Meet the Principal
My name is Charlie Comerford, and I'm extremely proud to be the Principal of our very special school.
How would you like to introduce yourself to our parents and carers?
As a parent of three children, I know how important it is to be able to really trust the professionals you entrust your children to for 38 weeks a year. As Principal, I put the decisions I make to a simple test: would this be good enough for my children? When I consider what we have on offer at HASN, I know the answer is yes.
I grew up in SE26, and went to school in Sydenham and Catford. Our area means a lot to me, and I am so proud to be the Principal of a school serving the community in which I grew up.
What experience do you bring to the school as Principal?
HASN is my second Headship, and the fourth South London school in which I have worked in senior leadership. I've been fortunate to learn from some of London's best teachers and leaders, and I have been able to bring much of that to the table during my time here.
What's your philosphy when it comes to education?
As a Politics graduate, I started my career teaching Citizenship, before expanding into Sociology, Psychology, History, Geography and Religious Studies (the last of which I still teach here at HASN). I'm passionate about students having both breadth and depth in the curriculum, and seeing how what they learn in school can unlock their understanding of what is going on in the world beyond. Education has transformational power, and I genuinely believe that the better our education system, the happier and more successful our society will become.
What's your approach to behaviour and standards?
I am passionate about social mobility and social justice; I believe that schools can only be great when every child, no matter their starting point, has the opportunity to thrive. For this reason, I believe that having extremely high expectations of students' behaviour is a must, and I make it clear to every child in our school that I expect them to take responsibility for themselves and their learning.
I believe that students have a right to disruption free learning, and teachers have a right to disruption free teaching. This means that at Harris South Norwood, students know that they are entitled to an exceptional education, but that to access this they must respect others, act with kindness, take responsibility and endeavour. To me, these school values aren't just words on a page; they are the fundamental building blocks of what I think makes our school community so great.
What's your approach to the wider curriculum?
I'm a keen musician, an occasional writer, and lover of drama (which I studied until the age of 18). The performing arts in our school are such a strength, and it's a privillege to be able to invest in and sustain so many opportunities for our incredibly talented students to shine.
I also know that opportunities to learn beyond the classroom are a huge part of what students remember and take with them into adulthood after school. I want every student at our school to have access to the kinds of trips, clubs and opportunities that I would want for my own children. This why I have invested heavily in whole-cohort residentials, the D of E, trips abroad and a wide-ranging enirchment programme accessible to all at HASN.
What do parents and carers need to know about you?
I'm passionate about transparent leadership. I try to share the why of my decisions as well as the what, and I ensure we have plenty of opportunities for parents and carers to feed back to me, through parent forums, meet the principal evenings, parent and carers surveys and more. I'm also always happy to speak with or meet with parents and carers who would like to. Likewise, I believe that students feeling genuinely heard and listened to is fundamental to an inclusive school culture. Through our Student Council, Principal's Breakfasts, Student surveys and more, I ensure that students at HASN get to have a say in the decision making of the school.
I'm very excited to have the opportunity to lead our school onto even greater things, and I hope you and your children will come on this journey with us.
I look forward to meeting you soon.
Mr Charlie Comerford
Principal
For an overview of what HASN is all about, please go to our welcome page:
For more on our vision and values as a school, head to our ethos and values page: