Teacher of Spanish and Italian

Harrow High School is a popular comprehensive school in Harrow. We base everything we do around our 4 excellences. These are:

Excellent Learning & Progress

Challenged and Inspired, Knowledgeable and Successful

So this is the bit about about results? Well - yes but not exclusively. In 2023, despite grade boundaries increasing across the country, our results improved leading to a GCSE progress 8 score of +0.56. As always, our most able learners excelled themselves with 17% achieving 9-7 in English and Maths. The previous year, at A Level an incredible 37% grades awarded at A*. Learners in Year 13 achieved an incredible 64% of A level grades at A*-A, 81% at A*-B, and 92% at A*-C, with a 100% pass rate.

However, it's not just about numbers. We’re committed to developing our curriculum to provide stretch, challenge alongside a serious focus upon knowledge and reading (for all levels of learner). This underpins our approach to teaching and learning.

To get there, we are committed to an extensive, high quality programme of CPD for all staff including bi-weekly pedagogical workshops, weekly curriculum team meetings in which developing subject specific teaching is at the core (no admin here..) and a coaching entitlement for all staff. Additionally we are able to access leadership development courses for all through the National College and our local Harrow Collaborative - an offer almost all staff take up.

Together these commitments make our school a fantastic place for learners to learn and for teachers to develop their skills and build their careers.

Excellent Behaviour, Safety and Care for each other

Consistent and Responsible, Kind, Resilient and Showing Empathy

This is so important. We place a real premium on excellent behaviour both in class and around the site. We expect all members of our community to contribute this and consistency is a key concept here.

However, we also place a strong emphasis on Kindness and Empathy. We have clear policies but expect these to be implemented with kindness, understanding and respect, making reasonable exceptions for learners with additional need.

As a result, the atmosphere in school is calm, friendly and warm. Lessons are rarely disturbed by poor behaviour meaning that teaching and learning is at the fore of all conversations

Excellent Aspirations

Quality progression, passion for learning

Our learners come from a wide range of backgrounds and have not always been afforded the opportunities open to other young people. We aim to tackle this and raise their aspirations so they can go on to fulfill their full potential. OIn a basic level, this means high expectations of every learner in every lesson. (we scaffold up, we don’t differentiate down). Every learner should leave the classroom feeling like they’ve been challenged and have risen to it.

We also have the highest aspirations for staff. As mentioned above, our programme of professional development is at the core of what we do. Not only does this lead to better teaching and learning but also to plenty of career development opportunities for all staff both in and out of school

It also means excellent careers and personal development programmes and meaningful excursions that provide learners with opportunities for new experiences. There is too much to say on this to go into detail here, suffice to say that three times a year we stop school for all learners to have two days of visits/careers experiences and other additional learning. Every learner visits a university with us twice in their time here.

We also run a very high quality programme of activities for tutor sessions that engage learners with the wider world around them and offer them a chance to develop their views.

Excellent Communication

Understanding each other, clarity of purpose

This means that all communication in our community should be warm and polite. Challenge, when necessary, should be conducted with respect and empathy. This means staff here build excellent professional relationships with learners based upon mutual trust. This is also key when working with parents and we are developing our systems for even better communication home at pace.

As a teacher here, you will find clear boundaries and protocols for staff communication to avoid burn out, regular briefings from the leadership team on progress towards SIP targets and purposeful and developmental team meetings