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Reaching further: taking the Harris model beyond our schools
For over 30 years, Harris has transformed persistently underperforming schools in some of the most disadvantaged communities.
Now, thanks to new investment, that expertise is reaching beyond our own academies – into educational “cold spots” where the need is greatest.
Through a partnership with the Department for Education’s RISE programme, Harris leaders, curriculum specialists and SEND experts are working with schools across the South East, Midlands and North. Some receive light-touch, remote support; others benefit from intensive, on-site consultancy – but all share the same goal: to raise standards quickly and sustainably.
This work targets areas where outcomes for disadvantaged pupils lag far behind the national average. In places like Thurrock, Medway and parts of the North West, fewer than a quarter of disadvantaged pupils achieve a grade 5 in English and Maths. By intervening earlier, Harris can help schools improve before failure becomes entrenched – preventing years of lost opportunity for whole cohorts of students.
One Director explains:
“Until now, we’ve only been able to work this way within our own network. Philanthropic support means we can take our proven model further – without diluting it – and help transform schools, and futures, far beyond London.”
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