Click to download the Proposal to change the timings of the school day letter

Re: Proposal to change the timings of the school day

26^th February 2024

Dear neighbours,

I am writing to you to consult you on the proposed changes to the school day at Woolwich Polytechnic School for Boys.

The reason for this proposed change is to ensure that students can safely access transport to and from school whilst we expand our sixth form numbers from around 380 to approximately 490 students in September 2024 and up to 620 students in September 2025.

We are aware from our own monitoring that public transport frequency is not adequate to meet the demands of two adjacent full schools finishing at similar times, resulting in long waits for students and congested bus stops. We are also aware that buses are often full when students try to access them on their way to school from the Plumstead area, leading to lateness.

We believe that the following changes are necessary to ensure safer dismissal of students as well as easier transport to school in the mornings.

For Woolwich Polytechnic School for Boys, the years 7-11 changes can be summarised as:

• A 10 minute later start time of 8.40am every day;
• A 15 minute later finish time of 3.20pm every day except Wednesday;
• A finish time of 2.40pm on Wednesdays which will include an afternoon registration;
• We will no longer need to have different finishing times in Week A and Week B, meaning that the finishing times above are consistent each week;
• The lengths of periods, break and lunch will not change;
• Interventions that we run after school will also start and finish 10 minutes later, normally from 3.20-3.50pm Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays;
• We will continue to meet the minimum length that the Department of Education requires of 32.5 hours per week.

Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls, our sister school right next door, intends to start at 8.15am and finish by 14:55pm, creating a 25-minute gap between both schools’ start times and a 30-minute gap between finishing times. This difference in start and finish times will make students’ access to public transport significantly easier and safer, both to and from school.

For years 12 and 13, the same start time applies but these students will not have afternoon registration, meaning that they will finish school at 3.05pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and at 2.30pm on Wednesdays at the latest. This is also intended to relieve more pressure on public transport as our sixth form numbers grow to ensure safe dismissal of our students at the end of the day.

Should these changes be approved, they would come into effect from 2^nd September 2024. 

If you would like to give your own feedback on this proposal, then please email us at consultation@woolwichpolyboys.co.uk by Friday 29^th March 2024.

We will release the results of the consultation by Friday 3^rd May 2024 via our website and the final decision will be made at that point.

Yours faithfully,

Mr. T. Lawrence
Head of School
Woolwich Polytechnic School for Boys