. I can see looking at the teachers here how much satisfaction you can get from it."

Ashton Russell, 15
Studying business, music and history
Ambition: "I am looking for an agent to get TV and maybe West End work. I also want to study theatre design."

George Lovell, 16
Studying history, music and theatre
Ambition: "My passion is music, but I would also like to be a forensic scientist or teacher."

Tina Imatitikua, 17
Studying A-levels in biology, chemistry, economics and maths
Ambition: "I want to study medicine at Oxford. I would love to go back to Africa and work at a teaching hospital."

Margaret Riach, 18
Studying A-Levels in maths. Accepted to study economics at Cambridge
Ambition: "I'm going on a conservation expedition with the school to Honduras in July to research tropical canopies."

Ben Thorne, 16
Studying drama, psychology and history
Ambition: "I would like a creative job — a photographer, presenter, maybe a journalist — and keep my options open."

Aarron Dinsdale, 17
Studying BTEC in Business and IT
Ambition: "I want to build hardware or software systems. I have cerebral palsy but it will not hold me back one bit."

Rochelle Rhodes, 16
Studying GCSEs including catering, French, business and history
Ambition: "I play for the England Under-19 netball team. I want to be a sports psychologist."

Joshua Aderyeje, 16
Studying GCSEs including music, history, psychology and design
Ambition: "I want to be a barrister."

Mitchell Sinfield, 16
Studying GCSEs including history, ICT business and drama
Ambition: "I love acting. I'm in the school rugby, football and cricket team."

Michael Smith, 15
Studying history, French and geography
Ambition: "I'm secretary on the school council. I want a career in teaching and hopefully come back here one day."

Michelle Makunganya, 15
Studying art, history and ICT
Ambition: "I want to be in the performing arts industry and still be educated. I want a degree in law."

Jake Knowles, 15
Studying GCSEs including in music, history, ICT, graphics
Ambition: "I'm a drummer. I'm not too sure what I want to do yet."