Manchester Academy (secondary school)

Manchester Academy is a coeducational secondary school within the English Academy programme, in Moss Side, Manchester. It is situated on Moss Lane East (B5219), near Denmark Road, with the University of Manchester nearby to the north and the Whitworth Art Gallery to the east.

Manchester Academy
Address
Map
Moss Lane East

, ,
M14 4PX

England
Coordinates53°27′33″N 2°14′02″W / 53.4591°N 2.2338°W / 53.4591; -2.2338
Information
TypeAcademy
Established2002
FounderUnited Learning
Local authorityManchester
Department for Education URN134224 Tables
OfstedReports
PrincipalJames Eldon
GenderCoeducational
Age11 to 16
Enrolment1080
Former nameDucie Central High School
Websitehttp://www.manchester-academy.org

History

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The Manchester Central Grammar School for Boys was established on Whitworth Street in 1900.[1] While the Central High School for Girls remained at Whitworth Street, the Central High School for Boys moved to Kirkmanshulme Lane in Longsight in 1958.[1] It amalgamated with Victoria Park Secondary School to form the Central High School for Boys (as a comprehensive school) in 1967.[1] It then amalgamated with Ducie Technical College to form the Ducie Central High School for Boys in 1982.[1]

The school moved to Moss Side, where new buildings were built at a cost of £5 million (the old site is now occupied by Belle Vue Centre), in September 1995.[1] Iain Duncan Smith visited the school in October 2002.[2] After a £12 million new building had been completed, the school re-opened under the leadership of Dame Kathryn August as the Manchester Academy in September 2003.[3][4]

Admissions

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Since its reopening, it has been run by United Learning,[5] a subsidiary of the United Church Schools Trust.[6] Over half of pupils are entitled to free school meals and many are from refugee or non-English speaking backgrounds.[7]

Academic performance

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In 2009, the Manchester Evening News reported that the school had achieved an 'astounding transformation', with its predecessor once branded 'the worst in the country', it was now rated by Ofsted, the schools inspectorate, as 'outstanding'.[7] The fact that many pupils come from diverse and often economically impoverished backgrounds led experts to state that pupils at the academy performed much better than they would at most other schools.[7]

Awards

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Pupils from the academy won the national Apax – Mosaic Enterprise Challenge 2009/10 Award,[8] with their 'virtual business' having generated profits of over £6.3 million online. Attending a ceremony at Atlantic House, London, in March 2010, they were awarded a trophy and a cheque for £3,000 from BBC Dragon's Den and Radio Four Today presenter Evan Davis and Khawar Mann of Apax Partners.[9]

Having won the regional final of the Debate Mate competition, pupils from the academy competed as national finalists in the 2010 Richard Koch Cup Debating Final, chaired by Channel Four's Krishnan Guru-Murthy at the House of Lords.[10]

Notable alumni

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Central Grammar School for Boys

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Ducie Technical High School for Boys

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Other local United Learning Trust schools

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "The Central High School for Boys". Manchester History. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  2. ^ "The 'quiet man' hits the road". BBC News. 14 October 2002.
  3. ^ "Trustee of largest academy chain – and ex head – joins Ofsted board". TES Global. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  4. ^ "Reborn school a class act". Manchester Evening News. 28 April 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  5. ^ "United Learning Trust, registered charity no. 1093277". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
  6. ^ "United Church Schools Trust, registered charity no. 1016538". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
  7. ^ a b c Qureshi, Yakub (28 April 2009). "Reborn school a class act". Manchester Evening News. M.E.N. Media. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
  8. ^ "Apax – Mosaic Enterprise Challenge". Archived from the original on 5 September 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
  9. ^ Mosaic (11 March 2010). "Manchester Academy Enterprise Champions". Mosaic. Archived from the original on 5 September 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
  10. ^ Manchester Academy (1 July 2010). "National Finalists in 'Debate Mate' Competition at the House of Lords". Manchester Academy. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
  11. ^ "Obituary: Eric Boyland". The Guardian. 17 June 2002. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023.
  12. ^ Falconer, Isobel. ‘Chadwick, Sir James (1891–1974)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept. 2004; online ed., Jan/ 2009 accessed 26 June 2009
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News items

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