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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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Harris Academies
All Academies in our Federation aim to transform the lives of the students they serve by bringing about rapid improvement in examination results, personal development and aspiration.

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Open Mornings

Welcome! We are delighted that you are considering a place at Harris Garrard Academy, and welcome you to our school community.


Reception & Early Years Open Events

We have five open mornings for Reception intake in September 2025. All events start at 9.30am. You’ll be offered a tour of the school, the chance to see classes in action and time with the headteacher – Mr Sheppard. No booking required, just come along.

  • Wednesday 6 November 2024
  • Wednesday 13 November 2024
  • Wednesday 20 November 2024
  • Wednesday 11 December 2024
  • Thursday 9 January 2025

We look forward to meeting you soon! No booking needed. If you have any queries about spaces for Reception please do contact the school.


Helping To Get You Child 'Reception Ready'

Starting school is a big change in a young child's life, and quite an adjustment for parents too! Being well prepared will help to make it a more positive and exciting experience for them, and you too. This guide will offer some useful tips to make it all go smoothly.

Below are some helpful guides and tips to enable you to get 'Reception Ready!'

  • Click HERE to download our Welcome to Reception booklet
  • Click HERE to download the Getting Ready For School Checklist
  • Click HERE to download information about our Teddy Bear's Picnic

Writing and recognising their own name

It would be helpful if your child could write and recognise their own name. Help them practise this before they come to school by showing them what their name looks like, and by helping them write it.

Then, if your child sees their name on a name card, a coat peg or on their belongings they will be able to find their own things.


Getting dressed and undressed independently

Your child will be changing their clothes and shoes during the school day to go outside to play or to do activities such as PE. To help your child feel more confident about getting changed, make sure that their clothes are easy for them to take off and put back on again. Clothes with easy fastenings or big buttons are ideal, as well as skirts with elasticated waists and shoes with Velcro fastenings.

Encourage your child with practice sessions before they start school.


Going to the toilet independently

Teach your child how to use the toilet and to clean themselves afterwards. Explain the importance of flushing to leave the toilet clean for the next child to use.

Turn practising into a game by asking them to 'what comes next?' so they remember to flush each time. Encourage them to wash their hands thoroughly with soap before drying them. 

An adult is always available if they need help at school, and our toilets are very easy for small children to use as they are designed with them in mind.


Being able to sit and concentrate

It is important that children become used to sitting still and concentrating. Practise this with your child at home. Make sessions fun as you encourage them to sit still and listen while you talk about something that interests them.

Ask them easy questions to keep their attention and get them used to focussing on what you are talking about.


Being able to handle books properly and enjoy a story

We use reading and enjoying stories a lot to help the children learn about the world as well as helping them with their reading and writing. Help them get used to handling books and enjoying stories by sharing and reading books with them at home.

Allow them to hold the book and turn the pages sometimes as you read them a story. This will help make them feel 'in charge' of the story, and will be an important step for them towards handling and reading books of their own.


Reception Year

In Reception, we follow the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage issued by the Department for Education (DfE). The curriculum consists of seven areas of learning:

  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development
  • Physical Development
  • Communication and Language
  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the World
  • Expressive Arts and Design

There are then 17 Early Learning Goals (ELGs) which are part of these areas of learning. If a child achieves these goals by the end of the Reception year then they are said to be working at the expected level.

To support children with working towards these ELGs we use a document called 'Development Matters'. This breaks down each goal into different age bands and is used by staff throughout the year to assess how close children are to reaching the goals.

All of these documents, and many other useful resources, are available from this website: http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/


In the classroom

Early Years learning and development is provided through purposeful play and through adult led structures and routines that build confidence and provide intellectual stimulus and challenge.

Throughout the day, children will have direct teaching sessions for maths, literacy and phonics, either as the whole-class or in small groups. The rest of the time they will be taking part in activities inside and outside the classroom. Some of the activities will have been prepared by the teacher and will focus on specific objectives. They may be led by an adult or modelled initially and then the children can access them independently. The children will also be able to choose activities from any of the other resources available.

Teachers choose which activities to set-up by assessing the children’s levels of understanding across all areas of the curriculum and identifying any ‘gaps’ in their learning. Teaching inputs and activities are then planned to address these gaps and evidence is then gathered to show the children have then achieved this learning.

All the teaching staff will be engaging with the children during the activities and helping to support their learning and development. Children’s learning is assessed by observing what they say and do during these times. These are recorded and are then shared with parents.


Wrap Around Care

Here at Harris Garrard Academy, we provide a Breakfast Club and After School Club for all children from Reception through to Year 6 whose parents require these. The clubs are well organised, stimulating and fun.

Our goal is to provide all children in our care with a happy, safe, caring and stimulating environment before and after school. The Breakfast Club and After School Club is a team effort, sharing responsibilities with families to provide the best care for all children. Any issues are openly or confidentially discussed. Please feel free to contact us to discuss anything, or pass on information.

Before you start using any Wrap Around Care you need to complete an application, details of which can be found HERE.