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The start of a new and exciting school career at Harris Academy Battersea.

Harris Academy Battersea has opened its doors to a new cohort of Year 7 students, going above and beyond to ensure a smooth transition into secondary school.

There are three key values Harris Academy Battersea aim to instil in their students from the very first day: ‘Knowledge, Integrity and Resilience.’ We are committed to ensuring that every student leaves with an excellent set of qualifications and a strong character.

This vision begins at Year 7, constantly holding students to the highest standard they can achieve. However, we know this transition can be daunting at times, and that each students face their own individual challenges when moving up to secondary school.

‘My tutor was very comforting and welcoming.’ - Krystala, Year 7

That is why Harris Academy Battersea put in place transitional measures to ease any worries or anxieties, and to set up each student in a positive and friendly way. The induction day was great for Year 7, as it gave students an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the school, teachers and each other.

Form time is a great space for students to build a relationship with their tutor and understand who the Designated Safeguarding Leads are, who they can speak to if they have any issues. The two main concerns that Year 7’s have when starting school are that they are going to get lost and make no friends.

‘I know that if I am worried, I can talk to anyone.’ - Amaya

At Harris Academy Battersea, students said that their transition was smooth, because they learnt the layout of the school from their induction day and all the older students have been eager to help them out, if they do get lost.

‘You can ask the older students to help you find your class and they are very helpful.’ - Darah

Friendship building has also been successful over their first couple of weeks, with tutors implementing icebreaker activities into form time to aid the process. Additionally, Harris Academy Battersea offer a wide range of Enrichment Clubs that step outside of the academic curriculum, such as, Meditation, Coding or Football. These Enrichment Clubs are compulsory for Year 7 and are a great way to push them out of their comfort zone and meet some new people in their year.

‘All the new classes are exciting, and they are a great way to make friends!’ - Johan

Over the next 7 years, we are excited to see year 7 showcase their potential and utilise all that Harris Academy Battersea has to offer!