Leadership by example {CASE STUDY}
We speak to SARAH CARRIE, prinicipal at Leeds East Academy, and SARAH STEELE, maths teacher, senior house leader and student events co-ordinator, about winning School of the Year at the UK Parliament Awards, and how they’ve acheived sustainable success in their academy So, tell us a little bit about your school. SC: Leeds East Academy is a fantastic school. It serves the community of Seacroft; our student population is incredibly diverse, vibrant, multicultural and really inclusive and it’s on a real journey at the minute. We’ve done a lot of work around setting a new vision - a really aspirational vision for the academy, which is centred around the principle of everyone being exceptional, and focused on the organisational culture and the climate which enables our young people to flourish despite, maybe, some of the challenges they might be faced with. We’re part of an amazing trust, as well, which has a strong moral purpose and is values–driven; the values set at the top of the organisation absolutely permeate and filter through every element of the organisation. So, we’re very child-focused, very staff-focused, and all about
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October 2021
developing the whole person - not just academic potential but also the ability to be citizens who make a great contribution to society and use their ability to influence positively. Why is sustainability so important for your school? SS: Over the four years I’ve been here we’ve developed a social action project - it’s about developing young leaders to be the next generation and to be confident leaders - but we also need to educate these young people about the climate emergency, so they’re aware of what they need to do to look after the planet. It’s really important that as a trust, and also as an academy, we are leading by example. SC: I really want to encourage our students to understand how their behaviours and their choices can impact the environment. We want to develop young people who have a social