The first school established in Headingley is still flourishing! Shire Oak Primary School in Wood Lane is a direct descendent of the Town School established in 1783. “ ‘Rooted in the Community, Growing for the Future’ is our school motto,” says Jane Astrid Devane, now nine years into her role as headteacher. “Our name refers to the famous original oak tree that grew in the centre of Headingley.”
“The school is relatively small with 210 pupils and 40 staff so our teachers get to know all their pupils and their families. Children come from Headingley, Hyde Park, Meanwood and beyond. Our learning is creative, nurturing and always rigorous in the pursuit of good standards.
We are a Church of England school and are associated with St Michael’s Church. Our admissions are the same as all state schools and we welcome families of all faiths and none. Christian values are expressed sensitively and the Church encourages us to prepare our children for life morally and spiritually regardless of background and faith. We learn about all religions and celebrate a whole range of festivals and practices.
One distinctive part of our curriculum is our use of philosophy and we have close relationship with Leeds University Philosophy Department. In consultation with staff and pupils, we take a different Christian value such as sharing, love, trust, respect, compassion, as a theme to explore in each year class.
We are committed to Outdoor Learning. Young children’s speaking and listening skills as well as their health and well-being improve when out of doors. We have created outdoor learning areas, a wildlife garden, a community orchard, and vegetable patches. Outdoor learning and social activities are planned throughout the year including an annual Winter Festival of Fire.
Our children enjoy a range of creative activities, educational visits, and out of hours clubs and activities. We really value music, every child in the school has lessons, they regularly sing, perform, and create music. Year 4 children are all learning to play the djembe drum and all children have the opportunity to take private instrument lessons in school hours.
Our School Council is composed of pupil representatives from all years and is a democratic forum where discussion of the particular concerns of our pupils takes place. Through this we can better ensure the welfare and commitment of our pupils to each other and our school. We work closely with parents and pupils’ families, highly value their contribution and involve them in school activities.”
Parish Hall, originally Town School
Residents were involved with the school from the very beginning – subscriptions were collected from local people to set up a Town School in 1783. In 1844, the school acquired a new building, what is now the Parish Hall. The Town School became St Michael’s Church of England Primary School, and in 1978, it moved to its present purpose-built premises on Wood Lane. In 2006, it was merged with Headingley Primary School, formerly on Bennett Road (now HEART), and was re-named Shire Oak School.
Jane Astrid Devane, Headteacher
Shire Oak CE Primary School
Wood Lane, Leeds LS6 2DT
www.shireoak.org
For the history of the School, see Chapter 8 of Eveleigh Bradford, Headingley (2008) (available at HEART)
Shire Oak School now
