Working at Harris
Working here means joining a passionate community that believes every child deserves an excellent education—and every colleague the chance to thrive.
A message from our Chief Executive
We see Harris Federation as a system disruptor – whose purpose is to make life fairer for children in and around London. Our focus is on taking on the most challenging schools and transforming them into exceptional places of learning where everyone – staff and students – thrives.
The secret of our success is that every Harris academy is unique; each school has its own culture and ethos, nurtured by its leadership team, tailored to suit the local community and context. However, all Harris academies are united by a determination to continually improve and quickly identify and share what works, ensuring that every pupil is successful, regardless of their background.
If you would like to learn more about what a career at Harris can offer you, or if you would like to tour one of our academies, we warmly welcome you to get in touch.
Sir Dan Moynihan
Our vision and values
Our Mission:
We are here to close the educational gap. Every child, no matter their background, deserves the opportunity to achieve their ambitions. As champions of social mobility, we provide the tools, support, and inspiration young people need to succeed.
Our academies combine the freedom to meet local needs with the strength of being part of a successful trust. Through collaboration, innovation, and high standards, we create a future where all children can thrive.
Together, we are creating a future where every child has the chance to achieve their ambitions.
Our Values:
- Equity & opportunity – We champion social mobility and fairness
- Decisive & creative – We act with pace and innovation to drive change
- Collaboration – We work together with a purpose for continuous improvement
- Excellence – We set high expectations and support each other to achieve them
What sets us apart
In London, over 700,000 children live in poverty, and nearly 1 in 4 young people qualify for free school meals. The need for transformative education has never been greater.
At Harris, we focus on some of the most challenging schools — and we see them thrive. By driving rapid school improvement, we ensure that every young person, regardless of background, receives an exceptional education.
Today, we educate more than 44,000 students across 55 academies, supported by staff who know what it takes to make a difference. Many of our leaders have spent years at the forefront of teaching and bring first-hand experience of the classroom to their leadership.
This combination of deep expertise, ambitious vision, and unwavering belief in every child’s potential is what sets Harris apart — and it’s why joining us means being part of real, lasting change.
Our impact
Our results tell the story of what’s possible when ambition meets opportunity:
- 83% of Harris academies are ranked in the top 25% of schools in England for pupil progress – many in the top 5% and even 2% nationally.
- In 2024, 29% of students achieved an A or A* at A-level.
Behind every number is a young person with greater confidence, skills, and ambition for the future.
Centralised support
From the start, our aim has been to provide the structure and services needed for our schools to amount to more than the sum of their parts.
Our central teams provide vital support in areas such as finance, human resources, marketing, school improvement, and executive leadership. This allows our teachers to focus on the most important thing: providing an outstanding education to our students.
Meanwhile, our 80+ strong team of subject specialists – our ‘Consultant Team’ - work closely with our teachers to ensure a world-class curriculum in every subject. This support saves schools time and resources so that more funding goes directly into the classroom.
The fact is, if you are from a poor family, if you are black, or you are white working class in Britain - your background, not your ability, too often heavily influences how far you can go in life. And 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, Chief Executive
Diversity and inclusion
We want the Harris Federation to be a great place to work and an organisation that we all have pride in, where every member of our community feels valued, safe, and included.
Our work will impact many generations to come, and our staff come from all backgrounds and walks of life, coming together to inspire young minds. We promote an inclusive culture that embraces the valuable and enriching contribution that all of our community make. We continue to be proactive in uplifting and supporting all voices at Harris.
