Teaching, Learning and Assessment

At Leeds East Academy, we keep high-quality Teaching and Learning at the very forefront of our agenda. Everything we do is underpinned by both our Core Values and our Teaching and Learning Priorities. 

We believe that everyone at Leeds East Academy can be exceptional and our teaching and learning strategy is underpinned by a clear set of principles which support the development of exceptional Teach and Learning to secure exceptional progress and powerful knowledge for every student, every lesson, every day.  

Teaching and Learning Priorities

Our Teaching and Learning Priorities are:  

The LEA Way  
The way in which the curriculum is delivered to optimise student experience and progress through; climate for learning, clear modelling and ambition and challenge. 
Powerful Knowledge 
We aim for students to acquire knowledge that takes them beyond their own experiences and inspires them to make positive change in the world around them. 
High Quality Assessment 
The systematic checking of student understanding so that teachers are able to adapt to the needs of the pupils to maximise progress.

Our Learning Cycle

All lessons are taught as per the Teaching and Learning Cycle to ensure that there is consistency across the academy and that our delivery of lessons enables content to be taught, practiced, applied and remembered. The Learning Cycle diagram explains the key components we expect to see in lessons; a 60 second start, a ‘Teach’ section, discussion and debate, practice and systematic checking, Red Zone, reflections and Green for Growth. 

Quality Assurance

We are proud to offer a robust developmental offer for all colleagues at all levels in our academy. Part of this development is the quality assurance of Teaching and Learning through a balanced and wide-ranging quality assurance schedule. These activities include Temperature Checks, Progress Investigations, Developmental Lesson Visits and curriculum 'Deep Dives'.  

This quality assurance process is developmental and constructive to ensure we continue to strive towards exceptional standards and proceed to develop all colleagues, at all levels.  

Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

We ensure that staff are fully equipped to deliver the high-quality lessons we expect of them, through a highly bespoke and responsive CPD schedule throughout the academic year.    

Staff are proactive in their own professional development by attending CPD workshops that are specific to where they need to develop their practice. Regular curriculum time also allows staff to ensure their subject knowledge is accurate and engaging for our pupils. We pride ourselves in identifying our areas for improvement and then working tirelessly to improve them. 

Pride in Presentation

In a recent external review, it was noted how students are fantastic ambassadors for the Academy and that it is clear that they take great pride in their work. As a staff body we insist on high quality presentation in books and we are proud to showcase the progress we have made in this area through consistent application of our Pride in Presentation policy.

A huge piece of work has been centred around fully embedding Red Zone into our everyday practice and we have certainly seen the impact in our outcomes.