Welcome to Harris Academy Bermondsey, an Outstanding girls’ school in the heart of London.
At HAB, we are passionate about the success of each girl, ensuring that she has every opportunity to succeed by identifying and nurturing her individual talents. Our teachers are permanent, well-qualified subject specialists, while the support staff is a team of exceptionally skilled professionals. HAB is a happy and safe school in which each girl is helped to flourish so that she can fulfil our motto of ‘Conquering the City’ by discovering and achieving her ambitions. All of us were delighted when Ofsted visited us in March and rated us as Outstanding in every one of their categories, noting that HAB is “an excellent example of a harmonious learning community” whose girls “are eager learners who are keen to do their best” and in which “staff morale is high”. Any prospectus can only give you a flavour of life at a school as rich and vibrant as HAB, so I strongly encourage you to arrange a visit. I look forward to welcoming you. Alan Dane, Principal principal@harrisbermondsey.org.uk @habprincipal
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“ Staff are committed to making sure that every student has the opportunity to do their best.” Ofsted, March 2015
100%
of HAB girls go on to university, training or employment when they leave.
HAB girls’ excellent examination results have put us in the top 60 schools in England.
500+
HAB girls have a weekly one-to-one mentoring session with a business or university role model, many of whom are HAB alumni.
Every HAB girl is part of a small mixed-age Learning Family group.
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300+
HAB girls have free weekly private tuition from professional musicians and vocalists.
“ Students are spirited, energetic, courteous and well mannered. They are also very caring and supportive towards each other.� Ofsted, March 2015
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Outstanding Teaching HAB girls benefit from an extremely dedicated team of exceptionally well-qualified teachers and exemplary support staff. From her first day with us, each HAB girl is prepared for success with personalised teaching that forms a firm foundation of knowledge and skills across a broad range of subjects, enrichment activities and educational visits. Year 7 girls are given an iPad to use in school and when completing their own learning at home throughout their time at HAB. HAB teachers plan their lessons carefully with each girls’ strengths and areas for improvement in mind. Exercise books and diaries are used for detailed dialogue about learning between teachers, girls and parents or carers. Our outstanding gifted and talented, special needs and literacy teams also work with any girl who needs their expert support, whether it be in class, in small groups or one-to-one.
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For GCSE, each girl follows the English Baccalaureate (English, Mathematics, Sciences, History or Geography, Spanish or French), as well as at least one arts subject, Physical Education and Religious Studies.
“ Teachers use questions skilfully to challenge students’ thinking and to extend their learning.”
Ofsted, march 2015
HAB6 Sixth Form prepares girls for university, training or employment, in partnership with top city firms and higher education institutions. All this takes place in a smart and bright learning environment. HAB girls’ learning is supported by generous and high quality resources in every subject, as well as world class specialist facilities. These include broadcast quality TV and sound recording studios, university standard science laboratories, state-of-the-art ICT equipment and a 240 seat professional theatre.
Why is HAB for girls only? We are often asked this question, especially by HAB parents who want their sons to have as good an education as their daughters! By most measures, girls in England outperform boys in GCSEs and A-levels, whatever type of school they attend. Crucially, though, girls in girls’ schools achieve better examination results than girls at mixed schools. In addition to these better results, universities and employers consider girls from girls’ schools to offer superior leadership skills; to be more resilient and risk taking; and, to have greater ambitions. At HAB, we certainly know that this is true of our girls. As a parent, you will be giving your daughter the best possible opportunities by sending her to our excellent girls’ school.
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“ Students’ personal development and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are excellent. This gives them the confidence to thrive academically.” Ofsted, March 2015
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Outstanding Behaviour Key to our success is cultivating Good HABits, so that all girls work hard in a happy and safe learning environment, with firm but fair discipline. These Good HABits are underpinned by our Learning Family system, in which every girl belongs to a mixed age family mentoring group, led by a teacher. Starting every day together, the Learning Family members develop strong relationships with girls of different ages and from different backgrounds, breaking down barriers and preventing bullying. Learning Family teachers speak to parents or carers about their daughter’s progress and achievements at least once a fortnight.
“ Significant emphasis is placed on supporting students’ personal development. This provides them with the confidence to thrive academically.” Ofsted, March 2015
All HAB girls know our rules and abide by them. We expect every girl to be on time, dressed correctly and prepared to work hard, always following staff instructions. Our girls always want to live up to these expectations, but on the rare occasion that one of them fails to do so, she knows that there will be clear consequences, followed by support to learn from the experience. We offer outstanding care and guidance for every one of our girls. In Year 7 for example, as well as her Learning Family teacher, every girl has one-to-one transition coaching from a former student, while as many girls who need it have additional reading lessons so that they can achieve their academic potential. Throughout her time at HAB, we guarantee that every girl will be known by all her teachers, support staff and the school’s senior leaders, including the Principal. We also guarantee to every parent or carer that we will work closely with them to raise their daughter successfully, sharing the joys and challenges of this with honesty and integrity.
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Outstanding Opportunities HAB girls make the most of an unrivalled range of opportunities every day.
“ The curriculum caters exceptionally well for students’ personal needs and for their academic progress.” Ofsted, March 2015
HAB Enrichment Every weekday and at weekends, hundreds of girls take part in numerous activities before and after lessons. These include the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, trampolining, Tae Kwon Do, football, netball, basketball, tennis, rock climbing, rowing, cheerleading, dance, orchestra, choir, debating, creative writing, journalism, song writing, textiles, art, feminist society, archaeology and engineering. There is a breakfast club where girls and staff read newspapers and discuss topical issues, while homework club provides the opportunity for girls to get help with research or any other task. We believe that learning outside the classroom can be just as valuable as what takes place inside it. With our highly central location, there are many opportunities for girls to visit London’s best theatres, museums and other attractions. We also make good use of how close we are to major transport hubs. Recent visits have included auctioneering at Christie’s, Outward Bound Trust weekends in the Lake District and research about the First World War at the Ypres battlefields. Many of our GCSE courses include residential field trips, such as a week-long Performing Arts workshop on Broadway in New York. Every girl visits at least one university in London and one elsewhere in the UK during her first few years at HAB.
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HAB Music
HAB Mentoring
We know the value of the discipline and creativity that comes with learning a musical instrument. That is why every girl who wants it is entitled to free private instrumental or voice tuition throughout her time at HAB. This includes the loan of instruments for practice at home. Hundreds of girls take this opportunity, with many of them passing ABRSM exams and performing in HAB concerts.
We have won national awards for the extent to which our girls benefit from one-to-one mentoring and subject tuition with one of the hundreds of business people and university students who volunteer at HAB. We are fortunate to be located close to the major international law and consultancy firms of London Bridge, More London and the City of London. Many of our mentors are senior executives from these firms, as well as high profile individuals from the worlds of journalism and finance. Appointments with them take place every day, from well before lessons begin until long after they end.
For those girls with a particular musical gift, we also offer the HAB Music Scholarship. In addition to private lessons, our music scholars attend masterclasses and concerts with the world’s leading instrumentalists and singers.
Commonwealth Festival Choir The excellence of HAB Music has been recognised recently in the decision of the Commonwealth Festival Choir to use HAB as the base for their rehearsals and to open up membership to our best choristers. This choir will be performing for the Commonwealth Heads of Government at their next conference.
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This individual mentoring support is invaluable. It plays a significant role in enabling girls to attain the highest standards in examinations, provides guidance on progression to university and inspires them to be ambitious in their career choices. The subject tuition is of a quality for which parents of children at other schools have to pay.
“ Students particularly value the additional provision such as the academy’s business mentoring programme.” Ofsted, March 2015
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Harris Federation Our Academy is sponsored by the Harris Federation, a not-for-profit charity with almost 25 years of experience in running schools. The Federation runs a family of Primary and Secondary Academies in and around London. The Harris Federation has an exceptional track record, with academic progress outpacing the national average by 3 or 4 times each year and more than three quarters of its Secondary Academies so far judged as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted – this is unmatched by any other education body. The work of the Federation is made possible through the generous financial support of Lord Harris of Peckham and his family, and is brought to life by a team of excellent teachers and leaders. You can follow the Harris Federation on Twitter: @HarrisFed.
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Each year for Sports Day, the Harris Federation hires the Crystal Palace Sports Stadium. With well over 10,000 student and staff spectators in attendance, Academies compete in team and individual sports. The sound of students cheering each other on is so loud that last year Team GB athlete Louise Jukes who happened to be nearby tweeted: “Can hear hundreds of kids screaming from the stadium at Crystal Palace! What a great noise! Kids loving sports day! Wish I was a kid again!”
From the Chief Executive The Harris Federation is a London charity with more than twenty years of experience in education. Our Academies combine the traditional values of good manners, strong discipline and smart uniform with the best of modern teaching and technology. Harris Academy Bermondsey has established itself as a highly enterprising and very successful member of our group. Working closely together in and around London, our Academies are able to offer a far broader range of opportunities, far better training and professional development for staff and real success for our students. What makes this Academy so successful? Students who enjoy learning and look forward to coming to school each day; teachers and support staff who are genuinely ambitious for every student; a senior leadership team that consistently sets standards of excellence. If your daughter wants to come to an Academy with drive and ambition, then I hope you will attend one of its open events to find out more.
Sir Daniel Moynihan Ed.D, M.A., B.Sc. (Econ) Chief Executive of the Harris Federation
From the Sponsor 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 Academy Bermondsey 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 our various Open Day or Evening Events to see for yourself the difference the Academy is making. Lord Harris of Peckham
Tower of London
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