Co-op Academy Manchester

The Co-operative Academy of Manchester has been serving the community of Higher Blackley in North Manchester since it opened in 2010. Our academy values of fairness, ambition and respect are at the heart of everything we do.We have high expectations of our students. They all have a talent and can excel at something. Our lessons are engaging and use the best resources.Our curriculum prepares students to achieve their aspirations, whether that means going on to college and university, or taking an apprenticeship.

All students and staff are members of one of our academy Families. We have six Families named after co-operative pioneers. These men and women (from all over the globe) embody our academy spirit. Some are historical figures from the founding of the co-operative movement, whilst others have made a difference in the world more recently. In Year 11, students move into our seventh Family called ‘Tenacity’ as they focus on their exams.

Our academy is not an exams factory. Whilst we push students to achieve the best results they can, their time here also includes many opportunities to flourish in extra-curricular activities. Our annual academy production gives students a chance to shine as actors, singers and behind the scenes. We have a wide range of sports clubs and other after-school activities. Throughout the year our students experience a wide range of enrichment activities.

The academy is one of a number of schools sponsored by the Co-op – one of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives, owned by millions of members. Co-op is a different kind of business, which puts social goals and community-led programmes at the forefront of what it does. We are proud to benefit from the expertise of Co-op colleagues on our governing body, and they also offer unrivalled opportunities to our students to learn about business and ethical issues. We collaborate closely with our sister academies in the Co-op Academies Trust; through co-operation, we raise standards and offer our students the very best.

The Co-operative Academy of Manchester has a strong track record of excellence in Sixth Form provision, ensuring our students achieve their potential and graduate with the skills they need to succeed in the workplace.The Co-operative Academy of Manchester has a strong track record of excellence in Sixth Form provision, ensuring our students achieve their potential and graduate with the skills they need to succeed in the workplace. We will continue our small class sizes and high levels of individual support. In addition, our business-based programmes will be better than ever, and our students will leave with the knowledge, skills and experience needed to get ahead of their peers in the competitive world of university, apprenticeship and job applications. Together with our sponsors, The Co-op, we ensure that our Sixth Form students have exclusive opportunities to get ahead in the business world.

At The Co-operative Academy of Manchester Sixth Form we will provide you with the support, advice and guidance you need to gain your academic qualifications. We also believe education is more than just achieving qualifications, so will also work with you to improve your core skills and make you more employable. An average class size of just 12 students means you get to work more as part of a team, and your teachers will get more time to spend supporting you. Your Pastoral & Progress Manager will have frequent one to one meetings with you to monitor your academic progress, welfare and to help ensure you’re on track to meet your own personal targets. Our tutorial system has been designed to help enrich your own personal development, setting you on the right path to meet your career goals. Outstanding careers information, advice and guidance is available five days a week. We have specialist SEND staff who are available to support students with extra needs. You will have access to a college counsellor, should you ever need it.

Being a force for good in the community is part of who we are. It’s in our co-operative nature and together with our sponsor, The Co-op, we support the Blackley community in a number of ways.Governors are one of the largest volunteer forces in the country and have an important part to play in raising standards in schools. At our academy, governors include representatives of staff, parents, our sponsor The Co-op and other local organisations.

Our academy is a secondary school for ages 11-16. We are a comprehensive school open to applications from all young people from the local area. Although academies can control their own admissions policy, The Co-operative Academy of Manchester’s governing body has agreed to follow the Manchester City Council admissions code. This means that applications for your child to start in Year 7 in September are made through Manchester City Council.Manchester City Council published details each year of the number of school places available, the admissions rules and how they will allocate places if we are oversubscribed.