SOUTH LEEDS ACADEMY

I visited the South Leeds Academy this afternoon to see my colleague Colin Bell, the Principal at this remarkable learning place...


Colin is the remarkable principal at this wonderful learning place and I wanted to visit the Academy again before I leave Leeds because the story of South Leeds Academy is yet another of our successes. I am particularly grateful to Colin and his colleagues at the South Leeds Academy who have achieved something quite remarkable over the last five years. Colin's leadership, in particular, has transformed provision as we moved from two failing schools with massive problems of underachievement, low expectations and disaffection in awful buildings with little hope or aspiration to a position where we have passion, commitment and success in a wonderful newly built learning environment where young people are more positive and optimistic. We are also on a trajectory that will achieve the previous Government's magical 30%, and the current Government's new 35%, achieving 5A*-C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics. They are also on track to achieve 80% of the young people getting five good GCSEs or the equivalent; which is simply unheard of in South Leeds. 



The challenge of course is to build on this real success story; to build on what Colin and his team have achieved... whatever it takes!
Chris