Sponsored by the Harris Federation, the academy opened in September 2013. It is much smaller than the average-sized secondary school because the predecessor school had falling rolls in the past and because it now has no students in Year 7. The academy is amalgamated with Harris Academy South Norwood and Year 7 students are enrolled there. In September 2015, present Year 8 students will join with those at South Norwood and they will all start their GCSE courses at that site. Only Years 11 and 10, along with Year 10 students from South Norwood, will remain at Upper Norwood in September 2015. Students who took their GCSEs at Upper Norwood in 2013 and 2014 have joined and are registered with the sixth formers from South Norwood. The sixth form is based at the Upper Norwood site. At present, the two academies have separate identities but by the end of August 2017, the name Harris Academy Upper Norwood will no longer be used – it will continue to be one of two sites within Harris Academy South Norwood. The fabric of the academy has been extensively refurbished in the last two years, for example with new science facilities and improved health and safety features. Over 90% of students are from minority ethnic backgrounds, dominantly Black African, Black Caribbean and Asian. Only a small percentage of students are White British. An above average proportion of students speak English as an additional language, of whom only a very few are at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of students who receive support through the pupil premium is high. This is additional government funding for disadvantaged, specific groups, including students known to be eligible for free school meals and looked after children. The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs is below average. No students attend any off-site educational provision. In 2014, the academy met the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress.