All students at The Bishop of Winchester Academy benefit from high academic standards and our philosophy of ‘high expectations – no excuses’. This is demonstrated clearly by Ofsted’s recognition that “this is a school which changes lives” – (Ofsted 2017). However, we recognise the unique challenges that high ability students face. These could include:

Access to career path information

Development of confidence in oracy

Opportunities to develop a well-rounded nature through extracurricular interests

Local grammar schools offering only single-sex learning environments

The Grammar Stream at The Bishop of Winchester Academy provides a challenging curriculum and outstanding facilities within a co-educational setting, which addresses the challenges that we have identified. We prepare students for life after school and support them to develop the social and communication skills they will need to form effective relationships in the workplace and their social lives.

The Grammar Stream provides students with the opportunity to pursue A-level studies with us, with seamless consistency between GCSE and post-16 education. Students in the Grammar Stream will then be able to go on to university studies, equipped with the skills required to succeed in higher education. Mary Curnock Cook, CEO of UCAS (University and College Admissions Service), has stated that “All schools should introduce a ‘grammar stream’ because bright students need the ‘right education for them right now”.