ABSTRACT
Plumstead Manor School is an all girls comprehensive with approximately 1,500 pupils (including post-16 students). It is situated on the southwest fringes of the London Borough of Greenwich in an area which has a mixture of large council housing estates and small Victorian terraced housing. The population of the area is largely working class and is ethnically mixed with a large Asian community. The school attracts pupils from 25 primary schools. On entry the reading ages range from six to age appropriate level. The school has a Language Development Department which offers extra support to students with English as an additional language and a Special Needs Department which supports students with literacy or other needs. In English lessons in Year 7–11 the students are taught in mixed ability classes and they have four periods of English a week.
