The Matrix of Knowledge is a non-examined elective course specially designed for Year 10 and 11 students as part of the Wollstonecraft enrichment programme, to challenge them intellectually, extend their knowledge beyond the existing curriculum and draw attention to the interconnectedness of otherwise seemingly disparate subject disciplines. The absence of a rigid syllabus and objectives ultimately leading towards external examination facilitates spontaneity, risk taking, breadth and limitless intellectual scope to really stretch the academically gifted. In addition to stimulating general interest and intellectual enquiry through the study of core cultural, scientific, political and philosophical ideas, the course is an excellent preparation for Sixth Form studies and further prepares the most able for entrance to Oxbridge and Russell Group universities thereafter.

The course is essentially a history of ideas, from pre-history to the present day, manifest in politics, the arts, religion, science and philosophy. It chronologically plots historical periods against key figures, events, ideas and discoveries within different areas of knowledge, highlighting how these different subject areas interrelate, and impact upon the broader, evolving ideological picture. Girls discover and debate ideas and figures as diverse as: the Enlightenment; the Romantics; Adam Smith; Marx and Engel; Pre-Raphaelites and Darwin!

The Matrix of Knowledge course really epitomises the Blackheath High School approach to cultivating a love of learning for its own sake and an intellectually curious approach.