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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

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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

09/02/24

Love is in the air (and candy in hand!) at HGA! Y11s selling roses & lollipops to make prom dreams come true. Talk about initiative! pic.twitter.com/8T0vOCx0vU

09/02/24

HGA remembered the stories of the holocaust, assembly led by Mr Mukadam. pic.twitter.com/9BTdyy2beo

12/12/23

The girls at our school are selling baked goods all week to raise money for their cheerleading competition in February. The first day was a great success, and we thank everyone for their support! Come and grab some delicious treats to support the Legacy Cheer and Dance 2024 🍰🎉 pic.twitter.com/3Hs1IMb2M6

11/12/23

KS3 students have mastered functions and formulas, so it's time for a little light relief! They're creating pixel art using conditional formatting in Excel. It's a fun way to apply their skills and unleash their creativity. 🎨💻 pic.twitter.com/yOXsbDgDCG

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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Westminster

Willesden

Literacy

At Harris Garrard Academy we understand how important good literacy is for your child's development and life choices.  

Developing skills in literacy is about learning to use language to express, explore and communicate our thoughts, ideas and feelings with others. We do this through speaking, listening, reading and writing, and getting better at literacy means making progress in each of these areas. 

We owe it to our students to give them the very best literacy skills in order to improve their chances in life, and to enable them to succeed in whatever path they choose. We adopt a cross-curricular focus to promoting good literacy amongst our pupils and staff. We believe that promoting literacy is a whole academy responsibility and not just that of the English department. We also invite you to join us in developing your child's literacy at home.

Our Literacy Policy can be downloaded from our Teaching & Learning page.


HGA Literary Canon

Harris Garrard Academy has its own 'Literary Canon' to promote a love of reading canonical texts. There are 100 incredible books on the Literary Canon list: 50 for Key Stages 4 and 5, and 50 for Key Stage 3.

Download the Key Stage 3 Literary Canon

Download the Key Stage 4-5 Literary Canon


Drop Everything and Read

Once every half-term, every student in KS3 ‘Drops Everything and Reads.’ At three points throughout the day, no matter what lesson is on their timetable, students spend fifteen minutes reading their personal reading book alongside their teacher. We believe it is crucial that students read fiction independently and regularly to develop a love of reading and literature.


Literacy in Action

Once a week, Year 7 students have a ‘Literacy in Action’ lesson whereby they build upon the language skills developed at KS2 and apply them to their reading of a work of fiction read together as a class. This allow student the opportunity to develop their understanding of grammatical constructs and language features whilst improving analytical skills more relevant to their learning at KS3.


Tutor-time Literacy

Each week, KS3 students spend 40 minutes engaging in literacy activities such as word scrambles, word roots, etymology as well as tasks involving more lateral thinking such as riddles and word puzzles. The literacy activities are specifically designed to work in conjunction with words included in the Bedrock Vocabulary learning cycles to help students broaden their vocabulary and practise applying them to both written and spoken communication.


Tutor Reading

Once a week, a 40-minute period of tutor time is dedicated to students reading their ‘Tutor Group Reader’ as a class along with their tutor. This creates a shared reading experience amongst the tutor group, and the texts selected are chosen for their enjoyment, challenge, and capacity to build cultural capital. After reading as a tutor group, students read their own independent reading books to pursue their own interests. We have committed weekly time to this to emphasise to students the importance of reading regularly.


Oracy

At Harris Garrard Academy we value oracy as a vital tool for improving students overall Literacy. Oracy is about being able to express yourself well across a range of contexts and having the vocabulary to say what you want to say, along with the ability to structure your thoughts so that they make sense to others. We have oracy strategies embedded into our teaching and learning.

Some of the ways we promote oracy include Debate Mate, a 17-week programme that teaches key skills through an after-school debate programme, and the Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge, an annual speaking competition aimed at Year 10 students. In addition, 'Talk for Learning' opportunities are planned into every lesson before Applied Learning Time, and departments provide talk and oracy frames for students to use to structure their discussions. Further details can be found in our Literacy Policy which can be downloaded from our Teaching & Learning page. 


Bedrock Vocabulary

Every child in the academy has access to Bedrock Vocabulary as their weekly home-learning. Bedrock Vocabulary is a computer-based e-learning website which develops students reading skills of challenging fiction and non-fiction texts, alongside extending their vocabulary to include a wide variety of Tier-2 vocabulary. All students are supported in their use of Bedrock vocabulary, alongside explicit vocabulary instruction across the school and curriculum. At Harris Garrard, we recognise how important vocabulary acquisition is to not only students’ reading ability, but also their overall expression and academic attainment.


Hackney LIT.

The Literacy Intervention Toolkit (LIT) is an extraordinarily effective teaching programme that employs evidence based strategies proven to increase progress in English and the wider curriculum for students identified as being most in need of support based on our NGRT testing. Students will receive intervention provided by trained specialists who will support students in reading comprehension, thinking and learning skills, which will strengthen their confidence so that they can work with greater independence and access the wider curriculum more successfully.


DebateMate

DebateMate aims to tackle educational disadvantages through the running of debating workshops in collaboration with schools. Students will have the opportunity to improve speaking and listening attainment and practise using higher-order thinking skills whilst improving non-cognitive abilities such as confidence, teamwork and leadership. Alongside reading and writing, oracy is a valuable strand of literacy that determines the ability of students to communicate effectively using spoken language. During the 17-week programme, mentors will help students develop the ability to speak eloquently, articulate ideas and thoughts, influence through talking, listen to others and have the confidence to express their views effectively. Students will then have the opportunity to put their skills to the test by entering two of the largest debating competitions in the UK.


Library

Our new and improved library will afford students every opportunity to indulge their love for reading. With soft-furnishings, newly designed browsing areas, study-hub spaces and over 30 new computers there is something for the avid reader and studious worker alike. All students will receive an induction into the new learning space and will benefit from the larger, more comfortable working environment on offer. Books are always available to check-out and read at home whilst larger reference books are accessible to students conducting research for coursework and projects; all students at Harris Garrard will have access to our wide range of books whenever they need them, a sign of our dedication in supporting our students with their scholarship.

Library 1

We have recently made considerable efforts to diversify our current library collection to reflect the values of inclusivity and acceptance promoted at the Harris Garrard Academy. We have expanded our collection by nearly 200 titles promoting authors, works and themes from black and ethnic minorities, the LGBTQ+ community, a wider range of gender identities and those with disabilities. We want reading to be open to everyone, regardless of background, and hope to continuously improve our collection’s accessibility whilst nurturing our students’ readership.

Additionally, every Year 7 class will also have one ‘Library Lesson’ each week where they spend time reading their personal reading book or browsing our extensive collection, asking advice from our library staff before selecting and borrowing a new and challenging text. Students are encouraged to write book reviews, make recommendations to each other, and reflect on their own reading record.