Welcome to Harris Science Academy East London

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Welcome from the Principal and Executive Principal

Harris Science Academy East London is on a journey to rapidly becoming the highest performing school in Newham and one of the top schools in the UK. Every child is on a journey to make a positive change in their community. As Executive Principal with a wealth of experience within the Federation, I am proud to be working with our community here at HSAEL. I know the team are truly committed to working with parents and students to build an excellent Academy, where all will achieve.

Dan MacPherson - Principal, Lisa Kattenhorn - Executive Principal

23 May 2025The KS3 Curriculum GardenOur curriculum at HSAEL is like a beautiful English summer garden, and at KS3, our students are budding with skills and knowledge by the summer term. Students work hard in their exercise books and in turn, teachers work hard to sow the seeds of learning, carefully planting foundational concepts in their lessons, (until they replant these flowers in the soils of GCSE and A level!) These seeds—literacy, numeracy, curiosity, wonder and critical thinking—are nurtured daily with the water of encouragement and the sunlight of high expectations. At HSAEL, our garden is grown using the teaching and learning artefacts which make us distinctly unique: 4 part lessons, scripted expositions, core knowledge and golden nuggets. These help students reach the learning objectives, which are assessed on DPR (dynamic progress reporting). As students’ journey through Key Stage 3, there are green signs of growth, evidence that roots of knowledge are taking hold! However, our garden at times may need pruning. There may be areas which have not grown as well as others. Some areas may look messy, overgrown and dry. Every good teacher is a good gardener too; we give the garden what it needs so that it can continue to grow. In the summer term, KS3 teachers and students are working together in a collaborative project called the KS3 Curriculum Garden. As teachers, we agreed that we would nurture the garden through: Consistently applied behaviour underpinned by joy Scripted expositions Quality of work produced in books Presentation of books Teachers have scripted their expositions to find the quickest route to mastery as ‘X marks the spot!’. Teachers are also getting into each others classrooms, reviewing each others exercise books to celebrate student work. In this process, students and teachers are pruning their garden by finding loose sheets and missing headings, correcting coloured pens and identifying overgrown scribbles and sparse patches in the deliberate practice rounds. To support the growth of beautiful books, KS3 teachers came up with a hypothesis that: high expectations + intentional monitoring = beautiful books. Books which are neatly presented on the surface looks good, but does this show that the fruits of learning are being grown? Will these flowers quickly wilt? We agreed that teachers must check students work regularly to ensure that the roots of learning are taken deep into the soil. Teachers can improve the quality of work by giving immediate feedback rounds of practice with intentional monitoring. This feedback can support students make progress against the key objectives made by teachers on DPR. Teachers have been dropping in on each others lessons, watching this in action. When teachers check student work frequently and with purpose, they gain deeper insight into what students truly understand, where misconceptions lie, and where reteaching is needed. This waters the sparse parts of our garden. Regular checking drives effective teaching and more meaningful feedback for students to make progress. This in turn communicates something very important to the students: that their efforts matter—that learning is not a one-off event and like a tree, grows more solid, tall and full overtime. By improving student work through tailored feedback, students build resilience and greater clarity in how to improve their work. This in turn creates higher levels of independence, setting a strong foundation for long-term academic success. Students are ensuring that the work including the quality and length is of a high standard. To showcase and create higher accountability of the work students produce in books every lesson, we have created the book lottery every Friday morning! This is an exciting opportunity for students, who are randomly selected to show Ms Wake their books. Excellent books are rewarded with positive points and are given a prize and some brand-new stationary. Books which need shaping and pruning are given some quick fixes. We do this because we know that the work that students do everyday matters. It builds a sense of purpose and reminds students that their learning matters, as do they. Students who take care of their work demonstrate greater pride and passion about the subject. In turn, students feel a deeper connection to their teacher and the school; that they belong in the garden and are an important flower within it. We want and believe that every child at HSAEL will be a leader in whatever chosen field they decide to pursue. Leaders take pride and care in their work; and this begins in their exercise books at school; whether they are in art or maths. By the time our learners reach KS4 and eventually KS5, the garden is in full bloom. Their ideas are in flower—complex, colourful, and vibrant. The fruits of their education are ready to harvest: rich, full of character, and bursting with flavour. Jess Wake – Head of History

14 May 2025New Admissions at HSAEL What we do and how we support parents and students With the falling roll across London schools and increased student movement both in and out of the city; running Admissions has become more challenging than ever. At Harris Science Academy East London we have stepped up to the challenge, creating an innovative and personalised approach to our admissions process. We ensure all students who join us are setup to be successful leaders and have the support they need to thrive! For our new Year 7s we have worked hard to ensure families feel supported throughout each step of the transition journey. Our approach is about being transparent with what we do but also creating a personalised touch to support each child as an individual. We achieve this through four different areas: 1. Personal Touch: We meet with every family before May half term at the Academy where they get to see lessons in action and visit our unique buildings. As part of this visit, they meet with a member of the pastoral team to discuss worries they have or what support their child needs. This might be related to a challenges they face with their learning, or with building friendships. Based on this conversation we put an action plan in place to support each individual child. For families who can’t make it to us, we visit them at their home to ensure that no child is missed as part of this process. 2. Clear Communication: We pride ourselves on clear communication channels at the Academy, which starts before children even set foot in the building. We run a dedicated Transition channel on WhatsApp and post monthly transition newsletters which include key information, key contacts and videos from staff and students at the Academy. We also produce spotlight videos in each newsletter to showcase different parts of the Academy and give families an insight into everything we do. 3. Building Relationships: We don’t just have one induction day at HSAEL; we have three! For students to start well at the Academy it important that they have had the opportunity to meet new people; particularly those coming from Primary schools with small entry numbers. We start our induction process in May half term where we run our Leadership Development Day. During this day students get to experience different activities including science experiments, coding and debating, all delivered by our incredible teachers. Prior to the Newham secondary school Induction Day we also run an induction day for children with SEND. We know how daunting change can be for some of these children so we put together a bespoke programme for them to support with their induction into the Academy. 4. Secondary Ready: It is important that our students have the academic confidence before they start at HSAEL; so we provide them with summer holiday learning on our final induction day in July. Every child receives a reading book, which they are challenged to write a review on and we also provide a maths booklet where students are expected to engage and further their learning before joining us. To support students in completing this work we invite all new year 7s to the Academy over the summer break. Not only does this help students prepare for secondary level knowledge in English and Maths, it also helps us identify students who will need that extra bit of support as part of the induction process. In conclusion, the transition process at Harris Science Academy East London is designed not only to ensure a smooth transition for our new Year 7 students but also to set them on a path to success. Through a combination of personalised support, clear communication, and a focus on building strong relationships, we create an environment where every child can thrive. Our commitment to being there for families every step of the way—from initial visits to summer learning activities—demonstrates our dedication to both academic and emotional support. At HSAEL, we don’t just welcome new students; we ensure they are fully equipped, confident, and ready to embrace the challenges and opportunities of secondary school life and become a leader in their chosen field. To find out more about HSAEL Admissions and to fill out an enquiry form, please click here.

11 December 2024HSAEL in top 25 schools in UK for improvementThe provisional England school performance tables have confirmed the very pleasing progress we have made as an organisation over the past two years. In September 2022, outcomes at the then East London Science School were amongst the worst in the city (P8 -0.97), with disadvantaged students performing even worse (-1.5). Thanks to unified leadership, exemplary behaviour, an academic curriculum for every child and frequent opportunities for character development, the Academy is proud to report the below achievements: · HSAEL is the most improved school in Newham and Tower Hamlets over 2 years (out of more than 40 schools). · HSAEL is the 4th most improved school in London over 2 years (out of more than 300 schools). · HSAEL is the 24th most improved school in England over 2 years (out of more than 5000 schools). · Progress made by disadvantaged students at HSAEL was in the top 12.5% of schools in the country, outperforming non - disadvantaged students at the Academy (this is virtually unheard of). · Provision at HSAEL has matched that of the high performing Chobham Academy (Chobham has been Outstanding ever since it opened 10 years ago). · Outcomes and student progress at HSAEL is now better than all of our local competitor schools. · Disadvantaged student progress at HSAEL outperformed overall progress at very established and over-subscribed Newham schools. Principal, Dan MacPherson, said: “These results give further encouragement that Harris Science Academy East London will be one the best schools in the country by 2028 and I could not be happier with the progress made. Perhaps the most exciting thing of all is that we have really just begun, as our current Year 11 are on track to push the bar even higher. These results are not achieved in isolation, but thanks to strong partnerships with families. Together, we are supporting your children to become leaders in their chosen field and change the world.”. You can read more about our performance here. If you are interested in learning more about the Academy and would like to arrange an admissions tour, please contact admissions@harrisscienceeastlondon.org.uk. To arrange an informal discussion about working at the Academy, please contact info@harrisscienceeastlondon.org.uk.

30 October 2023HSAEL in top 3% of most improved schoolsThe release of school and college comparison data in October has confirmed Harris Science Academy’s place as one of the most improved academies in the UK. Thanks to support from the Harris Federation, the commitment of families and the hard work of Academy staff, in just one year there was an improvement in GCSE results by an average of more than half a grade. This is an exceptional achievement. Nationally, this places Harris Science Academy 121st for improvement out of the nearly 3500 schools where comparisons can be made. This is in the top 3% of schools for improvement. In London, Harris Science Academy was the 17th most improved school in the city and the 4th most improved school in East London. The Academy is moving quickly to provide every child with the education that will give them the knowledge and skills to become a leader in their chosen field and the current Year 11 and Year 13 are well placed to maintain and accelerate the pace of improvement. It is an exciting time to be part of Harris Science Academy East London. Principal, Dan MacPherson, says, “I am incredibly proud of the work that is going on at HSAEL to move us forward. Our students are amongst the best in London and I am so pleased to be working to ensure they receive a phenomenal education.”

29 May 2025@@HarrisSAELIn the latest HSAEL blog post, Ms Wake, Head of History suggests that our curriculum 'is like a beautiful English summer garden, and at KS3, our students are budding with skills and knowledge by the summer term...' read the full piece on our website.https://t.co/tH6HiyVBEf pic.twitter.com/f0v7Gfck0n

19 May 2025@@HarrisSAELIn our latest blog post, 'The House HSAEL Built', we explore our unique approach to SEND and why we do things differently. We embedded SEND support into the very foundations of our teaching , ensuring every student thrives from day one.https://t.co/glbd4kqoV1 pic.twitter.com/jVHfEjk7R0

19 May 2025@@HarrisSAELOur latest Weekly Community Bulletin is out now. https://t.co/FfDYUuSIOM pic.twitter.com/S2yehZ3yxp

19 May 2025The House HSAEL BuiltSupporting Students with SEND If you were building a house, would you wait until you’ve moved in to see if there were any cracks in the foundation? Would you wait until you were washing dishes to see if there were any leaky pipes? Would you put up walls in one bedroom, but leave the other bedrooms open to the elements until Spring? Of course, not; and yet, this is how most schools approach SEND (Special Education Needs and Disabilities). The problem with this is, schools will continue to build and plug gaps without realising that their initial blueprint is not working for everyone. This means that students with SEND are often left behind. Across the U.K., students with special education needs are some of the most educationally disadvantaged in the school system, making over a grade less than their target grades, while their peers are achieving at or above their targets. Other schools’ response to this is put ‘quick fixes’ or attempt to plug gaps with blanket interventions or withdrawals from lessons. They are waiting to move in to find the cracks in the foundation. At HSAEL, we know this doesn’t work. In fact, it is likely the reason that the gap continues to widen. Instead of quick fixes, plugging gaps, and adapting models to suit concerns after the fact, when we designed our whole school teaching provision, we built the foundations to meet the needs of our SEND pupils first. We base our teacher development in evidence and research here. We know that the most powerful intervention is excellent teaching. SEND students’ needs should be primarily met in the classroom, taught by a well-trained, highly effective subject experts. Our staff our trained every week to deliver high quality teaching, and we see the evidence in our SEND students’ books and in their assessment outcomes. Our blueprint is prepared for the move-in date. We have a culture of high expectations for all pupils, as well as a positive and proactive approach to behaviour. All our students are expected to follow our LEADERS model, which is founded on student engagement and participation in lessons. This approach supports students who may be otherwise disengaged from learning. In a classroom, this will look like 100% engagement with clicks and shakes, tracking the speaker, loud and careful articulation. For our SEND students, this will become active participation and tactile support which supports varying needs. We test the pipes before we wash the dishes. All students need consistency and calm in order to be successful; this approach has a disproportionately positive impact on students with SEND. The HSAEL lesson structure means that students have a routine, know what the expectations are when they enter a classroom, and are given high levels of predictability. This supports all students, but has a huge impact on the focus and engagement of our SEND students. We put up the walls in every part of the house, so no one is left in the cold. We have a robust identification system, one lauded by Ofsted. Through this system, we can provide specialist and external provision if a student needs further support. We insulate the house we are building. The results speak for themselves: while provision for all students has improved rapidly over the last two years, SEND students are making even faster progress, with any gaps closing quickly. In Computer Science, we have eradicated the SEND gap. The house we have built at HSAEL will ensure that every student secures the best possible outcomes and becomes a leader in their chosen field. It is baked into our very foundations.

12 May 2025@@HarrisSAELOur latest weekly Community Bulletin is out now. https://t.co/u0lwSTeBfN pic.twitter.com/HcWudo2VLc

8 May 2025@@HarrisSAELBest of luck to all our students starting their GCSEs this week, and well done for all your hard work! pic.twitter.com/S4EDZXu4Jm

7 May 2025@@HarrisSAELOur latest Weekly Community Bulletin is out now. https://t.co/AmyHswUqR9 pic.twitter.com/XQtTdRl20h

29 April 2025@@HarrisSAELOur 23 @LondonMarathon Mini Marathon runners. Four were competing in the Championships for Newham Borough, with Romeu achieving a fast 9m 28sec on the 2.6km course. The rest ran in the 2.6km or 1 mile event and all enjoyed being cheered on by the crowds outside Buckingham Palace! pic.twitter.com/8ThtIVlHqd

28 April 2025@@HarrisSAELWe were delighted that 29 HSAEL students took part in the London Mini Marathon on Sat 26th April. This event allowed them to run the final part of the @LondonMarathon course the day before the main race. Well done all! #LondonMarathon #minilondonmarathon pic.twitter.com/ZMJedSTYS5

28 April 2025@@HarrisSAELThis week's Community Bulletin is now available on our website. https://t.co/YN8D14AptT pic.twitter.com/b2V5KISICy

28 April 2025London Mini Marathon competitorsWe are very proud of the 23 pupils who took part in the London Mini Marathon on Saturday. We had four competing in the Championships for Newham borough, with Romeu achieving a very quick time of 9 minutes 28 seconds on the 2.6km course. The rest ran in either the 2.6km or 1mile mass event and they all thoroughly enjoyed being cheered on by the crowds outside Buckingham Palace. They were supported by Mr Anderson and their running club coach from the Outrunners who leads the Wednesday running club on the Green. The rest of the summer will be spent preparing them all for their first Parkrun in July! Mr Anderson took part in his eighth London Marathon and managed a Personal Best of 2h 46m. Very well done all!

23 April 2025@@HarrisSAELEaster greetings. Students returned from their break yesterday in time for Earth Day and St George's Day and cleverly decided to combine both. So here's the winning entry of our Earth Day poster competition, plus students' poem which was read out yesterday. Edited by Amelija, Y10 pic.twitter.com/RDbtA17xzg

11 April 2025@@HarrisSAELThis week's Community Bulletin is out now on our website. Happy Easter. https://t.co/XuCvLBhSWJ pic.twitter.com/d1pL428eex

10 April 2025@@HarrisSAELHSAEL featured in @ELAdvertiser this week. https://t.co/1YLfU9ruEs pic.twitter.com/M1YZSC8mqX