School Life
excellent learning and progress
One of the main aspects in striving for ‘Excellence for All’ at Harrow High School is ‘Excellent Learning and Progress’. Our ambition for our learners is to equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills that will support them in their future lives be that in progressing to Sixth Form, University or in their chosen career. We believe the acquisition of knowledge and skills are vital not just to pass exams but to cultivate a passion for lifelong learning.
The building and retrieval of knowledge is at the forefront of what we do at Harrow High. Our learners are issued with knowledge organisers which express the key themes and ideas that are explored within our subjects. Cognitive science has shown that re-visiting key knowledge regularly, enhances the capacity of long-term memory. Learners use knowledge organisers in all lessons to help them develop their study skills. This then gives our learners a solid platform before embarking on their GCSE courses.
We also place a great emphasis on reading and extended writing. Each day, for 15 minutes we ‘Drop Everything and Read’ to help instil this as a core habit. This can be for pleasure or subject-related and like the Knowledge Organisers, helps to improve our learners’ academic vocabulary. In line with the demands of exams, we make great efforts to develop learners’ extended writing skills across all curricular subjects. We want learners to value the importance of writing so we develop their ability to write extended responses across all subjects so that writing is not just perceived as something done in English. This supports our learners making excellent progress throughout all 3 key stages.
The curriculum at Harrow High School is broad covering all subjects in the KS3 National Curriculum. The modern foreign languages we offer are Italian and Spanish with learners covering both of these in Year 7 before specialising in Year 8. We encourage all of our learners to take the English Baccalaureate which involves taking GCSEs in English, Maths, Science, Geography or History and a Modern Foreign Language. We are very proud of the rich diversity we have in our school and encourage and support learners in achieving GCSE qualifications in their home language. In addition, our Inclusion team offer support to learners who are new or relatively new to English enabling them to access other areas of the curriculum as quickly as possible.
Excellent learning is not just for our learners but indeed for our staff too. We want to ensure that our teachers develop their skills based upon the latest educational research so that our learners in turn have a rich and rewarding experience through their learning journeys at Harrow High.
excellent behaviour, safety and care
Our school community actively promotes positive behaviour to ensure that all members of the
school are safe and successful. We foster kind, respectful and professional relationships where
everyone collaborates in the making of wise and civil decisions. Our guiding principle is kindness and we expect all members of our community to demonstrate this, regardless of who we are or what our role is in the school.
As adults, we model calm and consistent behaviour, ensuring our school provides a safe and enjoyable atmosphere in which to learn. Children must also learn to be accountable for their actions, learning from their mistakes to develop as responsible young people. Our behaviour policy supports this and we have robust systems in place to look after and care for those needing support and to hold to account those who do not model excellent behaviour.
With input from learners, we designed our ‘See It, Report It, Stop It’ anti-bullying policy as a tool for reporting acts of unkindness. This allows staff to deal with issues promptly and prevent incidents from escalating further. Our Safeguarding Team ensures any issues are dealt with and that support is put in place for those who are vulnerable. If we cannot provide support within our school systems we find support through counsellors and other charities and support services. Our Tutor programme and Personal Development lessons guide learners to make well-informed decisions to improve their own lives and those of others. We strive to develop well-rounded and informed young people who are equipped to be excellent citizens of any country they choose to live in.