Co-op Academy North Manchester Review 2026: A large Blackley secondary with a clear behaviour culture and a strong Co-op values focus

The day starts with a practical offer that matters to many families, free breakfast is available from 08:00, and pupils move into form time at 08:35. Lessons run to 15:05, with structured extracurricular provision continuing until 16:15.

Leadership has been in visible transition over the past two years. The academy has an established senior team, with Tabitha Sloper-Russell now leading as Principal, having started after the Easter holidays in 2025.

The most recent inspection on 16 and 17 April 2024 confirmed the academy continues to be rated Good, with the report describing calm corridors, respectful behaviour, and a broad curriculum that sets high expectations.

What this adds up to is a school that is trying to combine scale with clarity. With capacity for 1,500 pupils, systems matter. Families looking for a structured, routine-led environment, with strong pastoral messaging and a wide menu of clubs, are likely to find the day-to-day set-up reassuring.

A defining feature here is the way expectations are spelled out, and then repeated until they become normal. Pupils are expected to arrive ready for learning, to move promptly when bells signal transitions, and to treat the site as a shared working environment. That predictability can suit pupils who do best with clear lines and consistent routines.

The Co-op identity is not treated as branding only. The academy explicitly anchors its work in the values associated with the co-operative movement, and it presents those values as a daily reference point for decisions and relationships. For pupils, that can translate into an emphasis on responsibility, contribution, and community mindedness, rather than purely academic competition.

There is also a strong “belonging plus responsibility” thread in the way pupil roles are described. Leadership opportunities include student council roles, sports leadership, and mental health ambassador positions. The implication is that pupils are expected to contribute, not just to participate. This can be particularly positive for pupils who gain confidence through responsibility and purposeful tasks, rather than through performance alone.

On the physical side, the academy operates from a modern, accessible building erected in 2012, with accessibility and inclusion spaces referenced in policy documentation. For families with mobility needs, that kind of site design usually makes day-to-day navigation easier, including wider corridors, suitable facilities, and planned access across floors.

On published performance indicators GCSE outcomes sit below the England average overall. In the FindMySchool ranking based on official data, the academy is ranked 3,246th in England for GCSE outcomes, and 73rd within Manchester. That positioning places it below the England average banding (within the lower 40% of ranked schools in England).

Looking at the attainment and curriculum measures available here, the Attainment 8 score is 38.2, and Progress 8 is -0.25, which indicates pupils make below-average progress from their starting points compared with pupils nationally. EBacc indicators are also low with an average EBacc APS score of 3.28 and 6.6% of pupils achieving grades 5 or above across the EBacc measure reported here.

For families, the practical implication is that this is not a results-led selection school, and the academic picture is mixed. The more useful question becomes whether the structure, behaviour culture, reading focus, and subject support systems match what your child needs to do well. The school itself positions curriculum strength and targeted support as key levers for improvement, and that matters when you are assessing trajectory rather than snapshot.

At sixth form level, this dataset does not provide a full A-level grade breakdown for the academy, and it is not ranked for A-level outcomes here. If sixth form outcomes are central to your decision, it is sensible to ask directly for the most recent published headline measures and course uptake by subject, then compare them against local alternatives.

Curriculum intent is described as broad and ambitious, with careful sequencing designed to build knowledge over time. That matters most for pupils who need clarity about “what comes next”, and for families who want reassurance that learning is not left to chance. A clear curriculum map also makes it easier for parents to support revision and homework, because topics are not moving unpredictably.

A notable strength is the attention to vocabulary and reading. Reading is treated as a priority, with pupils who struggle identified quickly and supported. In practice, that kind of approach tends to show up as structured reading interventions, explicit vocabulary teaching across subjects, and a steady expectation that pupils read, speak and write with increasing precision.

Support structures appear to lean heavily on additional sessions and targeted help. Subject pages reference revision sessions, homework support, and problem-solving activities that go beyond standard lesson time. In mathematics, for example, enrichment is linked to UKMT challenges and a specific Problem Solving Breakfast Club, while homework support is positioned as a routine offer rather than a remedial afterthought.

The main challenge, based on external evaluation, is consistency across subjects. Where teaching is aligned tightly to the intended curriculum and assessment is used well, pupils build secure knowledge. Where delivery varies, gaps can appear, and pupils can end up with uneven understanding across the timetable. For a child who needs steady consistency to thrive, this is a key area to probe during a visit.

The academy’s post-16 story is best understood through two lenses, internal pathways and outward-facing careers guidance. Internally, it operates as a secondary with post-16 provision, and the day-to-day careers programme includes structured events and employer-facing activities designed to help pupils plan realistically.

External evaluation describes careers provision as a strength, supporting pupils into next steps and framing destinations as “ambitious” rather than purely convenient. For families, the implication is that there is likely to be a strong emphasis on applications, interviews, and guidance around routes such as A-levels, vocational pathways, and apprenticeships, rather than an assumption that one route fits all.

Because destination percentages are not available and the academy does not publish a single headline destinations statistic in the sources reviewed here, the most constructive approach is to ask for the academy’s most recent internal destinations summary for Year 11 and Year 13. Specifically, ask how many students progress to A-levels, vocational courses, apprenticeships, and employment, and which local sixth forms and colleges are most common.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated through the local authority, with the academy publishing clear key dates for entry in September 2026. Applications open on 1 July 2025, the deadline is 31 October 2025, and applicants receive the outcome on 2 March 2026.

Manchester City Council’s own listing for the academy indicates 240 places available for Year 7 entry in September 2026.

The academy’s key information pages also make an important point about admissions reach. Where the academy is not oversubscribed, pupils may be admitted from any area. In oversubscription years, criteria and deadlines matter, and late applications are treated differently, with published guidance referencing 31 October 2025 as the closing date and a later cut-off for “valid late applications” up to 10 January 2026 in specified circumstances.

For families trying to judge realism, this is where precision helps. Use FindMySchoolMap Search to understand travel time and your practical daily route, then check the local authority’s admissions booklet for oversubscription rules and tie-breakers. Even where a school states it can take pupils from any area, oversubscription patterns can change year to year, and the deadline is rarely negotiable.

Behaviour is framed as central to learning, and the academy’s behaviour approach is written around a clear set of expectations and stepped consequences. The most effective aspect of that approach, for families, is usually not the sanctions, but the predictability. Pupils tend to cope better when adults respond consistently and routines are stable.

Anti-bullying work is positioned as a staff-wide responsibility, with training explicitly referenced, including for lunchtime staff who often manage pupils at a less structured point in the day. That matters because social time is where many pupils experience the most friction, and a well-trained duty team can prevent small issues escalating.

The academy also describes a range of pupil leadership roles that include wellbeing-related positions. When these are well-run, they can create an additional layer of peer support and early identification of issues, especially for pupils who are more likely to confide in other pupils before they approach staff.

Safeguarding is treated as a foundational expectation, and the latest report confirms the arrangements are effective.

The extracurricular offer is a genuine differentiator here, because it is both broad and specific. Rather than relying only on generic clubs, the academy publishes structured activity information, including a dedicated 2025 to 2026 booklet and guidance on routines such as homework support and where pupils can go if a club is cancelled.

Academic clubs are used as a lever for confidence and catch-up as much as extension. Mathematics explicitly points pupils towards the Problem Solving Breakfast Club, UKMT Maths Challenges, revision sessions, and a Homework Help Club. The implication is that academic support is intended to be normalised, and not restricted to the highest prior attainers.

STEM has several named strands. Science highlights a STEM Club, Space Exploration Club, and Science Documentary Club, with Crest Awards offered across Key Stage 3. That combination tends to suit pupils who learn best when knowledge connects to real-world contexts and projects, not just tests.

Creative and enterprise activities also appear with concrete examples. English references Debate Mate and reading initiatives such as Reading Rocks, alongside public speaking competitions and theatre links. ICT and enterprise content points to the Mosaic Enterprise Challenge and Young Entrepreneur awards, indicating a practical, applied strand that may appeal to pupils motivated by projects and competition briefs.

Finally, enrichment includes nationally recognised participation routes. The academy runs Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, and it also celebrates specialist groups such as a named robotics team, InCTRL, which signals opportunities for pupils who prefer building and problem-solving to more traditional clubs.

The published timetable shows free breakfast at 08:00, form time at 08:35, and the main teaching day finishing at 15:05, with extracurricular activities scheduled through to 16:15. Pupils are in the academy for 32.5 hours per week.

As a state-funded academy, there are no tuition fees. Families should still budget for the usual secondary costs such as uniform, educational visits, and optional extras, with any subject-specific costs best checked directly with the academy.

For travel planning, focus on what is sustainable daily rather than what is possible occasionally. In a large school, punctuality expectations are easiest to meet when your route has slack built in for winter weather and transport disruption.

• Academic outcomes are currently below average. Progress 8 is -0.25 and GCSE outcomes are ranked in the lower 40% of schools in England. For some pupils, the school’s structured support and routines will be the right platform; others may need a setting with stronger headline results.

• Consistency between subjects is a stated improvement area. Where teaching and assessment are not aligned tightly, pupils can develop uneven knowledge across the timetable. Ask how subject leaders monitor consistency and how quickly gaps are picked up.

• Attendance is a continuing priority, but not yet solved for all pupils. The academy has strategies in place, but some pupils still do not attend regularly. For families already managing attendance anxiety or health issues, it is worth exploring what early intervention looks like.

• Admissions deadlines are non-negotiable. For September 2026 entry, the closing date is 31 October 2025, with specific rules for late applications. If this academy is on your list, build the application timeline into your autumn planning.

Co-op Academy North Manchester is built around structure, clarity, and a values-led approach to community life. The day is carefully organised, the behaviour culture is explicit, and the extracurricular menu includes unusually specific opportunities, from Debate Mate and Crest Awards to Duke of Edinburgh and a named robotics team.

Who it suits most is a pupil who benefits from routine, adult consistency, and a school that encourages responsibility through leadership roles and practical enrichment. Families prioritising top-tier academic outcomes above all else should scrutinise the current performance picture carefully and ask detailed questions about subject consistency and improvement impact over the last two years.