Harris Academy Greenwich Prospectus

PACE PURPOSE PRIDE

OUR VISION Our vision is to develop successful students who demonstrate courage, behave with integrity and live happy lives.

An Academy that transforms lives Harris Academy Greenwich is not just an excellent school. It is much more than that.

Our staff are dedicated to transforming the lives of our students, providing them with not only the best possible academic outcomes, but with the experiences and guidance that will help them become resilient, resourceful, reflective and emotionally intelligent young adults.

The Academy prides itself on its modern, student-centred approach to education, but with traditional values of respect and discipline at its core. With academic outcomes consistently in the top 10% of schools in the country, it is a school carving out a new story for its students and our local community.

However impressive our results, we will get to know your child not as a statistic, but as a student with hopes and dreams that we have a moral responsibility to help make a reality.

How do we get such great results from our students?

Well, we certainly don’t play admissions games, or try to trick the system with our results. We just ensure that all our staff are passionate about transforming our students’ lives, regardless of their ability or backgrounds. After all, what else are we here for?

This is an outstanding Academy for your children’s future.

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An Academy with pace, purpose and pride Pace We approach each day with determination and are relentless in our pursuit of excellence for our students and staff. We work hard and work smart, making swift but thoughtful decisions which are put in place for our students with total conviction for maximum impact.

Purpose We believe that we have the power to transform our students’ lives, regardless of their ability, background, social status and life opportunities. We will help our students to dream bigger, to learn harder and to be more successful than they thought possible. In doing so we believe that we will transform our community for the better.

Pride Our staff and students show immense pride in their school. We teach our students to walk tall and to demonstrate pride in themselves and in others.

Our community deserves an outstanding school and we will give it to them.

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CASE STUDY Pravas, Year 11 Originally from Nepal, Pravas is in Year 11 and is making impressive progress. Consistently well above target in all his subjects, he particularly loves English and Geography. A talented sportsman, he was part of the football team that won the London Cup last year.

“I’ve made lots of really nice friends here and it’s a great place to be. I’m really proud of my progress here and the reputation of the school.”

CASE STUDY Ezra, Year 8 Ezra is in Year 8 and is a peer mentor to Year 7, which involves showing them around the school and sorting out any problems they might have.

He is a fantastic role model for other students.

His favourite subjects are Maths and Science.

“I loved being in Year 7. It was so exciting meeting lots of new people but in a really safe environment. The Principal gets to know all our names and faces and welcomes us at the gate every morning, rain or shine.�

a safe and welcoming community for Our new Year 7s Moving to secondary school can be scary.

But not here.

Transition to secondary starts well before the summer with staff visits to all our feeder primary schools and weekly transition events after school here at Harris Academy Greenwich. Senior staff meet every single parent and child in one-to-one meetings in July and students who would most benefit are invited to our summer school in August. The first day in September is just for Year 7 so they feel confident before the rest of the school joins the following day. All our students have a dedicated ‘buddy’ or mentor from further up the school, and also a member of staff who acts as a ‘learning guide’, meeting them weekly in small groups of 4 for 30 minutes to support them with any issues they might have.

We also make sure that in-year admissions to any year group get the same level of care to ensure they are nurtured in an outstanding learning environment.

Every single morning our senior team and pastoral team greet the students on the gate from 8am to ensure their safe arrival and then later bid them farewell at the end of the day to ensure they leave safely from school.

It is important to us that your child feels safe and secure all day long, so our teams are highly visible and proactive, resulting in consistently calm and positive behaviour for learning.

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Our Specialisms Enterprise All students have the opportunity to participate in a wide selection of inspiring activities that will improve their problem solving and entrepreneurial skills, their ability to work as a team and create business-literate students ready for the fast moving world ahead of them. Every year the students raise thousands of pounds in all sorts of inventive ways for their chosen charities.

Our post 16 students benefit from close association with The Careers Academy, providing them with a month-long internship and business guru lectures.

Communication We believe that all students should have a strong grasp of the key communication skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Every subject focuses on improving these essential communication skills to ensure our students are socially intelligent and articulate, helping them to become well-rounded and highly skilled young adults when they leave our Academy. We encourage our students to shape, develop and express their opinions through debate and critical inquiry.

Sport

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Involvement in sport is a strong motivator for many students and leads to increased academic performance, driving up standards across the school. We are the leading school for sport in Greenwich and, as such, have superb facilities and resources. There is a wide variety of sports available and we have students who represent us nationally in sports such as cricket, swimming, rugby, badminton, basketball, judo, dance and athletics. We are the educational provider for Charlton Athletic Football Club and also have strong links with Leyton Orient, Millwall and Chelsea.

CASE STUDY Daniel, Year 10 Daniel is in Year 10 and a keen sportsman. He trains with the football team at 7.30am once per week and also plays badminton, trained here by a former British number 1. Unsurprisingly his favourite subject is PE but he works hard in all his subjects.

“I love sport here. Harris Sports Day is awesome and I really want to compete next year… but I know all the subjects are important. I find studying English quite difficult but I’m getting better all the time. I really want to do well and I know I will.”

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CASE STUDY Tilly, Year 11 Tilly is a talented student who is moving into her final GCSE year. She is part of the Student Commission and is often on the panel for interviewing prospective staff.

“I’ve always loved this school.

The Academy is really diverse and there are always people to look out for you – whether you are introverted or extroverted you’ll find great friends and supportive teachers here.”

An amazing experience Harris Academy Greenwich is a vibrant and multi-cultural school where diversity is truly valued and celebrated: we hold the highly prestigious Cultural Diversity Gold award, in recognition how well our students integrate and communicate with each other.

We provide all students not just with excellent academic rigour, but with a rounded educational experience filled with memorable out-of-school experiences which give all students a chance to shine.

As part of the extended school day we offer a wide range of school trips, off-timetable activities and school clubs which seek to engage, encourage and motivate our students. Trips include curriculum-based local visits as well as more adventurous expeditions to France, Poland and Kenya. Our students take part in a variety of initiatives to work with our local community, which include singing in local hospices and homes for the elderly, and taking part in academic initiatives for our most gifted such as the Brilliant Club where students work with PHD students from Russell Group Universities.

Of course, for Key Stage 4 and 5 students, school holidays are also crucial for extra revision and the school holds a wide range of extra classes at these times, as well as Saturday classes for Maths and English throughout the year.

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CASE STUDY Konrad, Year 13 Konrad is a Sixth Form student and has just completed Year 12 here at Harris Academy Greenwich, achieving excellent grades at AS level.

Originally from Poland and speaking little English, he has thrived at our Academy and has really enjoyed his time here. Now completely fluent in English, he plans to study Chemistry, Biology and History A Levels in Year 13 with the firm ambition to attend an elite university.

“I love the community spirit at the Academy. We are all really close and help each other out. The staff really believe in us.�

Our Sixth Form To give all our Sixth Form students the opportunity to reach their full potential, we offer a wide range of A Level courses as well as some BTEC Level 3 courses.

Class sizes are small, resources excellent and the teaching outstanding. Naturally this leads to great results and high aspirations for our students.

There is a wide range of enrichment opportunities in which, as ambassadors of the Academy, the students are encouraged to participate, such as mentoring younger students, taking on roles in the local community and participating in our internship programme.

The close ties which the Harris Federation has with not only some of the UK’s top employers, but also many Russell Group Universities, and in particular Harris Manchester College, Oxford, ensure that our Sixth Form leavers have the best possible futures ahead of them, regardless of whether their next steps are into the work place or into Further Education.

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Harris Federation Our Academy is sponsored by the Harris Federation, a not-for-profit charity with almost 25 years of experience in running schools.

The Federation runs a family of Primary and Secondary Academies in and around London.

The Harris Federation has an exceptional track record, with academic progress outpacing the national average by 3 or 4 times each year and more than three quarters of its Secondary Academies so far judged as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted – this is unmatched by any other education body.

The work of the Federation is made possible through the generous financial support of Lord Harris of Peckham and is brought to life by a team of excellent teachers and leaders.

You can follow the Harris Federation on Twitter: @HarrisFed

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Each year for Sports Day, the Harris Federation hires the Crystal Palace Sports Stadium. With well over 10,000 student and staff spectators in attendance, Academies compete in team and individual sports.

The sound of students cheering each other on is so loud that last year Team GB athlete Louise Jukes who happened to be nearby tweeted:

“Can hear hundreds of kids screaming from the stadium at Crystal Palace!

What a great noise! Kids loving sports day! Wish I was a kid again!”

From the Chief Executive The Harris Federation is a London charity with more than twenty years of experience in education. Our Academies combine the traditional values of good manners, strong discipline and smart uniform with the best of modern teaching and technology.

Harris Academy Greenwich has established itself as a highly enterprising and very successful member of our group. Working closely together in and around London, our Academies are able to offer a far broader range of opportunities, far better training and professional development for staff and real success for our students.

What makes this Academy so successful? Students who enjoy learning and look forward to coming to school each day; teachers and support staff who are genuinely ambitious for every student; a senior leadership team that consistently sets standards of excellence.

From the Sponsor As an employer and a father I strongly believe that a good education is the best start in life that you can give a child.

Harris Academy Greenwich promotes hard work, curiosity of mind, integrity and ambition. It works tirelessly, in partnership with the other Harris Academies, to ensure the greatest success for every child, regardless of their ability or aptitude.

I hope you will come along to our various Open Day or Evening Events to see for yourself the difference the Academy is making.

Lord Harris of Peckham

If your son or daughter wants to come to an Academy with drive and ambition, then I hope you will attend one of its open events to find out more.

Sir Daniel Moynihan Ed.D, M.A., B.Sc. (Econ) Chief Executive of the Harris Federation

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Middle Park Avenue, Eltham, London SE9 5EQ T: 020 8859 0133 F: 020 8294 1890 Email: info@harrisgreenwich.org.uk www.harrisgreenwich.org.uk