Our recently opened Key Stage 2 Pivot Academy is situated in Leeds East, close to its sister school for older children in KS3 and 4. The school supports younger children, aged 7 to 11, who require a nurturing and therapeutic approach to their education and may have a wide range of complex needs including Social, Emotional and Mental Health concerns and Autism.

Children are always taught in small groups with a high staff ratio and follow the National Curriculum, as well as taking part in activities which are personalised to meet their individual needs. We often make use of offsite facilities to provide children with new experiences they may not otherwise encounter, such as horse-riding, visiting museums and trying a variety of sports. Children also have the option to transition into the nearby Key Stage 3 Pivot Academy at the end of year 6.

Inside the building itself there are reading corners, teaching zones and areas dedicated to emotional support to promote independence and a passion for learning. We also have a beautiful outdoor space, which provides a play area, an outdoor classroom, a sensory garden and an allotment.

We are extremely proud of the passion and skills of all staff at Pivot, including those who specialise in working with children with Autism and also trauma. The team’s knowledge and passion shines through and is apparent to both children and their families.

The Pivot Leeds Academy for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 children, is a short walk from the primary school, and caters for students aged 11-16 from across the city of Leeds.

In common with the primary school, we provide support for young people who may have a wide range of complex needs, including Social, Emotional and Mental Health concerns, Special Educational Needs and those students who have Emotional, Health and Care Plans in place. We also support those on the Autism spectrum and those with communication difficulties.

We teach our students in small groups of a maximum of ten with two staff present. Core subjects are English, Maths, Science and PSHE. We also offer PE, Food Technology, Art, Drama, Health and Social Care and Photography and place a strong focus on promoting, moral, social and cultural values and community links. Learning often takes place off site and students are able to join in with other sessions including horse riding, boxing and gym work.

In years 10 and 11, students work towards GCSE’s and vocational skills examinations.

Students all benefit from our highly skilled teaching team, plus therapeutic support with key workers, access to an educational psychologist, therapists, a social worker and pastoral team. The whole staff team, the students and their families work together to achieve better outcomes and higher life aspirations for our young people.

Here at Pivot our vision and passion to grow as a company and provider is stronger than ever and this is clearly evidenced by our recent inspection outcomes. We remain committed to putting young people at the centre of everything we do and as a result we have achieved phenomenal results with schools, local authorities and most importantly, young people. We pride ourselves on our ability to think outside the box and take comfort in challenging the norms and developing a creative response to need in our specialist areas of special educational needs, pastoral, inclusion and alternative educational services and support. We work with students who display challenging behaviour in certain situations. It is our job to enable them to take responsibility for themselves and to be able to contribute successfully to society and we are looking for professionals who have the drive and ambition to support this.

We have recently been graded as ‘Good’ in all areas in both our Kirklees and Leeds schools