More than just a school

The Manchester Communication Academy is a new local high school in North Manchester which opened in September 2010 to Year 7 students.

The Academy offers a full range of subjects and specialises in communication – speaking and listening, languages, drama, media and presentation skills, and information communication technology.

Learning is at the students’ own pace, allowing them to take exams as and when they are ready for them. Students are also able to do their homework at the Academy before and after school, with staff from the Academy there to help.

Lessons are inventive and interesting and all students at the Academy are able to use their imagination and grow their talents. The curriculum encourages teamwork, enterprise and collaboration.  Parents can help with studies by accessing online updates, reports and information sessions.
Everyone who comes to the Academy is able to learn by taking part in real life projects with BT, who are a lead partner for the Academy. As a result young people are encouraged and supported in becoming independent and inspired learners.

It has fantastic sports facilities including:

- A large new sports hall
- A full size, all weather, flood-lit sports pitch
- Five grass pitches and three other outdoor games areas

If you would like to hire our sports hall / dance drama theatre (that seats 100 people) or our outdoor floodlit 3G astro pitch please contact Martin Roberts on 0161 202 0161.

Our Mission

Through the improved use of technology, communication and collaboration, our mission is to help every individual achieve their full potential and contribute to a sustainable future.

Our Vision

A communication and technologically rich, innovative and supportive lifelong education environment, where all stakeholders collaborate to both equip and encourage individuals to contribute to the creation of a better world.

Our Values

Our Academy values can be summarised in the following words:

• Trustworthy
• Helpful
• Inspiring
• Straightforward
• Heart

These are the core values that underpin all of our day to day work and they are demonstrated in all aspects of Academy life.

Our Aims

The Manchester Communication Academy is a centre for excellence in its communication specialism and for teaching and learning.  It provides young people from all backgrounds with an exciting place to learn new skills and gain important and relevant knowledge for the next stage of their lives.

We aim to enable every student to achieve the highest standards in English and Mathematics and a wide range of other subjects and we will expect the highest standards of behaviour, dress and attendance from all students, at all times.

Learning and teaching within the Academy ensures that all learners are not only confident individuals, but:

• Can use technology effectively with an emphasis on collaboration tools.
• Have acquired the necessary communication skills to enable them to work in teams and get their ideas conveyed, heard and understood.
• Have an excellent knowledge and understanding of the use of processes to enable them to generate new ideas, solve problems and make sense of data collection.

Learning at the Academy

The Academy is divided into five Learning Zones, led by a Senior Leader, with its own staff, learning and recreational spaces and home base.  Students are in mixed tutor groups with a family basis to ensure that personal relationships between students and staff develop quickly and to create a culture of excellent behaviour.  As children move through the Academy they benefit from this smaller scale nurturing environment on a daily basis, but do also have access to high quality specialist teaching expertise from across the Academy.  The Learning Zone team know every one of the students in their care and are able to monitor progress and achievement.

The Academy has a team of highly skilled subject leaders whose job it is to develop outstanding teachers in their subjects.  These experienced classroom teachers lead the teaching in their subject area and coach and mentor other staff to enable them to deliver a consistently high standard of teaching in all lessons.

Children will benefit from our nurturing environment on a daily basis.

The curriculum

The Academy has a curriculum which is for the 21st century: adaptable; challenging and inspiring.  We believe that all children should leave with a firm foundation in the key areas of English and Mathematics. Our curriculum is designed to ensure that every student acquires the high levels of numeracy and literacy needed to take on a full range of other subjects with confidence.

The curriculum is innovative, creative and challenging, with varied learning styles, to maximise engagement and relevance to the learner.  There is a specific focus on communication skills – speaking and listening, presentation and interview skills, digital communication, modern foreign languages, drama and art.

We believe these skills will be in high demand in the workplace of the future.  In addition every child learns to cook and takes part in lessons which emphasise personal and social skills.  We also offer health and fitness programmes for all students and these are built into daily routines, to ensure that every student develops and maintains the energy levels required to be successful at school.

Beyond the classroom

We believe that a student’s education should extend beyond the classroom through in-school and extra-curricular activities and we provide a comprehensive programme of after-school clubs and activities.  Our enrichment programmes play an important part in each child’s development to become successful and confident citizens of the future.  These programmes include a wide range of sports and drama activities, music, drama and dance performances, sporting competitions, day and residential trips.  Students are also expected to participate in community activities and represent the Academy as a good neighbour.  We also provide opportunities for students to develop their leadership skills in the local and wider community.

Academy building and facilities

The Academy has been designed to give students the chance to use their imagination, enthusiasm and talents in a safe and secure environment.

The whole academy site is also wireless so students are able to access the internet and use technology anywhere in the building.

Students can come to the Academy to do their homework before and after school, with access to staff and resources.

The Academy is a true community facility. It provides an attractive and stimulating learning environment for students, their families and other people living in Harpurhey and North Manchester.

This local high school provides job opportunities as well as resources, giving everyone the chance to participate and acquire new skills, and have the choice of further education and employment.

The Academy facilities are open for everyone in the local community to use at the end of the school day, at weekends and throughout the school holidays.

Inclusion

Special educational needs

The Academy provides a range of interventions to support students with particular learning needs.  We follow the revised code of practice in identifying, assessing and supporting students with special educational needs.  Through individual education plans we provide support which is tailored to cater for each student’s unique situation.  Support may be given in class, in a small group or through withdrawal classes and is delivered by a skilled team of teachers, learning support assistants and specialist behavioural support workers.  If your child has special educational needs you can discuss these in more detail with the Vice Principal Learning and Teaching.

English as an additional language

We provide well matched extra support for students with additional language needs.  Our emphasis on the core curriculum and a combination of induction classes and one-to-one teaching ensures that these students receive extra support until they reach the expected levels in English.

Gifted and talented

Our individualised learning and assessment programmes recognises and nurtures the gifts and talents of individual students and provides them with challenge and extension work.

Ethos and behaviour

The Manchester Communication Academy has a very clear code of conduct and expects the highest standards of behaviour from all students, both within the Academy and in the wider community.  Specific programmes help students develop strategies for maintaining excellent behaviour and well motivated approaches to learning.

We have a formal uniform and we expect every child to attend school looking smart in full uniform every day.  Good attendance is essential to success at school and all students are expected to have an excellent attendance record and be punctual.

Uniform

We have a formal uniform and we expect every child to attend school looking smart in full uniform every day.  Good attendance is essential to success at school and all students are expected to have an excellent attendance record and be punctual.

Uniform for students

Indoor clothing, boys and girls:

• black blazer
• plain white shirt or blouse with school tie
• plain black trousers or black skirt
• plain black socks
• plain black shoes suitable for school wear
• trainers or sports/leisure footwear of any colour are not acceptable

Regulation PE kit, boys and girls:

• suitable running/cross trainers, football boots where applicable, work with shin pads
• white sports socks
• black shorts
• academy training top and sweatshirt
• plain black tracksuit/jogging pants

Jewellery – applicable to all students:

• One small pair of gold/silver sleeper studs and a wrist watch may be worn.
• No other form of jewellery or piercing is acceptable.

Building a Bright Future page

Working in the local community is an important part of day to day life at Manchester Communication Academy.  We have already set up a number of projects that will ensure all members of the community surrounding the Academy can get involved and become part of the exciting work taking place.

Manchester Communication Academy has developed two exciting community projects. Once Upon a Time will capture and showcase the history of Collyhurst and Harpurhey. Changing Places will help local schools and voluntary organisations plan and deliver new community initiatives - from buildings and community gardens to after school care.

Once Upon a Time

Once Upon a Time will be a living multi-media exhibition created to capture and showcase the biography of Collyhurst and Harpurhey.  Older adults will become ‘peepholes’ into this community’s rich memory and will allow us all to see, experience, celebrate and crucially to ensure that this wonderful legacy is the Academy’s starting point.

If there are any Harry Potter fans reading this, you will remember the ‘pensieve episode’ and Dumbledore’s words to Harry:

‘This memory is everything and without it we leave the fate of our world to chance’.

Initially, 30 young reporters will work with 30 older adults.  They will use various methods to gather the memories.

• They will design, issue and train the older adults to use the ‘Memory Box’.  This will contain a simple recording device (MP3), images, artefacts and question cards, so in the comfort of their own homes, in their own time, they can ‘chat and record’ their memories
• They will be trained to film interviews and will do this with individuals and groups, possibly in the context of social events organised for the purpose
• They will work with a professional photographer to gather stunning images of the traces of the participants’ memories, buildings, activities and the older adults themselves.
• They will gather a collection of precious objects, maps and models as directed by the older adults

The project will then employ a number of freelance professionals to work with the older adults and young people.  These will include a researcher, photographer, an artist, a media consultant, a poet/writer, a storyteller, music, drama and dance practitioners.  Together they will build a living exhibition.

Anybody visiting the exhibition will experience:

• Fixed exhibits:  These will all be articles that people can handle, pass round, discuss, write and think about, photograph and sketch
• Storytelling:  People visiting the exhibition will come together at programmed times to ‘overhear’ the storytellers’ thoughts, conversations, jokes or even arguments!
• Film:  This will be tailored to the venue.  Community centres, galleries, schools, libraries will be transformed as powerful moving images fill every inch of wall, ceiling and floor to tell the stories
• Performance:  Community members young and old will work with actors, musicians, historians, poets to translate the memories into compelling live performance
• Art work:  A memory album will be built by those who attend and will provide a living and dynamic backdrop to the exhibition.
• Photographs:  A gallery of faces, buildings, remnants and traces will be captured and portrayed
• Guest appearances:  Some surprises!

Changing Places

The second exciting new scheme, Changing Places, will give a number of local primary schools and voluntary sector organisations the chance to work together for a year, and with professional support, to design, fund and deliver a community project each.  Their project ideas are very exciting!  The leaders of these organisations are certainly up for the challenge of developing much needed community projects.  The project ideas include new buildings, community gardens, performances, learning opportunities for adults, support for parents, after school care and much more.  This time next year the organisations will present their successful community projects in a huge showcase event!

The Primary Engineer

The Primary Engineer project will reside within the Manchester Communication Academy offering a partnership that will involve local primary schools, teachers and Academy students with its range of programmes. This unique opportunity will mean Primary Engineer working with the Academy’s local primary schools, delivering teacher training and providing classroom resources to develop the engineering skills in students.  Primary Engineer incorporates a number of national programmes to inspire, enthuse and educate pupils and teachers about the world of engineering through the classroom and will also be encouraging children to engage with the world of work researching, meeting and interviewing industry professionals about their careers and career paths.  A very exciting part of this programme will be the Bloodhound project which mirrors the attempt by Richard Noble, Andy Green and the engineers and scientists to work together to break the World Land Speed record.

In addition to superb education and academic facilities, the Academy also has excellent new sports and leisure facilities, with six brand new sports pitches including a floodlit all weather surface, a large sports hall and a drama studio.

Talk to us page

The Academy is a local school for young people and everyone in the local area is also able to use the buildings, computers and internet access, and sports facilities.

The school has been built for students and local people so tell us what you think. What would you like to see in the Academy and how would you like to use the amazing facilities?

Tell us what you think >>

You might have questions about the Academy and what it will mean for you. Contact us and we’ll give you the answers you need.

Ask us a question >>

Policy document download area

Here you can download copies of our policy documents.  If you require a paper version of the policy please do not hesitate to contact us on 0161-202-0161 or admin@mca.manchester.sch.uk