Harris Academy Tottenham Primary Prospectus

AN UNWAVERING BELIEF IN THE POTENTIAL OF EVERY PUPIL

WELCOME TO HARRIS ACADEMY TOTTENHAM

At Harris Academy Tottenham, we have an unwavering belief in the potential of every pupil. We believe that every child can and will be successful. We believe everyone can and should strive for excellence.

Our Academy values embody this approach. Endeavour is at the heart of all we do. If children endeavour to work hard, and demonstrate unwavering persistence, then they will gain enjoyment from the process of learning and excel towards opportunities that will transform their lives.

At our heart, we are a community school that strives to work with families to give each child the best opportunities possible. We have traditional values and high expectations. We expect self-discipline, smart uniform and good manners; professionalism is expected of everybody. We expect our pupils to try their very best at all times, and to enjoy and relish the challenges and opportunities that learning brings. This will enable them to excel at whatever they desire.

This is because we want to ensure that each pupil has an enriching experience with us, where they develop their academic scholarship alongside their character; becoming citizens who are a credit to their local community. We will provide a broad and balanced curriculum, alongside an extensive extracurricular programme to allow your child to develop as a wellrounded person, ready and prepared to embark upon whichever pathway they desire.

Our new specialist facilities, includes a state-of-theart theatre, recording studio and Sports facility which provides our pupils with opportunities to showcase their talents to all within the local community and beyond.

Our values embody our approach to education:

• Endeavour is to strive for our goals through maintaining the highest expectations of ourselves;

• Enjoy is to take delight and pleasure in the learning process and gain a feeling of success through relentless passion and drive;

• Excel is to achieve our full potential through the mastery of concepts and an ambition to be the best we can be.

Our Academy has developed a strong reputation in the local community as a centre of excellence and continues to grow from strength to strength. We have the highest expectations of our pupils, through working in partnership with you. We are proud of the warm relationships that exist between parents, pupils and colleagues at the Academy; we are all committed to ensuring your child thrives throughout their time with us.

Mr Nick Soar Executive Principal

Harris Academy Tottenham’s ‘outstanding’ Ofsted report, 2017

“The school’s leaders have created a culture which is firmly underpinned by the school’s values: ‘Endeavour, enjoy and excel.’”

WELCOME FROM THE HEAD OF PRIMARY

Our aim is to make children’s learning experiences exciting, engaging and memorable whilst ensuring they are happy and safe at all times.

Our curriculum is uniquely designed for children at our Academy, taking into consideration our pupils’ interests and our local community, whilst ensuring firm foundations in each subject discipline.

We believe that every child should be fully immersed in their education, whether in the classroom or outside of it. We make sure that lessons are engaging and that our pupils enjoy trips, visits and experiences which offer them a truly unique and relevant education.

Learning begins at home and so working closely with families is of the utmost importance to us. Before our pupils begin here, we visit them at home to support them to make smooth transitions into the Academy. This very personalised approach carries on throughout our pupils’ time here, with a strong focus on family workshops, meetings and community events.

Please do come and visit us to see the Academy in action, meet our staff and pupils and let them tell you what they enjoy about Harris Academy Tottenham.

Emily Smith Head of Primary

The decision about which school is right for your child can be a difficult one, but we hope that this prospectus will provide you with a flavour of the learning opportunities we offer and encourage you to come and visit us to see for yourself why our pupils so enjoy their time here.

HAPPY IN THE CLASSROOM

Every lesson is creative

The aim of our teachers is always to deliver creative lessons that children enjoy and feel motivated by.

We want all our pupils to be confident readers, writers and mathematicians. Our teachers make sure these areas, as well as the rest of the early years curriculum and the national curriculum, are taught in ways that engage the natural sense of curiosity that children have.

The result of this is that children become eager, confident pupils who understand the joy of learning and are prepared well for academic success.

“The early years provision is outstanding. Children are happy and make rapid progress due to the excellent teaching they experience.”

Harris Academy Tottenham’s ‘outstanding’ Ofsted

High standards in every classroom

With each week, term and year being so significant in a child’s life, consistency is particularly important in their primary education. As part of the Harris Federation, which has its own training school for teachers, our staff receive outstanding professional development to make sure that standards are consistently high in every classroom.

Children treated as individuals

We want children to retain their individuality and be treated in the right way for them.

We step in quickly if a change is needed. For some children, this might involve one-to-one support if they are finding something difficult and for others it could mean stretching them more to keep them engaged and interested. As an Academy parent, you would be welcome to discuss your son or daughter with us at any time. We also send reports twice a year. We welcome children of all abilities and want them to enjoy school and thrive. For children with special educational needs, one of our first steps is to work with their parents and other specialists to create a plan for supporting them. Our approach as a whole is reviewed with children’s classroom teachers, relevant specialists and parents every term.

We celebrate the differences that our children bring to school and allow them to flourish in an environment which both nurtures and promotes their creativity. Our staff support each child to be the best they can.

Our focus on maths and literacy

We focus on maths and literacy in primary education as we believe that they are extremely important.

Reading is taught through traditional phonics and children are encouraged to read for pleasure and take books home from our fantastic library.

We embed maths activities in all subjects so that numbers feature again and again, and children get used to seeing numbers and working with them. Our aim is for our pupils to become great mental mathematicians.

An academic head start

With a team of superb secondary teachers in the same building as us, we offer specialist subject teaching to all pupils.

Pupils are regularly taken to use facilities in sport, science and performing arts which, ordinarily, primary-aged children wouldn’t be able to experience.

As well as engaging them in the fun and the adventure of learning, this means that the most able children are stretched and challenged, and that every child is ready and well-prepared for his or her secondary education.

HAPPY OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

Hobbies, skills and experiences

Our teachers and other staff seek to discover and nurture at least one special talent within each child. There is something for everyone in our extracurricular programme, which is packed full of music, dance, art and sport.

As your children progress through their education, typical outings might include learning about historical London events by visiting where they took place, finding out about different types of animals at city farms and zoos, and exploring the many great museums and attractions practically on our doorstep in London.

Every pupil has a friend or buddy

We want the Academy to feel friendly and welcoming and we always make sure that pupils feel happy and included. Our children are taught to respect each other and their teachers.

There are opportunities for older pupils to mentor and support younger ones. There is a zero-tolerance approach to any type of bullying.

Traditional standards of behaviour

Our Academy is relaxed and comfortable, but pupils know that good behaviour is expected of them. They are frequently praised and rewarded for trying their best and for being kind, hard-working and well-behaved.

Healthy and tasty meals

Our school lunches and other snacks and meals are healthy as well as tasty and you will be given termly menus so that you know what your child is eating. Pupils may also bring in packed lunches if they prefer.

Wrap-around care

We are able to offer wrap-around care, with a Breakfast Club and After School Club. These are well-organised and fun.

We passionately believe in the importance of developing excellent partnerships with parents. Through a variety of experiences, for example ‘Show my learning parties’, Art and DT exhibitions and the Winter show, parents have the chance to see and be involved in their children’s learning. We also have many opportunities for parents to meet other parents throughout the school year; and offer events such as coffee mornings, learning workshops, and an annual Summer Fayre.

There is always time at the Academy for children to think, to play, to discover and wonder so that they become well-rounded, resilient and confident.

PART OF THE SUCCESSFUL HARRIS FEDERATION

The Harris Federation is a notfor-profit charity with 50 academies in London and Essex.

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.

In addition to the teachers and leaders at Harris primary academies, the Federation employs a team of senior primary professionals with the expertise to support our schools from the centre.

Our vision for all Harris primary academies is that every child is safe, happy and respected. The Harris Federation regularly tops academic studies and national league tables measuring performance. The majority of Harris primary academies are judged ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. There are around four applications from parents for every place available.

In addition to running schools, the Harris Federation provides high quality training and professional development for teachers throughout this part of England.

Follow @HarrisFed on Twitter to stay updated.

OUR LOCATION

We have recently remodelled our building and have provided a bright, modern and welcoming space, with plenty of facilities for learning and play.

Primary children will also have access to our brand-new state-of-the-art theatre and Sports hall as well as specialist teaching rooms for Art, Science, DT and Performing Arts.

ADMISSIONS

We have 30 places available in Reception in September.

Children with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) are admitted to school under separate statutory procedures set out in the Children and Families Act 2014. These procedures are managed by the child’s home Local Authority, not under the school’s determined admission arrangements.

Where there are more applications than places available, the Academy has a published plan for how places are allocated.

To view this plan click here

1) Looked After and previously Looked After children.

2) Children with a sibling at the academy in Years R-Year 11.

3) Children of staff members employed at the academy.

Harris Academy Tottenham Ashley Road, London N17 9LN T. 020 3772 4243 Email. info@harristottenham.org.uk www.harristottenham.org.uk