'While we have time let us do good to all’. (Galatians 6:10)'

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

• AUTUMN HALF TERM 2016

  Thu 20 Oct 2016

  Click here to view the Newsletter

• HARRIS COFE ACADEMY DRIVING FORWARD CAREER ADVICE

  Mon 17 Oct 2016

  As part of a push to ensure students at Harris Church of England Academy have access to a wide range of career advice and guidance, Aston Martin were invited in for an afternoon with Year 11 students to inspire their future choices on Friday 14th October.

  As a Project Engineer and an ambassador for ‘STEMNET’ and ‘Inspiring the future’, Bal Choda presented to our eager cohort of students for an hour before giving them the fantastic opportunity of being taken outside to see an Aston Martin Vanquish up close.

  This event was part of a programme to help provide a link between the Academy and industry and ensure students have aspiration post school. The presentation also raised the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects and for young people to be more aware and to be better placed to make positive choices about their career aspirations.

  

• HARRIS COFE ACADEMY TAKE TOP SPOT IN HARRIS INTER-SCHOOL DEBATE

  Mon 17 Oct 2016

  Three students Scott G (Yr8), Kiran S (Yr8) & Dylan T (Yr10) represented Harris at the Rugby Inter-School debate which was held in the Council Chamber at Rugby Town Hall on Thursday 13th October.

  Students took part in four rounds of debating which included topics on singlesex vs. co-educational schools, voting, learning and Brexit.

  Despite losing the first round the Harris students went on to recover; winning the wildcard entry and subsequently going onto the final after beating Lawrence Sheriff, Avon Valley & Princethorpe to win the final against students from Ashlawn.

  The debates were judge by the Mayor and local councillors and our students were praised for their confidence, clear delivery and excellent team work.

  

• HARRIS STUDENTS CONTRIBUTE TO THE SOMME: EN MASSE NATIONAL ART PROJECT

  Fri 14 Oct 2016

  Students in all years at Harris have been decorating wooden soldiers to contribute to a national project. Somme: En Masse art project is a mass art installation aiming to create a tribute to remember the Battle of the Somme during World War 1.

   

  The National Memorial Arboretum in partnership with the Royal British Legion have asked children to decorate 19,240 wooden soldiers to commemorate the men who lost their lives during just one day of the battle.

  The soldiers will be displayed at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire with the last soldiers being placed on the 18th November to commemorate 100 years since the Battle of the Somme ended in 1916. 

  It has been an honour for our students to take part in this national project which will be displayed to the 300,000 visitors attending the remembrance gardens each year.

  

• IGGY AND LITRO YOUNG WRITERS' PRIZE 2016/17

  Wed 12 Oct 2016

  Do you know a creative, imaginative 13-18 year old with a passion for writing?

  IGGY and Litro are delighted to announce the launch of their annual writing prize and theme this year is memory. The winner will receive a £1,000 cash prize and they'll also see their story published online at IGGY.net and in Litro Magazine.

  Short stories are welcome from entrants aged 13-18, from all over the world.

  Theme: Memory
  Competition Opens: 3rd October 2016
  Closing date: 20th January 2017
   

  For further information and to submit a short story, go to www.IGGY.net/writingprize

  Good Luck!

• WARWICKSHIRE YOUNG POET LAUREATE

  Tue 11 Oct 2016
  

• RAF VISIT HARRIS ACADEMY

  Fri 07 Oct 2016

  On Wednesday the 5th October the RAF visited Harris C of E academy to deliver a fun with flight workshop to all of year 8. The 3 presenters talked about different roles within the RAF and focused in particular on the forces needed for a plane to fly; thrust, drag, weight and lift.

   

  During the presentation the pupils saw a drone being flown and the applications of it within the RAF. They also experienced 3d virtual gaming and experienced the sound produced from mini jet engines.

   

  At the end of the presentation pupils were able to ask questions to a cyberspace RAF officer about his role and the RAF.

   

  It was thoroughly enjoyed by all pupils and we look forward to inviting them again into school.

  

• STUDENT CHROMEBOOK PROGRAMME

  Tue 04 Oct 2016

  Harris Church of England Academy is embarking on a programme to enable access to technology for its students to enhance their learning experience and enable us to continue to provide the best levels of education. 

   

  We are looking to utilise Chromebooks which will in the long term help pupils organise, communicate, learn and study when at home. We provide access to technology and resources within school, however we are looking to improve the use of technology outside of the classroom which will enable pupils to have access to the greatest source of information ever assembled and to study and research in their own innovative and personalised ways.

   

  We need to make full and effective use of technology for learning. Pupils need to learn about safe, effective, and productive use of technology learning tools. We want to make the educational experience for pupils at Harris Church of England Academy as varied, dynamic and stimulating as possible.

   

  Our long term aim is to provide  online information to support home learning, as we will be able  to set assignments, hold discussions, improve collaboration and integrate families further into the teaching and learning within the Academy. 

   

  By utilising the Academy’s Microsoft Volume Licensing we are also able to provide students with access to the wider range applications that are required as part of the day to day learning at Harris Church of England Academy. 

   

  WHY HAVE WE OPTED FOR CHROMEBOOKS?

  • Less than 8 seconds to boot up
  • Long battery life
  • Simple technology that will just work
  • Easy student-teacher workflow within a safe environment
  • Large numbers of computers that can be managed centrally
  • Excellent collaboration tools
  • Works seamlessly with Google Apps for Education and other cloud-based applications
  • Comprehensive insurance and warranty with zero excess
  • Affordable monthly payments 

  HOW CAN WE SUPPORT YOU? 

  To support your child’s learning at home we are working with some of the largest and most experienced suppliers within the IT industry including BT. Harris Church of England Academy will offer families the ability to procure a Chromebook device for an affordable monthly direct debit payment. Using our buying power and working with these strategic partners the package will be significantly cheaper than the equivalent package available on the high street. 

   

  As an Academy we want to support you by giving you access to IT technology for use in your home, which 

  will support not just your child but potentially your whole family. 

   

  Therefore you are being offered the opportunity to purchase IT equipment on a low monthly cost. 

   

  WHAT'S INCLUDED?

  In return for an affordable monthly payment, we will provide the following:

  • Chromebook, that can be used at home, 
  • Protective carry case, 
  • Education specific accidental damage and theft insurance (with zero excess) 
  • Extended warranty Software and support for the duration of the scheme 

   

  By procuring a device through the programme we will provide all students with access to this Microsoft Office 365 suite which will enable them to use all of the packages used within school when studying independently at home.

   

  HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

  Devices will be available for a cost of between £10 and £16 per month payable via Direct Debit for a period of up to 3 years. Payment terms and monthly costs may vary, as the term will match the amount of time the student has left at the Academy. 

   

  CAN I BUY IT CHEAPER ON THE HIGH STREET?

  For the whole package including Chromebook, Case, Extended Warranty, Accidental Damage and Theft Insurance, Software and Support then this package is significantly cheaper than buying from the high street. We have worked carefully with our partners to secure the best deal for parents and offer not only the most competitive price, but also a package that provides peace of mind and covers all eventualities in terms of device failure, damage or theft. 

   

  WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS TO THE ACADEMY?

  The Academy do not get any financial benefits from this scheme and are providing the scheme purely for the benefit of the pupils and parents. We do recognise the educational benefits to pupils who have access to IT at home. We will be using Chromebooks and google apps for work in school and will be using it for homework in the future.

   

  ARE THERE OTHER DEVICES AVAILABLE THROUGH THE PROGRAMME?

  Yes. However, the Schools vision is based around the utilisation of Chrome and all of the benefits that come with this type of technology and software. As an Academy we have also invested in Chromebooks and becoming a Google School and the use of Google Apps for Education make up an integral part of the way that we deliver the curriculum. 

   

  There will also be Windows based laptops available through the programme, but our recommendation is the Chromebook based on our use of this technology across subject areas and how this is then transitioned to independent and collaborative study outside of the Academy. 

   

  WHAT ARE THE TIMESCALES? 

  We will be looking to launch the online ordering portal over the next couple of weeks and will communicate out to parents how to place an order through the programme. The ordering window will be open until the end of October at which point all of the orders will be collated and shipments will be received to the Academy the first week in December, in time for Christmas. 

   

  We will be in touch over the next couple of weeks as we will be going to launch on 10 October and we will have Freedom Tech on site on the evening of 11 October between 5 and 6 pm to show products and answer questions. You can also e-mail questions to donatetoeducate@freedomtech.co.uk

• SCHOOL GAMES MARK - GOLD LEVEL

  Tue 04 Oct 2016

  Harris CofE Academy are delighted to announce that they have achieved Gold Level for School Games Mark.

   

  The School Games Mark is a Government led awards scheme launched in 2012 to reward schools for their commitment to the development of PE and School Sport, across their school and into the community. Schools in England are able to assess themselves across bronze, silver and gold levels.

   

  The award is nationally recognised as the kite mark for school sport, and to achieve Gold level is an incredible achievement. To achieve the award, the school have had to demonstrate excellence in Participation, Supporting Talented Athletes, Competition, Leadership, Inclusion and Community Links; all within a PE and School Sport setting. Harris can now 'Proudly demonstrate their outstanding commitment to school sport' (Youth Sport Trust).

   

  Rachel McCollin, Head of PE at Harris states:

   

  'This is really exciting as we are able to demonstrate to parents and the wider community the success of Harris PE and School Sport provision. A lot of hard work has gone into achieving this award, and this recognition shows the quality of PE and sport that young people attending Harris Academy receive. We cannot wait to proudly display our plaque'.

  

• COMPUTER SCIENCE SPOTLIGHT

  Tue 04 Oct 2016

  Year 11's at Harris CofE Academy have been busy this week writing and compiling programs to control the direction of robot cars around a track.  

   

  "It was fun and educational!" - Reiss B
  "It was good because it shows how programming is in practice and it was really fun!" - Mateusz
  "It was really useful to see programming from a different aspect to Python." - Jake H