Harris Boys ED Outstanding Ofsted Inspection

[skyblue]

Thank you for both of those posts. I would like to say for the record that I am absolutely behind the success of both Harris schools. I could not under stand those who were against it- completely bonkers and petty, and as for not letting them play on the Rye- I can't even begin to comprehend. I understand those who opted to send their children there because it is single sex but equally I know lots of parents who didn't because it was. There is no coed possibility for my kids. That to me is a great shame. Glad to hear about the mixing of the schools and I am delighted about the boys school's success. Long may it continue and prove the doubters wrong.

[Amethyst]

I do understand your frustrations too. It really is awful that so many residents in ED appear to find themselves living in 'black holes' when it comes to their choice of schools. Quite a few of the children in my sons primary school were without secondary school places, right up to the end of the summer term and beyond. It was heartbreaking to see 10/11 year olds trying to deal with that uncertainty, on top of the normal fears of leaving primary school.

However I do not feel that taking away other parents choice in selecting a local single sex school is the solution.

It is instead, for our councillors to focus on the problems surrounding the entrance policy of our existing local co-ed schools or tackling the shortage in other ways.

For many years, parents did not have a choice in sending their child to a local boys(non faith)school. I think it is great that with the emergence of Harris Boys, ED are now able to offer (most) local children an outstanding standard of education regardless of whether they attend co-ed or single sex.

[James Barber]

On the 4 January I was also chuffed to hear the East Dulwich Harris Boys Academy had been declared by Ofsted as Outstanding.

Southwark has more girls than boys schools. So the co-ed schools are not as balanced between girls and boys as we'd all expect. Hence why this is a boys school and Southwark needs another boys school or two for true balance. So even if you want co-ed school plsces we need more boys schools to ensure co-ed are really co-ed.

For now I'd hope we can all support East Dulwich Harris Boys Academy to keep moving from this success to further success. It will be a few more years before this school has filled all its years and it has high GCSE success.

IF at a later date the Harris federation chose to go co-ed with these schools then fine but with each having 120 pupil admissions such co-ed would probably only work if they REDUCED total pupil numbers and frankly we need all those places going forward.

I went to a comp with 300 pupil intake and it was very anonymous and lots of pupils sank without trace.

Combining the Harris girls and boys schools would see something like a 240 pupil intake which is still huge and not a helpful scale.

So if they go co-ed they'd ideally go co-ed seperately to maintain admission numbers but at the same time. It would be really complicated to make happen. Would you swap kids to accelerate things. Staged. Real minefield. This really isn't on the cards and we really don't want to distract either school from further improvements.

[Cora]

James is a co-ed secondary school on the old hospital site a possibility or a long shot?

[skyblue]

A COPY OF POST ON HABERSDASHER'S THREAD = More pressure On East Dulwich families re Schools

Re: Haberdasher's Aske Consulting on Changes to Admissions Policy new

Posted by: njc97 Today, 02:37PM

Renata - if the plans for the new free school, together with the adoption of Hatcham Temple Grove school, the number of children getting in from Southwark will likely fall towards zero in the future.

[James Barber]

Hi Cora,

Longshot...but forecasts show we need another primary school with 60-75 children admitted per year.

A new 'free' secondary school has just been agreed for 100 chilren admitted per year. Suspect that will turn into 120 as educationalists views are that 4 x form entry (4 x 30) is minimum required to have enough teachers to give a broad enough curriculam.

Eitherway such a new school is likely to have a domino affect releaving pressure locally to some degree.

IF we wanted antoher local secondary school and the case could be made with forecast pupil numbers it would need to be as a minimum of a similar size to the ED Harris Boys School. OR saomehow not need to have the minimal size of admissions. Steiener schools tends to be not so pescriptive on curriculam so could in theory be smaller. But only one in the country that is state funded.

[prickle]

> A new 'free' secondary school has just been agreed

> for 100 chilren admitted per year. Suspect that

> will turn into 120 as educationalists views are

> that 4 x form entry (4 x 30) is minimum required

> to have enough teachers to give a broad enough

> curriculam.

Pls supply more info - what? when? where? how? Thank you!

[Carbonara]

Are you saying that Southwark has agreed to a Steiner school?

[skyblue]

Sorry James, if I have missed the point, but the inference from your post is that the steiner secondary will not be state funded. How will it therefore help relieve secondary pressue in East dulwich? Also where is it to be located? Thank you.

[Cora]

Are you saying the old hospital site is too small ie smaller than Harris? sorry not up on the size of each. It's just that for a primary the hole seems to be over towards The Rye; near the hospital there is Goose Green, Bessemer and a lot of others locally but it seems that a larger chunk of East Dulwich is missing a co-ed secondary choice. (I take your point about needing boys only to balance girls only but I suspect most would prefer co-ed. I have three boys and although I am delighted my most likely place of entry for them is rated outstanding it feels like a really fundamental educational choice is missing.)

[Curmudgeon]

If Steiner schooling is even vaguely on the horizon I would encourage everyone to read up as much as possible bearing in mind there's a huge anti-Steiner swathe and a huge PR machine behind Steiner.

Google Anthroposophy for an interesting starting point

[skyblue]

So there is room/demand for a Steiner school near east dulwich but not for a normal co-ed? I think the world has gone bonkers. Dulwich hospital site would be perfect James some time ago you also mentioned a massive unused site near camberwell could you remind me where it is Please? Would Harris be interested as through them seems the only way to get a new school?

There is a massive and growing need for a new local school.

[EDmummy]

Just wanted to revive this thread to get views from parents who have boys at this school, year 7 in particular. We've just been offered a place here and like pretty much all we've seen and heard (mainly from teachers) but would love a parental view. Do you have a son in the top stream? Do they expand your child beyond the curriculum? Did they go into the school knowing other boys there or did they make new friends? So many questions!

[BB100]

Have a look at their recent Ofsted report. I don't often say this but this report is a very accurate reflection of what the school is actually like.

[Ivvan]

EDMummy - We asked ourselves similar questions back in September prior to visiting Harris Boys ED and other local secondary schools with our Y6 child. We put in a request to the school to observe a number of top set classes in the core subjects. We were impressed with the quality of teaching and learning taking place at Harris Boys ED and felt that it was far superior to much of what we had observed at the more 'popular' local schools. Like BB100 we felt the Ofsted Report was an accurate reflection of what we saw. We also embraced the ethos of achievement for all students and felt fortunate that we could protect our child from the lottery or full and half-scholarship debacle.

We put Harris Boys ED at the top of our preference list. Our child was delighted to be offered a place there last Thursday; an outstanding school just 10 minutes walk away. He is joining along with a small cohort of charming, bright and motivated primary school friends. I'm sure that this September he'll have the opportunity to meet many more.

[753]

My year 7 child goes here and he is happy, has made friends, seems to be doing well academically (top stream for most things and that gifted and talented nonsense for some)and I think the Ofsted report is a fair reflection of the school. The school really cares about how well the boys do, the teachers from my contact seem very good and they give you very regular reports on progress. My son has made new friends; few pupils went here from his primary. We know people going to other schools which are well established and very popular and regularly praised; nothing I have had heard from my son or seen for myself about Harris Boys and comparing with those other schools make me think he is getting less than the best they can give.

There is a tendency for parents, including me, to praise "our" schools - we all want them to be popular and attract future parents who care so making judgements. Each school is different and has pluses and minuses, including this one:

the oranged piped blazer may grow on me, but I doubt it

in an ideal world co-ed might have been wonderful but Harris Boys isn't

not much outside space but neither has Charter really, per pupil

Harris has got quite a lot to prove and I think will do its utmost to establish itself as a school of first choice. It is clearly not first choice for all local parents now. But my children (there's another) went to Heber when that wasn't regarded and the response of other local parents at the time was to commiserate. That is now very popular partly (only partly) because parents like us accepted and supported our local school.

[emilydrab]

Brilliant news for Harris, but one downside is the school isn't serving local residents - at least not if they're in band one/top band!!! I live less than 10 minutes away walk away but my son didn't get in!! I know children from lower bands do get in from much further away but this year locals with band one kids were not necessarily so lucky = I guess because in the specific area around the school there are a lot of band one kids around. Was very upset when i found out, but since then have visited Deptford Green which we got into instead - hadn't visited before we applied as presumed we'd get Harris Boys as live so near. Anyway, my son and I were blown away by the pupils, the headteacher, all the teachers I met and the soon to be great building which opens this Sept. Such positive attitudes and a really exciting school means that now if we get offered places at schools I originally put further up the list we won't take them. Thank you Renata for suggesting I visit and give Deptford Green a chance!!!

[Amethyst]

I too, would agree that the Ofsted report is actually a very accurate reflection of the school.

My son is in year 7 and happy at school. 4 other boys from his school attend HBAED, however he has made many new friends. The whole of year 7 attended a water sports trip together in the first month of starting the school, which I think really helped the children bond and establish new friendship. ( I believe this is an annual occurrence for each new year 7 intake)

All tutor group consists of children from years 7,8,9. I actually think this is a great idea, as on a daily basis all years are mixing within a classroom setting and probably takes away the fear of the 'older boys' in the school.

I thought my son may have struggled with the early starts, but he bounces out of the house at 8am every morning!

I think a lot has been said about the discipline within the school, however I actually think that they have the balance just about right. 2 warnings regarding unacceptable behaviour, before being removed from the class seems reasonable to me. My son does not think the school is too strict either.

Balancing out the discipline is the Harris Points that they are rewarded with for positive behaviour and individual pieces of outstanding work.

And also the children are set a 'personal best' (end of year target) based on their SAT results and banding test results.

They are rewarded with a slip/token for each subject when you achieve your personal best which gives them the chance of a Reward trip.

It is also encouraging to see that the streams are by no means rigid and movement between streams is quite common, depending on their progress each term.

There are a vast amount of extra curricular activities/clubs at lunchtime and after school such as debating club, film club to develop children beyond the set curriculum. My only criticism here is that I do not think lunch time clubs leave children with much time to have a proper lunch break, if they choose to attend. However I believe there maybe changes to the timings of lunch breaks, from September.

While I'm on the topic of lunch - my son comes home raving everyday about the standard of food served at break and lunch.

As you can tell - I could go on and on about the school, as I genuinely feel that my son is engaged and stretched and am happy to see great progress in just six short months.

[bodsier]

What are people's experience of exclusion, is this an experience amongst users of this forum?