Twitter

19/01/21

Congratulations to Active Science who take the flag pole for this half term. They the leading hub for Harris Points. Well done everyone whose hard work is earning those points, even from home! https://t.co/hl7p4FjI4k

15/01/21

“As an Academy we are here for you and as the HGA community we will stand strongest together.” See the Head of Academy’s weekly update here https://t.co/OYATFsFqDW https://t.co/d4m1tj3Lhm

14/01/21

are offering remote work experience placements to give students the chance to try out industries they are interested in. Please apply as soon as possible to have the best chance of success. Find out more https://t.co/e6N9BnZlgE

12/01/21

’s first weekly Live Cook-a-long DT Lesson went well today! Join us every week at 12:00pm to see Mr Sheppard in the kitchen. We didn’t think the pancakes would turn out so well! https://t.co/FBkRFfGQyb

11/01/21

Do you need more data to help you study? The government has launched a scheme to temporarily increase data allowances for mobile phone users on certain networks. Find out if you could benefit, and how to apply through the school, at https://t.co/Da16NxBtWM

11/01/21

Our 'Listening Ear' service is available to all families and students from Harris Garrard Academy. We are open 11am-1pm (by appointment only) every weekday during lockdown. You are not alone during this difficult time. Find out more https://t.co/4hiyB5Pyub https://t.co/FVtwyyVILV

31/12/20

Please see our Covid-19 Updates page for the latest details of start of term arrangements for Primary and Secondary students. Thank you as ever for your cooperation. https://t.co/rk5OIX1r12

14/12/20

We would like to wish you a restful break over this very different holiday season. Please remember there are lots of services that are open over the holidays should you or your family require additional support. Please see https://t.co/ZdDW2CVd8x

09/12/20

We're proud to publish our December 2020 newsletter, for both our primary and secondary phases, with stories from across this term. We hope you enjoy reading it! https://t.co/6GaOsar9gX https://t.co/wTHES7QhUW

07/12/20

Sydney, Year 7, has come 1st in the competition for this fabulous picture. Her art, which won the secondary school category, was inspired by a number of artists who were aiming to express diversity in their work. We're very proud of her! https://t.co/duobr5SpfC

02/12/20

Consultation opens today on our admissions arrangements for 2022-23. Please visit the link below for details and to give your views. The consultation ends on 13th January. Thank you. https://t.co/ykfqCW7T2C https://t.co/BZrJ08WV8o

01/12/20

We are consulting on our admissions arrangements for 2022-23. Your views are welcome. Please find full details at https://t.co/ykfqCW7T2C. Thank you. https://t.co/mUIS5IOEZ7

13/11/20

We loved Rukiat's poem, "I Am The Black Child", which he wrote for our Black History Month competition. Rukiat, Year 9, won first prize in the writing category. See all the winners at https://t.co/gRwk3ZziTn https://t.co/5Cl6OKVwn6

13/11/20

Well done to Judith, Year 9, for winning 1st place in the art category of our competition. Great drawing and a strong message too. See all the winners at https://t.co/gRwk3ZziTn https://t.co/uZtGzhEPNK

11/11/20

Today we were proud to stand in silence around our school's wall of poppies to remember those who gave their lives for us, and the importance of peace and unity https://t.co/DQOOA1auBH

07/11/20

The end of another wonderful week of learning at Harris Garrard at the end of the 🌈! https://t.co/ZyxaHQXAxF

05/11/20

We enjoyed seeing this today... 🌈 https://t.co/SvSrrwMETb

14/10/20

Dear students, we hope you have a restful half term from Fri. If you have any emotional concerns or worries over the holiday, remember you can get support from . It’s free, safe and easy to use. Watch the video below to find out more https://t.co/hfAVDIk4de

12/10/20

Announcement Winter PE Kit - A Quick Reminder for Parents https://t.co/Ho2vK3YWf9

01/10/20

The first of our Days this year takes place on Fri 9th Oct, for years 7-11. Activities on offer include sessions on relaxation, coping strategies, reframing negative thinking and the beauty of being unique! Find out more https://t.co/Cgc9uqTz3H https://t.co/pL0cfci24D

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Reading at Home

Adding reading to your daily routine really supports both literacy and wellbeing – and can be very enjoyable too!

This page has some useful links to reading resources and other tips to help keep reading engaging and positive. Please do share your own ideas and experiences with us too, so we can all learn from each other.

On the last day before school closure, we opened up our library and removed borrowing limits so that students could take out as many books as they wanted to keep them busy over the closure period; all of our books went flying off the shelves!

If you have any queries concerning passwords, reading levels, reading tips or how to find reading materials, please email our Head of English Miss Matthews on l.matthews@harrisgarrard.org.uk – or just email your child’s English teacher.

How often should I being reading?

The short answer is, as often as you like! We recommend at least 30 minutes a day. At school students read for 40 minutes once a week in DEAR, as well as regular extended reading in lessons, and an hour's reading in DEAR lessons once a fortnight.

To help continue this habit while at home, we are encouraging students to aim to read at least 2—3 times a day for 20 minutes, if you can, including 20 minutes reading aloud to a parent, sibling or even a pet!

After finishing a book, why not take a quiz write a review and send it to Miss Matthews on l.matthews@harrisgarrard.org.uk – you can earn Harris Points without even being at school!

HGA literary canonThe HGA Literary Canon

Here at HGA, we have two versions of the HGA Literary Canon – one for KS3 and one for KS4. These ‘canons’ are each a list of 50 books that we recommend all our students should have read by the time they finish the Key Stage.

Download the HGA Key Stage 3 Reading Canon

Download the HGA Key Stage 4 Reading Canon

Send your photos of you reading books on the canon to Ms Matthews on l.matthews@harrisgarrard.org.uk to receive a secret prize when we return to school; you could even feature on the school Twitter page! 

Bedrock Vocabulary

Reading will really help to keep our brains active, engaged and learning while our school is temporarily closed.  At Harris Garrard Academy, all year 7-10 students have been using an online program Bedrock Vocabulary Learning to develop their vocabulary acquisition.

To make required progress across the programme, you must complete at least two lessons a week, which run for 20 minutes each. Your login and password details have been provided to you by the English Department. If you have lost these details, you can ask your parent or carer to email Ms Matthews or your English teacher (l.matthews@harrisgarrard.org.uk). In the email please make clear the name of your child and their English class so that we can email you your Bedrock username and password.

Remember you can download Bedrock onto your phones and ipads too! The English Department will track your activity and reward you with Harris Points for all the Bedrock sessions you complete each week.

Log into Bedrock here 

More books and audiobooks

If you have a subscription of Amazon prime, there is a great selection of free books, magazines and comics available. Here are some websites offering free online books and audiobooks.

myON are offering access to thousands of enhanced digital books through their online library. Go to myon.co.uk, enter the login details below, then simply select a book and start reading!

  • School Name: Harris Garrard Academy (type the first few letters of your school and select from the drop-down menu)
  • Username: harris428student
  • Password: read

Other places to find books online:

If you don´t have internet access please contact us and we will try to supply free copies. Don’t forget some students will have books from our school-library at home.

MagsOnline magazines - how to log on

You can read a variety of magazines online using the Harris Garrard Academy subscription. These include:

  • BBC History 
  • BBC Science Focus
  • Geographical
  • New Internationalist
  • The Biologist
  • Chemistry World

Click here to login to the magazine subscriptions

Once on the login page, select the “library card” option in the top right-hand corner. Enter the six-digit code 824853 for Harris Garrard Academy into the “card number” bar and log in.