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Harris Academy Battersea is proud to have been awarded the World Class Schools Quality Mark (WCSQM), after successfully completing our accreditation process.

Now in its fifth year of accreditation, WCSQM has awarded the mark to a further 16 non-selective state secondary schools from around the country, including Harris Academy Battersea. There are now just over 80 World Class schools in the UK.

All of the new schools have demonstrated that their students are truly World Class through their successful participation in the rigorous assessment process. WCSQM assessment requires schools to demonstrate that their students are capable of compiling comprehensive evidence in support of their application.

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Compelling case

All secondary schools seeking the award must exceed a challenging threshold in their Key Stage 4 performance before being invited to apply. Their students must then develop a compelling case for accreditation through detailed auditing of their school's capabilities, video submissions in support of their application, and participating in an assessment centre event, at which their performances are measured against a challenging framework.

The award’s uniqueness lies in the fact that the students are assessed with regard to whether they themselves are World Class, rather than the school itself. WCSQM believes that if a school is truly World Class, then its students should be able to demonstrate this in whatever context they find themselves.

The award is supported by a range of prestigious businesses, further and higher education providers, and parent organisations that are interested in which schools nationally are the best at developing young people to succeed in a rapidly evolving world.

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Working together

This year, the final stage of the accreditation process, the assessment centre event, took place at The Riverbank Academy in Coventry, a World Class accrediting special school, and a member of the Sidney Stringer Multi Academy Trust. As part of the assessment, the 72 potential World Class students were required to work in teams to develop the Riverbank Academy school grounds to promote accessibility, independence and a love of learning for their students.

“It was tremendous to see how positively students from Year 5 right through to Year 13
worked together to achieve their goal. We were incredibly impressed with the high standard of work produced by the students on the day - you can absolutely see why they were nominated by their school as being World Class .” Miranda Perry, Director of WCSQM.

"We are delighted to receive this award in recognition of the abilities of our students and their World Class approach to learning," said Principal Paula Leigh.