Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls

Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating across key areas including the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. The school, which began operating in September 2019, is currently in its fourth year and provides a welcoming environment where pupils are encouraged to engage in a broad and ambitious curriculum. Leaders are committed to meeting the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and strive to foster a supportive community. However, some concerns have been raised regarding the perception of school discipline and the effectiveness of how behaviour issues are managed, particularly around bullying.

Strengths

• Pupils are articulate and interested in their learning.
• Teachers deliver a broad and ambitious curriculum effectively.
• Successful inclusion of pupils with SEND in mainstream education.
• Strong emphasis on reading through dedicated 'reading for pleasure' lessons.
• High expectations of behaviour and leadership opportunities for pupils.
• Effective arrangements for safeguarding and pupil support.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent checking of pupils' understanding across subjects.
• Some pupils feel that the application of sanctions is unfair and can lead to disaffection.
• A minority of pupils lack confidence in reporting concerns about bullying.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls attended 92.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 6.0% of pupils at Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls had 16.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 16.6% of pupils at Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls received £9,503 and spent £9,026 for each of its 1,187 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £778,000 (£656 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of Polymat, income was £8,920 and spending £8,914 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Greenwich · Greenwich local authority: places and applications

Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls is part of Polymat, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Woolwich Polytechnic School London
• Bannockburn Primary School London

What is Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls last inspected by Ofsted?

Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls have?

Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls has 1,120 pupils on roll.

What age range does Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls cover?

Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 48.3, and 47% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls?

Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls is at 1 Birchdene Drive, Thamesmead, SE28 8RF.