The Crown Woods College in Greenwich, which will officially open on 8 October, has converted to academy status with the new name The Stationers’ Crown Woods Academy.

The academy, which will also be sponsored by Ravensbourne and the University of Greenwich, will prepare young people for the digital age and hopes to encourage them to consider careers in the print industry.

It has become part of the Leigh Academies Trust, which also governs seven other academies in South East London.

The school has benefited from a £50m investment in new facilities and seen improving exam results in recent years.

The Stationers’ Company is now investing considerable time, money and resources to implement a new digital media curriculum at the academy and aims to help improve its Ofsted rating from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’.

Stationers’ Company clerk William Alden said: “Our key objective is to create a curriculum that specialises in digital media in the modern world communications and content industries.

“We’re working on the curriculum at the moment with Ravensbourne and a number of other parties and the idea is that every student at the academy will do some work in the digital media and communications area and many of them will gain qualifications in that area which should attract them to the industry.”

The Academy, which offers places to students aged between 11-19, is structured as four separate ‘houses’. It has the capacity for 1,800 students and 1,600 are currently enrolled.

“We will be looking for people from throughout the industry to get behind the project and come forward with offers to help us to mentor and be able to provide the Academy with work experience, careers advice, apprenticeships and hopefully even job opportunities,” said Alden.

The Stationers’ Company, which has a history of supporting education that dates back over 450 years, will also provide a fund for disadvantaged students.