Manchester Academy picked up the ‘Education Investor’ Academy of the Year Award in recognition of the innovative and outstanding work undertaken for the young people it serves. The ceremony, presented by comedian Steve Punt was held at London’s Grosvenor Hotel on 16th November 2010.
Since 2004, Manchester Academy has risen from the ashes of its predecessor school, where in 2003, GCSE 5 A*-C grades stood at just 13%. The academy still has the same intake as its predecessor with black ethnic minority students making up 80% of the academy’s population. The students speak in excess of 68 different languages and 75% of students have English as an additional language. In addition, 61% of students receive free school meals, 55% have special educational needs and the turbulence factor runs at 24%. Yet, in 2010, Manchester Academy’s GCSE 5 A*-C grades reached 81%. In 2009 and 2010 it also had the highest Contextual Value Added scores in the city.
Kathy August was appointed principal of Manchester Academy in 2004 and led the school through its transition. August’s goal was “to become one of the most successful academies in the country by 2010 through a sustained campaign of cultural change.” The three principal strands of this campaign were: educational achievement, preparation for employment and structured and rewarding extra-curricular activities. August also ensured that Manchester Academy promoted the goal with relentless routines; consistency and compliance; high expectations expressed frequently; addressing the needs of the micro population within the academy; using hard data to provide evidence; establishing traditions and emphasising to students the importance of application not ability.
In 2009, Manchester Academy received the award of ‘Outstanding’ by OFSTED. Since then other accolades have followed including: High Performing Specialist Schools Status; National Support School Status and Most Improved Specialist School. The academy has also won the ‘Education Business Awards’ for Academy Partnership and Outstanding Academy as well as the ‘Specialist Schools and Academies Trust’ Literacy Award - to name just a few. Furthermore, the academy’s work as a centre of excellence for Future Leaders and Teach First has led to Manchester Academy becoming a National Teaching School. Kathy August is also a National Leader of Education.
The current success of Manchester Academy is not simply attributable to its academic success. As part of the development of the whole child, Manchester Academy has an innovative Enterprise 4 Employability programme, which has been recognised both nationally and internationally. An example of this is the Academy’s award-winning partnership with Pinsent Masons, an international law firm. Since 2007, the partnership’s two principal components have been a career and business orientated programme and a literacy and numeracy mentoring programme. These components give credence to the belief that the development of academic and career focused skills should run side-by-side if young people are to have the confidence and courage to create their own future, whilst providing worthwhile career progression opportunities for the law firm’s staff.
Kathy August said: “For many young people from deprived areas good qualifications are not enough. In order to use qualifications effectively, young people need interpersonal and transferable skills; self- respect; aspirations; confidence and the ability to communicate in a variety of registers. When family and community efficiency are often non-existent – the academy has to input these skills.”
Jane Delfino, Director of Innovations at Manchester Academy, said: “Long gone are the days when education was just the responsibility of the students and school. The guidance received by our students from our many business partners has been instrumental in ensuring our students succeed and become the bright young adults of the future”.
By Katie Alford
Marketing and Publicity Officer
Manchester Academy