Head of English

Head Teacher

Lucy Harrison

The Archer Academy

The Archer Academy is an outstanding, 11-16 comprehensive school, based in East Finchley. We have 810 students (27 per form), and our GCSE results place us consistently in the top 10% of schools nationwide. We are proud to be a first-choice community school, and are committed to creating opportunities for both students and staff to thrive during their time with us.

Vision and aspirations

Our vision is rooted in our desire to provide an outstanding, inclusive and aspirational education for local children, which will get them ready for adult life. We offer a broad range of opportunities both within and outside the classroom, and encourage our students to get stuck in, explore their potential and discover their passions, so they can discover the kind of people they want to become.

We are similarly aspirational for our staff, who are the beating heart of our school, and the story behind our success. We are a close-knit team who support and challenge each other, carefully balancing the requirements of the job with the needs of the individual. And we have created a can-do culture in which staff are encouraged to try new ideas and take a few risks, with the safety net of a supportive SLT.

Environment and culture

The Archer Academy is a campus school, which has allowed us to create two distinct atmospheres that match our students’ life stages. Both sites benefit from specialist subject resources including dance studios, music tech space, design and tech studios, as well as bright modern classrooms and libraries.

Lower School is home to years 7, 8 and 9, allowing our younger students to find their feet in a caring and supportive space, and getting leadership opportunities that would more usually only be available to senior students. Upper School has a more college-like atmosphere, with a greater focus on scholarship and individual study and more adult-to-adult relationships between staff and students.

The confidence and security provided by this campus set-up stands our students in good stead throughout their time with us, and helps create a positive environment for them and their teachers.

Careers and development

The value we place on our staff means we prioritise their career and personal development. We are committed to helping them progress within our school; we love it when they stay and grow with us, while also celebrating with them when they find new opportunities elsewhere.

We have invested in professional partnerships with the Prince's Institute and PIXL which give access to subject-specific accredited CPD. We are also members of the Ambition Institute, and proactively support staff in studying for national professional qualifications including MPQSL and NPQH.

We also have a clear internal mentoring process, with a designated member of SLT leading on professional development. We hold half-termly teacher learning communities that see us working together on pedagogy, teaching and learning, and classroom practice. We also encourage staff to develop their skills through action research projects and have supported several through Masters qualifications.

We regularly invite School Improvement Partners into our school to act as a critical friend, helping us stay on the front foot, ask ourselves difficult questions, and identify and celebrate our strengths. Our teachers work hard, but they enjoy themselves too, and are supported to develop their skills and experience at every step.

Culture and wellbeing

Our school is a happy place, and that doesn’t happen by accident; we work hard to make it, and keep it, that way.

We build strong, mutually-respectful relationships between staff, students and parents, and reap the benefits by having an engaged and supportive parent community. Our students are proud of their school, and take this with them when they leave; as one alumnus put it, “Once an Archer, always an Archer”.

We prioritise the wellbeing of our staff as highly as that of our students. Our dedicated Staff Wellbeing Committee meets monthly to explore and implement the big and little things that make life better for us all. From reducing email overload and taking pressure points out of the calendar, to holding termly open meetings to action plan around key parts of school life, the committee doesn’t just give staff a voice – it’s listened to, and acted on.

Our staff also have the option to apply for a sabbatical after three years of service, and are encouraged to get involved in policy development to ensure that their wellbeing is built in. We have invested in a staff wellbeing platform, and create regular opportunities for our team to come together and have fun, believing that social events are not just for Christmas.

Learning and outcomes

Our curriculum is designed to blend subject specialism with the richness of wider learning and skills. Our youngest students study Thematic Learning, which gives them (and their teachers) the chance to explore knowledge and skills that go beyond the national curriculum, an experience that supports their learning throughout their time with us, and beyond.

Our GCSE students can choose a varied GCSE portfolio that plays to their passions as well as their strengths; we are proud to have many students who study both Triple Science and Dance, or Engineering and Drama. And while we encourage them to think about the future doors they want to open, we also make sure they enjoy the here and now too.

We are consistently in the top 10% of schools nationally, and in 2023 we bucked the post-pandemic trend for lower year-on-year grades, landing within the top 7%. We are fiercely proud of the achievements of our non-selective cohorts, and believe they are a testament to both the environment we have created and the professionalism and determination of our staff team.