Harris Academy Battersea

Harris Academy Battersea is now in its fourth year and during the time it has been open it has established itself as one of the highest performing schools in London. In 2017, we have been awarded the Evening Standard School of the Year as well as being named one of the Sunday Times Top 20 Schools in the country. In the last academic year we were ranked 4th highest school in England and the top non-selective school nationally.

With a provisional figure of +1.40 for Progress 8 this year, nearly three times higher than the +0.5 threshold set by OfSTED for 'Outstanding', our hope is that we can improve on this further still. It means that a student who is predicted 10 'C' grades in a normal school would achieve 6 'B' grades and 4 'A' grades in our academy. Also pleasing is that we are a school that helps students achieve irrespective of country of birth or social demographic: there was virtually no gap in the progress of students to whom English is a first language or a second language and students who come from homes with less money than the national average were on an equal footing with those above.

In terms of raw results we are also the highest achieving school in Wandsworth with 83% of students obtaining 5A*-C including English and Mathematics. Our success is not limited to GCSE results alone. At A-level, we were top of the country for progress last year and with over 90% A*-C and an incredible 61% of students obtaining a 'B' grade or better, we were the highest achieving school in Wandsworth.

Such results do not come easily and are borne out of the tenacity, resilience and dedication that both our staff and students show on a daily basis. Teachers are relentless in their drive to help students suceed be it through the sacrifice of holidays to support exam preparation, Saturday morning revision sessions or the countless late evenings that they commit themselves to. This is all alongside making sure that every lesson, every day, is a testament to the high levels of academic rigour that are expected throughout the academy.

We are a school that stands by its inclusive values. We are not a school that selects its intake based on prior attainment - we do not care where people come from; we only care about where they get to. We are a community school and we will always aim to serve it as best we can. The school aims to be a specialist in every area of the curriculum. Should a student wish to be a scientist, lawyer, actor or artist then we have some of the very best teachers in the country to help them achieve it.

The students in our school are ambassadors for what all young people should aspire to be; they are a group of students who give their all and rise to every challenge that is put in front of them. I could not be more proud of the individuals who walk through the gates of our school every morning; each day their heads are held a little higher and they stand a little taller because of what they achieved the day before.The staff, just like the students, will always aim to better themselves. We want to be one of the most outstanding schools in the whole country and provide for your children, the future they deserve.

We are a modern and innovative Academy with old-fashioned values, preparing students for the 21st century and all the challenges it brings. We are a socially inclusive school, serving the community in which we are situated. Our motto is ‘Head, Heart and Heroism’ and we are will give nothing except our very best in pursuit of embodying these in our everyday practice.

Head means we will set challenging targets and raise aspirations so that all students achieve success. We want to see an outstanding proportion of students going to high level apprenticeships, good careers and universities including those from the Russell Group.

Heart means we will build global citizens and fine ambassadors for the local community. Our curriculum builds on what we call the four Rs: Respect, Resilience, Resourcefulness and Reciprocity. These qualities will enable students to develop the emotional intelligence they need now and in the future.

Heroism means students and staff are encouraged to have the courage and integrity to take the right action for the right situation, even when no-one is watching. We are developing a community built on respect, where everyone goes the extra mile. Whatever a student’s starting point with their education, they will make progress and succeed by stretching and challenging themselves.

Harris Academy Battersea is dedicated to promoting the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. Within lessons and through our programme of assemblies, drop down days, extra-curricular activities and school trips Harris Academy Battersea will:

• Enable students to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence.
• Enable students to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England.
• Encourage students to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative, and to understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality of the school and to society more widely.
• Challenge opinions and behaviours in school that are contrary to the above fundamental British values.
• Enable students to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England.
• Further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling students to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures.
• Encourage respect for other people.
• Encourage respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic processes, including respect for the basis on which the law is made and applied in England.

Pupils at Harris Academy Battersea are able to

• Understand and explain how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process.
• Appreciate that living under the rule of law protects individual citizens and is essential for their wellbeing and safety.
• Understand that there is a separation of power between the executive and the judiciary, and that while some public bodies such as the police and the army can be held to account through Parliament, others such as the courts maintain independence.
• Understand that the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law.
• Show that other people having different faiths or beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour.
• Understand the importance of identifying and combatting discrimination.