An exceptional education for local children
At Harris Primary Academy Peckham Park you will find a strong focus on excellent behaviour and enthusiasm for learning. Welcome to Harris Primary Academy Peckham Park – the first primary academy in the Harris Federation. Harris Primary Academy Peckham Park is located in the heart of Peckham. The Harris Federation, which sponsors the Academy, is a London based charity nearly 30 years’ experience of running successful schools in London. Anyone who visits the Academy would find a cohort of pupils that are happy, well-behaved and enthusiastic about learning, as well as a first-rate team of teachers and support staff. The Academy has an exceptional Principal who has established a rapidly improving school that children thrive in and love coming to. I hope that you find this prospectus helpful and that you are as excited as we are about all of the innovative and vibrant opportunities that this Academy provides. As an employer and a father I strongly believe that a good education is the best start in life that you can give a child. Harris Primary Academy, Peckham Park promotes hard work, curiosity of mind, integrity and ambition. It works tirelessly, in partnership with the other Harris Academies, ensure greatest success for every child, regardless of Sir Daniel Moynihan Ed.D, to MA, B.Scthe (Econ) their ability or aptitude. Chief Executive of the Harris Federation I hope you will come along to one of our Open Events to see for yourself the difference the Academy is making. Lord Harris of Peckham – Sponsor
Applying for a place We have 60 Reception places each year. Thank you for reading our prospectus. I hope it will give you a sense of the happy, friendly nature of our Academy and the extent to which we work hard and enjoy learning. We are proud that our pupils look forward to coming to the Academy. Whether in lessons, break time or afterschool clubs, it is important that our pupils make the most of the many wonderful opportunities we have on offer. Academically, our curriculum focuses on ensuring that all our pupils become confident readers, writers and mathematicians. Inside and outside the classroom, there are always opportunities for pupils to develop their creativity and confidence. We have an excellent range of after-school activities, and our staff are committed to ensuring every pupil finds an aspect of our curriculum they can enjoy and excel in. I very much look forward to welcoming you and your child to our Academy.
Children who live closest to the Academy and those who already have older brothers or sisters here are prioritised for places. To apply for a place, you will need to name the Academy on Southwark Council’s Common Application Form. If you do not live in Southwark, you should name the Academy on the Common Application Form of the borough in which you live. A copy of our full admissions policy is available on our website or from the Academy office.
“ It’s nice, it’s cool and there are nice teachers. I like the amount of time we get to do our work. I like the playground. I like the rules.” Year 4 Student
Pearl Harris Head of Academy
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Learning at our Academy Our pupils are encouraged to respect each other and to value their education. The curriculum we have in place focuses on ensuring they are confident readers, writers and mathematicians when they leave primary school. We keep a close eye on every individual pupil, and whenever a child needs extra support we plan work for them in small groups or on a one-to-one basis to give them the additional tuition they require.
“ The teachers teach the children how to read, write, spell and teach us how to respect others. I like this school because it is the best school in the whole world.” Year 6 Student
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An extra focus on reading & writing We believe that learning to read, write and communicate effectively is extremely important. All of our pupils have a reading lesson in addition to their English lesson each day and children in the Early Years and Key Stage 1 have a phonics lesson each day as well. We make sure there are also always plenty of other opportunities to practise reading throughout the day. This means that our pupils can read well by age 7 and become motivated readers for life. We are great writers at the Academy and children are given many opportunities to write across all subject areas each day. We celebrate English each term with a variety of enrichment events.
Maths & science We have daily mathematics lessons. We show our pupils how mathematics is important in all aspects of their lives and in all of the other subjects they are studying. During Maths Week, pupils take part in activities such as maths dancing, writing maths poems, wearing maths clothes and even going on maths trails. Each child has a mental maths target to help them understand what
they need to do to improve. There is also a strong focus on science, with pupils being encouraged to question the world around them and use the skills of scientific inquiry to analyse problems. From learning about Space
to understanding how electricity works, our lessons are planned to arouse the natural curiosity that all children have.
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A holistic approach to learning A holistic approach to learning is developed across the Academy, with staff personalising learning to meet the needs of every child.
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Pupils are demonstrated the core values of resilience, respect and responsibilities. These are shared and celebrated throughout the school year.
Creativity, imagination & thinking skills There are always lots of opportunities for pupils to develop their imaginations at the Academy.
All children in Years 3 to 6 have the opportunity to learn an instrument. All children in Year 4 learn to play the recorder and there are opportunities to continue this further for those that are interested. All children take part in singing assembly each week and we also have a school choir. There are also lots of plays, concerts and other
performances for children to get involved with throughout the school year. We have a dedicated art room and art specialist who teaches art weekly to all children from Reception. Children also receive specialist teaching in Mandarin, PE, music, art, drama and dance.
Keeping fit & healthy There are two hours of timetabled PE each week, where our pupils do everything from dance, athletics and gymnastics to football, netball and rounders.
We take part in many local and national sporting competitions, often with success. KS2 pupils have the opportunity to attend swimming lessons. We encourage pupils to be active during playtimes, with many joining in with ball games, skipping and other activities.
Some of the extra-curricular physical activities on offer after school are Fit Club, Table Tennis and Street Dance. Meals at lunch time are always freshly cooked in our own kitchen and are healthy and nutritious.
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Reports home to parents
Peckham Park Powerful Learners
To make sure parents feel fully informed about their child’s education, we send reports home each half term.
Making sure our pupils can learn in a safe, orderly and friendly atmosphere is a top priority, which is why we focus on good manners and excellent behaviour.
We set targets for learning on these reports which we discuss at our Autumn, Spring and Summer parents’ evenings. Parents are regularly invited to the Academy on a more informal basis too, for example for special performances, open evenings and events, so that they can get to know each other and their children’s teachers.
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Pupils win points for their class by demonstrating good behaviour for learning. Every term the classes with the most points get to go on a fantastic, all expenses paid for trip to destinations such as the Science Museum, the London Aquarium or the seaside.
10 special facts about our Academy 1
We opened as a Harris Primary Academy in September 2011, with 60 happy, wellbehaved and enthusiastic children in each of our year groups. There are 26 part-time places in our nursery.
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Pupils at our Academy progress well in their learning.
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The Academy is committed to pupils taking part in various activities from the expressive arts such as drama, dance, music and art.
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We work closely with the Confucius Institute at London South Bank University. Pupils from Years 1-6 have weekly Mandarin classes with the opportunity of watching the Annual Chinese NY Roadshow.
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We pride ourselves on our close relationships with parents. We welcome families in to celebrate learning at the Academy during each term.
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In work and in play, our pupils are encouraged towards traditional values: good manners, behaviour, enthusiasm for learning, and recognising right from wrong.
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We have some fabulous singers, dancers and actors here. Through our music groups, our choir, street dance club and many music and drama performances, pupils have lots of opportunities in the performing arts.
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Our dedicated, well-equipped art room and art specialist tutors mean that children have the opportunity to engage in exciting art projects.
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The most valuable asset of our Academy are the pupils. Each child brings unique abilities and skills that we build upon to make learning, our community and our Academy GREAT!
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We have a breakfast club at the Academy from 8am each morning and an after school club too!
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A Federation of Academies Our academy is run by the Harris Federation, a not-for-profit charity with nearly 30 years’ experience of running happy and successful primary and secondary schools in and around London. 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’. 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. As well as joint working between the teachers at our academies, there are many shared experiences for our students. These include federation-wide sports days at the National Sports Centre; Harris Experience, a unique programme that readies our most able students for life at top universities; and inter-academy events such as one-to-one reading partnerships between our primary and secondary schools, World Maths Day and Debate Mate. You can follow the Harris Federation on Twitter: @HarrisFed.
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As an employer and a father I strongly believe that a good education is the best start in life that you can give a child. Harris Primary Academy Peckham Park promotes hard work, curiosity of mind, integrity and ambition. It works tirelessly, in partnership with the other Harris Academies, to ensure the greatest success for every child, regardless of their ability or aptitude. I hope you will come along to one of our Open Events to see for yourself the difference the Academy is making. Lord Harris of Peckham Sponsor
“ What I like about this school is that there’s clubs like football, art, cookery and other clubs.” Year 3 Student
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Marmont Road, Peckham, London SE15 5TD T. 020 7639 6091 Email. info@harrisprimarypeckhampark.org.uk  www.harrisprimarypeckhampark.org.uk
@HarrisFed