Woolwich Polytechnic School

Greenwich · SE28 8AT

General information Secondary School · 11-19 years Who goes here 1565 pupils, 36.1% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN SEN unit · 17.1% on SEN support Behaviour 6.8% absence rate Staff 18.1% turnover Financials £8,989 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Woolwich Polytechnic School

General Information

Address: Hutchins Road, Thamesmead, London, SE28 8AT – View on map
Phone: 02083107000
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Tom Lawrence
Age range: 11-19 years
Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 79 families put it first for 226 places – 3 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. 15 of the 226 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 6 · 2024 6 · 2025 4 · 2026 3
Sixth form: Yes
Intake: Boys
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

1565 pupils out of 1820 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 392
% eligible for free school meals: 36.1%
Pupil mix: 8 in 10 (similar to the Greenwich average)
English as an additional language: 23% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 18.1% a year (Greenwich 22.9%, typical in England 15.5%)
Where they went: about 40% moved to another school, 60% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Greenwich: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 32 (1.7 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
Suspensions for bullying: 49 (2.6 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 4 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary schools in Greenwich, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 6.8%
Persistently absent pupils: 20.2%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

SEN unit for AutismModerate learning difficultiesOther needs 15 places · 14 pupils at the last count

Places are usually for children with an EHC Plan and are arranged through the council, not the normal school application.

Pupils on SEN Support: 17.1%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.8%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Social, emotional and mental health: 85 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 67 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 42 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 21 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 20 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 39 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 9 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 7 pupils
Vision impairment: 2 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 2 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Attainment 8 score: 45.2
Compared with the area: 2.3 points below the Greenwich average (47.5)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (+0.7 points against an expected 44.5)
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 69% (Greenwich 66%, England 65%) Broadly steady
Data year: 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

GCSE results over time

This schoolGreenwich averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 2.3 points below the Greenwich average (47.5).

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

11th of 16 secondary schools in Greenwich for Attainment 8

#9Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls47.5
#10Thomas Tallis School45.6
#11Woolwich Polytechnic School45.2
#12The John Roan School44.3
#13Saint Mary Magdalene Church of England All Through School43.3

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1Ark Greenwich Free School68.2
#2St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School60.6
#3St Ursula's Convent School55.1
#4Leigh Academy Blackheath55.0
#5Leigh Stationers' Academy52.7
#6Eltham Hill School52.3
#7Harris Academy Greenwich49.9
#8Leigh Academy Halley48.4
#9Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls47.5
#10Thomas Tallis School45.6
#11Woolwich Polytechnic School45.2
#12The John Roan School44.3
#13Saint Mary Magdalene Church of England All Through School43.3
#14St Paul's Academy40.4
#15Royal Greenwich Trust School37.4
#16Plumstead Manor School33.4

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 93.0%
Went into further education: 92.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

English Language
Maths (General)
English Literature
Science Double Award
History
Geography
Economics
Computer Science
Community Development
Chemistry (General)
Physics (General)
Biology
D & T
Art & Design
Spanish
Photography
French Language
Speech & Drama
Turkish
Polish
Business Studies
Punjabi
Italian

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

View full Ofsted inspection report

11th of 14 secondary schools in Greenwich for Ofsted rating

#9The John Roan SchoolGood
#10Thomas Tallis SchoolGood
#11Woolwich Polytechnic SchoolGood
#12Woolwich Polytechnic School for GirlsGood
#13Plumstead Manor SchoolRequires improvement

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Ark Greenwich Free SchoolOutstanding
#2Harris Academy GreenwichOutstanding
#3Leigh Academy BlackheathOutstanding
#4Eltham Hill SchoolGood
#5Leigh Stationers' AcademyGood
#6Royal Greenwich Trust SchoolGood
#7Saint Mary Magdalene Church of England All Through SchoolGood
#8St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive SchoolGood
#9The John Roan SchoolGood
#10Thomas Tallis SchoolGood
#11Woolwich Polytechnic SchoolGood
#12Woolwich Polytechnic School for GirlsGood
#13Plumstead Manor SchoolRequires improvement
#14St Paul's AcademyRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £8,989 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

12th of 16 secondary schools in Greenwich for spending per pupil

#10St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School£9,181
#11Harris Academy Greenwich£9,091
#12Woolwich Polytechnic School£8,989
#13Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls£8,581
#14Leigh Stationers' Academy£8,331

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Plumstead Manor School£11,280
#2Royal Greenwich Trust School£10,815
#3Thomas Tallis School£10,538
#4St Ursula's Convent School£10,215
#5The John Roan School£10,157
#6Eltham Hill School£10,144
#7Ark Greenwich Free School£9,982
#8Saint Mary Magdalene Church of England All Through School£9,788
#9Leigh Academy Halley£9,303
#10St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School£9,181
#11Harris Academy Greenwich£9,091
#12Woolwich Polytechnic School£8,989
#13Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls£8,581
#14Leigh Stationers' Academy£8,331
#15Leigh Academy Blackheath£7,533
#16St Paul's Academy£5,033

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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General Information

Who goes here

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Behaviour

Across Greenwich: suspensions by reason

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Ofsted Rating ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered