Curriculum Intent
Our academy is filled with culture, languages and experiences from around the world.
This is what makes our school setting so unique, diverse and vibrant.
Our pupils receive a curriculum that is ambitious and reflects individual contexts. The curriculum will provide the opportunity to develop a sense of belonging: To our school, Leeds, Yorkshire and the United Kingdom. We are proud of our location in Harehills and want our pupils to feel pride in who they are, what they are and who they represent irrespective of the barriers and challenges of socio-economic local circumstance.
We are a school that is proud to be Co-op. We are not a shop, franchise or business but embrace the best of what it is to be cooperative and the values that underpin it:
- Self-help
- Self-responsibility
- Solidarity
- Democracy
- Equity
- Equality
These values are demonstrated in our curriculum and drive the sense of purpose our school community has.
While many of our pupils join, and leave us, at different points to the traditional school mode. Our pupils will nevertheless leave our school with a sense of pride and belonging. They will leave us having had the opportunity to learn and experience a broad and balanced curriculum. This will focus on meeting the National Curriculum Objectives and relating these to the needs of our pupils, through a knowledge-rich curriculum and key skills. Pupils will apply this to their lives outside of school, into secondary education and their lives beyond. Our curriculum will create innovators who’ll apply their knowledge and demonstrate this through a range of opportunities. (including: Performance, Creation and Experimentation)
They will be excited about the individual challenge in learning and that reward comes from overcoming barriers and developing resilience. Most importantly, they will see purpose and value in what happens in school and how this applies to them in life, both in school and beyond.
Stages
‘Stages’ are used in schools to group years.
- Foundation Stage – reception
- Key Stage One – years 1 and year 2
- Key Stage Two – years 3, 4, 5 and 6
Inclusion
Why Inclusive Teaching Matters at Our School
At our school, inclusive teaching is not just an "addition" to what we do—it is the heartbeat of our entire approach. Our community is beautifully diverse and constantly evolving, with many of our pupils joining us at different stages of their education. To ensure every child thrives, we must teach in a way that turns these unique contexts into a collective strength.
Meeting Every Child Where They Are
With a high number of students moving in and out of our school each year, and many joining us with no prior experience of the UK education system, we cannot use a "one-size-fits-all" approach. Inclusive teaching allows us to level the playing field. By using visual tools, hands-on experiments, and "scaffolded" lessons, we ensure that a child’s success is determined by their potential and effort, not by their language background or how long they have lived in Leeds.
Building a Sense of Belonging
Moving to a new school or country can be an overwhelming experience. Our inclusive methods are designed to lower anxiety and build immediate solidarity. When a child sees their own identity reflected in our lessons and finds they can succeed at a task from their very first day, they develop a deep sense of belonging. This emotional security is the essential "foundation" that allows academic learning to take place.
Living Our Co-op Values
Our commitment to Equity and Equality means we refuse to let socio-economic barriers or a lack of state funding limit a child’s future. Inclusive teaching ensures that every pupil—regardless of their starting line—has access to an ambitious, "knowledge-rich" curriculum. We don't just teach children to pass tests; we teach them to be self-responsible, resilient innovators who are ready to contribute to their community.
A Community of Innovators
In our classrooms, you will see pupils of all backgrounds working together to solve problems, experiment, and create. This diversity is our greatest classroom resource. By teaching inclusively, we prepare our children for life beyond the school gates, giving them the confidence to navigate a diverse world with empathy, pride, and the skills to succeed in secondary education and beyond.
Our Promise: Whether a child is with us for a single term or for their entire primary journey, inclusive teaching ensures they leave us knowing they are valued, capable, and that they truly belong to the Harehills community.