Harris Academy Tottenham (HATO) is a
coeducational
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
all-through school
An all-through school (also known as an integrated school) educates young people throughout multiple educational stages, generally throughout childhood and adolescence.
Definition
The term "all-through" can be legitimately applied to establis ...
located in
Tottenham Hale
Tottenham Hale is a district of north London and part of the London Borough of Haringey, bounded by the River Lea and located to the south/south-east of Tottenham proper. From 1850 to 1965, it was part of the Municipal Borough of Tottenham, in Mi ...
in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. Part of 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 ...
multi-academy trust
Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) or academy chain is an academy trust that operates more than one academy school. Academy schools are state-funded schools in England which are directly funded by the Department for Education and independent of local aut ...
, it opened to pupils in September 2014. The school was rated outstanding by Ofsted in both 2017 and 2023.
Description
The school is part of the Harris Federation; it opened in September 2014 and initially operated from
Chobham Academy
Chobham Academy is a mixed all-through school and sixth form which opened in September 2013. The school is located on Cheering Lane in the East Village of Stratford in the London Borough of Newham, England. It has 1,800 student places and has ...
, another of the Harris Federation schools in Stratford, East London. The school relocated to its new site a year later, into pre-used buildings. The full conversion and an additional teaching block were completed for the 2017/18 academic year.
This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under th
Open Government Licence v3.0
© Crown copyright The school’s site has undergone complete refurbishment; it shares its dance studio and sports fields with the public when not in school use.
Curriculum
The academy has designed its curriculum collectively calling heavily on Dylan William's education research.
Primary Education
The primary phase benefits from some specialist teaching from teachers from the secondary sector especially in year 6, where subject teaching is introduced.
Key Stage 3
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 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) qualificationthis must include core subjects, a modern or ancient foreign language, and either History or Geography.
Harris Academy Tottenham operates a three-year
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 ...
where all the core National Curriculum subjects are taught.
Key Stage 4
In Key Stage 4, all students do the EBacc core subjects (with Maths and Science at different levels judged by ability), and certain options: Classics, Performing Arts, Music, Art, Design Technology, Food Tech, Exam PE and Computer Science.
Key Stage 5
Entry to the sixth form is dependent on 7 GCSE passes, and the intention to achieve 3 or more 'A' levels.
Compliance
The academy publishes all the statutory information on its website .
Controversy
In September 2020, Lawrence Foley became Executive Principal of the Academy, implementing a "zero-tolerance" approach to discipline. Within the first month of his tenure, three black students were permanently excluded triggering backlash from some in the school community.
A petition on
change.org
Change.org is a website which allows users to create and sign petitions in an attempt to advance various social causes by raising awareness and influencing decision-makers. The site is a US-based for-profit company and claims to have 551 million ...
, which called for Foley's immediate resignation and accused him of discriminating against black students, was raised by Joshua Adusei, a PE teacher. The petition claimed that the exclusion of the three students was racist, and the changes made by Foley to the discipline policy disproportionately affected students from Afro-Caribbean backgrounds. It was also alleged that he had been harassing members of staff through a school restructuring plan. The petition gained widespread social media attention and amassed nearly 6,000 signatures within a week. One comment on the petition claimed the school was
''run by white people... who don’t understand the children
'' while another compared its policies to
''Putin’s Russia
''.
Lawrence Foley, HATO
's Senior Leadership Team, and the wider Harris Federation vehemently denied all allegations, with the Federation branding it a "misleading, vindictive, and vexatious campaign". In the wake of the events, Foley received four death threats. Additionally, a threat was made, via the comments section of the petition, towards HATO staff, with the perpetrator, who is thought to be a student at the academy, threatening to "stab" them. All threats were reported to the police and the comments section below the petition was removed as a preventative measure. Adusei called the removal of the petition's comment section a ''taking away of free speech''.
Opinion is largely divided over the scandal, with many accepting (or corroborating) the claims laid out in the petition and speaking of a deep-seated culture of institutional racism within academies and schools like HATO, which is proving detrimental to the growth and development of young black students. However, several others have dismissed the allegations as unsubstantiated and criticised Adusei for wrongfully subjecting the academy, and a teacher, to an infamous 'trial by social media'. They also highlight the potentially dangerous ramifications of such actions as evidenced by Foley receiving death threats.
It was later revealed that one of the permanently excluded students had
''punched a teacher''.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Federation said that they "fully reject all of the allegations made by Mr Adusei." The statement continues to say that "He (Mr Adusei) has used online platforms to conduct a misleading, vindictive and vexatious campaign in order to defame his colleagues and destabilise his school. It is concerning to us, as it will be to teachers and school leaders everywhere, that he cannot be challenged on an equal footing because GDPR and his rights as an employee protect him from being challenged on his allegations, his motivations and the facts of the situation disclosed.” The spokesperson added that the content in the petition was “demonstrably untrue”, but said they were “reluctant to divert time and resources” from their children to provide the proceedings required to remove the petition from Change.org."
The petition was later closed by Adusei.
Adusei was initially suspended and later dismissed from his position. After inspection in January 2023, Harris Academy Tottenham retained its outstanding rating by Ofsted, first given in 2017.
See also
*
Pimlico Academy
Pimlico Academy (formerly Pimlico School) is a mixed-sex education secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in the Pimlico area of Westminster in London.
History Conversion to academy
After many years of underperformance, cu ...
*
Batley Grammar School
Batley Grammar School is a state-funded co-educational free school in Batley, West Yorkshire, England, for pupils aged 4 to 16.
History
The school was founded in 1612 by the Rev. William Lee. An annual founder's day service is held in his ...
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Secondary schools in the London Borough of Haringey
Tottenham
Tottenham (, , , ) is a district in north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, ...
Educational institutions established in 2014
2014 establishments in England
Primary schools in the London Borough of Haringey
Free schools in London
Academies in the London Borough of Haringey