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27/03/24

🌟 Our amazing pupils showcased incredible 'Character (to)day' diving into a variety of topics & activities! 🚀 Year 7s showed immense Courageous Advocacy, delving into Bee habitats and acing the Big School litter pick! 🐝🗑️ pic.twitter.com/zt2ebNR4ea

27/03/24

Ahoy there! ⚓️ The Year 9 crew from HGA set sail today for the Maritime Museum in Greenwich. 🌊 Anchors aweigh for a character-filled adventure on the high seas! ⛵️🌟 pic.twitter.com/yTfUrlmJjh

26/03/24

🏐🎉 Incredible news! Our year 8 netball team has smashed their way to the Harris Cup semi-finals! 🌟👏 Big shoutout to our amazing players, especially the year 7 stars shining bright! 🌟✨ Let's cheer them on as they face ! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/E4mK2T0cAT

20/03/24

🚀 Kicking off Creative Careers 2024! 🎨 Students are diving into a world of possibilities, exploring diverse pathways in the creative industry. 📸#CreativeCareers2024 pic.twitter.com/otVpl4Ua0K

19/03/24

🌟 Thrilled to share moments from the Speak Out Regional Final! 🎤 Megan Farr and May Mbabazi shone brightly, representing Harris Garrard Academy with their powerful voices. A celebration of young talent and the magic of expression. ✨ pic.twitter.com/yI8GICW9uF

15/03/24

Off to the we go, with Year 8 in tow, to witness love's timeless tale in a contemporary glow. Thanks to ’s generous sponsorship, Shakespeare's words will leap and dip. 🎭💔 pic.twitter.com/ezNpvHdema

08/03/24

pic.twitter.com/6A3IurXrFK

07/03/24

📚✨ The halls of HGA have transformed into a literary wonderland as our secondary staff channel their inner bookworms, dressing up as their favorite book characters! From the whimsical to the wicked, can you guess the characters? 📸🎭 pic.twitter.com/y8azMifcNq

06/03/24

The yr5/6 Netball final took place between today.Both teams have done exceptionally well to reach the final & were undefeated in their league so we knew we were in for a close game

05/03/24

The yr5/6 Netball final took place between today.Both teams have done exceptionally well to reach the final & were undefeated in their league so we knew we were in for a close game

01/03/24

Just wrapped up another fantastic week at HGA, proving that even when the skies open up, we find our pot of gold in the learning of our students. 🌈 pic.twitter.com/jKjPQHPkQ2

01/03/24

HGA Sixth Formers' visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau was a powerful reminder of history's darkest chapters. Their solemn reflections will echo in our hearts and history classes. pic.twitter.com/k1CaBME2Ns

29/02/24

Excited to kick off day 1 of the Y12 Biology Residential! 🌿 Stay tuned for updates, insights, and all the fascinating discoveries we'll make together! pic.twitter.com/6nqWUWrZBE

27/02/24

We're looking forward to National Careers Week, 4th-9th March 2024. We will be using the many resources available, such as a virtual careers fair, films, talks and booklets to inspire our students about their future options and pathways. https://t.co/kTXTWlyLix pic.twitter.com/RyYS0u3HQR

20/02/24

🎉 What an inspiring afternoon at our Careers Fair! Students explored a world of opportunities with leading employers, colleges, and universities. Their futures look bright! 🌟 Check out the highlights 📸 pic.twitter.com/D5uRNqGvDW

09/02/24

Congratulations to everyone you have done yourselves, your school and your Borough proud https://t.co/AxU7Tsxvjc

09/02/24

Congratulations to everyone you have done yourselves, your school and your Borough proud https://t.co/AxU7Tsxvjc

09/02/24

We are officially through to the Sports hall finals. We finished inside the top 3 of todays qualifier and now will be one of 12 schools in the grand finals on the 19th March! This is the first time in the 3 years we have achieved this! pic.twitter.com/hw1DbJxEo1

09/02/24

We have officially arrived at for the indoor sports athletics London finals representing to team Let’s go Garrard!! pic.twitter.com/op0BNKu50R

09/02/24

Look what arrived in the post! These adorable handmade worry monsters were ordered from over a year ago. Big thanks to the talented knitters - they will bring comfort to many. Therapeutic tools for little ones. pic.twitter.com/r6GhmtALKl

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Posted on January 27th 2020

Character Day, Wednesday 22 January 2020 - Report and Pictures

Our third Character Day took place on Wednesday 22 January. We hold six Character Days during the academic year. Instead of the usual timetable students experience a wide range of different activities to help develop their confidence, resilience and independence.

Year 7 had classes on interviews and building personal skills, for example, as well as a session called ‘Reflection on a future me’. Year 8 learned about social media and mental health and had a session on revision skills, for example, while Year 9 learned about nutrition, alternative sports and mental health and wellbeing.

Year 10 had sessions on the science of stress and healthy eating as well as learning about topics such as forced marriage and sexual harassment. Year 11 enjoyed a series of careers trips to employers such as Amazon.


Healthy eating - an important life skill

Aleyna, Year 10, shows off a dish of couscous she made during a healthy eating lesson. “We looked at healthy eating for teenagers and made some tasty, nutritious dishes they can cook at home, such as couscous, omelette and flapjack,” said Ms Miller-Peart. “Healthy eating is an important life skill and there’s not always time in the curriculum to teach it, but Character Day gives us a chance to cover important topics like this.”

Aleyna, Yr 10, Healthy Eating


Building a team

Year 8 learned about teamwork by working in groups to make a tower from paper and one metre of sticky tape. “It was all about building our confidence,” says Harvey. “The teacher separated us into groups we don’t normally talk to and we worked as a team to make a tower. When you grow up you meet new people all the time so we need to know how to do that. I worked with people I’ve never really interacted with before, so it was good because we got to know each other.”


Year 9 take part in a Question of Sport

All of Year 9 took part in ‘Question of Sport’ themed day. The day started with all pupils taking part in workshops on nutrition, the 2012 Olympic legacy, health and wellbeing, and alternative sports. All information delivered was vital for the final part of the day when the hubs went head-to-head in a game show themed competition.

Question 2

Four pupils were selected due to their efforts and interaction throughout the day to represent their hub. The competition consisted of five rounds. The first four were based on information attained during the workshops that morning (nutrition, the 2012 Olympic legacy, health and wellbeing, and alternative sports) with the last being charades.

The competition started off very close with Active Science taking an early lead, until the final round came, and Enterprise took on charades and stormed into the lead. They managed to hold on to this lead and were crowned the winners of ‘Question of Sport’ (pictured).

Question 1


Learning how to revise

Basma, Year 8, pictured below at a session on revision skills. “We talked about revision and discussed different ways to revise and what is effective,” she said. “This is important because we’re going to have exams while we’re at school and we need to know how to prepare for them.” Students learned why cramming doesn’t work and that for information to really stick you need to absorb it and then do something with it.

Basma, Yr 8


Year 9 had sessions on mental health and wellbeing. “We learned how to stay healthy and how exercise can help with mental health,” says Bobby-Lou, Year 9. “You can run for 30 mins a day or walk to school instead of getting the bus, for example. So you know in the future how to handle things like depression, which when you’re older will help you."


Eylul and Jacob, Year 7, pictured with Mr Smith in front of one of our Character Traits boards. Year 7 looked at the skills and qualities they might need in their future jobs.

Jacob, Yr 7  Eylul, Yr 7

“We learned about the skills and qualities we need when applying for a job – such as patience, brilliance and standing out when other people around you are good too," said Jacob. "I like Character Day because it’s a change from usual lessons. You get to learn about different things. We learn about character traits such as to never to give up and keep trying and you'll get there in the end.”


Reflecting on Character Days so far...

We asked Year 8 to reflect on the three Character Days they have experienced so far.

“I like Character Day as you can learn about what will happen in life when we get older.” Demi, Year 8

“The Character Days were really helpful as they taught me many important things that will help us develop a better character in young teenagers.” Filip, Year 8. Read Filip’s Character Day diary.

“Personally, I think Character Day is the best because it taught us how to create a company and the main steps for accomplishing one. You need to be smart with what you are doing and focus on getting profit to raise your company.” Gloria, Year 8.  

“I benefitted most from [the sessions on] social media and mental health as they could teach me how to be aware of how long I’m on social media and of the consequences of having an addiction to your phone.” Gloria, Year 8. Read Gloria’s Character Day diary.

“Today I learnt how to revise in many ways such as making revision flash cards, using initials to remember something and watching tutorials on it.” Rio, Year 8. Read Rio’s Character Day diary.

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Find out more about Character Education at Harris Garrard Academy. Our Character Days are mapped out to include PSHE, RSE, SMSC, and careers education/guidance, with a particular focus on character.