Donors support our academies, where the need is greatest

Poor children are likely to become poor adults. At Harris, we believe that a child's life chances should not be defined by their family background. 

As such, we are motivated to do all we can to offer opportunities and enhanced life chances to the students in our care.

“The fact is, if you are from a poor family, if you are Black or you are white working class, it is your background - not your ability - that too often heavily influences how far you can go in life. So our purpose, the reason Harris exists, is to ensure that the types of children who far too often get a raw deal can achieve their potential."

Sir Dan Moynihan, Senior Executive Principal & CEO

What disadvantage looks like in practice

Disadvantaged children rely on their schools: they might not have books to read at home, they might not have gardens to play in; they might not have a quiet place to work; they might be coming to school hungry and going home to burdens that many adults would find difficult to bear.

Donor support allows us to provide opportunities that many of our students would not receive otherwise. This includes horizon-broadening experiences for students to attend residential trips or visits to Russel Group Universities; life-changing mental health support; academic tutoring, to counteract the disadvantage we know they face and so much more.

Every area of a student’s life at Harris is enhanced by our supporters and partners – but we know there is so much more we can do. 

To find out more about supporting Harris, please click here.

Our Challenge

A Harris education offers far more than Government funding allows. We invest in our students because we know they deserve more. Our model is efficient: we save over £5 million a year across the Federation, reinvesting this directly into our students. We believe in the power of education to rewrite futures, and we’re relentless in pursuit of that goal.

More than two-thirds of our academies were previously failing. Now, 100% are Good or Outstanding. 70% are Outstanding: more than three times the national average of 17%. The Harris model is a transformation model that works.

Across many of our academies, 1 in 2 children comes from a household earning less than £7,400 (and so receives free school meals). They are proving every day that potential is not dictated by postcode, but by opportunity. We’re here to provide that opportunity.

To find out more about supporting Harris, please click here.