why choose Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy?

Our Small Schools

Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy follows the human-scale model of education. This means that students are placed into one of four colleges in which they remain for their education at The Leigh – Shakespeare College, Mandela College, Curie College and Seacole College and then transition through to Attenborough College for their Post-16 studies. This college model ensures that children are known and valued as individuals and supported to achieve to their potential and beyond in a community that encourages participation in their own learning, promoting strong, nurturing relationships, fostering respect for self, others and the community which students will then take with them into the wider world

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We pride ourselves on our broad and balanced curriculum and believe that all of our students should be given the opportunity to try new subjects and develop new skills. We encourage each individual to explore interests and challenge themselves to excel. We truly believe that every student has the ability to achieve great things and each will have their own area of expertise.

Our students study a three year Key Stage 3 curriculum, in Year 9 they select the subjects they would like to continue to study to GCSE level. Post GCSE we encourage our students to continue their journey with us into our Post-16 provision.

In addition to traditional subjects we are proud to be part of an international project involving 12,000 students and putting healthy minds on our curriculum. The aim is to improve students’ skills and the resources they need to improve resilience, make a positive change to their behaviour and ability to learn. The following courses are being delivered in Year 7, 8 and 9 – PENN Resilience, Media Navigator, I. Breathe, From School to Life, Media Influences, Unplugged – Substance use/Misuse, Sex Ed Sorted and Relationship Smarts. All students in these year groups have one healthy minds lesson timetabled per week.

We take pride in being the first school in the UK to have been awarded The Healthy Minds School kite mark, as well as the national ‘Area of Excellence’ for our RSHE curriculum, which demonstrates our commitment to the personal development of students.

Student Support

Each college community is supported by a student services manager (SSM), who is a non-teaching member of staff who is available throughout the day to support and guide our students pastorally. Students are also placed in a tutor group and have daily contact with their tutor who will support the student’s holistic development.

At Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy we support and value the abilities of all our students. We strongly believe that it is our duty to provide equal opportunities for every young person in our care and a safe and fully equipped learning environment, which caters to the needs of every student as an individual. We are committed to inclusion within the academy curriculum and participation in all aspects of academy life.

Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy adopts a ‘holistic approach’ to special educational needs. All staff work to ensure inclusion of all students. We are committed to ensuring that students with special educational needs can fulfil their potential and achieve optimal educational outcomes.

‘An extremely well-thoughtout ‘healthy minds’ programme covers all the important topics.’ Ofsted, 2023

Digital Learning – Chromebooks

The academy operates a Google Chromebook scheme for all of our students, which means that all students will be given their own device to use for the duration of their education with us. We believe that the Chromebook allows our students the opportunity to learn any time, any place and gives them greater flexibility in terms of completing assignments and developing independent learning skills, both in lessons and when completing work at home. As parents and carers it also provides a unique window to your child’s learning and allows you to be involved and informed about their progress on a daily basis.

Careers Education and Work-Related Learning

Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy offers their students a robust careers learning/education programme. We prepare our students for life in a global community.

Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy is proud to have the Investor in Careers Award which demonstrates our commitment to a structured, organised careers learning programme which follows the Career Development Institute guidelines.

It is important to develop the lifelong learning agenda to enable students to understand the relevance of learning and prepare them for a life beyond education.

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Students whose education, health and care (EHC) plan identifies a primary need of speech, language and communication will benefit from access to our resource-based speech and language provision.

These students will spend most of their time in mainstream lessons and will also have access to specialist support through small group teaching and therapy to enable access and independence across the mainstream curriculum by the speech and language therapist, specialist teacher and learning support assistants.

Hearing impaired resource-based provision

The Inclusion Hub at Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy includes a dedicated resource base for hearing impaired students with severe to profound hearing loss. We are moving towards a total communication/ child led approach with the needs of each child being assessed and taught accordingly, encompassing all methods available.

Though the hearing impaired students work, primarily in their mainstream classes for the majority of the time, some lessons take place in the hearing impaired resource base itself. The rooms are used for specialist teaching, audiology and speech and language therapy

Uniform

Students, parents and staff have worked hard to create our distinctive uniform for Years 7-11. The uniform design takes into account durability, cost and identity. It gives students a feeling of pride which we hope will stay with them throughout their days at Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy and beyond. 

The wearing of uniform is essential for the maintenance of high standards in all aspects of Academy and College life and considerably enhances the Academy’s image and standing in the community. A high standard of personal appearance is expected of all students and anyone arriving in non-uniform clothing may expect to be sent home.

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