Lead the way where it really matters. Discover what Senior Leadership looks like at the Harris Federation.
Many of our academies serve communities where schools have underachieved for decades, yet our dedicated teams are making a difference every day.
The results speak for themselves: disadvantaged students at Harris don’t just outperform their peers nationally; they regularly exceed the outcomes of all students nationally.
With Harris, you are guaranteed to be part of something bigger – a movement that is changing the lives of children across London and Essex.
If you aspire to lead with purpose and see the tangible impact of your work, Harris is the place to be.
Our leaders, both within our academies and across the wider Federation, play a crucial role in delivering outstanding educational outcomes.
Many of our leaders have grown within the trust, progressing through our development pathways and seizing opportunities for promotion. At the same time, we have welcomed many talented leaders from outside Harris who bring fresh perspectives and valuable expertise.
With a vast network of executive professionals to turn to, you will never be alone in your career journey.
Our Senior Leaders benefit from tailored professional development programmes which enable them to advance their pedagogy, leadership skills and drive school improvement.
Supported by experienced mentors, leaders at Harris can access national professional qualifications (NPQs), apprenticeships, and draw on expert knowledge from dedicated subject consultants who offer invaluable subject and curriculum insight.
We offer a diverse library of NPQs designed to equip you with specialist skills in areas such as behaviour and culture, leading teaching, and special educational needs (SEN). The in-depth knowledge gained from these courses can be immediately applied to improve student outcomes in your school community.
We are proud to be a founding multi-academy trust of the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT), which places us at the forefront of cutting-edge research aimed at understanding and improving educational outcomes for children.
Our staff have the unique opportunity to take part in research projects; from investigating teacher retention in socio-economically disadvantage areas, to exploring perceptions of generative AI in education. As participants in these projects, Harris staff help to shape evidence-based strategies that make a real difference in classrooms across the country.
Being a course facilitator allows you to refine your own knowledge whilst helping others. This could include leading workshops, contributing to course content, or speaking at seminars, conferences and other events geared towards professional development.
We attract a high level of interest from staff who wish to become facilitators on the programmes delivered through Harris Institute. Facilitating these courses gives teachers and senior leaders the opportunity to share their expertise and help shape the next generation of educators.
I would recommend working at Harris to any teacher, senior leader, or teaching assistant, especially if you are keen to progress. It’s just so well facilitated here and there are so many more opportunities because we are a large network of academies so there are possibilities everywhere.
Jordan, Head of Academy
Collaborative leadership is a central component of our success. Our most recent leadership conference, Claiming the Future, brought senior leaders from across the Federation together to discuss and find practical solutions to challenges facing education today.
Guest speakers shared valuable insights on change management, Ofsted, and strategic planning. Harris leaders formed ThinkTanks, where they homed in on specific challenges and collaboratively devised strategies to tackle these in their respective schools.
Our leadership conferences serve as a reminder that we are part of a diverse network of support consisting of talented, successful and forward-thinking experts.
