Harris Westminster Sixth Form

The Harris Westminster Sixth Form was officially opened in August 2014 and represented the cumulative efforts over a two-year period of the Governing Body, Senior Management and teaching staff of Westminster School and key representatives of the Harris Federation in establishing the new free school sixth form.

Aims

To establish a free school sixth form that would enable pupils with high academic potential from socially and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds to receive a high-quality education, enabling them to make successful applications to Russell Group Universities in relatively high numbers.

Background

A discussion with Lord Harris and Dr Stephen Spurr, the then Head Master of Westminster School. Westminster had been looking for an opportunity to sponsor an inner-city London Academy for several years and this appeared to be the best opportunity so far.

Resources

The resources critical to the success of the project were the track record of the Harris Federation in setting up schools and academies and the extended academic curriculum of Westminster School, which had enabled very high numbers of its pupils to gain places at Oxford and Cambridge universities (50%), Ivy League universities in the US and other UK Universities in the Russell Group.

Impact

There has been a significant impact, with 37 Harris Westminster pupils in the 2018/19 academic year receiving offers from the Uiversities of Oxford and Cambridge.

Pupil Involvement

There is a number of exchanges and events that Harris pupils are invited to attend at Westminster, as well as shadowing iniatives with Westminster School pupils. Societies correspond frequently and staff share INSET days. There is a great deal of collaboration throughout the year.