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09/03/26

Happy International Women's Day for yesterday!   

06/03/26

Read our recent Spring 1 Newsletter via this link:  harrisclapham.org.uk/2299/ne…

05/03/26

Can you guess what characters your teachers are dressed as?     

05/03/26

Hear from some familiar faces about what they used to read when they were your age!      Video  

05/03/26

Happy Wold Book Day!     

04/03/26

Every Tuesday morning, Volleyball kick starts the day for some of our students!     

03/03/26

We are so excited for our offer holders to see everything our school has to offer!         

02/03/26

Happy National Careers Week!      Video  

02/03/26

We would like to extend our congratulations to the Year 6 students who have secured a place with us for September 2026!       

26/02/26

Sign up to our alumni network: Harris Futures! Signing up with allow you to hear about brilliant career development opportunities through our partners, offers you the opportunity to come along to events to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.

25/02/26

Check out some of our cool student artwork!       

23/02/26

All Year 9 girls took part in an engaging and empowering series of workshops delivered by Action Breaks Silence. Students took part in active demonstrations, practising defensive stances, strikes, and safe disengagement techniques.       

19/02/26

Here are some tips for how to stay safe when using AI!       

18/02/26

8 high achieving Year 10 students were taken to the Royal Opera House to watch La Travaita the opera. It was great for the students to watch this is most of them had never watched a opera.         

16/02/26

Hear from Kirk about why he chose Harris Academy Clapham      Video  

11/02/26

Year 10 students invited to the Head of Academy breakfast with their Assistant Principal, Ms Adewale. Such a lovely way to kick start the week - with students who go above and beyond at the academy.       

03/02/26

School Council Hitting the Ground Running in 2026!     

30/01/26

We held an event yesterday to mark Year 10 results ahead of their Parents' Evening. Lots of very happy students who did incredibly well in their first set of GCSE style exams.

29/01/26

TBT to our trip to the British Museum.       

29/01/26

Meet Leo and Romi      Video  

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Literacy

It is important that children continue to read and communicate at home to maintain their literacy development and continue to progress.

This is an area where parental support can be really beneficial. Small steps can be helpful in developing reading ability, vocabulary and communication skills, all of which are vital for learning.

Reading

Although there can be many other distractions, daily reading for enjoyment has a strong positive impact on overall achievement. Here are some simple ways to encourage and support your child to keep reading at home:

  • Daily reading can be part of your lockdown routine, offering escapism and a sense of calm. ​Encourage your child to read for ten minutes a day.
  • Role model and read yourself, when you can, talking to your child about what you are reading.
  • Read together: We often think that older children like to read on their own, but there are many benefits to reading together. It can improve communication and strengthen bonds, as well as exposing them to a greater variety of books. Choose a book with a topic you or your child are interested in and take it in turns to read, stopping to discuss and ask questions.
  • Book talk: use books and digital reading to start conversations with your child. Here are some questions that could help:
  • What do you think the book will be about?
  • Can you tell me what’s happened so far?
  • What do you think will happen next?
  • Why do you think the character did…?
  • What do you think the author wants us to think?
  • How did you feel when…?
  • Can you think of a similar experience that you’ve had?
  • Who do you know who is like…?
  • How did the character change in this story?
  • What do you think are the most important things in this chapter/section?
  • Reading can be more than just books! Children can read about their interests online, read online or print magazines and newspapers and even listen to podcasts and audiobooks. Here are some great news sites for children:

Talking

Conversations support vocabulary development and communication, which in turn supports overall literacy.  So called ‘back and forth’ conversations, where you model turn taking and really listen to each other and discuss the world around you can be great for developing vocabulary and social skills.

  • Listen: when you can, try to listen carefully and with real interest when your child talks to you. Leave pauses to encourage them to say more.
  • Eat together whenever possible, and chat about everyday things. Let your son or daughter lead the topics of conversation.
  • Collaborate: If you like to cook together or to make things following instructions, discuss the meanings of any unfamiliar words you come across. 
  • Praise your child if they use an interesting or unusual word: ’Great choice of word!’ or ‘You just used a really interesting word’ or ‘I love that word!’
  • Watch TV together and talk about what you’re watching like the families on Gogglebox. Discuss any new words or things that you find interesting.
  • Solve problems together. Discuss and agree on your approach.
  • Play word games together. Pictionary, Taboo or charades can be played easily at home with just a piece of paper.

Bedrock

Bedrock is a brilliant online vocabulary development programme which increases students' engagement with reading, whilst directly teaching them academic vocabulary. Your child has a personal login, but if they have forgotten it, they should contact their English teacher. Encourage your child to undertake at least ten minutes a day.

https://app.bedrocklearning.org/

Resources to support literacy

If you have a subscription of Amazon prime, there is a great selection of free books, magazines and comics available.

Other Useful Resources

BBC Teach

You can use BBC Teach for free. Their website is home to thousands of free curriculum-mapped videos, arranged by age-group and subject. 

Find video resources linked to all subjects for 11-14 year olds here.

BBC Own It provides advice and guidance on studying from home, including online safety and a wealth of material on mental and physical health.

BBC Bitesize has a range of resources for all ages to support online learning.

BBC Grammar for 11-14 Year Olds.