The Harris Group

Over 3,000 Harris sixth formers received their A Level and vocational qualification grades today.

While results and university outcomes are still being confirmed, we are very proud to share what we know so far: 

• 28% of students have places at top Russell Group universities – more than double the national rate – and this from an intake drawn largely from backgrounds underrepresented in higher education;
• 57 students have places at Oxford or Cambridge, 28% of these from economically disadvantaged backgrounds; 
• So far, 70 students have places for Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Science – among the most competitive university courses in the country. 55% of these are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and two are young carers; 
• Vocational students achieved an overall average equivalent to a Distinction, with almost two-thirds of grades at Distinction* or Distinction.

Harris Westminster Sixth Form, which is academically selective but prioritises students from disadvantaged backgrounds, had its best year yet, with more than one in seven students going to Oxford or Cambridge and nearly a third of entries awarded an A*. 

Many of our students have places on prestigious apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships. These are with employers including Barclays, HSBC, Microsoft, PwC and the insurance sector firms Beazley and Velonetic. 

The results also highlight the Federation's commitment to excellence for every student. Disadvantaged students matched the performance of their peers, with virtually no attainment gap, while students with SEND achieved in line with their non-SEND peers. There was also no difference in performance between male and female students. 

Before we turn to the individual successes of the Year 13 cohort, we also need a special mention for one of our Year 5 pupils: Musa, from Harris Academy Chobham, who has achieved an A* in his Maths A Level. Musa learned his times tables aged two and a half. As he prepares to begin his final year of primary school, he is a popular and charismatic pupil, particularly happy when playing football. 

Other standout students include:

• Congratulations to David, the first student from Harris Boys’ Academy East Dulwich to secure a place for Medicine 
• Harris Westminster Sixth Form’s Lena is off to study Mechanical Engineering at Loughborough University
• Harris Academy Ockendon’s Kamila has a place for Medicine at City St George’s, University of London
• Shyanne is the first from her family to go to university and the first from Harris Academy Orpington to go to Oxford - well done Shyanne! 
• Harris Academy Chobham are celebrating Year 5 pupil Musa who has an incredible A* in his Maths A Level 

Other than Lena, a Harris Westminster student, all these sixth formers were supported by our Harris Federation programmes designed to help the most able students in our academies reach their academic potential. 

We also want to pay tribute to the students who have achieved their A Levels whilst also living with serious medical conditions. These include:

• Olivia from Harris Academy Tottenham, who has multiple sclerosis and is today celebrating a place at Royal Holloway for Law; 
• Mary from Harris Girls’ Academy Bromley, who has sickle cell anaemia and is going to the University of Manchester to study Children’s Nursing;
• Cortana, from Harris Academy Ockendon, who achieved three A Levels despite having a brain tumour removed in November. 

The class of 2026 have secured more top university places than any Harris cohort before them, many from underrepresented backgrounds. That is a cred to our exceptional students and to the staff who taught and supported them. 

Ten year old Musa, from Harris Cobham, gets an A* in A Level Maths

Kamila has a place for Medicine at City St George’s, University of London

Lena, from Harris Westminster Sixth Form, who is off to study Mechanical Engineering at Loughborough University

Shyanne from Harris Academy Orpington is going to Oxford

David is the first student from Harris Boys’ Academy East Dulwich to secure a place for Medicine