Our first #10YearsOfConnell feeder school to profile is Cedar Mount Academy in Gorton. The school opened in 2000 (as Cedar Mount High School) and became an academy in 2012. 

Cedar Mount Academy celebrates and supports its community. They want their students to be the best version of themselves and leave them as happy, caring and knowledgeable young people. Their values are hard work, aspiration and respect. 

They offer a knowledge-rich curriculum that supports their inclusive community and offers equity of opportunity to all. Every student’s aim is to be a little bit better tomorrow than they are today – meeting that challenge enables their students to become the scholars they want them to be.

Find out more about Cedar Mount Academy.

KORNELIA TESTIMONIAL

Kornelia is in Y12 and came to us from Cedar Mount Academy. She’s studying Criminology, Sociology and Business.

“Cedar Mount is a good school and my teachers were really nice. I enjoyed my time there! However, being at college is better because I am only studying the subjects I want to do and don’t have to study subjects I don’t like. I feel like I can express myself more at Connell, and I wear my own clothes instead of a uniform! The teachers here treat me like an adult.

“I chose Connell as my sixth form because it is close to my house and offers all the subjects I wanted to study. Connell is smaller than some of the other colleges, so we get plenty of time with the teachers and lots of support. The Hive is a great place because I can study, revise or chill in there with my friends. There is always support available at Connell if you need it.”

ALUMNI DESTINATIONS

Cedar Mount alumni that came to us went on to universities such as Bolton, Bradford, Goldsmiths (London), Lancaster, Law, Liverpool, MMU, Salford to name a few. 

They studied courses such as accounting, clinical sciences, computer science, criminology, finance, law, medicine, nursing, orthoptics, therapeutic radiography and more.

Our second #10YearsOfConnell feeder school to profile is Droylsden Academy. The school opened in September 2009 replacing Droylsden School, Mathematics and Computing College for Girls and Littlemoss High School for Boys.

Droylsden Academy is a distinctive and modern educational establishment with traditional values. The school’s three core values that underpin everything it does are: politeness, hard work and honesty.

The school’s three aims:

• Great Learning – politeness, hard work and honesty
• Strong Character Development – learning, leading, participating, serving
• First Class Learning Environment and Experiences – traditional values in a modern and innovative setting

“I am incredibly proud to lead a good school which is home to so many fantastic young people. Our staff are driven by the belief that every child should go to a great school and we believe that every child can become a great learner through politeness, hard work and honesty. We aim to ensure that all our young people become great learners by providing an excellent education in an environment that is warm, friendly and caring.” Mr P Wilson, Headteacher (continue reading his welcome).

Find out more about Droylsden Academy.

Levenshulme High School is part of the Greater Manchester Education Trust – a small multi-academy trust alongside three other Manchester high schools.

The school’s ethos is founded on Co-operative Values, which have been recognised by the International Values-based Education Trust’s Quality Mark. It is these values that shape the school’s dedicated community to enable everyone to be the best that they can be – both personally and academically.

We are ambitious in all we do and have very high expectations of all members of our school community. Our students make excellent progress thanks to the hard work and highly skilled staff in a supportive and caring environment where kindness is at the heart of all we do.

We are committed to providing the very best standards of education for our students, empowering them to be the leaders of the future who can make a valued contribution to a 21st century world as a global citizen.

Find out more about Levenshulme High School.

Burnage Academy for Boys is a community where everyone is valued and can achieve success. Values of resilience, independence and care enable pupils to make a positive contribution to society. 

Pupils at the school have achieved higher grades than they would have at any other school in the north of England. Alongside academic success, Burnage students benefit from a range of extracurricular activities and a real focus on personal development.

Burnage Academy is an inclusive school community where students, staff and families all work together to ensure that boys will be the best they can be.

The school has been shortlisted for Secondary School of the Year 2023 at both the TES Schools Awards and Pearson National Teaching Awards.

Burnage alumni went on to universities such as MMU, Salford, Leeds Trinity, Sheffield and Swansea to name a few. They studied courses such as Mechanical Engineering, Business, Marketing, Computer Science, Biomedical Science, Pharmacy and more.

Find out more about Burnage Academy for Boys.

Text taken from the Principal's welcome, Mr Allan Glover.

Since opening in 2010, our academy has prepared thousands of young people to succeed in the wider world.

Our exam results soar higher and higher each year, as students achieve the grades they need for college, university and employment. The school inspectors, Ofsted, have rated us good with many outstanding features, including for our leadership and management. 

We have high expectations for all our students, and we work hard to ensure that lessons are engaging, challenging, and prepare our students for success. 

Our staff include teachers who love their subjects and bring them to life for students. We also have specialist pastoral staff who ensure the wellbeing of all our students and who will be helping you settle in when you start with us. 

All of our staff are passionate about giving our students opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom, and over the time you spend in secondary school, there will be shows and productions, sports days, trips and much more. 

Our multi-million pound facilities include a state-of-the-art theatre, gym and climbing wall. 

Secondary school is a really exciting time in your life, and I know that students coming to Co-op Academy Manchester will enjoy their learning, grow, develop and thrive here.

Find out more about Co-op Academy Manchester.

At Manchester Academy, we ensure our children 'Make Manchester Magic', creating this special energy every day. The recognition our school has received in recent years has made everyone here incredibly proud. From our excellent Ofsted inspection report, visits from numerous VIP guests and winning a national leadership award, we are so proud that we are a strong school in the heart of our community in Moss Side. 

Find out more about Manchester Academy.

The central focus at Co-op Academy Failsworth is the achievement of our pupils. This is not solely defined by academic standards, as we recognise that achievement will take many forms depending on the individual potential, interests and talents of each young person. We want all pupils to fulfil their ambitions, whether they be academic, musical, sporting or creative. We believe a rich and varied curriculum is important to shaping a young person’s potential.

Find out more about Co-op Academy Failsworth.

Our pupils and staff are what makes us an incredible school community, and we spend lots of time together - both inside and outside the classroom, demonstrating our commitment to our education and development. Staff here provide excellent pastoral care, personal development, 80 extracurricular activities and careers advice and guidance. 

We believe in having the highest aspirations and expectations, so that everyone achieves excellence in all that they do. We are committed to not only ensuring our students achieve while they’re here but are equipped to lead happy and successful lives when they leave us.

We were recently awarded ‘Secondary Academy of The Year’ for our exceptional exam results this year. Our results meant that:

• Co-op Academy North Manchester pupils did as well as all pupils in the whole country at a time when many schools experienced a drop in outcomes.
• We had over 278 students at the very top grades and our EBACC results were the best in Co-op Academies Trust.

Pupil leadership opportunities are available to all students, such as digital leaders, sports leaders, anti-bullying ambassadors, mental-health ambassadors, library leaders, etc.

Find out more about Co-op Academy North Manchester.

Manchester Communication Academy is a mixed, non-selective school serving children in Harpurhey, Manchester. We are passionate about providing high quality education that provides social mobility and opportunity for all. Part of the Greater Manchester Academies Trust.

Miss Watmough, Headteacher: “We believe passionately in the power of an excellent education to transform lives and provide new opportunities for young people. We provide an exciting and challenging experience for our students in a supportive and caring environment.”

“The proof of our success is demonstrated by the quality of the daily experience we provide for young people. We have the highest expectations in terms of teaching, learning and the standards our students achieve. We work on the principles that every child can be successful.” 

Find out more about Manchester Communication Academy.

Our first #10YearsOfConnell partner to profile is local legal specialists, Slater Heelis. 

They offer legal advice and guidance to individuals, businesses and not-for-profits. They’re celebrating their 250th anniversary this year and are dedicating 250 charity days to mark it. 

Slater Heelis provides our students with workshops, talks, work experience and apprenticeship opportunities.

Thanks for your support and happy anniversary!

Find out more about Slater Heelis.

Our second #10YearsOfConnell partner to profile is our Trust and its sponsor. 

We’re part of the Co-op Academies Trust, which was founded in 2014 by the Co-op as part of their commitment to communities. We’re one of 30 schools in the Trust and our students benefit from things such as work experience opportunities, careers support and the expertise of the curriculum directors.

Through our Trust’s relationship with the Co-op, our students have the opportunity to benefit from wider partnerships and links including visits to Co-op Live and employer talks around apprenticeships and careers. Our students also have the opportunity to get involved with community activity linked to Co-op on issues like mental health, climate change and sustainability and opportunities for young people, providing enrichment opportunities outside the classroom.

The Co-op is one of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives, owned by millions of members. They’re the UK’s fifth-biggest food retailer; the UK’s number one funeral services provider; a major general insurer and a growing legal services business. They employ nearly 70,000 people and are a recognised leader for their social goals and community-led programmes. 

Education was one of the Co-op’s founding principles back in 1844. The Rochdale pioneers as they became known were also committed to developing educational opportunities. From 1850 to 1855, a school for young people was established and more advanced classes were offered to adults and workers in Rochdale. The development of education in co-operatives has continued ever since.

Find out more about the Co-op and Co-op Academies Trust.

Nuffield Health is the UK’s largest healthcare charity. They exist to build a healthier nation through outstanding services in 37 award-winning hospitals, 114 fitness and well-being clubs, healthcare clinics and over 200 workplace well-being services.

Our students with career ambitions in medicine or allied health, get to take part in high-quality work experience opportunities such as simulated healthcare scenarios, supported by professionals. 

Students studying health-related courses visit clinical settings such as the Nuffield Health operated Manchester Institute of Health & Performance. They can also talk with medical professionals about career pathways, take part in mock interviews and get help with university applications.

Find out more about Nuffield Health and Manchester Institute of Health & Performance.

Founded in 1986, City in the Community is Manchester City’s official charity. Its purpose is to empower healthier lives with city youth through football. Programmes place physical and mental well-being at their core, whilst also creating healthy futures and healthy communities.

Programmes under its Healthy Futures pillar aim to build education and employability pathways. Students on the BTEC pathway compete on a weekly basis and are able to participate in a wide range of sporting community activities and events.

Outside this provision, they offer weekly training sessions to our wider student body as well as supporting us with curriculum enrichment and careers education.

Find out more about City in the Community.

GLL is a not for profit charitable social enterprise committed to delivering a better quality of fitness, leisure, libraries and performing arts facilities for everyone. They are one of Manchester’s biggest employers in the sport and leisure industry.

They manage over 258 facilities across the UK. In Manchester, this includes community and elite sporting venues, such as the National Cycling Centre and National Basketball Performance Centre; as well as local leisure centres, such as East Manchester Leisure Centre and Manchester Aquatics Centre, and many more.

Connell is working in partnership with GLL by providing students studying BTEC courses in Sport, Coaching & Development, Sport & Exercise Science and Health and Social Care a guaranteed interview and employment trial.

Employment with them can run throughout a student's time at Connell and beyond into university or full-time employment. They are a real living wage employer providing flexible working hours. They provide training and qualifications, enabling you to progress in the sports industry.

Find out more about GLL.