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11/07/25

Huge congrats to Harris Academy Bermondsey for placing 3rd in the Grand Finale—out of 2,250 students! 👏 Special shoutout to Gloria, who won the ‘Rising Star’ award for her resilience, earning £300 Axel Arigato trainers! pic.twitter.com/34YQn7Nyq6

11/07/25

Huge congrats to Gloria from Harris Academy Bermondsey for placing 3rd in the Grand Finale! Her team Motivatorz wowed judges with bold climate solutions. A big win for Southwark & the future of STEM! pic.twitter.com/E4rBlpYw8r

11/07/25

Sunshine, sports & non-stop vibes! ☀️🎶 Girls Allowed lit up the 3G pitch with ESP Foundation & Year 8/9. VR, boxing, dance & more! Huge thanks to Ms Kelly, ESP coaches & Yr10 photogs Amelia & Nicole. What a day! 👏 pic.twitter.com/UPqp5EcIQx

10/07/25

Spectacular performances at the Harris Federation Festival of Music. https://t.co/WVFuUYIJEJ

09/07/25

Steel Pans playing Classical music! Soloists, Choir. Y5 electric guitar solo! The talent in our schools is amazing! Congrats to all of you, what wonderful performances. pic.twitter.com/TjYEnwK9KV

04/07/25

Six Y10 students are Grand Finalists in Sustainable London 2025 with ! Their climate solutions could win a cash prize, trophy & career opps. Finale: Mon 7 July, 5-8:30pm, NatWest HQ. RSVP: https://t.co/JomhCxSAB5 pic.twitter.com/KEtXv1wiCa

24/06/25

pic.twitter.com/QYDgZ7mzu9

18/06/25

Our Year 10s are proud to be part of the Sweaty Betty Foundation campaign highlighting why 1 in 3 girls stop PE due to changing room experiences. HAB is 1 of 5 schools redesigning these spaces into positive, empowering environments. Read more here >> https://t.co/M4A97DxpIq pic.twitter.com/VFdSJdQVxf

18/06/25

Our trailblazing Year 10s are leading ’s campaign tackling why 1 in 3 girls drop PE due to changing room issues. HAB is 1 of 5 schools redesigning them into empowering spaces. Our students are architects of change. 💪 https://t.co/M4A97DxpIq pic.twitter.com/2BborGvd6K

18/06/25

🧵1/2 On (and actually everyday) I'd like to send a big shout out to my team, department and faculty 🧵1/2 💜 https://t.co/jG5J6hLAuP

18/06/25

Our trailblazing Year 10s are leading ’s campaign tackling why 1 in 3 girls drop PE due to changing room issues. HAB is 1 of 5 schools redesigning them into empowering spaces. Our students are architects of change. 💪https://t.co/M4A97DxpIq pic.twitter.com/yRSrZ7e69a

05/06/25

Newsletter out now! Download your copy here https://t.co/kHhZRpLM5u

05/06/25

Huge congratulations to HAB Year 10 students Niamh, Megan & Isra! All three earned Gold in the UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge & qualified for the prestigious Pink Kangaroo Challenge. Special shoutout to Niamh – Silver & Best in School! 🥇✨ pic.twitter.com/RXDd0ORD5j

03/06/25

🎉 Huge congrats to HAB6 stars Tiamaria, Isabella & Swabra, for smashing the HSK 1 Mandarin exam after just 1 year of study! Despite Year 13 pressures, they’re continuing Mandarin at uni—true dedication to language & culture. pic.twitter.com/DYlBoG63ci

02/06/25

Our students shone at the Words for Work: Women in Leadership event with & Lancôme. From powerful panels to inspiring speeches, HAB is shaping future leaders—full of ambition, compassion, and respect. pic.twitter.com/c08L4iJkvv

02/04/25

Meet the HAB Maths Team! Meet the team heading up our Maths Department here at HAB.... Multiplying Success! pic.twitter.com/JrYYZ7VzCP

27/03/25

Ofsted Rates Harris Academy Bermondsey: Outstanding Across All Categories. Students and staff at HAB are celebrating after the school was judged outstanding in all areas following a visit from Ofsted in February!#ProudToBeHAB pic.twitter.com/qmRDfl8Oaa

19/03/25

Our March newsletter is out now! Click the link below for a round-up of all the wonderful things that have been happening at HAB this month https://t.co/uSKKWLkf34 pic.twitter.com/E0DYOCAGRq

06/03/25

HAB'ing a marvellous World Book Day 2025 pic.twitter.com/zQpSYxqozD

06/03/25

World Book Day 2025: Mabel loves a good book :) pic.twitter.com/LdFbu6iMiW

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Latest News

Posted on March 12th 2020

Dean Atta Turns Students into 'Ghazal' Poets

The fabulous poet Dean Atta joined a group of Year 8 students for a masterclass in poetry earlier this week.

Dean introduced himself with an inspiring piece of poetry about how to write a poem. "I loved the poem because it was creative and outspoken," said Aliyah. Who knew poetry could be so rebellious?!

Next, everyone recapped the fascinating story of the Koh-i-Noor diamond and how it ended up in the Tower of London.  "It is a sad and unsettling story because it highlights how Britain grew its Empire at the expense of other countries," said Aliyah.

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Britain took precious artefacts from the countries they had colonised and kept them for the Crown Jewels, for example. In the case of the Koh-i-Noor, the diamond was taken from a child maharaja. Maisy said: "It was sad to find out the history of Britain and how our country used to invade other nations for their own amusement and wealth."

After reviewing the story of the Koh-i-Noor, Dean showed the students how to develop a vocabulary list for their poem, which is an essential part of poetry writing. Before the girls could start writing, Dean laid down a poetry challenge! The girls had to write in the style of a Ghazal. Ghazals must include five rhyming couplets and each line must have 12 syllables.

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Inspired by the history of the Koh-i- Noor, armed with some brilliant vocabulary and fully aware of the writing conventions, the students spent the afternoon creating their own poems.

At the end of the workshop, the students read out their work and celebrated one another’s achievements. In the space of two hours, Dean transformed the room of students into a room full of poets!


Isobel’s poem

It cannot be argued, I'm utterly flawless.

Yet I was obtained in a way that's just lawless.

I'm a glittering star in a dark, bitter night.

The monarchs who stole me were completely contrite.

An ancient betrayal keeps me locked in this tower.

A hostage, displayed so a queen can show power.

I'm a story, a legend, a thing you are told.

But my features are stunning, a thing to behold.

Shimmering, glimmering I light up the sky.

But the question still stands, was my story a lie?

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Group poem

The Koh-Noor is known as the Mountain of Light,

The property of royalty: opulent, bright.

The bitter taste of blood from an innocent soul,

The Koh-i-Noor’s story is dark as a black hole.

You glisten pricelessly like a star in the sky,

But all that lurks behind your story is a lie.

The Mountain of Light was given to royalty,

But the cruel queen knew nothing of loyalty.

The queen’s nasty heart was rotten and full of greed,

While the emperor’s subjects tried to bend and plead.

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What students said...

"Dean is an amazing poet with a very good sense of humour. He made the workshop amazing and lively!" Mackenzie

"Dean made writing the poem easy. Usually, I’m not a fan of writing poetry but the way Dean introduced the vocabulary first made writing enjoyable." Maisy

"I used to think poetry was a bit hard and boring but after attending the workshop, Dean has made me realise poetry isn’t as hard or complicated as it seems. It was great to meet Dean because he has shown me that people from different backgrounds can be professional writers. It gives me the confidence to know that I can achieve my aspiration to become a professional author." Aliyah

"Dean is an entertaining, funny and glamorous poet!" Lea

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