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18/03/24

This week's HSAEL Community Weekly Bulletin is now available on our website. https://t.co/C7RqMYhvKF pic.twitter.com/u9NPm3renc

15/03/24

Khrushchev's Hot Dog. The first in a series of T&L pieces for ! Here, I discuss making the learning memorable to best support our mid to lower attaining students; every child deserves to become a leader in their chosen field.https://t.co/H7UpgdfvY5

14/03/24

Another packed couple of days of science experiments to mark Students have been dissecting eyes and hearts, building balloon-powered cars, studying pondweed and constructing rollercoasters for Physics experiments. #BSW pic.twitter.com/Rv8A6S18Ol

14/03/24

Our sixth formers are leading this week’s line up readings, which are themed around Careers Week and British Science Week. They will be linking these with our values or GRACE and the how students can become successful leaders in STEM pic.twitter.com/vOt4SskN54

13/03/24

As continues, students peering down the microscope into the tiny world of the water flee. They identified anatomical features and used caffeine to stimulate the fleas' heartbeat. #BSW pic.twitter.com/RwhWpkvzim

13/03/24

🚨Next week!🚨 Don’t miss this opportunity to secure your spot at 2024 Burton Lecture, Chemistry’s flagship event! Join Prof Chris Schofield FRS as he delivers a captivating lecture on enzymes bridging the realms of chemistry and biology. https://t.co/KVHXBMaO7u

13/03/24

Really well done to our Year 11 students who are coming to the end of a fortnight of GCSE Mocks. Today's Mocks include Community Languages, Latin & Ancient Greek. And good luck to Year 13 students who have more Mocks next week. Well done students and staff for all your hard work. pic.twitter.com/dFNgwOFDuQ

11/03/24

It's and we've got a packed itinerary of interesting and exciting experiments. This morning students have been conducting *flame tests* which are used to identify metal ions such as lithium, sodium, potassium and calcium. pic.twitter.com/xNotyVOaCZ

11/03/24

Many thanks to the Discover team from for a really useful and informative Emotional Wellbeing assembly for our Sixth Formers this morning. The session covered ideas including managing worries, procrastination tips, work/life balance, sleep. pic.twitter.com/ne5Tu4kbpN

11/03/24

Our latest Community Weekly bulletin is now available on our website. https://t.co/W25bM8Z3Nh pic.twitter.com/MIbjHGFtX5

07/03/24

It's not just . Every morning at HSAEL begins with a little quiet reading time and preferably a good book! pic.twitter.com/irMlozh35D

07/03/24

Kicking off this morning, it seems some of our senior staff took were blown in from Kansas, or did they arrive via the Yellow Brick Road. It's going to be an interesting day! !🥳 pic.twitter.com/mFP7RBFkPx

06/03/24

Congratulations to Clock Mill who won the inaugural House Debating Competition, by a close margin of two-points! The motion was: 'This House believes that all secondary school pupils should be able to vote in General Elections'. Inter-House competitions take place fortnightly pic.twitter.com/buan9qf64O

06/03/24

Our latest Community Bulletin is now available on the Academy website. https://t.co/GDZfFW6p36 pic.twitter.com/AasoMTE6Pm

28/02/24

Best of luck to our Year 11 students, currently taking their GCSE Mocks this week and next. In our first year HSAEL saw an improvement in GCSE results by an average of more than half a grade. So we are confident that we will continue to improve and our students will do us proud. pic.twitter.com/Y9VwP6ZKFw

28/02/24

If you use please 'follow' us for more in-depth news and info about all things HSAEL.https://t.co/qtfY6uoWQv pic.twitter.com/CixlgZnNkh

28/02/24

We rewarded all students who passed all but one of their tests with an afternoon of pizza, music, quizzing and some well-deserved down time with their friends! Our next round of Golden Nugget Knowledge Tests are after Easter. pic.twitter.com/8SKO8k9lgr

28/02/24

This week we celebrated 101 of our wonderful HSAEL leaders who excelled in our first round of Golden Nugget Knowledge Tests making sure our students have mastered the most important pieces of knowledge from each of their subjects... pic.twitter.com/hLYG6FubPy

26/02/24

Our latest Weekly Community Bulletin is out now and available on our website. https://t.co/AfqOeo5xd5 pic.twitter.com/ac5boS3UjI

19/02/24

Best of luck to our Year 12 students starting their work experience today. All week they'll be getting a taste of what it's like to work in areas including finance, recruitment, consulting and architecture. We are grateful to for all their help arranging placements. pic.twitter.com/48yzPfvzRK

Harris Academies
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Welcome from the Principal and Executive Principal

Harris Science Academy East London is on a journey to rapidly becoming the highest performing school in Newham and one of the top schools in the UK. Every child is on a journey make a positive change in their community. As Executive Principal with a wealth of experience within the Federation, I am proud to be working with our community here at HSAEL. I know the team are truly committed to working with parents and students to build an excellent Academy, where all will achieve.

Dan MacPherson - Principal, Lisa Kattenhorn - Executive Principal

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Academy Life

11 March 2024Khruschev’s Hot DogIn this series of posts, we will share the wonderful practice that is developing at HSAEL, as well as reflect on our distinct style and approach to lessons. It’s 1959 and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev is visiting the USA to meet President Eisenhower, a rare occasion of cooperation and diplomacy between the Superpowers during the Cold War; an attempt to build bridges (not walls). On a tour to a Mid-West meat packing district, Khruschev was presented with his first ever hot dog complete with a dash of mustard. He pronounced that the hot dog ‘was wonderful. But not enough.’ During GCSE History lessons, I would promptly share the anecdote mid-exposition when teaching the summit meetings of 1959-1961; the story exemplifies the positive relations before the breakdown of talks in Paris in 1960. In the forthcoming assessment, regardless of the student and the remaining 58 minutes of the lesson the student sat in, everyone would write in extraordinary detail about Khrushchev’s first hot dog.  The conclusion: it was a concrete example all students could relate to free from tier two and three vocabulary such as thawing, negotiation, diplomacy, concession. Low and mid-attaining students knew Khrushchev was enjoying himself at the Camp David summit because he had eaten and enjoyed a hot dog just as they may have done at indoor play as a child, at someone’s birthday party or a BBQ. GCSE specifications can be a maze for students with low reading ages, EAL or limited vocabulary. With reading ages of GCSE specifications being typically 16 years plus, many students end up lost in the swathes of new content with nothing relatable to grasp on to apart from well… the hot dog itself. Abstract ideas exist in thought. They are theoretical, vague and difficult to grasp. To understand an abstract idea, students need to solidify it. A quarter in Maths makes much more sense once you picture a pizza cut into four with a slice taken out. Moving glaciers transforming landscapes in Geography, are difficult to comprehend until you refer to them as nature’s bulldozers. In Religious Studies, the concept of the reconciliation between God and humans is straightforward when you remind students of the restorative conversation they had with a teacher following a detention. The use of concrete examples to exemplify broader ideas improves the retention of the learning in a lesson and helps students develop their thinking. Memory is the residue of thought. I learnt the hard way with the hot dog- multiple concrete examples should be provided to build a schema so students grasp the overall concept being taught as not to latch on to the specific example. Lower and mid-attaining students can excel. However, as teachers we must help them understand and this means finding the quickest possible route from A to B with language and concepts that are familiar and therefore meaningful to them. Tell them what you mean in basic terms with language and examples they will know. Academic vocabulary can be introduced later once the ideas have been grasped and mastered. Memory is the residue of thought. And what a memorable hot dog that was. Emma Connolly, Assistant Principal  
7 March 2024Spotlight on Teacher Development at HSAELWhat are you trying to achieve? We want our students to grow and develop into the leaders of tomorrow. We want the same for our teachers. At HSAEL, our mission is to make sure every teacher develops into a leader in their chosen field. We want our teachers to be among the best in the country. We believe all students can make exponential progress with excellent teachers in front of them.  How do we do this? Our teacher development programme uses the Educational Endowment Funds framework on effective professional development. Our programme consists of: Building Knowledge. This means: Weekly after school CPD which adapts to the needs and requests of our teachers. A focus on specification mastery. Whilst we may have expert knowledge on our academic disciplines, it is crucial we understand the rigors and demands of the exam board specifications we teach. This means you will find our teachers regularly sitting GCSE and A-Level past papers during designated CPD time and arguing over who got top marks.  Harris Federation Subject Development events allowing opportunities to learn from colleagues in our wider network. Training from expert Subject Specific Harris Consultants who work across multiple schools ensuring our teachers well supported from a subject specific perspective. Motivating Teachers. This means: HSAEL Superstar emails. It takes two minutes to thank a colleague of their support. Compassion Cards written by students and sent to teachers. ‘Thank a teacher’ opportunity in our Community Bulletin. Morning briefings to check in with our teachers ensuring everyone is ready for the day; our Feel-Good Friday briefings (with tea, coffee and pastries!) celebrate our achievements from the week. Celebrating each other’s birthdays. Using credible research informed practice. Our Bulletin publishes a weekly piece of educational research. Our teachers borrow copies of Teach Like A Champion and Running the Room from our CPD library. Staff end of term socials and celebrations. Developing and Embedding Practice. This means: Our CPDs use the same routines and structures of outstanding HSAEL lessons. This includes clicking to agree in meetings and briefings. There is a strong sense of camaraderie and support amongst staff as our HSAEL team works together. Communication is efficient and clear with daily and weekly bulletins to give teachers all the tools they need to be successful.  Teachers do their own Deliberate Practice. The first time we deliver our routines and rituals shouldn’t be in front of a class. Practising on each other allows us to build confidence, correct mistakes, find misconceptions before the real thing! An open-door policy where regular coaching feedback is expected and appreciated whether that be from a brand-new trainee teacher or the Principal himself. What’s the early impact? Many of our HSAEL teachers have a track record of achieving academic outcomes for students that come in the top 1% of schools nationally. Being around outstanding teaching practice makes it very easy for our HSAEL teachers to become outstanding teachers. So far, we have embedded an effective four-part lesson format which creates a direct route to learning for all students. Behaviour in classrooms is some of the best in London with our LEADERS routines (which includes articulating answers, using hand signals, eyes on the speaker) now embedded. Our culture of open and honest feedback has meant that in our first Spring term, 102 coaching steps were dropped by teachers for teachers. That is 102 occasions that our teachers became even better. Our work around teacher development is changing our student outcomes:  in 2023, HSAEL was in the top 3% of schools nationally for year-on-year improvement. HSAEL was in top 20 most improved schools in London.    
28 February 2024Spotlight on the Curriculum at HSAELWhat are you trying to achieve? The HSAEL curriculum aims to enact our mission that every student will be a leader in their chosen field, with many choosing to be leaders of STEM. It is through our well taught, academic curriculum that we will ensure that every student will leave HSAEL with the academic currency to gain entry to elite universities and professional careers. We offer a rigorous and traditional curriculum, rooted in academia. The intent of the HSAEL curriculum is to embody our values: Encouraging growth – ensuring students receive feedback regularly and building resilience. Instilling a sense of responsibility – through independence and making decisions that will improve their own academic experience. Promoting ambition – rigorous curriculum that enables students to achieve the highest grades and access to leadership opportunities and elite careers and universities. Fostering compassion – placing knowledge in the context of the wider world and creating an understanding of different perspectives. Cultivating excellence – creating consistent habits in gaining knowledge and a pursuit of the mastery of every subject.  How are you going about achieving these aims? Every department is passionate about their subject and wants to create leaders in their subject areas. With this in mind, when planning the curriculum, Subject Leads begin with an understanding of the knowledge that students will be required to have in order to access the most elite universities in the U.K. regardless of their starting point. It is the greatest honour to have students choose your subject at university level and become a leader in that area. Departments complete medium-term plans so that every student has access to the exact same rigorous lessons and curriculum. Our lesson structure ensures students become independent and confident in their own learning. Every lesson is made up of: The Read Now: Knowledge in context, with the big idea of the lesson considered; or perhaps a worked example or model, so students know what they need to do to achieve. Daily Review – Questions that rely on knowledge recall and prior learning. This will connect their current lesson to previous lessons. This also serves to support embedding knowledge in their long-term memory. Exposition – Metacognitive steps which are planned by the teacher, using their expertise to ensure everyone can move on to the deliberate practice. Deliberate practice – time spent applying student’s prior knowledge as well as new knowledge form the exposition into their work. Students are able to show off their learning in Milestone Tasks which occur at least twice per half-term. Feedback is given to students, and they are then able to refine their responses to maximise progress. What is the impact? Since September, we have seen a shift in students knowing and remembering more. Throughout classrooms, we can see the focus on knowledge and understanding in every lesson. The sequencing of the curriculum ensures that students are building on their foundations and are gaining the academic currency they need to be leaders in their chosen field. Y11 and Y13 students are reaping the benefits of a rigorous, academic, and well-sequenced curriculum. This is clear in their Autumn Mock Results, which show a marked improvement from previous years’ results in Autumn Mocks. We can’t wait to see what our HSAEL students can achieve!
21 February 2024Spotlight on Inclusion at HSAELWhat are you trying to achieve? We believe in inclusive education and supporting all students including the students with SEND, for every student to be a leader in their chosen field, with the opportunity to be leaders of STEM.  We are committed to ensuring that all students including the students with SEND have access to a well taught academic curriculum. We acknowledge students’ strengths as well as their complexities. We aim to provide the support necessary to empower students to take responsibility for their learning, and character building thereby enabling them to experience success at HSAEL and beyond. We believe all students including the students with SEND have the right to achieve their maximum academic and social potential.  By the time our students leave us we want them to be able to: Our SEND students will experience success in GCSE. They will have a definite post 16 plan. The SEND students irrespective of their needs, will be able to choose and access the career they wish to pursue. How are you going about achieving these aims? Harris Science Academy East London seeks to promote this by providing all students including SEND equality of access and opportunity to all areas of the curriculum. Students are taught in an environment where they receive equal respect and in which their individuality is valued. At the Academy we believe that all students have learning differences rather than learning difficulties and it is our policy to identify and assess these differences and ensure that learning is supported and differentiated to ensure good progress is made by all students. We achieve these by embracing the needs of all students and having a whole school approach to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). We provide effective opportunities for all students by responding to each student’s diverse learning needs and setting suitable learning challenges to overcome barriers to learning. We use our best endeavours to secure special educational provision for students for whom this is required, that is “additional to and different from” that provided within the differentiated curriculum. Most students’ needs are supported by Quality First Teaching, others depending on their needs access additional adults’ support. Their emotional needs are supported by having access to the school counsellor and other professionals. Educational Psychologist and Specialist teacher play an important role to support students who have complex additional needs. What are the results of this? This term, in key stage 3, depending on their reading ages students are accessing Flash academy literacy programme, Bedrock, Bedrock plus and Lexia. In summer term, we are focusing to celebrate the success of the reading interventions which are currently taking place. Currently all EHCP students in year 11 have accessed careers advice which will support them to make choices for the post 16 provision. We are working hard to ensure all year 11 students with SEND will have a post 16 destination. We have put a robust system in place to support the students with medical needs. We are working closely with parents to ensure all the students with SEND and medical needs are well-supported, and their needs are regularly updated. The persistence absence among SEND students have dropped significantly from Autumn term to Spring term due to the bespoke attendance and punctuality bespoke programme.  
23 January 2024Spotlight on Character Education at HSAELWhat are you trying to achieve? At HSAEL, for children to become leaders in their chosen field, they will need much more than good exam results. Their qualifications will get them to the door of great opportunities, but the skills and experiences they accrue throughout their adolescence will mean they can have a positive change on their life and their community. By the time our students leave us we want them to be able to: Stand shoulder to shoulder with peers from more advantaged backgrounds. Develop character so that our students can lead in often closed and competitive environments. Make a positive contribution to their local and global community.  Communicate articulately and with conviction in their chosen field.  How are you going about achieving these aims? Through our 12 Character Education Days across the course of the Academic year our students will develop their cultural capital by accessing, different experiences and opportunities. By the time our students leave us they will have: Visited an art gallery and museum. Watched a show at the theatre. Experienced a residential away from home. Been exposed to public speaking and debating opportunities. Visited a university. Raised money for charity. Gained work experience in number of different settings. In addition to these days our students experience fortnightly Leadership Development Time. The aim of Leadership Development Time (LDT) is to helps students grow and appreciate their responsibilities as citizens through our exploration of Relationships education, British values and citizenship. It will also provide students with opportunities to develop leadership skills to make positive contribution to the local and global community. As part of our LDT, students come together as a house to celebrate those excelling as leaders in the community and to also share appreciations for each other. This creates a sense of belonging for our students helping them grow in empathy and compassion. To promote our students’ ambitions each department runs a house activity, where students compete with those in other houses to gain as many house points as possible. At the end of the year all students compete at the Academy Day where the winning House is awarded the House Cup. What are the results of this? We have already run 25 trips in the first term, with every student attending at least 1. 15 different sports fixtures across Newham with over 50 different students representing the Academy. We are the female cross-country champions for Newham. We have offered bespoke workshops and trips for targeted students including, Horse Riding, Presenting on radio 4 and Question Time. Our Character Education programme provides our students with the skills required to be successful leaders in their chosen field. It develops their character and gives them the confidence to lead in very closed and competitive environments, often dominated by those from more advantaged backgrounds. As an Academy through the implementation of our Character Education programme, we are committed to ensuring children at HSAEL can stand shoulder to shoulder with students from any other walk of life!
24 August 2023Harris Science Academy East London Celebrates GCSE SuccessYear 11 students at Harris Science Academy East London are today celebrating a strong set of GCSE results which are the first since the Academy joined the Harris Federation. Over a quarter of all grades were at least grade 7 with almost 60% of all GCSEs achieving a grade 5 or above.  77% of students secured a 4+ in both English and maths. Five students – Nikesh Birundan, Ammar Muhamed Asick, Lubabah Pervaj, Mohammed Rehaan and Jositha Vogireddy - achieved 8s and 9s in every subject. Congratulations are also due to Covenant Ezeh for securing two grade 7s, four grade 6s and one grade 5 after joining the Academy in Year 11 and working phenomenally hard to ensure he was prepared for the exams. We were delighted to have been chosen to appear on BBC News to celebrate our students’ success. Please click here to view Dan MacPherson, Principal of Harris Science Academy East London, said: “These results are testament to the huge amount of work that has gone into improving the Academy since 2022.  I would like to thank the Harris Federation for their support as well as our Vice Principal, Kirsten Boyle, who has been exceptional in leading the Academy’s strategy for Year 11. None of this would have been possible without the support of our parent body during this year of significant change. We wish the Class of 2023 every success in the future.” Executive Principal Lisa Kattenhorn said: “With a clear vision and an absolute commitment from all involved, we have enabled the students to achieve their potential, enabling them to be successful in the future.”

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