Our academy is a member of the Harris Federation, a group of 44 primary and secondary academies in and around London educating some 30,000 young people. The Harris Federation Teaching School Alliance enables us not only to train and develop teachers and leaders in our academies but also to do so for other schools. Each academy is led and run by its Principal and other senior leaders: we are deliberately a federation rather than a chain. What unites us is a culture that ensures the children and teenagers in our schools get an excellent education within a happy, caring, and supportive environment.
As a result of this, all Harris academies so far to have been inspected by Ofsted have been rated either ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ with the vast majority being Outstanding. Many of these academies replaced schools previously considered to have been failing.
The Harris Federation has been recognized as a top performer by education researchers at the Department for Education, Sutton Trust, and Education Policy Institute as well as Watchsted and PwC.
We are a not-for-profit charity created by Lord Harris of Peckham. He and his family take an active interest in every Harris academy, supporting us financially and with their time.
We are a small, successful Academy in New Beckenham that has recently been judged outstanding in every category by Ofsted. The Progress 8 figure for 2017 is 1.09 and our average grade at A-Level is a grade B. This means that we are now, the most successful school in the borough of Bromley and within the top 1% of schools in the country for progress. It is with enormous pride that I introduce our incredible school and the opportunities that benefit the girls so much.
As a local parent myself, I know how important the decision about which school to send your daughter to is and about the relationship of trust that begins when a parent chooses a school to educate their daughter at. This is not a relationship that is taken lightly.
We have the highest expectations of the girls (and boys in the Sixth Form) and we make no excuses for that I believe that we should all practice courtesy, consideration, and cooperation and we instill this in the girls from their very first day.
Our motto of ‘All Can: We Will’ represents our belief that with our high-quality dedicated teaching and support, coupled with our academic and cultural enhancement curriculum, our girls will mature as responsible individuals who can and will succeed in their chosen paths.
We are committed to building the confidence of each student, encouraging and motivating them to take full advantage of all the opportunities to learn and broaden their horizons while understanding the importance of respect and consideration to others. We believe this will enable them to make well-informed life choices beyond their school years and develop as mature and responsible members of the community.
We are committed to inspiring our students to raise their aspirations, so they can achieve their very best. Our teachers, along with our Chair of Governors, are ambitious and act as positive role models for the girls. We encourage the students to participate in charitable activities both domestically and abroad, to further their experiences and understanding of our global diverse world.
We are committed to strengthening our community through collaboration with parents and local activities. The learning philosophy of Commitment, Optimism, and Resilience develops learners who recognize that challenge is an opportunity, not an obstacle. We know that successful learners are committed, optimistic and resilient and our girls are. We encourage the use of the word yet, introducing strategies informed by the work of Hattie and Dweck, and have developed workshops in resilience and mindfulness.
Our success at GCSE and A-Level demonstrates that we are achieving remarkable things. Progress in Maths and Sciences at GCSE level is exceptionally high and we continue our commitment to encourage our girls to study those subjects at A-Level in our Sixth Form. We will further expand teaching in STEM subjects over the coming years.
We believe that the girls only have one opportunity to prepare for the challenges that will face them after they leave school and we are dedicated to ensuring that they are well prepared and will lead successful and happy lives.
