Harris Academy Merton (formerly Tamworth Manor High School, and prior to that Pollards Hill High School) is a

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

and

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

located in the

London Borough of Merton The London Borough of Merton () is a London borough in London, England. The borough was formed under the London Government Act 1963 in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton ...

district of

Mitcham Mitcham is an area within the London Borough of Merton in South London, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross. Originally a village in the county of Surrey, today it is mainly a residential suburb, and includes Mitcham Common. It ...

. When inspected by Ofsted in both 2012 and 2022, it was judged to be outstanding.

History

In 2004 Merton council decided that Tamworth Manor School should cease to be maintained by the local council but become an

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

. This led to protests. The decision had been taken by the Labour administration on Merton Council and was strongly supported by the local MP

Siobhain McDonagh Dame Siobhain Ann McDonagh (born 20 February 1960) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Mitcham and Morden since 1997. She served as an Assistant Whip in the Labour Government, but was dismisse ...

and Labour councillors. It was opposed by the then

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

opposition on Merton Council. Rob MacDonald, an activist in the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

and brought the case to the High Court. He urged parents to contest the "privatisation" of education. But on 27 July 2006 the High Court decided that the closure of Tamworth Manor school, to make way for an academy, should be allowed to go ahead. .

Academy

The school saw its GCSE results increase from 32% under the former Tamworth Manor High School to 40% 5A-C GCSEs in the result that were published in August 2007. The school has become over-subscribed. After 8 years of service for the Academy, the Executive Principal, Mr Andy Halpin would be retiring to let Mr Leo Gilbert take the job on a full-time permanent basis. New Principal Aisha Samad saw the results decrease from 57% in 2015 to 37% in 2016. It was last inspected by

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted's role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training ...

in 2012.The school was judged to be 'outstanding'. As such it is exempt from further section 5 inspections.

Description

Harris Federation

The

Harris Federation Harris Federation is a multi-academy trust of 52 primary and secondary academies in and around London. They are sponsored by Philip Harris (Lord Harris of Peckham). Description With 52 academies in London and Essex, the Harris Federation educat ...

is a federation of academies originally in five

South London South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...

boroughs. The Harris Federation is an education charity. It opened its first school in 1991 and now runs 54 primary and secondary academies in London and Essex, and train thousands of teachers per year.

Harris Academy Merton

The academy is part of the Harris Federation. The academy takes in students from both genders between the ages of 11 and 19. The academy serves an ethnically diverse community. In 2012 the largest ethnic group was Black or Black British but there was significant number of Asian and Asian British students. About 28% of students were disabled or had

special educational needs Special educational needs (SEN), also known as special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the United Kingdom refers to the education of children who require different education provision to the mainstream system. Meaning The meaning of S ...

. Fifteen per cent were supported through school action, and 13.5% school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs. These proportions are both above national averages. Nearly 40% of its students are known to be eligible for the

pupil premium The pupil premium is a grant given by the government to schools in England to decrease the attainment gap for the most disadvantaged children, whether by income or by family upheaval. For each pupil who is eligible for free school meals, or has cl ...

again significantly above the national average. The 2012 Ofsted report complimented the highly skilled teachers who understood their pupils and tailored their teaching to their needs. As a result, students attainment is above the national average. The academy opened a sixth form in September 2007. Courses are offered on site in conjunction with Harris CTC, with whom the academy has good links . The 2022 Ofsted report states that 'leaders are ambitious for all. They have very high expectations of pupils in every subject. All pupils learn the rich curriculum exceptionally well.'

Academics

Virtually all maintained schools and academies follow the

National Curriculum A national curriculum is a common programme of study in schools that is designed to ensure nationwide uniformity of content and standards in education. It is usually legislated by the national government, possibly in consultation with state or othe ...

, and are inspected by Ofsted on how well they succeed in delivering a 'broad and balanced curriculum'.: schools also endeavour to get all students to achieve the

English Baccalaureate The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is a school performance indicator in England linked to the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) results. It measures students' attainment by calculating an average score from specified subject grades. ...

(EBACC) qualification. This must include core subjects a modern foreign language, and either History or Geography. The EBacc includes subjects which are considered "essential to many degrees and open up lots of doors".

Key Stage 4 Key Stage 4 (KS4) is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other examinations, in maintained schools in England normally known as Year 10 and Year 11, when pupils are aged between 14 and 16 by August 31 ...

students are taught in blocks of 50 minute lessons each day. There are 6 lessons a day for all students and 7 on Monday and Tuesday for

Year 10 and 11 students. The curriculum offer is annually reviewed against the neds of that year group, statutory requirements and recommendations from external agencies. PHSE and Citizenship is delivered in a variety of ways by assemblies, tutors and visiting experts. In

Key Stage 3 Key Stage 3 (commonly abbreviated as KS3) is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14. In Northern Ireland the ...

there will be a top set, three mixed ability sets and a lower set, where support can be concentrated. In

where all students will do core subjects and two appropriate options Students will be set by ability in the core subjects and wherever possible in the foundation subjects, where more than one group is timetabled in the same option block.

Location

The academy is located on the edge of Wide Way and Recreation Drive, north of

Mitcham Common Mitcham Common is 182 hectares (460 acres) of common land situated in south London. It is predominantly in the London borough of Merton, with parts straddling the borders of Croydon and Sutton. It is designated a Site of Metropolit ...

Pollards Hill Pollards Hill is a small residential district straddling the south London boroughs of Croydon and Merton between Mitcham, Norbury and Thornton Heath. The boundary of the two boroughs is a street named Recreation Way. No roads directly cross th ...

. The nearest train stations are at

Norbury Norbury is an List of areas of London, town and suburb in south London. It shares the postcode London SW16 with neighbouring Streatham. The area is mainly in the borough of Croydon London Borough Council, Croydon, with some parts extending int ...

and Mitcham Eastfields, with the nearest

Tramlink Tramlink, previously Croydon Tramlink and currently branded as London Trams, is a light rail tram system serving Croydon and surrounding areas in South London, England. It is the first operational tram system serving the London region since 195 ...

stop being at Beddington Lane station which are all about a 20-minute walk from the school.Location
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References

External links

Official websiteMerton School Sport PartnershipOld Tamworth Manor High School website
{{authority control Academies in the London Borough of Merton Secondary schools in the London Borough of Merton Merton Educational institutions established in 2006 2006 establishments in England