Harris Academy Ockendon

About Harris Academy Ockendon

We are an 11-18 academy with a thriving Sixth Form and state-of-the-art building. It is a school where we are as passionate about developing our staff as we are about developing our students.

Harris Academy Ockendon is a school that aims to become the most successful school in Essex, providing all our students with a first-class education and amazing life experiences.  This reflects our personal outlook on life and on education.  We only get one life and we should all use it to make a real difference in the world, to enjoy being the best version of ourselves and to be the best we can possibly be.  We always tell our students and staff to ‘enjoy being the best you can be’. At Harris Academy Ockendon ‘being the best’ is neither a destination nor a moment in time. It is a journey towards a consistent pattern of behaviour and attitudes that result in constant progress and achievement.

Our role here is to help students and staff dream bigger than they ever thought possible, and to make that dream come true through our culture of ambition, drive and integrity which beats at the heart of our school.   

Harris Academy Ockendon is new to the Federation and provides a fantastic opportunity for an experienced member of staff to hone their leadership craft and be part of a remarkable story.  The building and facilities are fantastic, and the staff are really on board and behind the vision of the school.

The Harris Federation is a highly successful group of schools who serve many of the most deprived areas of London.  We are collaborative, enterprising and share a passion for turning lives around, yet each school is autonomous and free to set its own vision and strategy for how it does that. Each Harris academy feels completely different in terms of culture and ethos.  Perhaps this is the school you’ve been looking for.

Why work for us?

I have the great privilege of not only seeing young people grow and flourish, but providing opportunities for staff to step into their greatness in an environment that feels really safe and rewarding.  We will make Harris Ockendon a brilliant place to work and learn – naturally we are all passionately student focused and we touch lives every day, but that shouldn’t come at the sacrifice of staff.  I believe you can have it all in a school and experience tells me that happy teachers make great teachers so we work hard on that.  We don’t grade lessons, we don’t create fear in the workplace and we certainly don’t burn out our staff.  Indeed, we are incredibly mindful of our ‘life/work balance’ which I hope will be refreshing to hear for staff in other schools who feel constantly bashed and ground down by relentless pressure from above.  What we aim to do is engage, motivate, energise. Teaching should be the best job in the world.  My job is to make that feel really true.

^{George McMillan, Executive Principal}

Forget what you’ve heard about big, bad Federations. This is a school that really tries to keep staff morale high, that gives you a sense of purpose, a sense of autonomy, a sense of trust and continual support and challenge to achieve mastery.  Come pay us a visit and see for yourself.

20 reasons to work for us:

1. Our staff are passionate about developing successful students who enjoy being the best they can be.

2. These words are really important for how we show up at work too.

3. Our mantra of ‘Work hard, be kind, take responsibility’ ensures students behave brilliantly…and in the rare occasions that they don’t, support for teachers is instant.

4. We are developing a supportive, coaching culture of high rapport, high challenge to have you teaching at the top of your game.

5. A highly motivated and positive staff.

6. A staff voice that is actually listened to – an open door to the Principal.

7. No game-playing with results, admissions or people. Honesty is important – even when it's difficult to hear sometimes.

8. Good leadership at all levels with integrity and moral purpose at the heart of all we do.

9. Senior leaders you can trust, who are human and who all still teach!

10. Leaders who walk the talk.

11. An area with high deprivation but a wonderful community that is really supportive of the school.

12. All subjects genuinely valued and a wide curriculum.

13. Your career development taken seriously with excellent CPD and leadership development at all levels.

14. A brilliant opportunity to make your career and help us reach a sustainable ‘outstanding’.

15. The best facilities in Essex and a state-of-the-art building.

16. Competitive salary with generous Harris enhancement (not performance related) and loyalty bonus.

17. Free healthcare plan; loans for season tickets, ICT, bikes; 20% off Tapi carpets.

18. Relocation help.

19. A commitment to our '40 ways we reduce staff workload' to ensure zero burnout. Ever.

20. An additional second week off in October.

Working at Harris Academy Ockendon has allowed me to develop my classroom practice through many CPD sessions provided by brilliant teachers. HAOC has many opportunities for progression and development such as the Lead Practitioner programme, which has helped me to become an outstanding classroom practitioner, observer, and coach. The staff at HAOC are supportive and I feel lucky to be a part of an energetic and passionate English department. Beyond the department, everyone in the school is clearly working at their best to provide for our learners and to create a smoothly run and harmonious environment.

^{Ms Ceco, Subject Team Leader of English}