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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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Latest News

Posted on May 21st 2018

"My Time on the Scholars Programme"

Brilliant Club   Elliot and TimothyTimothy (centre), Year 9, writes about the Scholars Programme, which gives students at Harris Garrard Academy the chance to study university level topics with a PhD research student.

Taking part in the Scholars Programme was a great experience for me. The chance to learn about the reign of Queen Elizabeth I at a high level was one that I was very grateful for.

Over the last two terms, I have been studying this topic with Dr Dustin Neighbours (right). His expertise and knowledge in this field was fantastic but what I was particularly impressed with was his outgoing and friendly nature. He encouraged me to keep going when I struggled. The aims of the Programme were to give students a chance to develop the key skills that will help me throughout, what I hope to be, a successful future. For example, I feel that my confidence within this topic has massively improved as now, when asked questions, I can give more detailed answers. This has allowed me to engage more in group discussions.

Brilliant Club graduation (3)

Picture: Elliot, Timothy, Taliyah, Fauve, Oliver at Goldsmiths College for their Graduation Ceremony from the Scholars Programme.


University trips

As part of the Scholars Programme, I was thankful to be able to attend not one, but two university trips. This provided me with the opportunity to observe the facilities and services that are offered to students, to listen to inspiring anecdotes from teachers and students.

As part of our final trip, to Goldsmiths University, we took part in a Graduation Ceremony to celebrate our successful completion of the course. This gave me a taste of what I will, hopefully, one day achieve at the end of my university career. It was also great to be able to celebrate with the others in my year and students from all across the country.

These trips have given me the motivation to work harder whilst I am still at secondary school. Furthermore, receiving advice from my parents, teachers and friends has really helped me to understand the challenges of university.

2,000 word essay

The most difficult task that I was faced with during the Programme was the final assignment – a 2000 word essay. After weeks of extra academic sessions and tutorials, this was a task to see what I had learned and listened to. I was given a deadline and some sources to analyse. As I was typing, I always had a judgement and criticism for what was appearing on the screen, so when I submitted my work, I was extremely nervous. However, I ended up getting the second highest mark in the group!

The point I am trying to get to is that through this I have learned that it is completely normal to struggle when trying to understand and analyse sources, while ensuring that my writing has a clear and concise structure. Despite the fact that I was given such a high mark, I now have even more motivation to push myself further into my studies and hope to someday reach the level where my work exceeds my own expectations.

I’d like to sign off by saying that I loved taking part in the Scholars Programme and hope that now I can push myself more into my studies.

Timothy, Year 9


The Scholars Programme is run with Brilliant Club, an award-winning charity that exists to increase the number of pupils from under-represented backgrounds progressing to highly-selective universities.

Brilliant Club graduation (1)