Harris Academy Tottenham

The school is part of the Harris Federation; it opened in September 2014 and initially operated from Chobham Academy, another of the Harris Federation schools in Stratford, East London. The school relocated to its new site a year later, into pre-used buildings. The full conversion and an additional teaching block were completed for the 2017/18 academic year.{{cite web |title=Ofsted Report 2017 |url=https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/2709937 |accessdate=27 October 2020 |website=ofsted.gov.uk}}30x30px This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under the [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ Open Government Licence v3.0]. © Crown copyright The school’s site has undergone complete refurbishment; it shares its dance studio and sports fields with the public when not in school use.{{cite web |title=Harris Academy Tottenham |url=https://school-space.org/school/harris-tottenham/ |website=School Space |accessdate=27 October 2020}}

The academy has designed its curriculum collectively calling heavily on Dylan William's education research.{{cite journal |last1=Wiliam |first1=Dylan |editor1-last=Chambers |editor1-first=Peter |title=Principled curriculum design |journal=Redesigning Schooling |date=October 2013 |issue=3 |url=https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_sjwood/uploads/document/Wiliam-Principled-Curriculum-Design.pdf |accessdate=29 October 2020 |publisher=SSAT}}

The primary phase benefits from some specialist teaching from teachers from the secondary sector especially in year 6, where subject teaching is introduced.

{{cite web |title=Primary:Quality teaching and learning |url=https://www.harristottenham.org.uk/215/primary-curriculum-quality-teaching-and-learning |website=www.harristottenham.org.uk |accessdate=29 October 2020}}

Virtually all maintained schools and academies follow the National Curriculum, and are inspected by Ofsted on how well they succeed in delivering a 'broad and balanced curriculum'.{{cite web |last1=Roberts |first1=Nerys |title=The school curriculum in England Parliamentary Briefing Paper |url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN06798/SN06798.pdf |website=parliament.uk |accessdate=6 July 2020}} Schools endeavour to get all students to achieve the English Baccalaureate(EBACC) qualification{{snd}}this must include core subjects, a modern or ancient foreign language, and either History or Geography.

Harris Academy Tottenham operates a three-year Key Stage 3 where all the core National Curriculum subjects are taught.

In Key Stage 4, all students do the EBacc core subjects (with Maths and Science at different levels judged by ability), and certain options: Classics, Performing Arts, Music, Art, Design Technology, Food Tech, Exam PE and Computer Science.{{cite web |title=Curriculum Maps - Harris Academy Tottenham |url=https://www.harristottenham.org.uk/287/curriculum-maps |website=www.harristottenham.org.uk |accessdate=29 October 2020}}

Entry to the sixth form is dependent on 7 GCSE passes, and the intention to achieve 3 or more 'A' levels.

{{cite web |title=Sixth-form curriculum |url=https://www.harristottenham.org.uk/262/sixth-form-curriculum |website=www.harristottenham.org.uk |accessdate=29 October 2020}}

The academy publishes all the statutory information on its website .{{cite web |title=What academies, free schools and colleges should publish online |url=https://www.gov.uk/guidance/what-academies-free-schools-and-colleges-should-publish-online |website=GOV.UK |accessdate=29 October 2020 |language=en}}

In September 2020, Lawrence Foley became Executive Principal of the Academy, implementing a "zero-tolerance" approach to discipline. Within the first month of his tenure, three black students were permanently excluded triggering backlash from some in the school community.{{cite news |last1=Parveen |first1=Nazia |title=Police examine threats against staff at London school accused of racism |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/apr/30/police-examine-threats-against-staff-at-london-school-accused-of-racism |access-date=30 April 2021 |work=the Guardian |date=30 April 2021 |language=en}}

A petition on change.org, which called for Foley's immediate resignation and accused him of discriminating against black students, was raised by Joshua Adusei, a PE teacher. The petition claimed that the exclusion of the three students was racist, and the changes made by Foley to the discipline policy disproportionately affected students from Afro-Caribbean backgrounds. It was also alleged that he had been harassing members of staff through a school restructuring plan. The petition gained widespread social media attention and amassed nearly 6,000 signatures within a week. One comment on the petition claimed the school was run by white people... who don’t understand the children while another compared its policies to Putin’s Russia.{{Cite web |date=2024-04-03 |title=Looking to the Future after online harassment |url=https://schoolsweek.co.uk/looking-to-the-future-after-online-harassment/ |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=schoolsweek.co.uk |language=en-GB}}

Lawrence Foley, HATO's Senior Leadership Team, and the wider Harris Federation vehemently denied all allegations, with the Federation branding it a "misleading, vindictive, and vexatious campaign". In the wake of the events, Foley received four death threats. Additionally, a threat was made, via the comments section of the petition, towards HATO staff, with the perpetrator, who is thought to be a student at the academy, threatening to "stab" them. All threats were reported to the police and the comments section below the petition was removed as a preventative measure. Adusei called the removal of the petition's comment section a taking away of free speech.

Opinion is largely divided over the scandal, with many{{Who|date=April 2024}} accepting (or corroborating) the claims laid out in the petition and speaking of a deep-seated culture of institutional racism within academies and schools like HATO, which is proving detrimental to the growth and development of young black students. However, several others have dismissed the allegations as unsubstantiated and criticised Adusei for wrongfully subjecting the academy, and a teacher, to an infamous 'trial by social media'. They also highlight the potentially dangerous ramifications of such actions as evidenced by Foley receiving death threats.{{cite news |last1=Belger |first1=Tom |title=The schools facing 'trial by social media' |url=https://schoolsweek.co.uk/death-threats-and-protests-the-schools-facing-trial-by-social-media/ |access-date=30 April 2021 |work=Schools Week |date=30 April 2021}} It was later revealed that one of the permanently excluded students had punched a teacher.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Federation said that they "fully reject all of the allegations made by Mr Adusei." The statement continues to say that "He (Mr Adusei) has used online platforms to conduct a misleading, vindictive and vexatious campaign in order to defame his colleagues and destabilise his school. It is concerning to us, as it will be to teachers and school leaders everywhere, that he cannot be challenged on an equal footing because GDPR and his rights as an employee protect him from being challenged on his allegations, his motivations and the facts of the situation disclosed.” The spokesperson added that the content in the petition was “demonstrably untrue”, but said they were “reluctant to divert time and resources” from their children to provide the proceedings required to remove the petition from Change.org."{{Cite web |date=11 May 2021 |title=Harris Academy Tottenham denies institutional racism accusations |url=https://www.enfieldindependent.co.uk/news/19294792.harris-academy-tottenham-denies-institutional-racism-accusations/ |access-date=23 August 2023 |website=enfieldindependent.co.uk}} The petition was later closed by Adusei.

Adusei was initially suspended and later dismissed from his position. After inspection in January 2023, Harris Academy Tottenham retained its outstanding rating by Ofsted, first given in 2017.

• Pimlico Academy
• Batley Grammar School

{{reflist}}

• {{official|www.harristottenham.org.uk}}

{{Schools in Haringey}}

{{Harris Federation}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Secondary schools in the London Borough of Haringey

Tottenham

Category:Educational institutions established in 2014

Category:2014 establishments in England

Category:Primary schools in the London Borough of Haringey

Category:Free schools in London

Category:Academies in the London Borough of Haringey