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22/11/24

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22/11/24

🌟 Last night’s Sixth Form Open Evening was a huge success!Thank you to everyone who joined us and to our amazing staff and students for showcasing the best of Harris Garrard Academy. 💬📚📸 Check out some highlights! pic.twitter.com/oRrFDNy3N4

20/11/24

Our Athletics team were over the moon when they received the news that they had won the Sports Hall athletics event. Congratulations to the team and the other schools who put on such a high quality display! We look forward to attending the in feb! https://t.co/VoSqccgbTq pic.twitter.com/bkpgei8pOZ

15/11/24

Last night’s epic Culture Week event celebrated the rich diversity of HGA! 🌍✨ Huge thanks to our talented students, amazing staff, and Student Council for making it unforgettable. Together, we raised over £1,100! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/rUOVN53IRP

15/11/24

💬 “I’m so glad I chose Harris Garrard Academy – the teachers go above and beyond to support us with our university applications!”– Year 13 Student 🎓✨

14/11/24

💬 “I’m glad I joined Harris Garrard Academy – the Sixth Form team and teachers are so dedicated! They work hard to help each student reach their personal goals while encouraging us to achieve our very best.”– Year 13 Student 🌟

13/11/24

💬 “This school is truly special – it’s given me lifelong friendships and the academic support I needed whenever I asked.”– Year 13 🌟📅 Don’t miss the Harris Garrard Sixth Form Open Evening on 21st November 2024, from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. We look forward to seeing you there! 👋📚

12/11/24

🎉 Join us for the Harris Garrard Sixth Form Open Evening on 21st November 2024, from 4:00pm to 6:00pm! ✨ We can’t wait to see you there! 👋📚 pic.twitter.com/ulLzK0zeo9

11/11/24

Today, our secondary students gathered for a moving Remembrance Service, honouring those who served with a live performance of the Last Post and drill displays from our dedicated cadets. 🇬🇧🙏 pic.twitter.com/iqvbbmReBF

22/10/24

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22/10/24

🎉 Celebrating in style at our assemblies with powerful performances! 🎤 From moving skits to vibrant musical acts and slam poetry, our students are showcasing the rich history, culture, and achievements of Black communities. 🌍🎶✨ pic.twitter.com/Aa2aCZQmX1

17/10/24

A pleasure to host such an event in order to give as many children in Thamesmead a chance to engage in sport and exercise whilst also have the privilege to represent their schools!

17/10/24

On your marksGet setGoProject Thamesmead cross country is about tostart. This great project sees working with to provide young people in Thamesmead schools the opportunity to represent their school in sport & physical activity pic.twitter.com/x5viNArTip

15/10/24

Our latest primary PE challenge saw our students and staff tackle the chest push.We saw an incredible amount of children attempt to beat their previous personal bests. Congratulations to all that took part and our overall winners! pic.twitter.com/QfO4CWXkQW

13/10/24

Well done to our primary boys football team on winning their first trophy of the season! https://t.co/sSAJF8RM5f

11/10/24

Proud to see Harris Garrard Academy highlighted at the Harris Conference for our exceptional results this year! 🎉👏 A big thank you to our dedicated staff and hardworking students. pic.twitter.com/QVzEML8NjV

10/10/24

SCHOOLS Today we held our autumn boys football competition at CAFC Training Ground with Harris Academy Garrard winning overall 👏Well done to all teams who took part ⚽️#CACTFSD ⚽️🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/LJm8i1fCy9

10/10/24

Great evening at HGA’s Meet the Tutor event! 🎉 It was fantastic meeting our Year 7 parents and carers, sharing the culture we’re building here, and offering 1:1 time with form tutors. 💬💡 Excited for the journey ahead! pic.twitter.com/yUsRimWCaZ

03/10/24

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03/10/24

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Latest News

Posted on May 22nd 2018

A Taste of the City of London for Year 10

Twenty four students from Year 10 spent the day at Canary Wharf and in the City of London this week meeting people who work for leading companies including Barclays, Adidas and Amazon.

The Whittington Day 2018 included a ride on the Thames Clipper to Canary Wharf, workshops on CV writing and interview skills at Barclays, and a chance to see behind the scenes at Barclaycard.

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At London's Guildhall our students met young graduates including former Bexley student Jack Lauricourt (pictured below), who now works for Adidas. The graduates spoke about their career paths and answered questions. Students also learned about networking skills from barrister Claire Palmer.

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"The day teaches children our age about working life and the opportunities we have," said David, Year 10. "I could see that people really like their jobs at Barclays. I want to be an architect but if that doesn't work out maybe I'll work at Barclays now! Today has helped me find out in life what I want to do."

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"It's all about taking the children out of their current surroundings and giving them an opportunity to come to Canary Wharf and the City of London to explore opportunities within financial services and all sorts of areas," said Nick Wilkins, Senior Fraud Manager at Barclays, who has been helping to organise the day for 13 years.

"We involve people from lots of different backgrounds in the day. For example they meet people with and without degrees - from our intern programme or our graduate programme. One of the key messages is that big companies like Barclays have opportunities for everyone – whether you’re good at presentations and communication, analysing facts, or IT and technology. A good team is made up of our individuals with very different skills."

The CV and interview skills workshops are particularly useful, he says. "Once students are in a corporate environment sessions like this seem a lot more real. We also stress the importance of doing what you are good at rather than what you feel you should do, because that way your true self will come out."

This year for the first time students went on a tour of Barclays, including visiting the 24th floor where they saw the environment within which people work.

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Rameez, Year 10, said: "It was good to see that people really like their jobs. We met a lot of different people from different backgrounds. I like the cafeteria at Barclays and the views from the 30th floor."

Sharon, Year 10, said: “It is a good experience to come and see what it’s like working in London and meet top people too."

To be selected for the day, students had to apply saying why they wanted to come on the trip, said business studies teacher David Hem. "Around 70% of students applied so to choose the final 24 we did interviews and also looked at their application forms and their classwork too."

The annual Whittington Day, which has been taking place every year since 2002, is made possible with the kind support of the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals, the Whittington Trust, Barclays Bank and others.


Chair of Governors Beverley Johnston (right), pictured with former students Jack Lauricourt (centre) and Vincent Sam, who now work for Adidas and Amazon and are both Freeman of the City of London. "I'm pleased to do this because it's a chance to give something back," says Jack. "It's useful for students to meet younger professionals like us because I think they feel free to ask questions. I can speak about my own journey, since I only left school in 2013."Whittington 2018 (17)


Students pictured with Stephen Anderton, Master of the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals, which sponsors our annual Whittington Day.

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Arriving on the Thames Clipper from Woolwich.

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Getting a visitors pass at Barclays reception.Whittington 2018 (2)


John Whittaker, Barclays Head of Operational Risk and Strategy, talks to students about the importance of doing work you enjoy. "As you start to think about A levels and university, hold on to what you like and are good at. Join those two things together, work to the best of your ability, and you’ll enjoy your education more.”Whittington 2018 (4)


Ellis (right) talks about how she joined Barclays on an apprenticeshop progamme. "I was in your shoes just a few years ago, trying to decide what to do," she told students. Chris (left) joined Barclays after walking down his high street and seeing an advertisement for a cashier at his local branch. He now has a senior job at head office reporting to regulators.

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CV writing workshop, supported by staff from Barclays. How to put together a CV. What to include and not include.Whittington 2018 (6)