A warm welcome to Harris Boys’ Academy East Dulwich. What makes us special goes far beyond the “outstanding” rating by Ofsted we were delighted to achieve in 2011. At the heart of our success is an absolute belief in the ability of every student to shine – no matter what their background, ability, or character. We will accept no excuses for being anything but the best we can be.
When a student joins our academy some will already be high-fliers, others will be good all-rounders and some will face significant and individual challenges. Each student will already have a unique personality, gift, and character that we will develop further by working together. I have made it clear to everyone at the Academy that we are stronger as a team than a group of individuals, and that by pulling in the same direction we will achieve great things.
We encourage our students to be critical thinkers and promote these skills throughout the curriculum. A student at Harris Boys' Academy will learn how to engage critically with foreign affairs, religion and society, issues of citizenship, and the media, so they acquire the skills and recognize the value of, thinking for themselves and thinking in a well-reasoned manner. This feeds into our desire to leave our students with the ability to apply these same skills to any context, for example, whether they are being subject to peer pressure, or being actively targeted by extremist ideologies.
Children learn best when their school environment is safe, inclusive, and welcoming. We have a culture of mutual respect between students and staff, and zero tolerance of bullying in any form.
We have a proven track record of getting the best from all our students, reinforced by very clear expectations regarding student conduct, manners, uniform, and behavior which are non-negotiable and consistently enforced across the Academy. We believe that success occurs in a framework of high expectations, whilst also acknowledging that mistakes provide valuable learning opportunities too.
This is a school at which every student has the chance to find his unique path to success, where everyone is aware of their rights and responsibilities towards themselves and others.
The curriculum at Harris Boys’ Academy East Dulwich is designed to ensure that each student is educated and supported to succeed in the world today in line with the latest educational research.
The Key Stage 3 curriculum is followed by Years 7 and 8 and is designed to provide depth and breadth of study whilst ensuring that appropriate time can be devoted to Mathematics, English, and Science.
Key Stage 3 is the bedrock and the foundation for our students to be successful when they leave Harris Boys’ Academy. By getting Key Stage 3 right, the transition to Key Stage 4 is much easier for students.
We intend to give students a ‘taste’ of as many subjects as possible, whilst preparing them for, and informing them about, their GCSE options. Literacy and numeracy skills are developed in every subject and across the curriculum.
All students have a broad weekly curriculum offer of English, Maths, Science, Geography, History, Spanish, Religious Studies, ICT skills, Physical Education, Design and Technology, Food Technology, Art, Drama, Dance, and Music.
To help our students prepare for success in an ever-changing world, we have developed a Key Stage 4 (Years 9, 10, and 11) Programme of Study that offers each student a focussed Curriculum Pathway, as well as an option to incorporate personal interest into his studies.
All students follow a core curriculum of English Language, English Literature, Maths, Double Science, either Geography or History, and BTEC First Sport. The majority of our boys will also have a Modern Foreign Language as part of their core curriculum.
Our students select their additional subjects to make up their curriculum. This selection is made up of vocational courses and other academic subjects. The list of optional subjects is extensive and will give the boys a real opportunity to experience a subject that they may then want to go off and study at university. At Key Stage 5, we are part of the highly successful Harris Federation Sixth Form with over 120 students studying at Harris Boys’ Academy East Dulwich.
