Teaching Assistant

Andrew Jones - Headteacher

King Harold is a ‘Good’ school (Ofsted, 2022).

King Harold Business and Enterprise Academy is a mixed, non-selective, non-denominational secondary school in Essex serving pupils from the age of 11-16. The secondary school, situated in Waltham Abbey has approximately 800 students on record. It is part of The Kemnal Academies Trust, along with 45 other primary and secondary academies.

Value and Ethos

At King Harold Academy we live by 3 values that drive everything we do.

We expect to see these values upheld and championed by every member of the (school) community and our curriculum is designed to cultivate them in all of our students. They are values that are dear to us, instilled within us by those we have been fortunate enough to be educated and guided by, and we believe that they are the most empowering characteristics a young person can have to shape their futures and make positive contributions to the world.

Kindness

Kindness is a superpower. It has the potential to make the world a better place and when we acknowledge and promote it within our school, we are providing our students with a multitude of opportunities and benefits. It enhances our own wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem; it nourishes our community; it makes us more productive and open to personal growth; it makes us better leaders and improves the way we build relationships in all aspects of our lives.

We also believe that kindness requires us to understand and celebrate differences. The more we know about each other and what makes us a diverse community, the more kindness and empathy we generate.

Hard Work

We acknowledge that working hard is essential to learning. The curriculum we deliver at KHA is knowledge-rich and ambitious. We expect teachers to deliver and our students to know, understand and remember a huge amount of academic information; this cannot be achieved without grit, resilience and a determination to succeed. Teachers and students know this, and we expect and cultivate a commitment to this value in everything we do.

We also believe that hard work creates a keen sense of achievement, self-satisfaction and contributes to our wellbeing and confidence. We develop young people who embrace challenges and the prospect of hard work to achieve their goals.

Ambition

We expect all members of our community to aspire to greatness. Our staff and students have the highest of expectations of themselves, their academic potential and their destinations. We believe in further education’s transformative potential on students’ happiness and prosperity, and support all of our students to develop aspirations to go to the best educational institutions in the country after their time with us.

Our ambition drives – to develop better lives for ourselves and our community, to know more about the world we live in, and contribute more to making it a better place.

Curriculum and Standards

King Harold Academy knows that having exceptionally high expectations for achievement, regardless of circumstances or starting points, is a self-fulfilling prophecy – if we expect the best from our students in everything they do, the rest follows. Subsequently, our staff make no apologies for challenging all members of our community to reach the highest of standards, and encouraging them to aspire for more from every aspect of their schooling. We are driven by our unwavering belief that every student deserves the best education and, with the right support, guidance and encouragement, will excel beyond what they ever thought possible.

A culture of excellence extends beyond our academic curriculum. We also want our students to be happy, kind and well-rounded individuals who contribute positively to the world. With the right support and education, we know that all King Harold students will have the skills, knowledge and motivation to make the communities they go on to live and work in better places. Our curriculum provision is richly academic, broad in scope, and diverse, giving students the tools they need to navigate the challenges life will throw at them, make sound judgements and create opportunities for themselves, their families and their communities. I believe wholeheartedly that a high-quality, ambitious education is the most valuable investment we can make in our students, and I will ensure our staff work tirelessly to make this happen.

What is it like to work at King Harold Academy?

KHA is a genuinely lovely working environment. We have the privilege of teaching polite, friendly and ambitious children who enjoy coming to school and love seeing their teachers and peers each day. Visitors often comment on the positive, happy energy our staff and pupils exude. All of our staff are deeply committed to one another’s professional development and success, and the betterment of our pupils’ life changes. You can feel it straight away when you visit us.

Members of our teaching team are challenged and inspired to be the best teacher they can possibly be, and participate in the wider life of our school community. The successful candidate will love the opportunity to work alongside our staff members, and feel welcomed and valued in their role. Here are just some examples of what current teachers say (verbatim) about being part of the KHA team:

• “KHA is an amazing place to work at. The staff and students are both wonderful; they are supportive and care for each other. It truly is a place where all members of the school community demonstrate the values of kindness, hard work and ambition.”
• “Since starting at KHA I have been made to feel welcome.  I’ve found everyone to be supportive of each other.  Leaders look after the best interests of both staff and students encouraging everyone to develop themselves to be their best.  Even when the weather is awful I look forward to my day at KHA.”
• “The supportive staff at KHA create an environment where both students and colleagues uplift and encourage one another, making every day rewarding and fulfilling.”
• “KHA has an amazing staff body of dedicated, supportive and passionate teachers, leaders and support staff. Working here feels like being part of one big family.”
• “Working at KHA is extremely rewarding; our students really want to do well. When you’re teaching, students are polite, respectful and hardworking, and they thrive on having teachers who believe in their ability to excel! The staff body has been so welcoming, everyone has made an effort to build a relationship with me and it’s definitely changed how I feel about coming to work.”

View King Harold Business and Enterprise Academy’s latest Ofsted report