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Student Leadership

Opportunities to Develop Leadership Skills

At Leeds East Academy we support our students to become leaders as it contributes to their positive development as people. It not only prepares them for the world of work but also supports students to become self-regulated in school.

Student Leadership

Overview

At Leeds East Academy, we firmly believe in immersing students in all elements of the academy structures and progress towards becoming a world class educational setting. Student development and leadership are a vital element in this process, and we aim to provide as many opportunities for students to lead and drive forward key areas of improvement and development. There are a number of roles in which students can develop their leadership skills at Leeds East and we are passionate about, not only hearing the views of our students and ensuring that they are a central part in our decision making, as well as equipping them with the skills ready for the working environment and shaping them into future leaders. Below is an outline of our student leadership structures and events to ensure that we are developing and moulding future leaders. Each of the roles outlined below will be provided with a job description, outlining key areas of responsibility to ensure that students have clarity and structure around their role.

Student Leadership

The LEA Student Leaders will be a central team of young people who will drive key areas of academy development and improvement. This team of young people twice per half term to discuss key issues and areas of foci, both responsive and in line with the academy ADIP. Students express and interest in these roles through their Guardians and the Student Experience team, following the sharing of job descriptions early in the half term.

We have aligned and merged the Student Leadership structure to ensure that all students and key stakeholders, be that staff members or external parties, are all driving the same areas, ensuring full coverage of all elements of the academy, including: the Quality of Education, Pastoral and Operations.

Members of the Student Leadership include students from all year groups and from all backgrounds, ensuring we are representing the full and diverse student body at LEA. There are two members from each year group, including year 11, who sit on the Student Leadership. The students are elected within the first half term of the academic year, promoting democracy, which is a central part of our academy values and ethos. Students nominate themselves for this role and will take part in the campaign leading up to the election. As part of the campaign, candidates will each write their own manifesto and mandate for the year ahead, outlining what their priorities will be for the year and how they will fulfil the role of a member of Student Leadership. From this, each year group will vote for the candidates from their respective year groups, ensuring that each year group is represented by the candidates who they feel represent their voices and views.

Following this process, students will meet every half term, writing their own agendas, minutes and actions whilst working with key stakeholders and external agencies to drive their agendas.

 

Student Head of Key Stages

The team will consist of two pupils from across key stage three and four and will act as the role models/elite students for each key stage. As part of the selection process, a job description, as with all other student leader roles, will be shared across the student body. In order to be considered for these roles, students will write a letter of interest to the Principal, Mr Bullock. Following a shortlisting process, students will be invited to a formal interview with the Principal and Assistant Principal for Student Experience, with appointments following this cycle. The successful candidates will fulfil a number of roles and responsibilities, such as attending SLT meetings where appropriate and representing the academy on visits. They will also attend Student Leadership meetings where appropriate. Each student will act as a role model and advocate for their key stage, and will be central to the Student Leadership structure.

 

House System

Overview

The House system at Leeds East Academy is central to the school structures and ethos. We have placed our Core Values at the centre of this system, with each house being named after the four core values: Resilience, Integrity, Trust and Ambition. Each house is headed up by a house leader, who drives a number of areas within the academy student experience team, as well as having two house captains per house to support. The house system itself is centred around enhancing student experience and engagement, both in lessons and the wider experiences. A series of house events takes place every half term, promoting:

  • strong and positive relationships between staff and students
  • the four core values
  • participation and engagement.

House leaders also work closely with cohorts of students to improve positive behaviours, attendance and attainment. Their role is to support and enhance the experience students have at LEA, making it a unique and special one.

The House Leader role

Aside from organising and enhancing student experience, the house leader role is held in high regard in terms of supporting everyday academy structures and systems. It is the expectation that house leaders are present in Guardian groups of a weekly basis, are working with Guardians to develop relationships with students and support and mentor students. 

Day-to-day roles and responsibilities

  • Guardian visits, checking equipment and uniform
  • Supporting Guardians, mentoring staff who require further development/support new Guardians at LEA
  • Cover Guardian groups (where appropriate and on a rota)
  • Conduct Guardian ‘non-negotiable checks’
  • Plan and deliver half termly house assemblies
  • Support the development of Guardian time resources
  • Mentor identified students to improve: behaviour, attendance and progress/positive attitudes to learning

Wider roles and responsibilities

  • Plan and deliver on house events, in line with the academy and student experience calendar
  • Support whole school events
  • Create a sense of belonging and identity within each house
  • Support and develop extra-curricular activities and E1E
  • Support the development of student leadership
  • Promote and support the importance of the core values
  • Strengthen relationships between external agencies and parents
  • Support and strengthen the reward strategy by overseeing house points and rewards
  • Create house newsletters and communication 

House Captains

As with our Student Leaders, our students will also have the opportunity to apply to become a House Captain, working closely with the House Leaders and staff from the Student Experience team. This role is more centred around the supporting the infrastructures that are already in place (Similarly to the process of the electing of Student Parliament members, students will nominate themselves, write and promote their own campaign in line with the shared job descriptions. Students then work closely with the House Leaders to promote themselves during half term one, with a similar vote taking place as with the Student Leaders.

BulliesOut

A number of students across all year groups attended training to become Peer Mentors though the BulliesOut training sessions. They now work as Anti Bullying Ambassadors and Peer Mentor through providing one to one sessions with individual students as well as through a series of session they have created and delivered to students on key themes such as self-confidence, resilience and communication.  

"Empower"

We want a future in which female role models are more prominent in society. This is not possible without programmes like 'empower'. The programme the trust has developed is a female empowerment programme that offers a leadership qualification for a selected group of young women. As well preparing them to become the next generation of leaders. Empower is about educating these young women on the issues and the barriers and giving them the tools to overcome. In addition to building confidence, self-belief and equality across the academies. The message of 'empower' is reflected in the wider school through inspirational women in the curriculum and celebrating events such as 'international women's day'. It promotes a culture where girls are comfortable to be who they are and to become whoever they want to be'.

The group have recently worked with Freedom 4 Girls where they looked at period issues such as anxiety and product poverty. The group have collectively developed a period policy in school as well trial sustainable products to help reduce their personal carbon footprint. They will soon be working with a local artist and the Freedom 4 Girls group on an exhibition at the Thackray Museum.

Half Term Updates 

Half term updates will be coming soon. 

If you are looking for a new career opportunity within a value driven organisationclick here to see our current vacancies.