Innovation, Integrity, Discovery
Welcome Our unique journey has started. Harris Academy Sutton opened its doors to our first cohort of 195 students in September 2018. The Academy is a unique place to learn. Everyone involved – students, parents and all the staff – are driven by the ambition to see the Academy succeed in its vision to become the centre of excellence for learning in Sutton. The Academy believes that through nurturing our students’ personal development and driving for high levels of academic progress and achievement we will equip them with the tools for sustained success in life after education. James Fisher, Principal
Lee Mallin, Executive Principal
We also recognise the impact that participation in extra-curricular opportunities can make for young people and the opportunity for learning that can take place outside the classroom. As such we run a full and varied enrichment programme that supports our students to make decisions wisely, ready for the challenges they will face as adults. Over the summer of 2019 we will be transferring our Academy from our temporary site into our brand new state-of-the-art £40 million building situated at the heart of the London Cancer Hub. We are a school with the vision to match the Hub’s ambition as a home for global excellence. We have already started to harness all this potential for creating a world class education as this amazing and unique project continues to unfold on our doorstep. As part of the Harris Federation, we will have the opportunity to partner with other successful Harris schools across London and will have access to a shared pool of resources and expertise. As part of the London Cancer Hub, we will also encourage interaction between our students, staff and its worldclass medical professionals so that we inspire our young people to careers of significance and value. Being part of a school at its inception has been a great experience. Our first students are already working to become the role models for our next intake and together they will set a trail for others to emulate. Come and join us!
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Our Core Values Innovation, Integrity and Discovery From the outset we have asked that all involved with the Academy understand and work to embed our core values in all their thinking and actions. We aim to develop our students as innovators: our students will not be afraid to try something new, will be able to complete their work using innovative thinking and different pathways, and will learn to embrace mistakes as a key part of the learning process.
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Together we will grow an understanding of the importance of integrity: our students will value the importance of the opinions and beliefs of others, will develop their own character, and will value the power of truth. Our focus on science and enterprise will drive a thirst for discovery: our students will push beyond what they already know and not be afraid of asking difficult questions.
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Education with Ambition Due to the school’s unique location, Harris Academy Sutton will place a special emphasis on the teaching and learning of science in all its forms. In Years 7 and 8 the Academy places an extra hour of curriculum time in the hands of its science teachers with a special focus on experimentation and the scientific method. In addition to all of the opportunities presented by our location, the Harris Federation employs a team of specialist science teachers who help our academies ensure students are taught science imaginatively and engagingly. The team has built links with London’s top universities and medical schools so that students have access to a huge variety of experiences and opportunities.
Our academies also specialise in enterprise, encouraging students to take a business-like, optimistic and can-do approach to everything they undertake. These characteristics are important in every subject and every career. To do this, we actively develop students’ presentation skills, initiative taking, team-working, creative problem-solving, imagination and interpersonal qualities. The two specialisms will be taught as part of a balanced curriculum that is rich in all areas, including the arts and creative arts, humanities, sport and languages. We will apply the scientific skills of research, creativity, innovation and investigation to every subject. This benefits all students, whichever academic or career path they choose to follow.
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Artist’s rendering
Our Spectacular Building Our £40 million new building will be constructed as part of the London Cancer Hub, a global centre for innovation in cancer research and treatment. The entrance will be off the Brighton Road, on Chiltern Road. The land was purchased by the London Borough of Sutton, which is also managing the design and construction of our new school. Their plans will deliver a spectacular new building. We are proud and delighted that it will be the first secondary school building in the country to meet the Passivhaus energy performance standard for its environmentally friendly credentials.
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In addition to the world-class science accommodation that is planned, we will have the space and facilities we need to excel in the arts and sport. Our hall, which will also be used as a performing arts space, will be larger than the standard normally expected for schools. We will also have a high-quality Sport England sports hall.
“I really do love my shiny new school and cannot wait to see what the future brings for me and Harris Academy Sutton” Year 7 Student
A welcoming and thriving school from day one Our first cohort of students have settled well and are already taking an active part in determining the rituals and culture of the Academy. As they continue their education at Harris Academy Sutton this cohort and our 2019 entry will be the trailblazers for all years that follow. With demand for secondary school places at a premium in Sutton, over the next six years we will begin to meet the need for additional, excellent schools to serve local families. We recognise the valuable role of parents and carers in the success of their child’s education. Parents and carers will be encouraged to get involved with their child’s education and to visit the academy on a regular basis, whether for special events or to hear about their child’s progress. Reports will be sent home every term.
“It is exciting to be part of a brand new school. The teachers are really nice. There is a great atmosphere around the school – feels like family.” Year 7 Parent
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Our curriculum Our well-rounded and carefully balanced curriculum is designed to meet the needs of all our students. The academy will offer a wide range of highquality academic pathways to ensure every student achieves their true potential. We believe every student should be stretched and challenged through a balanced, rigorous and demanding curriculum that can be personalised to their individual needs. We place appropriate emphasis on the core subjects – maths, English and science – but we also offer all students excellent teaching in humanities, languages, PE and arts subjects and topics.
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Although we will place a special emphasis on science we recognise that the greatest thinking requires knowledge and creativity. To this end and alongside our specialist science facilities we
have fully dedicated art studios, graphics and animation suites and a fully equipped Design and Technology centre. We are ready for the challenges that changes in technology will bring over the next century and look forward to equipping our students with all the skills, knowledge and experiences they will need to succeed in the brave new world. Daily homework will ensure that pupils learn how to work independently and will establish an ongoing momentum of study that makes it much easier when the time comes to revise for exams.
extra-curricular activities We believe that academic success should go hand-in-hand with a rich variety of extra-curricular activities. Wherever there is demand for a club or activity, we will always endeavour to make it happen. This year we have already started to run enrichment sessions for activities in a wide range of disciplines. Our students are able to try their hand at public speaking, investigate European cinema, try out some coding, become a chess grand master or take part in Strictly Sutton as well as a wide range of other activities. The inspiration for our clubs is driven by the dreams of our students and the aspirations of our dedicated staff. In addition all our students will be encouraged to take up roles of responsibility in and around the Academy. Through our Student Leadership programme we run a Student Commission, appoint prefects, use Learning Leaders to inform our teaching and our Rights Respecting Ambassadors to embed Children’s Rights across all we do.
Alongside our many sports teams the opportunity to partake in a wide range of educational visits completes our dynamic approach to learning outside of the classroom. As a Harris academy, we will also be part of Harris Experience, a programme designed for the most able students from Year 9 onwards. It exposes them to a range of cultural experiences that take their learning well beyond the curriculum. Recent examples range from learning the art of auctioneering at Christie’s to attending a day of lectures at the University of Oxford.
“All in all it just feels right for him at Harris Academy Sutton and even the lure of a grammar school education (which he’d worked so hard to be eligible for) wasn’t enough to tempt him away.” Year 7 Parent
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Harris Federation Harris Academy Sutton is being established and run by the Harris Federation, a not-for-profit charity with nearly thirty years’ experience of running 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. Harris Academy Sutton will build on the well-established success of the Harris Federation which is widely recognised as a top performer by education researchers at the Department for Education, Sutton Trust and Education Policy Institute as well as Watchsted and PwC. You can follow the Harris Federation on Twitter: @HarrisFed.
Apply for a place We will offer 195 places each year. If you are a parent in the area and would like to be kept up-to-date with relevant information about the new academy, please email us (info@harrissutton.org.uk) so we can add you to our mailing list. Parents wishing to apply for a place will be able to name Harris Academy Sutton on their Common Application Form. Like all secondary schools, if we are oversubscribed, children with Education, Health and Care plans will be offered the first places. Looked-after and previously looked-after children will have next priority.
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After this, we propose to prioritise students for places in the following order: 1. Siblings of children already at the school. 2. The children of staff who have been recruited to teach subjects where there is a shortage of skilled staff; 3. The children living closest to the new school’s site. Please see our website for details of our open events: www.harrissutton.org.uk
Harris Federation
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Government data puts the Harris Federation at the TOP of the league tables for the progress students make at secondary school.
There are FIVE applications from parents for every place available.
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Nearly A QUARTER of our sixth formers went on to top Russell Group universities, this year, about twice the national average.
19 out of 20 inspected Harris secondary academies are judged by Ofsted as ‘outstanding’ and the 20th is ‘good’. This record is unmatched.
All the Harris secondary academies created as brand new schools are rated ‘outstanding’.
Cumbrian House, Sutton Hospital Site, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5NF T. 020 3962 4500  Email. info@harrissutton.org.uk www.harrissutton.org.uk