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12/02/25

We had an amazing time representing Harris Academy Peckham at the recruitment fair! It was fantastic meeting so many talented individuals and sharing the opportunities we offer. Thank you to everyone who stopped by! pic.twitter.com/FOSkgvJ7W7

09/02/25

We want to hear your thoughts and ideas for shaping the future of Peckham Square. Peckham Library is hosting an exhibition (13 to 21 February) with workshops and a chance to meet the team. You can also have your say online https://t.co/DbZxdzZm94 pic.twitter.com/J3PUizmABy

05/02/25

Some of our most passionate readers had the opportunity to sign up for Southwark Libraries. Now they have access to even more books, plus a large selection of e-books and audiobooks. Happy reading! pic.twitter.com/wSO2lCHDF0

05/02/25

🚨 Start your teaching career! 🚨 Join our NIoT ITT Webinar on Tuesday, 11th Feb, 7-8 PM GMT to explore Primary & Secondary teacher training in London & South East. 💻 Meet expert tutors, learn about ITT programmes & get application tips! Register: https://t.co/1KNvUMaHeT pic.twitter.com/rbHwWbu6Kw

05/02/25

Refugees and asylum seekers are welcome in our libraries✨ All our libraries offer a warm welcome to new arrivals to the UK and those seeking sanctuary. 🤗 Read more here: https://t.co/d62yv0gOL3

05/02/25

Aged 14-18? Come along to the Southwark Youth Parliament Triple A Careers Fair where you can explore opportunities, network and win prizes Holland House, 1-4 Bury Street EC3A Noon to 2pm, 18 Februaryhttps://t.co/cxcacIRU77 pic.twitter.com/nlbT5vgh9C

04/02/25

This week is and this year's theme is 'Know Yourself, Grow Yourself'. Understanding who we are is the first step towards our emotional wellbeing and in our academies, we have an important part to play in helping our students to develop this. pic.twitter.com/qIZIXBpIO5

04/02/25

We are looking forward to meeting with talented educators at the Recruitment Fair on Saturday 8 February in Central London. You can register your interest in the event here: https://t.co/NEuAawKQ1V pic.twitter.com/xaPNIKttKe

03/02/25

FREE STUDIO SPACE AVAILABLE at Mountview on Sunday 23 March, 12pm – 6pm💜 If you would like to use free space for community workshop, a panel discussion, rehearsal or similar please complete the application form here 👉 https://t.co/fWYTzGGkwK pic.twitter.com/nNaBr7K6OH

03/02/25

Your Next Opportunity Awaits! Join our Recruitment Fair in Central London on 8 Feb 2025 to explore exciting roles! ✅ Meet school leaders ✅ Discover new opportunities ✅ Attend interactive talks Register now 🔗 https://t.co/agXJh1JHZ3#TeachingJobs pic.twitter.com/01F3b4MHFd

31/01/25

Here are Year 7 monoprints inspired by the work of artist William Morris. Students explored pattern and symmetry to create these beautiful prints! pic.twitter.com/YrVVjOHu3d

31/01/25

Check out these amazing animal masks created by our Year 8 students, inspired by the work of Ben Newman! pic.twitter.com/S0Ds8cRPFK

31/01/25

HAP students thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Odyssey Festival Orchestra perform at last week and meeting the musicians! 🎶 They're still debating what their favourite piece was... pic.twitter.com/yAe41XrHkc

29/01/25

Excited to share that HAP's annual theatre trip treated 88 deserving students to a delightful pantomime, ‘The Little Mermaid’! 🎭 Huge thanks to for making this fantastic opportunity possible! pic.twitter.com/ikuwsGmdxj

27/01/25

We are thrilled to receive the Certificate of Accreditation Bronze Award! Assessed in accordance with The Diversity Mark for Schools framework, this achievement highlights our commitment to fostering an inclusive and diverse learning environment. pic.twitter.com/yeZlJ6fP4r

27/01/25

We're less than 2 weeks away from our Harris Federation Recruitment Fair! 📅 Saturday 8 February 2025 📍 De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, WC2B 5DA Register now to secure your spot: https://t.co/YbeetAc2kf#HarrisFederation pic.twitter.com/OkwrZHKCD1

22/01/25

Thanks to for sharing their Chinese teacher with us and supporting this amazing trip!

17/01/25

Hope to see you there! Ticket information coming soon 🎫🎵 pic.twitter.com/bonhAczJ4M

17/01/25

Are your and skills as good as our amazing pupils who visited and the exhibition this week? pic.twitter.com/7w74PWMw6b

20/12/24

Wishing Our School Community a Merry Christmas! As the holiday season approaches, we want to extend our warmest wishes to all our students, parents, staff and governors. Thank you for being a part of our wonderful school family. We look forward to an exciting new term together pic.twitter.com/2XdTJIEn6r

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Latest News

Posted on September 28th 2021

HAP Wins 'Best Curriculum' Prize at Diversity Awards

Friday September 24th was another wonderful day for Harris Academy Peckham community.

It was, after all, the Diversity Awards for Education evening, a celebration of schools in London who offer above and beyond support and celebration for their rainbow communities, representing the multitude of ethnicities, languages, faiths, and backgrounds that make London's schools distinct.

Harris Academy Peckham themselves were nominated for four (yes four!) awards that evening, including nominations for our work with communities and the brilliant contributions of exceptional year groups.


Diversity awardsWho would win 'Best Curriculum'?

However, there was one particularly coveted prize: "Best Curriculum". The question remained, which curriculum truly took seriously the genuine representation of the communities being taught, and ensured that their students could become truly global citizens?

The drum rolled, schools across the country waited with bated breath... The winner was, yours truly, Harris Academy Peckham. Mr Tate, Ms Bergin, Mr Lane and Head Girl, Treasure (all pictured), cheered in delight. We did it!

But what was the background to this? Our curriculum development started two years ago. The killing of George Floyd in America and the subsequent protests that ensued, have served as a catalyst in many ways.

Here at Harris Academy Peckham, it sparked an internal review of staff’s feeling and attitudes about racism and representation in education. The audit revealed to staff and students that a lot of good quality work was currently underway. However, staff were not always aware exactly how each department was ensuring diversity in their curriculum.

This was a missed opportunity for inter-disciplinary practice, we had to seize it. From these discussions we were prompted to do a curriculum audit to ascertain how effectively we were practising diversity and inclusion as an institution.


Diversity awards 2Good practice across departments

Each department was tasked with identifying actions taken in the past, current strategies and future aspirations that demonstrate we are catering for our diverse staff, students and community. Good practice shared included:

  • History's use of Christine Councell's "Meanwhile elsewhere..." principle to ensure that any study of British history explored its global consequences; alongside its intermittent in-depth study of particular cultures that led to Peckham's own diversity such as the study of Islamic Civilization in Year 7 and the study of Mansa Mussa in Year 8
  • The English department's "Diverse Shorts" scheme of work that include short stories and extracts written by Benjamin Zephaniah and Sita Brahmachari. Or its in depth study of Boys Don’t Cry, an Own Voices text by Malorie Blackman,a  Black writer, that does not tokenise Blackness but does explore Black experiences
  • The Science Department's celebration of scientists from around the world, to help students put similar names and faces to the content that they themselves are studying
  • The RS department's religion in the media module, exploring issues of solidarity in the Black Lives Matter Movement with those battling Holocaust denial online.

Of course, winning this award cannot become merely a tokenistic "box ticked". Moving forward we will be re-auditing our curriculum, ensuring we are up to date with the issues our community faces, work towards a Diversity Mark and wean out institutional racism wherever we can.

Nonetheless, this is a promising stepping stone in that journey. It means a great deal to our young people that their backgrounds and worldviews matter in forming our Peckham schema. To be rewarded for this spotlights that this means a great deal to wider society too.


What students and teachers say...

“It is fantastic to have won this award. Nonetheless, we must remember that excellence is not an event, it is a habit. We look forward to working on the Diversity Mark to push forward.” Mr Tate Science Teacher

“We have worked hard to ensure that students get access to literature from a range of voices. It is important for children to read about the lives of people similar to themselves and others.” Ms Kohnen-Zuelzer, Librarian

"Including diverse voices, stories and experiences within our curriculum is important to ensure we reflect the rich and vibrant community of Peckham. Within History this is crucial, as without these voices and stories being interweaved into the tapestry of our curriculum, we fail to tell the complete narrative of our past." Mr Tye Head of History

“We have realised that we can make an impact on the academy community and create a curriculum that can connect and touch different lives.” Treasure, Student Principal

“A diverse curriculum means that can get to live different people’s experiences.” Megan, Student Vice Principal

“I am so happy that we have actually made a clear positive change to the world.” Faridat, Student Assistant Principal


Click HERE to see the latest newsletter from Learning Workz about the Diversity Awards and Diversity Mark.