WELCOME
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Harris Academy Wimbledon.
We are an 11-18 co-educational secondary academy set up to provide an excellent, well-rounded education for local children in Wimbledon.
Our academy is an outstanding place to learn, providing an innovative, inclusive and happy environment for our young people. As well as promoting academic achievement across the curriculum and an enriching extra-curricular programme, we support students to make decisions wisely so they are fully prepared for adult life. As part of the Harris Federation – a family of academies across London – our students also benefit from wider opportunities and resources.
We know that our students will leave us academically successful, but we also want them to be well-rounded individuals with a highly developed social conscience, ready to lead in their communities and beyond. Our motto is ‘make a difference’ and our students and staff give nothing except their very best in pursuit of making a difference to their lives and the lives of others around them.
We do this by promoting:
Independence: we support students to develop their skills and attributes so they have everything they need to succeed. We set challenging targets and raise aspirations so every single one of our students reaches their potential.
Integrity: we expect students and staff to be fair and truthful and have the courage to take the right action in every situation, even when no-one is looking.
Resilience: we give students the tools to recover from difficulties and show them how taking risks and making mistakes is all part of their learning journey. We also show students how hard work brings success, and support them to persevere with all challenges.
Please do visit us on our open days and talk to our students and teachers about their experiences here. It really is a wonderful school and we would be delighted to welcome you.
Joanne Larizadeh Principal
EDUCATION WITH AMBITION
The Harris Federation has an exceptional track record, with academic progress far greater than the national average.
All the Federation’s academies which have been inspected by Ofsted are judged as being either ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’.
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 Wimbledon builds 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 X/Twitter: @HarrisFed.
A FANTASTIC LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT
Our building has been compactly and elegantly designed with innovative features to maximise space onsite. We have superb communal facilities such as the dining area and halls as well as bright and spacious classrooms providing an inspirational place for our students to learn.
We are also fortunate to have a number of specialised classrooms allowing us to deliver a wide and varied curriculum. Our facilities include nine state-of-the-art science labs, art and photography studios (including a dark room), design and technology rooms, a fully-equipped media, business and ICT suite as well as a sports hall and dance and drama studios.
We also have our Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) with an artificial surface suitable for football and hockey and a sports field.
ENSURING STUDENTS THRIVE
Our students are provided with a strong pastoral system giving them the support and care they need to realise their potential, make rapid progress and achieve.
We have a House System and every child is allocated to a House. The House System provides opportunities for students in all year groups to work together in friendly competition and earn a variety of different rewards. There is a weekly House Point Competition and students take part in several different House events during the course of the year from all areas of school life.
Parents and carers are 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.
Rewards
Students are rewarded for excellent effort and contributions to the school using House Points. The system is designed to motivate students to achieve their full potential, both in class and through extra-curricular activities.
There is an opportunity for celebration for all students through a number of different events which share students’ success and show pride in their achievements.
OUR CURRICULUM
Our curriculum is rich, diverse and personalised to ensure every student achieves his or her true potential. We believe every student should be stretched and challenged through a balanced, rigorous and demanding curriculum.
During Key Stage 3 we place appropriate emphasis on the core subjects – maths, English and science – but we also believe in the importance of the humanities, languages, PE, drama, music, art, design and technology and computing. In Key Stage 4, students study a core curriculum of English, maths and science and are able to choose from a range of subjects.
We offer extension and enrichment to challenge our more able learners and provide excellent intervention programmes for students who require extra support.
Homework provides opportunity for research, independent learning and reflection. Through homework, students are able to consolidate previous learning, gain valuable practice of key skills and concepts, and prepare for future learning.
More Able Learners
More able learners are offered a varied and challenging curriculum that is tailored to suit their needs and to give them the best possible opportunity to gain a place at a leading university at the end of Year 13. The most able learners are provided with the very best opportunities to broaden their knowledge and understanding in all subjects.
As a Harris academy, we are 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.
OUR 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 always try to find a way to make it happen.
Extra-curricular activities help foster a spirit of aspiration, resilience and joy in learning. Students participate in an extended day as part of their enrichment programme. We encourage all students to participate in our extensive extra-curricular programme, including lunchtime and after school clubs, leadership opportunities, fundraising for charity, cultural and educational visits and residential trips at home and abroad.
Sport
Sport is an integral part of life at our academy. We want all our students to be active and we encourage them to find at least one physical activity which they regularly enjoy. We offer a range of clubs after school as well as competitive fixtures against other local schools in a range of sports including football, hockey, netball, cricket, tennis and athletics.
Music
There are many extra-curricular musical activities on offer at our academy such as a choir, jazz band, rock bands and ensemble groups. We provide a music tour for all our ensembles, which encourages students to immerse themselves in a different culture and country while having the opportunity to play their repertoire to new audiences.
Productions
There are always opportunities for students to perform and be involved in school productions.
