Co-op Academy Manchester Review 2026: Large Manchester secondary with a clear community focus

A big 11 to 16 secondary in Higher Blackley, this academy has the scale to offer breadth, while keeping a tight grip on routines and expectations. The roll sits just below capacity, with 1,610 pupils against a capacity of 1,650, so year groups are sizeable and social circles are wide.

The academy sits within the Co-op Academies Trust and frames its culture around the Ways of Being Co-op, including Do what matters most, Be yourself, always, Show you care, and Succeed together. That values language is not just marketing, it shows up in how pupils describe safety, relationships, and responsibility.

For families weighing up academic outcomes, the GCSE picture is broadly mid-pack for England. The academy ranks 2,522nd in England and 53rd in Manchester for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), which places it in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). Attainment 8 is 43, and Progress 8 is -0.02, which indicates outcomes close to expected progress from pupils’ starting points.

The academy’s size can be an advantage when leadership is consistent, because systems matter more than personalities. The current leadership structure reflects that, with Mr Phillip Quirk serving as Executive Headteacher and acting Principal, and listed as Headteacher/Principal on the government’s Get Information About Schools service.

Day-to-day culture is framed as purposeful and relational. Pupils report feeling safe and supported, and staff-pupil relationships are described as warm, with a clear expectation that worries are listened to and acted on. Bullying is treated as something to be dealt with quickly, rather than minimised.

The academy also leans into community participation in ways that feel practical rather than symbolic. Pupils take on responsibilities such as school council roles, prefect roles, and librarian roles, which matters in a large school because it creates visible routes to leadership beyond sport or popularity.

A final cultural marker is the academy’s willingness to celebrate difference openly. Diversity is positioned as something pupils can take pride in, with events such as a culture day used to reinforce belonging.

The headline for performance is consistency with room to stretch further. At GCSE level, the academy’s Attainment 8 score is 43. Progress 8 is -0.02, which is close to the national expectation, and signals that many students make about the progress you would anticipate from their prior attainment, with some variation between subjects and cohorts.

Rankings put this in context. Ranked 2,522nd in England and 53rd in Manchester for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), results sit in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). That is not a weak position, but it does place a premium on strong teaching consistency and careful support for borderline grades.

For families looking specifically at the English Baccalaureate, the academy’s EBacc average points score is 3.7, and 11.7% of pupils achieve grades 5 or above across the EBacc. These indicators suggest that the EBacc pathway exists, but that high EBacc attainment is not yet a dominant feature of outcomes.

The best way to use these figures as a parent is comparative rather than absolute. FindMySchool’s Local Hub comparison tools can help you line up Progress 8, Attainment 8, and GCSE ranking against nearby alternatives, so you can see whether this profile aligns with your child’s learning style and support needs.

Curriculum design is a key strength in how the academy presents itself, and external evidence broadly supports that intent. The curriculum is described as well organised, with subject leaders explicit about what pupils should learn and in what order, and with Key Stage 3 structured to prepare pupils for Key Stage 4 demands.

At Key Stage 4, the options structure points to a deliberate balance between breadth and steer. Pupils continue core English, mathematics, and science, and choose four option subjects, with one of those options required from a list including Computer Science, History, Geography, French, or Spanish. The remainder comes from a wider set of options (described as 15 plus subjects). For families, the implication is straightforward, the academy is nudging pupils towards a balanced academic core while still allowing personal fit.

Subject expertise and teacher development are also highlighted. Teachers are described as having strong subject knowledge, and staff who teach outside their specialism receive subject-specific training so delivery stays consistent. The practical implication for parents is that, in a large school, this kind of training matters because staffing patterns change over time and consistency protects outcomes.

Reading is treated as a strategic priority rather than an add-on. Books are chosen for form time, staff read to pupils, and a structured reading support programme is used for pupils who arrive struggling to read. For families, that is particularly relevant where weaker literacy could otherwise limit access across the curriculum.

This is an 11 to 16 academy, so post-16 progression is a planned transition rather than an internal pathway. That can suit families who want flexibility, for example, a move into a sixth form college, a school sixth form elsewhere, or a technical route.

Careers education is treated as a core entitlement. Students are described as receiving regular, high-quality careers information, designed to support informed choices about next steps. For Year 10 and Year 11 families, the practical next move is to ask how this plays out in practice, for example, exposure to local colleges, apprenticeship providers, and subject-specific guidance on A-level choices.

The academy also runs the Maths Excellence Programme, explicitly aiming to help more students achieve top GCSE grades and continue mathematics into A-level and beyond. That matters even without an in-house sixth form, because it signals a deliberate attempt to raise ceilings for high-potential mathematicians while strengthening teaching practice.

Applications for Year 7 places are coordinated through Manchester City Council rather than directly to the academy, with the academy’s published admissions arrangements set by the Co-op Academies Trust as admission authority.

Published Admission Number (PAN) is 330 for each year group for the 2026 to 2027 admissions cycle. In oversubscription, places are prioritised in categories, then distance is used within each category using a straight-line measurement from home address to the academy. The broad order is:

• Looked-after and previously looked-after children

• Children with exceptional medical or social needs (with supporting evidence and a separate process)

• Children with a sibling at the academy

• Other children, ordered by distance

Where addresses are exactly equal and would cause oversubscription, allocation is decided by random selection drawn by a senior officer outside the education service.

For September 2026 entry, the admissions policy states a closing date of 31 October 2025, with a window for valid late applications considered up to 07 November 2025, and offers issued on 02 March 2026 where possible. Those dates matter because Manchester secondary admissions follow a coordinated timetable, so late applications can materially reduce the chance of securing a preferred place.

Open events tend to run in early autumn for the following September’s intake. Manchester’s school directory listed an open evening date in early October for the September 2026 cohort, which matches that typical pattern. Parents applying for later intakes should treat that timing as a guide and confirm the current year’s dates on the academy’s events listings.

If you are weighing proximity-based criteria, FindMySchool’s Map Search tools are the sensible first step, they help you understand how your home location relates to typical cut-offs, before you make housing or application assumptions.

Pastoral support is a central theme in external evidence. Students are described as feeling safe, with staff who listen and provide appropriate support when concerns are raised. That is especially important in a large secondary, where the risk is that quieter pupils can be overlooked without strong systems.

SEND support is framed as integrated rather than separate, with identification and support described as accurate and systematic, and with pupils supported to progress through the same ambitious curriculum as peers. Families of children with SEND should still look for the operational detail, for example, how support plans translate into classroom strategies, and how communication with home is managed.

Personal development content is described as wide-ranging and contemporary, including mental health, healthy relationships, and the dangers of misogyny. The implication is that safeguarding is treated as a curriculum issue, not just a policy binder.

The latest Ofsted inspection (March 2023) confirmed the academy continues to be Good.

Ofsted also judged safeguarding arrangements to be effective.

Extracurricular life is one of the academy’s more distinctive strengths, because it combines scale with unusually specific provision.

Sport and physical activity

Facilities include a sports hall, 3G pitch, athletics field, fitness suite, climbing wall, and tennis courts, which gives PE and after-school sport genuine capacity. The PE offer includes activities from football and netball through to orienteering and gymnastics, with seasonal shifts such as cross-country in autumn and athletics in summer. The important implication is choice, pupils who do not see themselves as traditional team-sport athletes still have viable routes into physical activity.

Sports Day is staged at the Manchester Regional Arena, which is a practical signal of ambition and scale, it allows proper track events and a larger competitive format than many schools can manage.

Music, drama, and performance

Music is structured rather than occasional. Instrumental and vocal lessons are offered in areas including woodwind, strings, brass, percussion, guitar, and voice, and there are named ensembles such as Rock Band, Academy Big Band, String Group, and Choir. For students, the benefit is progression, ensembles give regular performance goals and peer motivation, rather than isolated tuition.

Drama is anchored by a theatre space, with annual productions positioned as a whole-school opportunity, including performance and backstage roles. A recent timetable listed Matilda as a school production, which is a useful indicator that productions are ambitious enough to demand sustained rehearsal and technical contribution.

Clubs that make the school feel specific

The academy avoids the generic “we have lots of clubs” problem by publishing a detailed timetable. Examples include:

• ECO Club and a linked beekeeping and gardening club, which signal environmental education moving beyond posters into practical work

• Chess Club, framed as open to beginners through to strong players, with tournaments and prizes, plus a specific weekly slot after school

• Creative Writing Club and First Story, which suggest structured routes for students who enjoy writing and literacy enrichment

• Minecraft Club, a small but telling marker of how the academy keeps computing engagement accessible in Key Stage 3

• Pride Group, which provides a designated space for inclusion and student voice

• Knit and Natter, which points to calmer, social clubs that suit students who prefer quieter peer groups

• Kickboxing Club, adding a different kind of physical outlet beyond standard school sport

The library offer also reads as unusually detailed, with thousands of books including graphic novels and manga, plus computers and a careers section, and opening times that include before school, breaks, lunch, and after school. In a large secondary, a well-used library is a strategic asset because it provides a supervised study base and a calmer option at social times.

The timetable is clearly published. Breakfast Club runs from 7.45am. On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, form time starts at 8.30am and the day ends at 3.15pm. Thursday follows a slightly shorter pattern, ending at 2.50pm.

There is no on-site sixth form, so Year 11 transition planning is a key practical focus for families. The academy also uses year-group entrance gates for arrivals, which can help reduce crowding and manage safeguarding at the start of the day.

Transport details vary by family, but the local Higher Blackley setting means most students will rely on a combination of walking routes, public transport, or family drop-off. For accurate planning, families should test the journey at peak times rather than relying on off-peak travel estimates.

• Large-school experience. With over 1,600 pupils on roll, this is a big setting. That can bring breadth and opportunity, but students who need a smaller peer group to feel secure may need careful transition support.

• Behaviour remains a workstream for a minority. Lesson disruption is described as reduced, but there remains a small number of older pupils who can struggle with behaviour during social times. Families may want to ask how behaviour support and supervision work at breaks and lunch.

• Competitive priorities. EBacc outcomes show the route is present, but high EBacc attainment is not yet widespread. If your child is strongly academic and aims for top EBacc outcomes, ask how sets, intervention, and stretch work in Key Stage 4.

• No in-house sixth form. This suits many students, but it does mean post-16 destinations and guidance matter. Families should ask how Year 11 students are supported to secure appropriate places elsewhere.

A large, modern Manchester secondary with a clear values framework and a practical approach to community responsibility. Academic results sit around the middle of England’s performance range, while culture and provision show strong intent, especially around curriculum structure, reading, and personal development. Best suited to families who want a big-school breadth of clubs, sport, and performance opportunities, and who value a clear behavioural and safeguarding culture, while accepting that outcomes depend heavily on how well each student uses the support available.