Side by side
Riverside School and Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls
The published facts for both schools, each with its source. Where a school or the government has not published something, the cell says so. We do not name a winner.
What differs
- Riverside School takes boys and girls; Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls is a girls' school.
- Riverside School takes ages 11 to 19; Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls takes ages 11 to 16.
- Riverside School has 1,550 pupils; Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls has 1,120.
- The two schools are 1.3 miles apart in a straight line.
Facts side by side
| Fact | Riverside School | Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls |
|---|---|---|
| The basics | ||
| Type | State-funded: Free school DfE register | State-funded: Free school DfE register |
| Ages | 11 to 19 DfE register | 11 to 16 DfE register |
| Gender | Mixed DfE register | Girls DfE register |
| Pupils | 1,550 DfE register | 1,120 DfE register |
| Borough | Barking and Dagenham DfE register | Greenwich DfE register |
| Boarding | No DfE register | No DfE register |
| Admissions policy | Non-selective DfE register | Non-selective DfE register |
| Admissions for 2027 | ||
| Next deadline to apply or register | 31 October 2026 (closes in 21 days) school or council page | 31 October 2026 (closes in 21 days) school or council page |
| Applications and places, last round | 219 first preferences for 294 places DfE, September 2026 entry | 134 first preferences for 192 places DfE, September 2026 entry |
| Cost | ||
| Published day fees | No tuition fees (state-funded) | No tuition fees (state-funded) |
| Inspection | ||
| Latest inspection | Ofsted graded inspection, 5 October 2022: Outstanding at that inspection Ofsted | Ofsted graded inspection, 10 January 2023: Good at that inspection Ofsted |
| Results | ||
| GCSE: Attainment 8 | 55.5 (2024/25) DfE | 47.5 (2024/25) DfE |
| GCSE: grade 5+ in English and maths | 60% (2024/25) DfE | 45% (2024/25) DfE |
| A level: average grade | B- (2024/25) DfE | Not published |
| A level: points per entry | 38 (2024/25) DfE | Not published |
| Where leavers went | ||
| Stayed in education or work after GCSEs | 95% (left 2022/23) DfE | Not published |
| Stayed in education or work after 16 to 18 | 84% (left 2022/23) DfE | Not published |
| Pupils | ||
| Eligible for free school meals | 33.6% DfE register | 42.2% DfE register |
| English as an additional language | 29.4% school census 2024/25 | 18.9% school census 2024/25 |
| Receiving SEN support | 3.7% school census 2024/25 | 11.9% school census 2024/25 |
| Pupils per teacher | 14.3 DfE workforce census | 16.1 DfE workforce census |
| Overall absence | 4% DfE, 2024/25 | 7.6% DfE, 2024/25 |
DfE register: Get Information About Schools, daily extract as at 2026-10-07. Other sources are named in each cell; every figure links to its source on the school's own page.
Shaded cells differ between the two schools. A blank is not a weakness: it means the figure has not been published, or does not apply to that type of school. Fees and results are not comparable between state and independent schools.