Curriculum Overview

We believe that education is the single biggest lever for social justice. We believe education is the means to transform many of the challenges that society faces, be it injustice, poverty or social disadvantage. This is our mission at Harris Academy Rainham.

At the core of our educational mission is teaching children powerful knowledge that enables them to understand the world around us. We believe all children should have access to this powerful knowledge.

For this reason, all students in our school study an academic curriculum, all students study languages and all students experience the breadth and depth of our National Curriculum.

For us, this is an issue of social justice. The teaching of powerful knowledge is at the heart of our education system. It develops our students' intellectual abilities, enables them to think deeply and critically and it enables the transmission of our values and traditions from one generation to the next. As G.K. Chesterton writes: "Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another."

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What is powerful knowledge?

Powerful knowledge is different to the knowledge that we acquire in our everyday lives. If we simply teach children knowledge that is relevant to them, we will forever condemn them to be trapped by their experiences and their circumstances. Knowledge is liberating, enlightening and broadening.

This powerful knowledge is collected into subject disciplines that are alive and vibrant. We encourage our students to recognise that, when they study science, they are entering a scientific community that is dynamic and where new knowledge is being created. It is for this reason we teach students both substantive and disciplinary knowledge.

In an age where truth has become eroded, powerful knowledge is concerned with truth. It is this knowledge that liberates our students from the tyranny of ignorance, the sweet words of the dictator and the fear that invariably follows a lack of understanding. Our students will step into the world with knowledge that enables them to become active, responsible citizens who are profoundly human.

To fulfil these aims we have developed a knowledge-rich curriculum that ensures our students are able to learn and remember knowledge that enables them to think deeply about their subjects. 

This curriculum, along with our approach to teaching, enables our students to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills to become successfully in a range of subjects.

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Year 7 – 9

All students study the full National Curriculum across the three years at Key Stage 3.  Students select their GCSE options during Year 9.

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Year 10-11

The Key Stage 4 curriculum is followed by Years 10-11. All students will study Mathematics, English, Science and a PE option and the vast majority study a humanities subject and a modern foreign language. The list of optional subjects is extensive and gives students real choice.

Click HERE to download a statement of our curriculum vision and principles.

For further information about the curriculum please contact the Principal's PA at the school or email info@harrisrainham.org.uk