Grammar School Intake (GSI)

Our GSI curriculum is designed to stretch students academically, offering conceptual depth to their study, whilst also encouraging scholarly habits outside of classroom. The pace and depth of the curriculum aims to accelerate learning to facilitate early entry GCSEs, additional qualifications, and competition entries.

Across our core subjects, students will work towards benchmarks that test the demands of our GSI curriculum:

English: a more challenging literary diet is delivered from the outset of year 7, with classic 19^th century novels and challenging Shakespeare plays explored. There is also a focus on crafting analytical essays that employ precise terminology. An additional qualification in the Level 1 EPQ (extended project) spans Key Stage 3 and is designed to help students develop independent learning skills through a structured project that encourages exploration of a topic of personal interest.

Maths: a pathway that works towards maths early entry GCSE in year 10 and the undertaking of an additional GCSE in further maths are the summative benchmarks of the maths GSI pathway. A stretched curriculum also facilitates the yearly entry to UKMT challenge, that tests students mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills, rather than just procedural fluency. National awards are presented following each entry and are graded with bronze, silver and gold awards. 

Science: the curriculum is designed as a dynamic process of discovery that takes place within the classroom and beyond. At home investigations and entry to STEM challenges explicitly connect Biology, Chemistry and Physics as interdisciplinary subjects. Frontier science also encourages students to view the subject as a living and evolving field that they can be a part of. In KS4 the opportunity to undertake an additional GCSE in Astronomy via the Royal Greenwich Observatory is offered to our science top achievers and will be completed as an early entry GCSE in year 10.

This exciting, and innovative, pathway is overseen by a dedicated raising standards leader who ensures that outside of core subject’s personal interests are nurtured and academic curiosity is tested. This unique cohort of students, selected for their academic aptitude, have a specifically tailored curriculum that builds their knowledge and their intellectual character with the ambition that they will become leading scholars, innovators, and critical thinkers of the future.

The Access Project  

Woolwich Polytechnic began working with The Access Project in 2018. The Access Project is a charity that combines tuition and in-school mentoring to support gifted students from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve the highest possible grades and compete – successfully – for a place on some of the most competitive university courses in the country.

Students selected to join The Access Project's 4-year programme from year 10 onwards are paired with a volunteer tutor from a wide range of professions to receive free 1:1 subject tuition for an hour a week throughout the year. In addition, Access Project students benefit from a dedicated member of The Access Project team, who works at Woolwich Polytechnic School for Boys two days a week to offer expert advice on A-Level choices, university applications and academic development.

Access Project students attend regular workshops arranged around their timetable and enjoy visits from speakers and outings to top universities. In addition, all Access Project students are given exclusive access to work experience and super-curricular opportunities, as well as a free subscription to Uplearn and AITutor. Students not chosen to be part of the Access Project's programme can still benefit from support with applications, admissions tests and interviews through The Access Project's Medicine and Oxbridge societies.

Across all the 35 schools currently working with the Access Project, students on the programme are more than twice as likely to end up at a top university than those of similar ability who were not on the programme. In a 2022 survey of Access Project students, almost all participants feel that the initiative has helped them become more confident (97%), more independent (98%) and more positive about their future (95%).

For the students at Woolwich Polytechnic School for Boys, those enrolled on the Access Project typically apply to and receive offers from at least one top university and eight out of ten students will meet the grades needed to secure a place at one of these selective institutions.

ETONX

Etonx: courses go beyond the curriculum – Etonx helps students gain the skills they need to achieve their goals. From critical thinking to LNAT preparation, this online platform is free to all students on the scholarship programme.

Cambridge Outreach: this link is used to facilitate students’ familiarity with the learning environment at Cambridge and includes a university visit for 12 students.

Top Achievers’ Programme 

In parallel with the Access Project, Woolwich Polytechnic School for Boys runs a dedicated Top Achievers’ Programme (TAP) to support the most academically able students from years 10 to 13. In years 10 and 11, our TAP coordinator will meet with students to understand their ambitions, to discuss what A-Levels they should consider and prepare them for the university application process. As much as possible, these students will be included in all the opportunities that are available to those in the sixth-form.  

In the sixth form, the most ambitious students – those applying to Oxford or Cambridge or on track to meet the grades necessary for a super-selective course in medicine, dentistry or veterinary science – will be paired up with Dr Derin Balogun, a Cambridge graduate with expertise in the university application process. She provides personalised support for our selected TAP scholars, helping them to hone university applications, practice for interviews and prepare for any additional admissions tests their universities require (such as the University Clinical Aptitude Test or UCAT). Dr Balogun has helped many of our students achieve their potential, with several students every year now securing places at Oxford or Cambridge and at medical and dental schools around the country.