Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Ofsted - Monitoring Inspection Visit Outcome

  Thu 25 Nov 2021

  The staff of Harris Academy were very pleased with the findings of their recent Ofsted monitoring visit which took place on 3rd November.  HMI reports that 'Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action in order for the school to become a good school' and highlighted the school's 'strong emphasis on developing staff's expertise' particularly focused on  'the planning and delivering of an effective curriculum'. Other areas for praise included the Maths department and the school's carefully considered reading programme which includes teachers reading 'well-chosen texts to pupils twice a week' in form time.  The use of in class and more formal assessment was also praised, highlighting precisely when and where students were stuck and shaping lesson design and delivery.  The inspector commented that 'leaders use this information well'. 

   

  Although a monitoring visit cannot result in regrading the school, which is currently ranked as 'requires improvement', Mrs Harrison was thrilled with the findings and stated that she looks forward to them returning for a full inspection where the progress that has been made can be formally recognised with a regrading reflective of the progress that the school has made since 2018.

   

  The report can be read in full here.

   

  Link to Rugby Observer news article (25/11/2021) here.

• Visit from MP Mark Pawsey

  Tue 23 Nov 2021

  On Friday 19th November, Harris Church of England Academy hosted Mark Pawsey MP. It was a great opportunity for Harris students to meet and question their local Member of Parliament, experiencing the 'democracy in action' theme of UK Parliament Week firsthand. Mark met with representatives from the Year 11 student leadership team and discussed their campaign to improve school facilities; he then participated in a Q+A session with our Year 10 GCSE Citizenship Studies class. Their 'Active Citizenship' project is focused on the potential expansion of Rugby St. Cross' Accident and Emergency provision, something important to Mark and the Rugby community. They learnt about the history of the hospital, the context of healthcare across the NHS trust and how they could actively support Mark's work. The class were set the target of gathering 200 more responses to Mark's survey; we would encourage all reading this to share their views by following this link: https://www.markpawsey.org.uk/form/stx 

   

  To conclude his visit, Mark was involved in another Q+A session. This time, questions were submitted from each tutor group, with Mark answering a selection in front of the whole school community via video link beamed into every classroom. This was a wide ranging and engaging end to the week, covering topics such as the voting age debate, gender, and life lessons. Students showcased that their generation is politically conscious, respectful and developing into the informed citizens of tomorrow. We thank Mark for visiting us and look forward to welcoming again in the near future.   

  

• Anti-Bullying Week

  Mon 15 Nov 2021

  This week is 'Anti-Bullying Week 2021.' Look out for year group assemblies around anti-bullying, kindness, sexual harassment and sexual violence. There will be a 'Random Acts of Kindness Challenge', PSHE and tutor-time sessions, all focused on kindness and anti-bullying.

   

  Supporting documents can be found here.

• Harris Academy Achieves the IQM Inclusive School Award

  Fri 12 Nov 2021

  "Harris Church of England Academy in Rugby, Warwickshire achieves the Inclusive School Award for the first time."

   

  IQM Award Site Link  |  Twitter Link

   

   

  

• Success Evening - PowerPoint Slides

  Fri 22 Oct 2021

  The PowerPoint slides presented during the October 21 Success Evening are available to view at the link below:

   

  Link

• Letter to Parents - Century

  Wed 20 Oct 2021 Mr D Kidman

  Dear Parent or Carer, 

   

  As we continue to develop our capacity for delivering teaching and learning in a variety of ways we are delighted to be able to introduce you to Century.Tech. 

   

  Century is an online platform that supports the core departments of English, Mathematics and Science.
  
  It is designed around the principles of working on small chunks of knowledge (nuggets), that upon completion are then analysed by artificial intelligence (AI). The AI software designs a bespoke pathway that is organically evolving as more and more performance data is collected. Essentially, it identifies areas of weakness and guides the individual through a series of tasks that aim to overcome these as well as addressing any misconceptions.

   

  With our Y9 and Y10 cohort having just completed their first assessment of the academic year and Y11 approaching their mock exams in the run up to Christmas, now is the perfect time to introduce this software to our students. This will be happening in class before the students leave for half term and we would encourage you to speak to your children about it - I am sure they will be excited to show you how it all works. 

   

  Should you have any queries as a result of this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me at kidman.d@harriscofeacademy.co.uk. In the meantime, this video clip should help you understand exactly how it works - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S2d90k3d-0.

  
  Yours faithfully, 

  
  Mr D. Kidman

  Assistant Headteacher - Online and Home Learning

   

• Letter to Parents - Blended Learning

  Tue 19 Oct 2021 Mr D Kidman

  Dear Parent or Carer, 

   

  We are always in a process of trial and improvement in terms of how we approach our teaching practice and this is particularly the case in the context of the impact of COVID. 

   

  What has become clear, as the virus has continued to impact on attendance amongst students and staff alike, is that we feel a shift to blended learning is the most suitable way forward. 

  
  We want to provide a more beneficial education amongst home learners, and blended learning will allow for students to interact with lessons virtually - where they are isolating, but well enough to attend live lessons. 

   

  Therefore, from 1st November, if your child is off school, isolating, and feels able to attend lessons online, they should go to their Google Classroom and follow the link that will be posted on their feed. This will take them to a Google Meet - where they must ensure that they have their camera and microphone switched off - and they should use the chat function to indicate their presence as well as respond to any questions or pose them where required.

   

  There may be occasions where a live lesson is just not suitable - e.g. team sports in PE or using particular musical instruments in a Music Lesson. In the event that this is the case, suitable work will be provided for the student to complete. 

   

  We hope this leads to a more seamless transition between time spent isolating and a return to the classroom. 

   

  Should you have any questions relating to this, please feel free to contact me at kidman.d@harriscofeacademy.co.uk. 

   

  Yours faithfully, 

   

  Mr D. Kidman

  Assistant Headteacher - Online and Home Learning

   

• Money Raised for Pupil's Stair Lift

  Mon 18 Oct 2021

  Harris CofE Academy raised £1,758.00 for Ryan Elson and his family. The money will be used to buy a stair lift for the family home. At present, Ryan and his brother Bobby are both dependent on their parents carrying them upstairs to use the bathroom and to go to bed. The whole family will benefit from the stairlift and it will give the boys some much needed independence.

   

  The cheque was presented by Mrs Harrison and some of our Prefects. The Head Teacher said “Ryan is an integral part of our Harris family and as always Harris has shown how much we care for each other. I am so proud to lead such a caring school."

  

• Satchel Resources

  Mon 27 Sep 2021 Mr D Kidman

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  The following link takes you to an excellent set of resources to allow you to get the most out of Satchel. Thanks for all the positive feedback so far.

   

  https://www.teamsatchel.com/welcome-pack/welcome.html

• Rescheduled Tours for Year 6 Parents

  Fri 24 Sep 2021 Mrs R Harrison

  After having to make the difficult decision to cancel our Open Evening scheduled for 16 September, I am delighted to announce that we are now in a position to reschedule the tours of the academy that we also had to cancel earlier this month.

   

  We will be holding Prospective Parent and Student Visits between Monday 4 and Friday 15 October.

   

  There are a range of visit times available during the week. Please book these using EventBrite at the following link:

   

  Book A Prospective Parent and Student Tour

   

  This is a chance to experience Harris CofE Academy as we operate on a normal day. A team of students will be available to guide you around and answer questions from their perspective. You will also have the opportunity to ask staff any further questions you may have.

   

  Due to the current situation with Covid, we will be limiting numbers on the tour and we would ask that you attend with a maximum of three people. Only one EventBrite ticket is needed per group.

   

  We look forward to welcoming you to our Academy and hope that the tour will give you an insight into our Harris family in addition to the high standard of teaching and learning on offer. We also have a virtual tour available on our website.

   

  Please contact us if you have any questions via office@harriscofeacademy.co.uk

   

  You can also click the following link to view my headteacher’s address together with a virtual tour of the academy:

  https://www.harris.covmat.org/virtual-open-evening/

   

  Mrs R Harrison - Headteacher