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.

Central Office

Bexley

Bromley

Clapham

Croydon

Greenwich

Haringey

Havering

Merton

Newham

Southwark

Stratford

Sutton

Thurrock

Wandsworth

Westminster

Willesden

Curriculum Overview

Vision

The Harris Academy Purley (HAPU) curriculum aims to develop reflective and resilient learners and will offer students a breadth of learning experiences with an emphasis on meaningful and deep engagement within the subjects. The curriculum is designed so that students, regardless of starting points, will thrive in an educational environment where the rigours and demands of the different subjects are embraced and taught in a supportive manner without compromising the academic challenges needed for success at all key stages. An emphasis on links with other subjects will help develop a student’s contextual and intertextual knowledge and understanding of the curriculum.  

Our strategic intent - we are aiming to:

  • Provide rich and varied contexts for students to acquire, develop and apply a broad range of knowledge, understanding and skills, to encourage a desire for lifelong learning 
  • Achieve the best possible progress for all by encouraging each subject to select and sequence their content in a way that enables our students to master the vocabulary and knowledge of their subjects from the foundation stages and onwards 
  • Enable all students to develop their creativity and talents to the full, including celebrating and being successful in learning a modern foreign language 
  • Personalise our curriculum ensuring it is flexible and appropriate, preparing students for the world of work 
  • Promote students' self-esteem, confidence, and mental and emotional well-being  
  • Enable students to understand and model fundamental British values/SMSC in their everyday lives and as a global citizen 
  • Ensure that no teaching or interaction with students promotes any particular political or preferred ideology. 

The key values underpinning our curriculum intent:

  • Meaningful and deep engagement with subject content 
  • Knowledge and vocabulary as the foundations for subject skills  
  • Personal development supports academic development 
  • Literacy and numeracy knowledge and skills are vital to personal and academic success.

Equality

Our curriculum is underpinned by a commitment to equality of opportunity and complies with the Equality Act (2010) and Special Educational Needs Regulations (2014). We strive to ensure that all students are able to succeed no matter what their entry point is. This means that we have a sharp focus on reading, writing, speaking and numeracy. Some will require specialist teaching to help develop the basics that were not formed appropriately in Key Stage 1 and 2 through formal teaching of Phonics. For others this will be the development of subject specific language and knowledge through specialist teachers. All teachers know their classes and the individuals in them and so ensure that specific needs are catered for.

These values will be achieved by:

  • Students being fully involved in their learning at all stages and by engaging with their teachers to assess and improve their knowledge, vocabulary and skills 
  • Parents and carers being actively involved in working with the Academy to support their child's academic progress, through consistent and regular communication and full involvement in the advice and guidance process at all stages 
  • Teachers being experts in their subjects, planning and delivering their curriculum in line with expectations, meeting the individual learning needs of their classes 
  • Subject leaders ensuring high-quality and coherently sequenced schemes of learning and resources are in place to support lesson planning and delivery at all key stages   
  • Senior leaders and governors leading the way in reviewing the curriculum and supporting everyone to experience an outstanding curriculum

Key Stage 3 (Year 7 to Year 9)

The Key Stage 3 curriculum is followed by students in Years 7, 8 and 9. Following their admissions tests for the Academy, Year 7 students are banded into X and Y bands with top sets, middle ability sets and lower ability sets in each band.

In this way stretch and challenge as well as additional support can be given to all students allowing teaching to be as closely matched as possible to students’ needs and to ensure all students make the best possible progress.

Regular assessments every half term means that progress is reviewed and students are able to move up or down sets within their banding

Subject

Periods

Minutes

English Language

2

100

English Literature & Drama

3

150

Maths

5

250

Science

4

200

Physical Education

2

100

Languages (French or Spanish)

3

150

Geography

2

100

History

2

100

RE*

1

50

Computing

1

50

Citizenship

1*

50

Music

1

50

Art

2

100

DT & Food

2

100

PSHE & Careers

Tutor x2

100

Total

30

1500

* 2 week timetable


Key Stage 4 (Year 10 and Year 11)

The Key Stage 4 curriculum is followed by Years 10 and 11. The Academy offers a wide range of academic and vocational courses. All students are given subject options advice, guidance and make their choices during the spring term in Year 9.

Most students will follow an Ebacc Pathway enabling them to study a range of academic core subjects as well as individual choices. The Academy tries as far as possible to cater for all subject choices within the timetable, but if only a small number of students express a preference for a Key Stage 4 course it may not be possible to offer the course. Some subjects may also be oversubscribed, in which case students will be selected according to their aptitude and Attitude to Learning.

Subjects

Periods

Minutes

English Language

3

150

English Literature

3

150

Maths

6

300

Science

6

300

Physical Education

2

100

Languages GCSE

3

150

Humanities

3

150

Open Choice 1

3

150

Open Choice 2

3

150

RE

1*

50

Computing & ICT

Integrated

-

Citizenship

1*

50

PSHE & Careers

Tutor x2

100

Total

32

1500

* 2 week timetable


Key Stage 5: Year 12

Block A

Block B

Block C

Block D

Geography

History

Art

Business Studies

Mathematics

Mathematics

Biology

Chemistry

Media

Sociology

Computer Science

Economics

Physics

CTEC Business (Dip)

English Literature

French

Psychology

CTEC Sport

CTEC Business

CTEC Business

   

CTEC Media

CTEC Sport (Dip)

* denotes a double period lesson    ± denotes a single period lesson


Key Stage 5: Year 13

Block A

Block B

Block C

Block D

Biology

Art and Design

French

English Literature

Computing

Chemistry

Government & Politics

Mathematics

Sociology

Economics

Mathematics

Media

Business / History

Geography

Physics

Photography

CTEC Business

CTEC Business

Psychology

CTEC Sport

CTEC IT

Health & Social Care

Spanish

 

 

 

Health & Social Care

 

 

CTEC Media

WJEC Criminology

 

* denotes a double period lesson    ± denotes a single period lesson


Finding Out More

Please visit our Subjects page for course and curriculum information and contact details for each Head of Subject.

MCAS

My Child At School (MCAS) is an online platform parents and students can use to see what homework has been set by teachers. Login details are provided when joining the Academy.