Curriculum Overview - Harris Academy Orpington View our posts @haorpington 13/03/26 This week HAO proudly took part in National Science Week, embracing this year’s inspiring theme: “Curiosity – What’s Your Question?” We believe every great idea begins with a question. So we ask our whole community: What’s your question? @HarrisFed Video @haorpington 10/03/26 Image @haorpington 10/03/26 World Book Day took place last week, but as part of the fun activities throughout the week, students produced some great work. Below are a few examples from some of our talented students. @haorpington 10/03/26 This week HAO is celebrating Science Week, with this years theme ‘Curiosity - what’s you Question?’ Here are some of our staffs curious questions. @haorpington 06/03/26 On its way to becoming a yearly event, HAO students are once again taking part in the Mini London Marathon for schools, creating our own mini marathon in the last 2 weeks for the spring term. #WeRunTogether @haorpington 02/03/26 The new spring/summer term sports clubs go live this week. Make sure you sign up and bring the right kit to participate. @haorpington 16/02/26 As its half term, we didn’t want our students missing out on such a celebration, so incorporated it into our week. Thank you to @SchoolCatering @HarrisFed #LunarNewYear @haorpington 16/02/26 The catering team at HAO created an amazing range of foods for lunch last week to celebrate the Lunar New Year, which is tomorrow. @haorpington 12/02/26 🎓 Happy National School Governors’ Awareness Day! A huge thank you to all our dedicated school governors who give their time, expertise, and passion to support our schools and help every pupil thrive. Your commitment makes a real difference every day. #NSGAD #SchoolGovernors @haorpington 30/01/26 Event Reminder - Year 8 Parents Evening is next week. Students will have appointment sheets to book in the meetings. We look forward to seeing you all on Thursday. @haorpington 23/01/26 HAO is launching its attendance challenge  from Monday. What is the prize I hear you ask... the most improved year group will have a pizza party on the last day of this half term. Last time, Y10 were the winners. Lets see who comes out on top this time. @haorpington 16/01/26 What are you reading currently? Check out our recommendations. @haorpington 05/01/26 Event Reminder - Year 11 Parents Evening is this week. Students have already had their appointment sheets. We look forward to seeing you all on Thursday. @haorpington 15/12/25 Finally, a reminder: The last day of this term is 19/12/2025, and the Academy will close to all students at 12.45pm. Students will be allowed to wear their own clothes, including Christmas jumpers, and we ask all to bring a £1 donation that will go to our local charity. @haorpington 15/12/25 Whilst Y11 resume career discussions to support them in planning their future pathways. Additionally, they will have the opportunity to take part in their first HAO Sixth Form taster day - an exciting chance to experience what life could be like with us after GCSEs. @haorpington 15/12/25 End of Term Highlights - As we approach the final week of term, our focus is on exploring the next steps for not only our students, but those that could join us next year. Banding day was a success as we welcomed prospective students and their parents - with a mop up this week. @haorpington 03/12/25 LBB's upcoming winter HAF programme will run again from 22nd December to 31 December 2025 The programme offers free holiday club places, including activities and healthy meals for families with children 5-16 years old who get FSM. Book directly:  shorturl.at/uluNm @haorpington 27/11/25 Well done to our Year 8 and Year 9 football teams, who both won their tense and entertaining matches, by 1 goal. Both our goalkeepers saving last minute penalties to hold out for the win! Great effort by all! @HarrisFed @haorpington 24/11/25 What a week at HAO last week! From advocacy and community engagement, assessments galore,  to student achievements and a little theatre magic – here’s what we’ve been up to in images 👇 #Education #Advocacy #HAO @HarrisFed @haorpington 19/11/25 Well done to the Year 10 football team on their 7-2 win on Monday night in the Bromley League. Two wins from two, making it a successful campaign so far. @HarrisFed @haorpington X Wall Harris Academies All Academies in our Federation aim to transform the lives of the students they serve by bringing about rapid improvement in examination results, personal development and aspiration. 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Our curriculum will: Meet the needs of all our students Be delivered by consistently strong teaching Enable our students to make continuous gains in deep knowledge and skills fluency to secure a successful future Focus on highly effective teaching as the motivation for deep learning which will lead to the examination success required for desired next steps To ensure students will have access to the full curriculum offer regardless of race, sex, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity and gender reassignment. We focus on creating successful citizens who are ambitious, welcoming of difference, whilst accepting of continuous change. The Academy strapline “together we can” is supported by this policy, which sets out a knowledge rich curriculum aspiring to challenge of our students regardless of their starting points. Curriculum Intent A fundamental requirement is that each subject area must have in place a detailed scheme of work, which sequences clearly knowledge, skills and understanding, showing how the needs of all students will be met in implementation. The following principles will apply in subject curriculum design The curriculum will be ambitious, the teaching of rich knowledge fundamental The curriculum intent will powerfully address social disadvantage Every subject curriculum will be supported with opportunities for the acquisition of subject specific vocabulary, reading fluency and developing writing The curriculum will be appropriately sequenced, so that new knowledge builds on prior learning and greater fluency, ensuring understanding has greater depth over time Each scheme of work will have clarity on end points, defining in detail what needs to be learned and what will be remembered at each stage Skilful teaching will support knowledge being transferred to long term memory The curriculum will engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievements Leaders, teachers and students will have a good understanding of the curriculum content in its entirety from 7-13, being able to articulate why learning is sequenced in the way chosen. Curriculum Implementation It is very important that through our curriculum, students receive high quality teaching and learning experiences in all areas in order to ensure students learn and remember what they are taught across each subject area. The teaching and learning policy sets out how this will be achieved in more detail, but fundamentally teachers must be experts in their subject as well as continuously improving their pedagogic knowledge and skills. Teachers are expected to work with their subject teams to plan skilfully, adapting schemes of work to meet the needs of their specific classes in the way they find most effective, however the following principles apply across all lessons at Harris Orpington Mastery of subject specific content is the focus in each lesson Every student will be supported to have full access to the curriculum Narratives and experiences that make the subject content memorable Avoidance cognitive overload, by scaffolding and sequencing lessons carefully Be clear on what students are expected to know and remember and check this in each lesson Our Implementation plan is outlined fully in our Teaching and learning and Assessment policies. Key Stage 3 Curriculum The Key Stage 3 curriculum runs from Y7-9. Updated schemes of work are in place for September 2021. Our curriculum is designed to provide depth and breadth of study whilst ensuring that appropriate time can be devoted to Mathematics, English and Science. Our intention to give students a taste of as many subjects as possible, whilst preparing them for and informing them about their GCSE options and careers. Literacy and numeracy skills are developed in every subject and across the curriculum. All students in Year 7, 8 and 9 study a language which they continue to study until GCSE. Where appropriate, students may pick up a second, additional language in Year 10. All students have lessons in Geography and History, Physical Education, Religious Studies, PHSE and Computer Science. Students in Year 7-9 have dedicated Enrichment lessons which they all attend. Key Stage 4 Curriculum The Key Stage 4 curriculum is followed by years 10 and 11. All students will study Mathematics, English, Science, PE and Religious Education and the vast majority study a humanities subject and a modern foreign language. The list of optional subjects is extensive and gives students a real opportunity to experience a subject that they may then want to study at university. Key Stage 5 Curriculum At Key Stage 5 we offer a number of subjects that students from other Harris Academies come here to study with us. For an extensive list of what is on offer in the Sixth Form, please see our Sixth Form section For more information about our curriculum , please contact info@harrisorpington.org.uk Curriculum Curriculum Overview Subjects Exams, Assessments, Information and Revision GCSE Options Reading & Literacy Harris Scholars Head of Academy: Richard Carey Harris Academy Orpington, Tintagel Road, Orpington, Kent, BR5 4LG 01689 819 219 Email Us Find Us Useful Links Harris Federation Term Dates Prospectus Admissions Paper Copies Harris Careers Education How to Find Us Harris Federation Policies Cookie Policy: We use cookies on this site to improve your user experience. More Information Allow All Cookies Manage Preferences Deny Cookies Allow All Cookies Submit & Close