A brand new academy with drive and ambition opening in September 2018
Welcome On behalf of everyone at the Harris Federation, we wanted to say how pleased we are that Harris Academy Wimbledon will open in September 2018 for our first group of 120 Year 7 students. Having spoken to many local families and listened to what they want in a school, we are now able to open admissions to the academy as a brand new co-educational school for the High Path area.
Joanne Larizadeh, Principal
Lee Mallin, Executive Principal
Harris Academy Wimbledon will be an outstanding place to learn. It will provide an excellent education in an innovative, inclusive and happy environment. As well as promoting academic achievement across the curriculum and encouraging participation in extra-curricular opportunities, we want to support our students to make decisions wisely, ready for the challenges they will face as adults. As part of the Harris Federation, we will have the opportunity to partner with other successful Harris schools across London and will have access to a shared pool of resources and expertise. In September 2020, we will open our brand new building in High Path, which is being purpose built for our students. Until then, we will be situated in the redeveloped adult education centre on Whatley Avenue, with full access to all the facilities and resources we need as a successful, thriving school. With the support of our local community, we know that Harris Academy Wimbledon will match the high standards Harris academies are known for, and that we will take excellent care of students. Being part of a school at its inception is a great experience. Our first students will be the role models for the future and set a trail for others to emulate. Come and be part of this with us!
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Education with Ambition Harris Academy Wimbledon will be a brand new school with drive and ambition. The Harris Federation has an exceptional track record, with academic progress far greater than the national average. Every Harris academy so far inspected by Ofsted is rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, with the majority rated ‘outstanding’. Additionally, 100% of inspected Harris secondary academies which were newly established are rated ‘outstanding’. The founder and Chairman of the Harris Federation is Lord Harris of Peckham. His vision of delivering happy and successful education is brought to life by an excellent team of teachers and leaders. We will build on the well-established success of the Harris Federation which is widely recognised as a top performer by education researchers at the Department for Education, Sutton Trust and Education Policy Institute as well as Watchsted and PwC. You can follow the Harris Federation on Twitter: @HarrisFed.
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Harris Federation in numbers
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Independent experts Watchsted rank the Harris Federation FIRST OF 26 Academies GROUPS for improving Ofsted outcomes. There are five applications from parents for every place available.
Lower ability pupils are eight times more likely to achieve the demanding English Baccalaureate with Harris than they are nationally.
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85% of Harris sixth formers gain university offers, with places secured at Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, King’s, Leeds and Bristol.
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82% of inspected Harris secondary academies are rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted and the rest are ‘good’.
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All inspected Harris secondary academies which were newly established are rated ‘outstanding’.
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A welcoming new building and home for our school Our new building, which will open in September 2020, will be an addition to the regeneration of the High Path area. Our building has been compactly and elegantly designed with innovative features to maximise the space onsite. The key communal facilities, such as the dining area, halls and music rooms, will be on the ground floor, while science, English and maths will each be taught on different floors. This will minimise time spent moving between lessons and create an excellent learning environment for our students.
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While our new building is being constructed, the academy will operate from Whatley Avenue in the redeveloped adult education centre. This will be comfortable and well-equipped for our school and we will have access to sports fields at the nearby Joseph Hood Recreation Ground.
A thriving school from day one As the first year group in the school, our first 120 children will benefit from the undivided attention of our teachers so that we can help them make a well-considered and easy transition between primary and secondary school. As they continue their education at Harris Academy Wimbledon, our first year group will be the trailblazers for all years that follow and establish the traditions and culture for others joining later. We recognise the importance of parents and carers in their child’s education. Parents and carers will be encouraged to get involved with their child’s education and to visit the academy on a regular basis, whether for special events or to hear about their child’s progress. Reports will be sent home to parents and carers every term.
We will have a House System and every child will be allocated to a House. The House System will provide opportunities for students in all year groups to work together in friendly competition and earn a variety of different rewards. There will be a weekly Harris Point Competition and students will take part in a number of different House events during the course of the year from all areas of school life.
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Our curriculum The curriculum will be rich, diverse and personalised to ensure every student achieves his or her true potential. We believe every student should be stretched and challenged through a balanced, rigorous and demanding curriculum. During Key Stage 3 we place appropriate emphasis on the core subjects – maths, English and science – but we also believe in the importance of the humanities, languages, PE, music, art and performing arts subjects in the welfare and development of our students. In Key Stage 4, students will study a core curriculum of English, maths and science and will be able to choose from a range of subjects from humanities, languages, the arts and technology. We will offer acceleration, extension and enrichment to challenge our more able learners and will provide excellent intervention programmes for students who require extra support. Homework will provide opportunity for research, independent learning and reflection. Through homework, students will be able to consolidate previous learning, gain valuable practice of key skills and concepts, and prepare for future learning. A homework timetable will be published to ensure that homework from different areas is spread across the week.
More Able Learners More able learners will be offered a varied and challenging curriculum that is tailored to suit their needs and to give them the best possible opportunity to gain a place at a leading
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university at the end of Year 13. The most able learners will be provided with the very best opportunities to broaden their knowledge and understanding in all subjects. As a Harris academy, we will also be a part of Harris Experience, a programme designed for the most able students from Year 9 onwards. It exposes them to a range of cultural experiences that take their learning well beyond the curriculum. Recent examples range from learning the art of auctioneering at Christie’s to attending a day of lectures at the University of Oxford.
Rewards Students will be rewarded for excellent work and contributions to the school using Harris Points. The system will be designed to motivate students to achieve their full potential, both in class and through extra-curricular activities. Harris Points will be recorded and students will be able to accumulate points in order to be awarded milestones. There will be an opportunity for celebration for all students through a number of different events which will share students’ success and show pride in their achievements.
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Our extra-curricular activities We believe that academic success should go hand-in-hand with a rich variety of extra-curricular activities. Wherever there is demand for a club or activity, we will always try to find a way to make it happen. Extra-curricular activities will help foster a spirit of aspiration, resilience and joy in learning. We will encourage all students to participate in our extensive extra-curricular programme, including lunchtime and after school clubs, leadership opportunities, fundraising for charity, cultural and educational visits and residential trips at home and abroad.
Sport Sport will be an integral part of life at the school and there will be sport for all and competitive sport. There will be a range of clubs after school and fixtures against other local schools.
Music There will be a number of extra-curricular activities in music including choirs, jazz bands, orchestra and small ensemble groups in a range of instruments. We will provide a music tour for all our ensembles, which will encourage students to immerse themselves in a different culture and country while having the opportunity to play their repertoire to new audiences.
Productions There will be a number of different opportunities for students to perform and be involved in school productions.
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Apply for a place There are 120 places available in Year 7 this September, rising to 180 places in future years. Applications for places in 2018 should be made through the website – www.harriswimbledon.org.uk. If there are more applications than places, we will prioritise children living closest to the academy’s ‘nodal points’.
Following consultation with local parents, these ‘nodal points’ were chosen to put greater emphasis on children from Colliers Wood, where there is need for additional secondary places. Colliers Wood station will therefore be a nodal point for the new school and the other nodal points will be Merton Abbey Primary School and Haydons Road station. If you are interested in a place, please consider attending one of our open events – the dates are on our website. We look forward to meeting you and sharing our ambition with you as we open Harris Academy Wimbledon.
Temporary Building Address: Former Adult Education Centre, Whatley Avenue, London SW20 9NS Permanent Address: High Path, London SW19 2JY T. 020 8253 7777  Email. info@harriswimbledon.org.uk www.harriswimbledon.org.uk