An exceptional education for local children
Jo Conduit, Principal
Your child’s education
Our Academy opened in September 2014 in order to meet significant demand from East Dulwich families for new primary places. We started with a Reception cohort and currently have children in year groups from Reception to Year 2 and will continue to grow by a year group at a time. We moved into our new building in September 2016, providing a bright and modern space for learning. Children lie at the heart of what we do at Harris Primary East Dulwich. We are a happy, ambitious and inclusive school, reflecting the rich diversity of families in our area. At Harris Primary East Dulwich, we aim to make learning irresistible, ensuring children develop a genuine, life-long, love of learning and that every child flourishes. We do this by providing the best possible education for all of our pupils. We believe that we can provide the very best opportunities for every single child in the school through our vision of ‘Achieving Success Together’ which is underpinned by our ‘Keys to Success’. We pride ourselves on providing a vibrant learning environment which nurtures and supports children. We encourage our pupils to be responsible for their learning, to grow in confidence and become independent. The Philosophy for Children (P4C) programme is a key feature of our school and the work that we do to prepare our children for their rights and responsibilities as global citizens. We offer an exciting and engaging creative curriculum where teachers and pupils work together to ensure high quality learning experiences that enable every pupil to achieve their very best.
Staff, children, parents, governors and the Harris Federation work together at Harris Primary East Dulwich in a culture of collaboration and support, committed to providing a calm and stimulating environment. Mutual respect amongst and between adults and children is an integral part of our culture, where everyone is valued. We believe that these things all contribute to the warm and welcoming atmosphere, which so many visitors comment on when coming to Harris Primary East Dulwich. Parents/carers are welcomed as partners in their child’s education as we believe that our pupils learn best when members of staff and parents/carers work in partnership, so we value your involvement with your child’s education. Working with parents/carers is an essential prerequisite to helping us achieve our aims as we believe that good strong partnerships, coupled with quality teaching and learning and high expectations at all times, will undoubtedly help children achieve their very best, lead to great achievements, promote good citizenship and prepare pupils well for the next stages of their lives. We are one of East Dulwich’s newest schools, but we are also part of a Federation of schools with an established track record. I hope that this website gives you all the information you need about our Academy. If you are starting to make decisions about your child’s education, please do book an appointment at one of our open mornings (see calendar section of website) so that you can see for yourself what we have on offer.
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Happy in the classroom Especially at such a young age, it is important children are taught and looked after in the right way for them. Our staff support each child to be the best they can. This section of our prospectus describes what education here is like.
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Every lesson is creative The aim of our teachers is always to deliver lessons that children enjoy and feel motivated by. We believe that all lessons should be creative, not just arts subjects. We want all of our pupils to be confident readers, writers and mathematicians. Our teachers make sure these areas as well as the rest of the National Curriculum are taught in ways that engage the natural sense of curiosity that children have. The result of this is that children become eager, confident pupils who understand the joy of learning and are prepared well for academic success.
High standards in every classroom With each week, term and year being so significant in a child’s life, consistency is particularly important in their primary education. As part of the Harris Federation, which has its own training school for teachers, our staff receive outstanding professional development to make sure that standards are consistently high in every classroom.
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Children treated as individuals We want children to retain their individuality and be treated the right way for them. We step in quickly if a change is needed. For some children, this might involve one-to-one support if they are finding something difficult and for others it could mean stretching them more to keep them interested. As an Academy parent, you would be welcome to discuss your son or daughter with us at any time. We also send reports home every half term. We welcome children of all abilities and want them to enjoy school and thrive. For children with special needs, one of our first steps is to work with their parents and other specialists to create a plan for supporting them. Our approach as a whole is reviewed with children’s classroom teachers, relevant specialists and parents every half term.
An academic head start As children progress through the school, one of our aims will be to make sure we give them a ‘head start’ for the rest of their education. Once they reach Years 5 and 6, they will begin to be taught by specialist subject teachers, just like in secondary school. They will also be taken by their teachers to use specialist facilities such as science laboratories at the nearby Harris Secondary Academies. As well as engaging them in the excitement of the subject at hand, these experiences help prepare children for a successful transition to secondary school.
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Happy outside the classroom There is always time at the Academy for children to think, to play, to discover and wonder. This section of our prospectus describes our approach to helping pupils to become well-rounded, resilient and confident. Hobbies, skills and experiences Our teachers and other staff seek to discover and nurture special talents within each child. There is something for everyone in our extracurricular programme which is packed full of music, dance, drama and sport. As your children progress through their education, typical outings and trips might include learning about World War II at the Imperial War Museum, exploring the solar system at the Science Museum and experiencing ancient civilisations at the Horniman Museum.
Every pupil has a friend
Healthy and tasty meals
We want the Academy to feel friendly and welcoming and we always make sure that every pupil has at least one friend. Our children are taught to respect each other and their teachers.
Our school lunches and other snacks and meals are healthy as well as tasty. School lunches are provided free of charge for every child but pupils may bring in packed lunches if they prefer.
There is a zero tolerance approach to any type of bullying.
Wrap-around care
Traditional standards of behaviour
We provide a Breakfast Club and After School Club for all children whose parents require these. The clubs are well organised and fun.
Our Academy is relaxed and comfortable but pupils know that good behaviour is expected of them. They are frequently praised and rewarded for trying their best and for being kind, hard-working and well-behaved.
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A Federation of Academies Our school is part of the Harris Federation. This is a not-for-profit charity with twenty five years of experience of education in London. The charity was created by Lord Harris of Peckham. He and his family take an active interest in our achievements and the progress of our pupils. Every Harris Academy is different, serving its own pupils and community, but we share an ethos that ensures children are happy, enjoy learning and want to go to school. Being part of the Harris Federation means that our teachers and support staff have access to excellent training and resources from a team of experts in primary education. All Harris Academies are located in and around London and we work very closely together. Our teachers get together to share their best ideas and develop successful ways of teaching pupils. Our children also come together for events such as the annual Battle of the Brains contest and, each summer, the Harris Federation Sports Day. You can find out more about the Harris Federation at www.harrisfederation.org.uk or by following @HarrisFed on Twitter.
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Admissions We have 60 places available in Reception. The dates for our Open Days are on our website. Please do take the time to come and meet us. If there are more than 60 applications, Looked After and Former Looked After Children will be admitted first, followed by children with a statement of Special Educational Need that names the Academy. Children with siblings at the Academy will be prioritised next. All remaining places will be distributed on the basis of proximity between home and school, with children who live closest to our building on Lordship Lane being prioritised.
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173 Lordship Lane, London SE22 8HA T. 020 3772 4573 Email. info@harrisprimaryeastdulwich.org.uk www.harrisprimaryeastdulwich.org.uk
@HarrisFed