View our posts

21/08/25

Huge congratulations to all our GCSE students on their fantastic results today! 🎉 We’re so proud of your hard work, resilience and achievements – you’ve truly earned this moment. Wishing you every success in your next steps! pic.twitter.com/cWWRgAJO3g

15/08/25

Harris Academy Bermondsey doubles their number of A* and A grades every year https://t.co/ljrJboNLMy

17/07/25

Vacation Mode Activated (…almost) Mabel’s still got one day left with the students,⁰but the sunglasses say otherwise.⁰She's got that "out-of-office pending" energy. 😎🐾⁰#TherapyDog pic.twitter.com/TDXLQizFOW

17/07/25

Vacation Mode Activated (…almost) Mabel’s still got one day left with the students, but the sunglasses say otherwise. She's got that "out-of-office pending" energy. 😎🐾

16/07/25

Year 12 took on the Entrepreneurs Academies Challenge at NatWest Moorgate! They ran a simulated phone biz, tackling real-world tasks in finance, marketing & more—gaining key startup insights. Read more 👇🏽 https://t.co/aePnTlDiuB pic.twitter.com/06wLx495xN

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

🧵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

Harris Academies
All Academies in our Federation aim to transform the lives of the students they serve by bringing about rapid improvement in examination results, personal development and aspiration.

Central Office

Bexley

Brent

Bromley

Clapham

Croydon

Greenwich

Haringey

Havering

Merton

Newham

Southwark

Stratford

Sutton

Thurrock

Wandsworth

Westminster

Latest News

Posted on June 16th 2020

Multilingual Families - A Special Message for You

Dear multilingual families,

As you are spending more time together than usual during lockdown, I would like to encourage you to use your native language confidently and assure you that using your first language builds the foundation for successful second language learning. I know that some parents are often tempted to tell their daughters to stop using their native language and use English instead, to learn English more quickly. While I understand that you may have been doing this with the best intentions, years of scientific research proves that this advice does not help, but hinder your child’s language and therefore, academic development.

Download this message in Spanish, French or Portuguese.

Download a letter with details of www.mantralingua.com - one of the largest libraries of dual language e-books in the world.

What You could do instead to develop your daughter’s language skills, is expand the conversation in the home language on a variety of topics prompted by homework in the various subjects. Discussing concepts in the native language first will increase your child’s interest in learning the same content in English afterwards. Reading, or writing in English will become more meaningful, if the idea has already been presented to her and is no longer unfamiliar.

LanguagesThe five most widely spoken languages in HAB students’ homes are Arabic, Bengali, French, Somali and Spanish. We know this from the English as an Additional Language surveys carried out at the start of Year 7. There are an additional 45 languages spoken among our families and the list is growing as new arrivals quite often join us mid-term. Can you make it any longer?

While most of our English learners appear fluent within two years, as far as everyday spoken English, or basic interpersonal communicative skills go (BICS), the more abstract formal language of schooling, known as cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP), can take 3 to 9 years to develop. To avoid any feelings of guilt, assist your child along her potentially decade-long bilingual journey using the languages you feel most confident with. If the foundation of a house is solid, she will be able to build on it in any language and we, her teachers, are all here to help her with that.

Thank you for all your support with your daughter’s linguistic development and education. Please do not hesitate to get in contact, if I missed your home language from the list, or would like to discuss any of the above further. Your multicultural stories, photos, or ideas are also most welcome.

Best wishes to you and your extended families, here and all around the world.

‘Chi va piano, va sano, e va lontano…’ – as they say in Italian.

Miss Fogarasi