Harris Science Academy East London - Prospectus 2023

EVERY CHILD A LEADER

WELCOME

Since September 2022, Harris Science Academy East London has been part of the Harris Federation, a group of 52 primary and secondary academies in and around London.

This means we are part of a group led and run by teachers, where:

x2 our pupils are twice as likely to go to Russell Group universities

x3.5 our academies are judged Ofsted ‘outstanding’ at around 3.5 times the national rate

There are:

40k children and 5,000 staff members

4 applications for every place available

60+

150+

£5mil

£10mil

highly-skilled subject teachers in our central team, available to our academies as a resource to use as they need

Harris pupils, almost all from under-represented backgrounds, have taken up Oxbridge places over the past four years

extra is generated every year to spend on our pupils’ education, generated by negotiating high quality, but shared and therefore less costly, contracts and services between our academies

has been generated in fundraising over the past three years, invested in ground-breaking initiatives for pupils

THE JOURNEY TO BECOMING THE BEST ACADEMY IN NEWHAM AND ONE OF THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY

Our Executive Principal is Lisa Kattenhorn, who is also responsible for the ‘Outstanding’ Harris Invictus Academy in Croydon. Our Principal is Mr Dan MacPherson. The leadership team at the Academy have a track record of building high performing schools.

At Harris Science Academy East London, we are ambitious for our students and we want them to be the changemakers of the future.

We are proud to have an incredibly supportive parent community that mirrors the high aspirations we have for our students.

Here are the key reasons why we believe our academy is a truly fantastic place to learn:

1 We are the smallest school in Newham, meaning your child will be known by name and well looked after.

2 The eclectic setting between the historic locks and the renowned 3 Mills Studios provides a unique setting for learning.

3 The children here are wonderful. There is a drive, purpose, and sense of scholarship about them that you won’t find in other schools.

4 Our mission is for every child to become a leader in their chosen field, with the opportunity to lead in science. Our values of growth, responsibility, ambition, compassion, and excellence underpin everything we do. These are not just phrases on our website. We live and breathe our ethos every day.

5 There is a relentless focus on getting the basics right. We focus on clarity and unity of leadership, exemplary behaviour, a well-taught, unashamedly academic curriculum for all students and explicit character development. We think we have got the balance right between tradition, research, and best practice. This will not change when we move into our £40million new building near Star Lane DLR station and we are excited to share the plans for this in due course.

We are hugely excited to be leading our academy at this point in its journey and hope the following pages provide you with an insight into our school.

Lisa Kattenhorn Executive Principal Dan MacPherson Principal

UNIFIED LEADERSHIP BEHIND A VALUES LED MISSION

Our ethos is more than just a slogan on the website.

We are serious about our children becoming the leaders of the future and changemakers within the community.

Growth Responsibility

Our leaders will not be cut-throat or ruthless; rather they will act with GRACE. Graceful leadership is at the heart of everything we do.

We are confident that we can be better. We know that feedback is essential for improvement. We never give up, especially when it is difficult.

We are self disciplined, we own our decisions and we acknowledge their impact on others. If we do something wrong, we put it right.

Ambition

We aim to be the best versions of ourselves at all times. We believe in the potential to achieve the highest grades and access the best careers/universities.

Compassion

We are always kind to others, regardless of who they are. We regularly show our appreciation.

Excellence

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not, therefore, an act, but a habit. We are proactive, and curious to know and do more.

EXEMPLARY BEHAVIOUR

Our kind, calm and structured environment creates the safest space for all students to thrive.

We give our students explicit practice in what our norms are and how to be a ‘HSAEL leader’ so we can ‘catch them in before catching them out’. Our culture for learning is distinctive. We are a strict no mobile phone school to help our children digitally detox and stay safe.

Our pastoral care system provides a strong framework to ensure that every child has the support and guidance they need to thrive. We aim to create positive, calm and purposeful spaces where our students can not only achieve their potential but form lifelong friendships and become the very best version of themselves.

A WELL TAUGHT, ACADEMIC CURRICULUM FOR ALL

We aim to apply the scientific skills of research, creativity, innovation and investigation to every subject. This benefits all students, whichever academic or career path they choose.

This specialism is delivered as part of a wellbalanced curriculum that is rich in all areas including the arts, humanities, sport and languages. We believe that all children deserve an academic curriculum, so we do not offer vocational subjects and all children study separate sciences and a modern language until Year 11.

The Harris Federation employs a team of specialist teaching consultants in almost every subject – science, maths, English, through to music and Mandarin!

They organise a huge variety of experience and opportunities that extend students’ learning and build their excitement and enthusiasm.

We tailor our teaching to our students’ needs and talents and aim to nurture their burgeoning interests. By providing the appropriate amount of stretch and challenge in lessons, we ensure that every student reaches their full potential.

Our teachers are also quick to put in place extra support for students when this is needed, including one-to-one coaching.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Qualifications will not be enough to help our students be leaders in whatever they choose to do. We help children to develop the character to become gracious leaders.

Students learn how to communicate articulately and there are frequent opportunities for performances in public speaking, music and sport. All children go on at least 12 trips a year and there is a vibrant extra-curricular programme.

Our sports department regularly uses the facilities on offer at the nearby Harris Academy Chobham. We are also lucky to be located nearby the superb facilities at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, including the Copper Box Arena and London Stadium.

Our Year 7 students also have the opportunity to take swimming lessons and to play rugby at the East London Rugby Club.

Our students receive tailored careers advice early on in their education and we aim to provide them with a whole host of experiences that showcase the many different options available to them after they leave school.

HARRIS EXPERIENCE

We are proud to be part of Harris Experience, a five-year programme run by the Harris Federation in order to broaden the academic and cultural experiences of the most academically promising students – in the recent past these have ranged from world class art auctioneering with Christie’s Auctioneers to a trip to the Royal Opera House; from a day of Science in Action at Imperial College London to a bespoke day of lectures at Oxford University.

For sixth formers, Harris Experience includes an Oxbridge Programme, a medicine/dentistry programme and university application support for all.

OUR SIXTH FORM

Our sixth formers are role models to our younger students and demonstrate the heights that can be achieved through hard work.

Classes are small and are led by outstanding teachers who are passionate about their subjects. The vast majority of our students go on to university and apprenticeships.

Our academy’s science specialism continues into our Sixth Form, where we aim to nurture the leading scientists, engineers and medics of the future. We have particular expertise in mathematics and the sciences, but offer a range of subjects including English Literature.

OUR CAMPUS

Our academy is currently spread across two sites:

• The historic Clock Mill and Custom House on Three Mills Island

• Our Lock Keepers site in Bow

Children spend time on both campuses throughout the week.

There are shared facilities across our campus including IT access, a growing library, hot food and the whole school and year groups come together for character education days, assemblies, annual prize-giving and subject lectures as well as our annual Beyond 18 Careers Conference.

In summer 2022, our academy benefited from several upgrades to our facilities, including new Design and Technology suites and kitchens. Plans are in progress for our new permanent state-ofthe-art home in Twelvetrees, West Ham.

PART OF THE SUCCESSFUL HARRIS FEDERATION

Our academy is part of the Harris Federation, a not-for-profit group of educators with over thirty years’ experience in running successful schools in and around London. There are 52 schools within the Federation educating over 40,000 pupils.

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. The majority of Harris academies are rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted and, on average, receive four applications from parents for every place available.

The Harris Federation has an exceptional track record with academic progress far greater than the national average. The Federation regularly tops academic studies and national league tables measuring performance.

In addition to running schools, the Harris Federation provides high-quality training and professional development for teachers.

Follow @HarrisFed on Twitter to stay updated.

APPLY FOR A PLACE

We offer 125 places in Year 7 each year.

We accept students from across London. Our students live almost equally in Newham and Tower Hamlets with some coming from even further afield. This is something we are keen to maintain as it gives the academy a uniquely diverse student intake. We do not operate any form of aptitude or academic selection in student admissions. The education we offer is unashamedly academic, yet also inclusive of the full ability range, and this is something we know our students and parents value highly.

Each application should be made through the student’s home borough as part of the Pan-London eAdmissions process.

We are formally in Newham but applications from out of borough are welcome and can be made on the Pan-London eAdmissions website or through your local borough application form. We recommend using the eAdmissions website so you can be sure your application is submitted promptly.

The Pan-London eAdmissions website opens on 1st September 2023 for the next round of admissions and close at midnight on 31st October. If successful, you will receive an offer of a place from the academy on national offer day which is 1st March 2024.

The Pan-London eAdmissions website is www.eadmissions.org.uk

OVERSUBSCRIPTION CRITERIA

Children with a statement of Special Education Needs that names our academy (subject to the academy’s right of appeal to the Secretary of State) will be offered a place before all other applications are considered.

After this, places will be allocated in the following order of priority:

Children who are in the care of a Local Authority including those that have been previously looked after but ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a residence or special guardianship order.

Children who will have a sibling attending our academy at the time of admission. A “sibling” is defined as children who live as brother or sister in the same house, including natural brothers or sisters, adopted siblings, stepbrothers or sisters and foster brothers and sisters. Where applications are received from twins, triplets or same year siblings, if one child is selected for a place the twin/triplet/ same year sibling will be ranked in their own priority group immediately below children in the care of a Local Authority. The sibling rule does not apply to students with a place in Year 12 or 13.

Children of staff at our academy where the member of staff has been employed here for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission is made, and/or the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.

After places have been filled by the first three criteria, 1/3 of any remaining places will be offered to children who live between 0 and 1.499km from the academy, measured by straight-line distance from the main academy entrance of the current academy location (as specified in the academy prospectus or on the academy website) to the child’s home address being the home address of the main carer as set out on the application form. Where the number of applicants in this category exceeds the number of places, offers will be determined by random allocation.

After places have been filled under the first four criteria, 1/2 of any of the remaining places will be offered to children who live between 1.500km and 2.999km from the front gate of the academy. Where the number of applicants in this category exceeds the number of places, offers will be determined by random allocation.

After places have been filled under the first five criteria, any remaining places will be offered to children living a distance of 3.000km or beyond from the front gate of the academy. Where the number of applicants in this category exceeds the number of places, offers will be determined by random allocation.

After places have been filled under the first six criteria, any remaining places will be offered to any other children making an application, where children live closest to the academy, measured by straight-line distance from the main academy entrance of the current academy location (as specified in the academy prospectus or on the academy website) to the child’s home address being the home address of the main carer as set out on the application form, are given priority.

Note: Distances from the student’s home address to the main academy entrance will be measured by using Ordnance Survey data to plot the applicable distance using the London Borough of Newham’s home school distance service. In the event of a tie between two or more children following the above criteria, places will be allocated by random selection which will be independently supervised.