Harris Boys’ Academy East Dulwich

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school and feel safe and cared for. They are happy and treat each other kindly. The school teaches pupils to respect each other's backgrounds and culture.

Pupils are rewarded for demonstrating the school's core values of being confident, curious, respectful, resilient and ambitious.

Leaders have set very high expectations for what they want pupils to achieve. Pupils, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are given a strong platform to achieve well.

They are strongly encouraged to opt for the English Baccalaureate suite of qualifications to provide them with wide choices for their futures. Outco...mes are high, as shown through recent GCSE results.

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary.

They do not tolerate bullying or disrespect for others. They understand the importance of coming to school and, as a result, attendance is high, including for pupils with SEND. Pupils seize opportunities to extend themselves and do so with maturity.

For example, in physical education (PE), pupils learn to choreograph and develop dance routines with a high level of technical difficulty. They are also encouraged to join the choir and participate in high-quality performances.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has a broad and purposeful curriculum.

Leaders have given careful thought to the subjects that pupils should have access to and how these support their personal development. There is clear definition of the knowledge and skills to be taught alongside important vocabulary that pupils are expected to understand and remember.

Teachers are passionate experts in their subjects.

They are skilful at using questioning to check what pupils have understood and what they need help with. The presentation of vocabulary is precise. Teachers know how to introduce complex new words and help pupils learn to use these fluently across subject areas.

The school quickly identifies pupils who are still learning to read. These pupils are then given ample support to raise their reading levels rapidly. Teachers reinforce these early reading approaches in each subject area.

Pupils with SEND achieve exceptionally well. They access the same curriculum as their peers and receive excellent support in the classroom to help them meet leaders' high expectations. Teachers know their pupils' needs well, and they know how to adjust their teaching to meet individual needs.

Pupils remember what they have been taught and can extend this to new learning. For example, in science, sixth-form students make comparisons between energy transport modes using high level vocabulary that builds on what they know from GCSE.

Leaders have established powerful and effective routines for supporting pupils' attitudes to learning.

As a result, pupils care about their studies and are eager to take advantage of the high-quality teaching available to them. They are trusted to take responsibility for homework and wider reading. These habits are part of the character development work that the school explicitly teaches.

The school's work to develop pupils' character is exceptional. Each opportunity available is woven together to build up the traits of an 'active citizen'. For example, in English lessons, pupils learn about poets from a range of backgrounds and traditions alongside well-known texts.

Pupils find these choices relevant, and this helps to build their cultural appreciation of other societies.

Leaders have established a well-being curriculum through which pupils are introduced to concepts of neurodiversity and actively taught to care for their mental health. A comprehensive personal, social, health and economic education curriculum sits alongside this and uses trained familiar adults to deliver important messages and ideas, such as online safety and having respectful relationships.

The school has provided boys with an anti-misogyny programme to teach them how to challenge sexist views in society.

All pupils, including those in the sixth form, are expected to identify an interest to develop through the wide range of clubs on offer. Pupils enjoy taking up these opportunities and can be found gardening, playing guitar, badminton, table tennis, or performing in a foreign language spelling competition.

As pupils progress through the school, they receive high-quality individual advice on their future careers and subject options. These conversations involve families and build up to a variety of qualifications available in the sixth form, including A levels, T levels and vocational qualifications. Through meaningful opportunities to work with employers and to visit schools, colleges and universities, pupils receive extensive preparation for their futures.

Leaders and those responsible for governance prioritise the well-being of the school's staff. Teachers are appreciative of the high-quality professional development on offer.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.