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13/11/18

Today in STEM club we have started the BP ultimate STEM challenge. The students are tasked with designing and engineering a solution to a real life problem. We will enter the students into the competition and they could win £1000 for science equipment or school trips! https://t.co/fwqxpcU0y2

13/11/18

Well to our girls football team for their fantastic effort during last Friday’s football match against . We lost 2-1 but had a great goal scored by Shaakirah. ⚽️ https://t.co/JU4RazwrpY

08/11/18

Another amazingly successful day at the complete! Here are just a few of our favourites of the day https://t.co/v6azU4y64r

08/11/18

HAWI’s second trip to the is underway! https://t.co/R5Gt23sDBa

07/11/18

What a brilliant first day! Roll on tomorrow https://t.co/aez6WGlpMR

07/11/18

Testing out the soundproof room... https://t.co/X74Ldsc0lp

07/11/18

Today our students had the chance to visit a local Mosque. They had lots of questions to ask and were taught about Islamic faith. https://t.co/v0wDQzc1JW

07/11/18

All of our pupils are loving the tour at today - learning battle tactics has been one of their highlights! https://t.co/rkTlyynhXa

07/11/18

We’re here! Bring on the https://t.co/wet6Mflbs3

07/11/18

We would like to remind our parents and carers that we have our first parents evening next Monday. You son/daughter will have been given their appointment and attendance is compulsory. Please email reception.org.uk should you have any questions. 🙂

07/11/18

Year 7 are well on their way to the Tower of London for their first school trip this term! https://t.co/B4nTZDALlx

07/11/18

Today sees HAWI’s first of two trips to the - here is a group of our pupils super excited for the day ahead! https://t.co/hlnZA6zhnW

19/10/18

Congratulations to yellow house for winning our inaugural football house cup competition. https://t.co/2saGXtDP4g

19/10/18

The HAWI Community Garden is starting to bloom! Yesterday students planted the first lot of plants: winter pansies, cyclamen and lots of spring bulbs. Let’s hope the weather is good for growing. https://t.co/7Z1ZKYlrWb

18/10/18

HAWI Y7 boys A team are playing their second game. Best of luck boys! ⚽️ https://t.co/D8UVfPPn88

18/10/18

Literacy was at the heart of HAWI last week when we had a great time at the Book Fair. We raised £538.36 which will be used to buy books for the library. Thank you to all the students who bought books; enjoy reading them over half term. https://t.co/BmsGOzb0tS

16/10/18

Retweetd From Cannon Hill Police

Completed our first assembly with students at our new school. Students polite and looking smart in their uniform Thank you for inviting us https://t.co/LwpU2mnDkp

16/10/18

Harris Academy Wimbledon young leaders are officiating and coaching at the Raynes Park cluster MertonSSP year 5/6 borough netball competition. https://t.co/cvaDgigcB1

16/10/18

On Wednesday 17th October at 11.30am, we have our last OPEN MORNING before the deadline for applications on 31st October. Please email to reserve a place. Info.org.uk

16/10/18

Some of our students enjoying a hot chocolate morning for earning 5 reward stickers. Well done! https://t.co/xgpEzgPc0y

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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Welcome from the Principal: Mrs J Larizadeh

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Harris Academy Wimbledon. We are a brand-new co-educational secondary academy set up to provide an excellent, well-rounded education for local children in Wimbledon. We welcomed our first Year 7 students in 2018 and we will grow year on year, eventually serving children ages 11-18. Our academy is an outstanding place to learn, providing an innovative, inclusive and happy environment for our young people.
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Academy Life

12 November 2018Principal's BlogThe students have had a great first week back after a well-deserved rest over half term. Our theme for the week was ‘Festivals’ and we explored Bonfire Night, the Day of the Dead that is celebrated every year in Mexico and Diwali, the Hindu Festival of lights.  We discussed how festivals unite people towards a certain cause and involve celebration.  Festivals are an expressive way for us all to celebrate our heritage, culture and traditions. The visit to the Tower of London was a great success.  The students attended a session on 1097 and William I’s greatest fortress and palace, the White Tower.  They explored the nature of power and the challenges facing a new King after the Norman Conquest.  The guide at the Tower was incredibly impressed with the knowledge the students had gained during their History lessons and many members of the public commented on how smart the students looked in their uniform and how well they presented themselves. Our World Religion Day gave students the opportunity to explore five different religions.  They worked incredibly well together and could be seen tucking into bagels at break time and completing all of the puzzles and clues around the academy to help them find out information about Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism.  There were many thoughtful debates and the teachers were impressed with their determination to find out as much as possible.  The day culminated in a visit to the Mosque in Morden.  Year 7s have been busy collecting their reward points and commendation stickers so they can attend the Hot Chocolate morning and Principal’s breakfast.  I am delighted that the students are working hard in their lessons and gathering reward points for the effort they are putting into their work. On Friday, the girls’ football team narrowly lost to Harris Academy Crystal Palace by 2 goals to 1.  Shaakirah scored for the girls who all played with skill, enthusiasm and professionalism. Parents’ Evening is on Monday and on Thursday at 19.15, we have the planning committee for the new build at Merton Civic offices – I would be delighted if you could come along and show you support. Have a good week!
14 October 2018Principal's BlogCongratulations to 7Blue who performed an excellent assembly on Friday to the rest of Year 7 and their parents.  They explored how kindness breeds happiness and spent two weeks researching and writing the script before presenting us with a very polished performance.  I was very impressed with their confidence and enthusiasm as they communicated some very important messages about how we make a difference to everyone around us.  Last week was a very busy week.  We started the week by discussing how we respect and celebrate diversity and the students said 'Good Morning' in over twenty different languages.  I am delighted with how the students have settled into life at the Academy; they are always exceptionally polite and support each other to do well.  Individuality is very important to us and we want students to be proud of their differences. We had two football teams playing against other schools, a group of students who started a five week 'more able' Science project at Kings College School (KCS) and we welcomed four sixth formers and their teacher from KCS to work with 7M in Latin for the rest of this term.  It is great to see Year 7s getting the opportunity to work with sixth formers from another school.  In addition, we welcomed over 200 visitors during our open mornings. Thank you to everyone who purchased books this week.  I was delighted to see so many excited and enthusiastic students reading books at both break time and lunch time.  We have raised over £450 from the book fair which will help us build and develop our library. I am looking forward to 7Red's assembly on Friday, seeing our netball leaders running a competition on Tuesday, our School Council going for training and our sports teams in action again.  All in all, it is looking like a typically busy week at Harris Academy Wimbledon! 
7 October 2018Principal's BlogI believe music supports young people in their emotional development, helps them develop their imagination and intellectual curiosity, and gives them a range of transferable skills to support them in the development of their other school work.  Consequently, we have launched our music taster lessons where every student gets the opportunity to have a lesson in an instrument with a professional music teacher.  The students have embraced the lessons with enthusiasm earning them many compliments from the visiting teachers.  There are more taster lessons in the next few days. We have our book fair in the library this week and it would be great to see everyone buying a book.  For every book purchased, we get a free book for the library.  In addition, we are launching our ‘donate your favourite children’s book’.  If you would like to donate your favourite book, we will put a dedication from you in the book for everyone to read. Congratulations to all of the students who represented the Academy at cross country on Thursday.  All of the students finished in the top twenty and Reece has qualified for the next stage of the competition.  We have three football fixtures this week involving 39 different students – I am very proud of the dedication the students are showing in all of their extra-curricular activities. 7Blue have been busy practising their assembly ready to perform on Friday to their parents and the rest of Year 7. This will be followed by a coffee morning for 7Blue parents. We mustn’t forget the work all the students are completing in their lessons.  We had two busy open mornings this week welcoming over one hundred visitors.  They all visited at least two lessons and commented on the students’ focus, concentration and enthusiasm for their learning.   I wish you an enjoyable week.
30 September 2018Principal's BlogCongratulations to Callen, Lucrezia, Ellie, Lara, Zoha, Emmerson, Inaya, Raulis, Pearl and Basan who have been elected by their peers to be the first members of the school council.  They all wrote a few sentences about their achievement and Pearl said “School council is a complete honour.  I love it.  I’ve found something I love to do and I finally feel like I belong”.  In their first meeting, the school council discussed the names for the houses and have decided that they will be named after famous historical figures who have lived in Wimbledon and the surrounding area.  They will now liaise with their class to decide on the name for each house.  Watch this space for the announcement. We will announce the senior prefects this week. On Tuesday, we had Prospective Parents’ Evening and welcomed 650 visitors to the Academy.  All Year 7 stayed behind to help with the evening and I am very proud of them all; they were polite, informative, enthusiastic and received compliments from all our visitors. Emmerson, Inaya and Reuben spoke confidently in the talk giving information about our enrichment curriculum, extra-curricular activities and transition programme. Mr Riches picked 14 students to represent the academy at the first football match against Trinity School.  Even though they lost their first match the team played with enthusiasm and skill. Taio was man of the match. This week we will be celebrating National Poetry week.  We have our first pastoral meeting for parents and the inaugural meeting of the Wimbledon Parents’ Association (WPA).  We would love to see all of the parents at both events.  Please email reception@harriswimbledon.org.uk to reserve your place. Homework is now being set every day.  Please support the students by checking what homework they have and ensuring they complete it by the deadline.  Remember the library is open and staffed every day until 4.30pm for students to complete their homework. We have two open mornings this week and have inset day on Friday.  The Academy is closed on Friday which gives the students plenty of time to do some excellent homework. I wish you an enjoyable week.
23 September 2018Principal's BlogThe students have settled in well completing their second week at the Academy. In assembly on Monday, I talked to them about their dreams and aspirations explaining to them that all of us need to think about what we want to do in the future.  Dreams and aspirations tell us something about ourselves, what we can become in the future and where we are heading.  It is important for the students to have dreams and aspirations and I explained to them that these will grow, develop and change as they grow up.  Miss Pocock will be talking to all the students this week about their individual dreams and aspirations.  I had a great conversation with a student who dreams about being a doctor and she spent some time researching into the profession and what she needs to do to achieve her dream. The students launched themselves into the array of extracurricular activities on offer at the academy.  It was fantastic to see them dancing with Shaun Dillon, our resident professional dancer; sharing their creative talents in our set design club and demonstrating great skills in Hockey, Netball and Football.  My week ended bumping into the students from the Latin Culture Club preparing for European day of languages which we will be celebrating on Wednesday.  The students were full of enthusiasm, joy and a love of languages as they explained to me the quiz they had been preparing.  It was 4.30pm on Friday and they were not in any rush to go home. This week is a busy week for the Academy.  We have prospective parents’ evening on Tuesday from 5pm – 8pm.  Students will finish at 12.20pm so we can prepare for the evening; they need to be back at 4.30pm ready to show parents around or help out in different subjects.  School will start one hour later on Wednesday so the gates will open at 9am with the bell going at 9.25am. I wish you an enjoyable week.  
16 September 2018Principal's BlogYear 7 have had a fantastic first full week at the Academy.  I am delighted with how they have settled in; they are eager to learn and are being supportive of each other.  In tutor time, the students discussed their community code of conduct and I have put their ideas together below: I will wear my uniform with pride and be smart at all times I will be polite and take responsibility for the way I talk to people in the local community I will offer my seat to those less able to stand and keep noise to a minimum on public transport I will walk sensibly on the pavements and cross the road using crossings or traffic lights I will use positive language with my friends I will always use litter bins for my rubbish I will make a difference to others by being kind  They are going to finalise their code of conduct in tutor time this week.  In addition, each tutor group is going to vote for their House Leaders who will form our first Student Council.  The students can stand for the leadership roles by writing a short speech on how they will represent their tutor group.  Each tutor group will vote for who they think will best represent them at the first student council meeting. Friday saw our first football trials.  We had 58 girls and boys attend; they shared their enthusiasm, energy and skills with each other, making it almost impossible for Mr Riches to pick the teams for the first matches.   Everyone who shows regular commitment to sports clubs will get an opportunity to represent the academy at some point during the year.  Hard work and commitment will always be rewarded at Harris Academy Wimbledon. I wish you an enjoyable week.
9 September 2018Principal's BlogHARRIS ACADEMY WIMBLEDON OPENS ITS DOORS TO ITS FIRST STUDENTS   On Thursday, the brand new Harris Academy Wimbledon opened its doors to its first ever students.  I am extremely proud to be leading an ambitious new academy and it has been a pleasure to welcome our first Year 7 students this week. The students arrived with a mixture of excitement and nerves, looking exceptionally smart in their brand new school uniform.  In our first assembly I spoke to them about our motto ‘Make a Difference’ and how they can make a difference to their own lives and the lives of others around them.  In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Dumbledore says the following: ‘It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities’ This central message of the Harry Potter series is what I want the students to think about and act on.  I know our students already have a variety of abilities - we have budding leaders, sportsmen and women, mathematicians, journalists, lawyers and much more – but I want the students to make the right choices to maximise their abilities, to work hard and to be kind. Next week brings the first full week of the school timetable and the students will need to be organised, ensuring they bring in the correct books and equipment to school.  Tuesday sees the launch of our exciting enrichment programme and during the week they will begin to find out about all of the extra-curricular activities they can be part of. I wish you all a very successful and enjoyable week.
19 July 2018HARRIS ACADEMY WIMBLEDON OPENS ITS DOORS TO WELCOME ITS FIRST STUDENTSLast Wednesday, Harris Academy Wimbledon opened its doors to welcome its first intake of Year 7 pupils for an induction day. The first cohort of students, who come from 38 different primary schools, spent the day getting to know their new classmates and teachers. Harris Academy Wimbledon is currently full for Year 7 but if any prospective students would like to make a late application for a place on the waiting list they can apply directly through the academy’s website. An open evening for prospective students and their families will be held on Tuesday 25th September with additional open mornings taking place in early October. More information can be found at Harris Academy Wimbledon’s website. 11 year old Jaye, who will be joining the academy in September, said: “I am really, really looking forward to learning and making new friends at Harris Academy Wimbledon. I've been thinking about after school activities and the student council and it would be an honour to do those very special things.” Jo Larizadeh, Principal of Harris Academy Wimbledon, said: "It has been fantastic to meet our first Year 7 pupils and to introduce them to our staff team. Our building is looking absolutely brilliant and it is great to be so close to finally opening. After lots of hard work, I know that when the first day of the autumn term comes we will be ready to provide an excellent education for Year 7 children.”          
6 May 2018Term Dates 2018/19  AUTUMN TERM 2018 Staff INSET Days     Term Dates   Half Term     Monday 3rd September, Tuesday 4th September, Wednesday 5th September 2018, Friday 5th October 2018   Monday 3rd September – Friday 21st December 2018   Monday 22nd October 2018 – Friday 2nd November 2018 inclusive   Year 7 students begin on Thursday 6th September 9.30am – 2pm From Friday 7th September, Year 7 will attend at normal times 8.25am – 3pm (4pm on Tuesdays).         SPRING TERM 2019 Staff INSET Days   Term Dates   Half Term   Easter Holidays     Monday 7th January 2019, Friday 15th February 2019   Monday 7th January 2019 – Friday 5th April 2019   Monday 18th February 2019 – Friday 22nd February 2019 inclusive Monday 8th April 2019 – Monday 22nd April 2019 inclusive         SUMMER TERM 2019   Term Dates   Bank Holiday   Half Term       Tuesday 23rd April 2019 – Friday 19th July 2019   Monday 6th May 2019   Monday 27th May 2019 – Friday 31st May 2019 inclusive        
20 April 2018Update on DevelopmentsWe are now full for September 2018 and I am looking forward to meeting our first cohort of students at Harris Academy Wimbledon. It has been a busy few months and I am pleased to announce that we have now recruited all of our teachers for September.  I am delighted with all of the appointments and am confident they will teach exciting and engaging lessons that will support all students to make excellent progress. Please find enclosed a summary below: Mr Walsh: Vice Principal, teaching Music and Drama Miss Pocock: Director of English Mr Rutter: Teacher of Mathematics Miss Bolt: Teacher of Science Miss Turner: Teacher of History and Geography. Miss Ortega: Teacher of Spanish, Latin and French Miss Kent: Teacher of Art and Technology Mr Riches: Teacher of PE and Dance All of the teachers will be delivering our unique personal, social, health, cultural and religious curriculum and ICT will be delivered across the curriculum.  As we finalise the plans for the curriculum and enrichment, we will publish more information on the website.  Alongside the recruitment of teachers, we have been busy putting all of the finishing touches to the designs for Whatley Avenue.  The construction company have started and are making excellent progress in getting everything ready.  Parents of our first cohort of students will be able to look round at the induction evening on 4th July. We will be holding induction interviews for all the new students during the week of 18th June and parents will receive an individual appointment time in May.  At the induction interview, we will provide parents and children with a range of information including how to buy the school uniform. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions via info@harriswimbledon.org.uk Mrs Larizadeh Principal
16 April 2018Humanities Teacher AppointedMiss Emily Turner has been appointed as Humanities Teacher.  Following her degree at the University of Southampton, Miss Turner trained to be a teacher with Ark schools before teaching at Wallington High School for Girls.  She joins us from the Department for Education where she has been responsible for developing the evidence base for Initial Teacher Training policy schemes.     "Being part of a brand new school, in your local community, is an exceptional opportunity. I am thrilled to be  joining Harris Academy Wimbledon as a Teacher of Humanities. Studying Humanities will encourage your children to ask questions about the world around them and interpret the world in different ways.  Geography will enable students to explore diverse topics from tectonics to inequality while History will equip students with an understanding of the significant events in our past which will help them to make sense of current affairs. Both of these subjects are key in building students understanding of other cultures and societies and equipping students with the skills they will need to succeed in an increasingly globalised world. I have a passion for both of these subjects and I am excited for your children to enjoy exploring these subjects just as much as I will enjoy teaching them!"
16 April 2018PE Teacher AppointedMr Lewis Riches has been appointed as Teacher of PE.  Mr Riches graduated with a first class degree from St Mary's University and joins us from Harris Academy Purley.   "I am incredibly excited about teaching PE at Harris Academy Wimbledon. Sport and exercise has been a passion of mine since my time at school. I aim to develop an ethos of enjoyment in sport and exercise, supporting all young people to develop a lifelong interest and encouraging future participation. I will ensure that the PE curriculum gives all students an opportunity to participate in a wide variety of sports through active and engaging PE lessons with an extensive extra-curricular programme. My intention is to have many successful sport teams that will play in local competitions and represent our school at the London School Games. I look forward to starting in September and seeing what wonderful sport stars we have at Harris Academy Wimbledon."  
16 April 2018Language Teacher AppointedMiss Eva Ortega has been appointed as a Language teacher, teaching Spanish, Latin and French.  Miss Ortega has a masters degree in teaching from the National University of Spain and speaks 5 different languages.  She joins Harris Academy Wimbledon from Harris Academy Morden. "I have always passionately believed in the importance of learning a language and hope I can inspire my students to feel the same. Speaking many different languages has helped me to develop friendships across a number of different countries and supported me in meeting many interesting people. Many companies are doing business with countries around the world and they are looking to hire people with a global outlook who can speak at least one foreign language.  The students at Harris Academy Wimbledon have the opportunity to learn Spanish, Latin and French and I am very excited about leading them on this journey."  
16 April 2018Art, Design and Technology Teacher AppointedMiss Georgina Kent has been appointed as teacher of Art, Design and Technology.  Miss Kent trained at Winchester School of Art and joins us from an outstanding school in Hampshire.   "Every artist was first an amateur – Ralph Waldo Emerson The Art and Design disciplines encapsulate powerful reaction, an array of professions and individual creativity globally and have always been a huge passion of mine. Curiosity and confidence in ideas and processes combined with a critical awareness of context enables students to reflectively grow and learn in a challenging yet stimulating and supportive environment. As an avid photographer, I am also keen to develop graphics and later, art photography, within my lessons to further engage and develop students in a multi-disciplinary setting and learn how to work to a brief. The arts are crucial in our society and I am incredibly excited to be a part of the team at Harris Academy Wimbledon and begin to prepare for our first cohort of ‘artists in training’ in September."
26 March 2018Waiting List only For Harris Academy WimbledonWe have now filled all of our first 120 places and have a waiting list of year 7s still hoping to secure a place. The new secondary academy, which will be located in High Path from 2020, will open this September for Year 7 pupils in Whatley Avenue, while its brand-new school building and state-of-the-art facilities are being constructed. Jo Larizadeh, Principal of Harris Academy Wimbledon, said:  “I am thrilled that so many local families have chosen Harris Academy Wimbledon for their sons’ and daughters’ secondary education. We intend to provide the excellent standard of education that Harris academies are known for, right from day one. “As well as developing an engaging and exciting curriculum and appointing outstanding subject teachers for the academy, we have been developing the classrooms and facilities at Whatley Avenue to make sure that everything is in place for our first students. “It is incredibly exciting to be involved in a new school from the beginning and I would like to thank local families for their interest and support. We can’t wait to see our first students in September.” If you would like to go on the waiting list, please complete an online application form as there still might be some movement before September.
22 March 2018Science Teacher AppointedMiss Hannah Bolt has been appointed as teacher of Science.  Miss Bolt joins us from a secondary school in Wiltshire where she teaches science to all year groups. After completing her degree, Miss Bolt travelled to China and taught English there for two years. She will be putting this experience to use at Harris Academy Wimbledon: “ I am delighted to be appointed as the new science teacher at Harris Wimbledon. I chose to study biology at university because it totally fascinates me. Science encompasses processes that happen within and around us every second, and I can’t  think of a more important or interesting subject to teach. At my  current school,  I run extra-curricular STEM and Mandarin after school clubs, and I  am excited about  doing the same for our students at Harris Academy Wimbledon. I am already working hard in the build up to the new school year to make sure everything is in place  for the new science curriculum in September. I look forward to meeting  you all and can’t wait to start enthusing the next generation about science.”
22 March 2018Maths Teacher AppointedMr Joe Rutter has been appointed as teacher of Mathematics.  He has a first-class degree from Bristol University and is currently teaching Mathematics at a secondary school in Kent. “To say I am excited about joining  Harris Academy Wimbledon come September is an understatement. The chance to be part of  a brand-new school does not come around very often; I will ensure that this excitement translates to each lesson. Your child will be encouraged to become the best Mathematician they can be, grounding themselves in fundamental Mathematical concepts and developing links between them. By developing important qualities of hard work and resilience our students will inevitably become successful in Mathematics. The Mathematics department at Harris Academy Wimbledon will be something very special for your child to be a part of.”
10 March 2018Director of English AppointedWe are delighted to announce that Sarah Pocock has been appointed as Director of English.  Miss Pocock is currently Head of English at an outstanding school in South East London.  As well as leading English, Miss Pocock will lead the Humanities curriculum, literacy and our programme for More Able students.   "I am utterly overjoyed to have been appointed as Director of English at Harris Academy Wimbledon and cannot wait to welcome our first cohort of Year 7 students in September. I became a teacher because I thought I could make a difference in young people’s lives and I still believe this six years later. I truly believe that education is transformative and so I am thrilled that I have the opportunity to support and guide our students on their exciting journey to becoming driven, successful and engaged members of society.   I love teaching English because it’s special – it gives students a voice. It allows me to show students that their words and the words of others are the most powerful tool they possess and one that can change the world. That’s why I am happy teaching my students anything from Emma Watson’s ‘He for She’ speech to Shakespeare or Harper Lee as I want to give them access to the best possible literature available. English is about truly understanding humanity and the many varied and wonderful perspectives within the world. For me it is the most fascinating subject – every time we study a text I thought I knew inside out and back to front a student will always find an original and different interpretation of the text that both challenges my own perception and inspires me to look at the text in a new way.   I hope our new Year 7s will fall in love with English just as I did when my Year 7 English teacher handed me a copy of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’."
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