Manchester Enterprise Academy Review 2026: Enterprise-led secondary in Wythenshawe

Enterprise and business is a defining thread here, not an add-on. The school’s stated ambition is framed through its Fantastic Futures programme and a clear behaviour model, Safe, Respectful and Ready, which sets expectations for daily routines and relationships. The scale is sizeable, with a capacity of 1,270 and an 11 to 16 intake.

Facilities are a practical strength. The site includes The Durie Building, with a theatre plus art, fashion and dance studios, alongside science laboratories and a multi-sport offer that includes a full-size 3G rugby and football pitch.

Parents should also go in with eyes open about outcomes and progress measures. The latest FindMySchool GCSE ranking places the school below England average overall; the most important question for families is whether the culture, support, and pathways are the right fit for their child’s starting point and motivation.

The tone is purposeful and values-led. The school’s language centres on future pathways, resilience, and high expectations, backed by a structured approach to personal development that includes discussion-based content on community, rights, and inclusion through the Fantastic Futures or pastoral curriculum. The same framework also underpins wider identity work, including UNICEF Rights Respecting School status, a Rights Respecting pupil parliament partnership with local primaries, and a school-based Diversity Ambassadors model.

Leadership is currently listed as Kyra Jones (headteacher). A precise start date is not consistently published in accessible official sources, so it is best treated as a current leadership fact rather than a tenure narrative.

The school is also part of Prospere Learning Trust, which matters because trust-level decisions can shape curriculum priorities, staffing models, and behaviour systems over time.

This is a secondary school with published GCSE phase performance measures. The headline picture is challenging, with indicators that point to weaker progress from pupils’ starting points.

FindMySchool rankings (based on official data)

Ranked 3,026th in England and 67th in Manchester for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking). This places the school below England average overall, within the bottom 40% of schools in England on this measure.

GCSE performance measures (most recently available)

• Attainment 8: 38.1

• Progress 8: -0.69 (typically indicates pupils make less progress than pupils with similar starting points nationally)

• EBacc average point score: 3.25

• Percentage achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc: 13.2%

How to interpret this as a parent: Progress 8 is the most informative single number for many families because it reflects learning gains across the whole cohort, not just top-end outcomes. A negative score can signal inconsistency in prior learning, attendance pressures, curriculum access, or variable impact across subjects. The practical implication is that families should ask directly how the school identifies gaps early, how it supports literacy across subjects, and how it targets catch-up without narrowing the curriculum too quickly.

For families comparing nearby options, it is worth using FindMySchool’s Local Hub and Comparison Tool to view progress measures and GCSE indicators side by side, rather than relying on reputation or anecdotes.

Curriculum intent is described as broad and ambitious, with an emphasis on sequencing and retrieval. A structured knowledge-check approach is described in school materials through frequent low-stakes and higher-stakes assessments, designed to make learning stick and to help staff spot misconceptions early.

There is also evidence of deliberate literacy support, including dedicated reading time, plus attention to pupils who speak English as an additional language, where assessment and targeted support are described as helping pupils acquire English quickly.

Special educational needs and disabilities support is a mixed picture in the most recent inspection evidence available. Systems to identify needs and provide support outside lessons are described as effective, but in-class adaptation was identified as inconsistent across subjects. That distinction matters: it suggests external interventions may be well organised, while day-to-day classroom scaffolding can vary teacher to teacher.

The school is 11 to 16, with the sixth form previously described as closing, so the key transition point is post-16 choice.

What stands out is the emphasis on pathways and employability as part of the school’s core positioning. Enterprise-related learning is framed through networking skills, mentoring, project management, and presentations, supported by external partners in school materials. The implication for students is practical: those who respond well to applied learning and real-world contexts may find motivation through projects, mentoring, and careers-facing experiences.

Careers guidance is also described as meeting the Baker Clause requirements, which in practice should mean access to information about further education and apprenticeship routes, not only sixth form pathways. Because destination numbers are not available families should treat post-16 outcomes as a question to explore directly, including local college progression, apprenticeships support, and how students are guided through applications in Year 11.

Year 7 entry is coordinated by Manchester City Council, and the school uses the council’s admissions rules. For September 2026 entry, the published local authority timetable is clear and date-specific:

• Applications opened: 01 July 2025

• Closing date for on-time applications: 31 October 2025

• National offer day: 02 March 2026

• Deadline for accepting or refusing the place: 16 March 2026

• Closing date for appeals of on-time applications: 30 March 2026

The council’s School Finder listing also states 240 places available for Year 7 entry in September 2026.

Open events are best treated as seasonal rather than fixed, because dates on listings can quickly become historic. A council listing shows an open evening held in late September (Thursday 25 September, 4pm to 7pm). If you are looking at a later admissions cycle, assume open evenings typically run in September and check the current calendar before making plans.

For families trying to understand realistic chances, FindMySchool’s Map Search is useful for modelling distance and local alternatives. This school’s last-distance data is not available so it is especially important to review the local authority’s oversubscription criteria and tie-breaks rather than relying on informal assumptions.

The school’s personal development narrative is unusually specific for a mainstream secondary. Alongside the Fantastic Futures curriculum, there is structured work on rights, inclusion, and community cohesion, including themed units by year group and an outward-facing approach that links to local primaries.

The most recent Ofsted inspection (21 and 22 September 2021) confirmed the school continued to be Good and judged safeguarding arrangements effective. Beyond the headline, the same evidence describes pupils feeling safe and reporting that bullying, harassment, and discrimination are not common; it also notes that behaviour in lessons is usually calm, with isolated issues when moving around the building that leaders were expected to address.

For parents, the practical question is not whether a behaviour policy exists, but how consistently it is applied across corridors, transitions, and cover lessons. The school’s stated Safe, Respectful and Ready model gives a clear framework to ask about, including how staff are trained, how sanctions and restoratives are balanced, and how reintegration works after incidents.

Enrichment here links to employability as well as personal development. The prospectus material highlights activities including Debate Mate, plus sports opportunities such as Manchester United football coaching, alongside arts-related options like film and drama activity.

This matters because it makes extracurricular participation more than “keeping busy after school”. Debate Mate, for example, is a structured debating pathway that can directly support oracy, confidence, and academic writing. The implication for students is tangible: those who struggle to communicate under pressure often benefit from coached speaking environments, especially when paired with clear feedback.

The same applies to the school’s Diversity Ambassadors and rights-respecting work. This is extracurricular in the broader sense, because it creates leadership roles and public-facing responsibilities, not only clubs. The benefit is a stronger sense of belonging for some pupils, and clearer language for discussing identity, community tensions, and respectful disagreement.

Facilities reinforce the offer. A theatre and specialist creative studios support performance and production work, while a multi-sport facility and full-size 3G pitch increase the likelihood that sport continues through winter and after-school slots without constant cancellations.

The school is in Wythenshawe on Simonsway. Transport for Greater Manchester’s school travel guidance notes the nearest tram stop as Wythenshawe Town Centre, around a 9 minute walk from the school.

Exact start and finish times are not consistently published in the accessible official sources reviewed, so families should confirm the current school day, breakfast provision, after-school supervision, and late bus options directly before committing to a travel routine.

• Progress measures are a concern. A Progress 8 score of -0.69 suggests many pupils are not yet making the learning gains you would want across eight GCSE subjects. Families should ask what has changed most recently in literacy, attendance, and subject leadership accountability, and what impact is already visible.

• Consistency for pupils with SEND. The most recent inspection evidence highlighted variation in how well pupils with SEND are supported in different subjects. This can be manageable with strong parent-school communication, but it is important to understand how classroom adaptations are monitored.

• A large setting. With capacity for 1,270 pupils, it can suit students who like social breadth and structured routines. Others may need more deliberate pastoral touchpoints to feel known.

• Open event dates move quickly. The admissions cycle is council-coordinated and date-specific, but open evenings and tours vary year to year. Treat published dates as indicative and verify the current calendar early.

Manchester Enterprise Academy is a large, future-facing 11 to 16 secondary with a distinctive identity around enterprise, employability, and rights-respecting personal development. Facilities and enrichment are credible strengths, particularly where they translate into structured opportunities such as debating, mentoring, and leadership roles. Academic outcomes and progress measures, however, indicate that securing consistent learning gains across the cohort remains the central challenge.

Who it suits: students who respond well to clear routines, practical pathways, and a school culture that puts personal development, inclusion, and future planning front and centre; families who are prepared to stay engaged with subject-level support and progress monitoring through Key Stage 4.