Press Releases

August 27 2009

Parents invited to The East Manchester Academy open evening

An open evening is to be held on Wednesday 9 September in the Citizen's Suite at the City of Manchester stadium at Sportcity for parents, carers and pupils of Year 6 children who are interested in finding out more about the new £31.5 million East Manchester Academy located on Grey Mare Lane in Beswick, east Manchester.

John Edwards, Deputy Director of Children's Services at Manchester City Council, Guy Hutchence, The East Manchester Academy's Principal Designate and Eddie Smith, Chief Executive of New East Manchester and sponsors will be giving presentations on the night.

The East Manchester Academy will open in September 2010 to provide a first-class learning environment for 11 - 16 year olds, initially with 180 places for Year 7 only, gradually building up to 900 pupils over the next five years.

The new school will be a centre of excellence for two specialisms: the built environment and performing arts. Related subjects will include all sciences, design technology, architecture, interior design, art and engineering as well as film studies, fashion design, photography, music, drama and dance.

The school will have a theatre, recording studio, science laboratories, open plan art studios and a sports hall with facilities for range of sports including basketball, badminton, martial arts and table tennis. There will also be separate studios for dance and drama. Each year group will have their own dedicated 'homebase.'

Spacious grounds will offer football and rugby pitches and practice areas, a cricket oval and an all-weather pitch and the campus will also include a new district library with a café for the whole east Manchester community to use.

The 90, 800 sq ft (8, 436 sq metres) building, designed by Walker Simpson architects, is being built by Balfour Beatty Construction, which started in March this year, is now at an advanced stage.

The East Manchester Academy Principal Designate Guy Hutchence said: "This is an opportunity for the parents to meet the team and ask questions about the new school. The 2010 cohort will have the unique opportunity of being the first to benefit from these first-class facilities that will take secondary school education to a new level in east Manchester. The East Manchester Academy gives us the chance to lead the way in education in this part of the City, with superb resources for learning and teaching, and we want as many local children to benefit from this as possible."

Councillor Sheila Newman, Executive Member for Children's Services, says: "Education in Manchester is undergoing a transformation that will create a generation of skilled young people who are confident, motivated and actively contribute to their communities. The East Manchester Academy is going to broaden horizons and raise aspirations for young people and will be a wonderful facility for both children and adults living in the surrounding areas."

Eddie Smith, Chief Executive on New East Manchester said: "Raising attainment levels is absolutely critical to the future of our young people in east Manchester. We recognise that education is the key to giving local youngsters the best possible start in life and investing in this new school will reap rewards for generations to come. In September 2010 when the doors to the new academy open, one hundred and eighty 11-year-olds will have the chance to get a first-class education so I urge parents and carers in east Manchester to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity."

The East Manchester Academy is sponsored by Laing O'Rourke and Bovis Lend Lease, as well as co-sponsors New East Manchester on behalf of Manchester City Council, and The Manchester College.

The Academy will differ from existing schools in that sponsors will work alongside teachers to design and support learning and assessment materials. All pupils will have personal mentors as well as round-the-clock access to materials and support to encourage 'anytime, anywhere learning.'

The East Manchester Academy lead sponsors, Bovis Lend Lease and Laing O'Rourke said "Our long term support and contribution to the academy is an ongoing development of our individual business' commitment to supporting education and regeneration in Manchester and represents how businesses can work together towards having a positive impact on the lives of local people. We are delighted to be sponsoring the academy and developing ways to bring the best of our national and international business skills, knowledge and opportunities to the people of east Manchester."

The event starts at 6pm prompt in the Citizen's Suite and will finish at 8.30pm. Refreshments will be supplied.

An on-line admissions application facility will be available on the evening. Admissions forms can also be completed on-line from September 4th by visiting www.manchester.gov.uk/admissions or by returning the form by post to the Council's admissions team by the closing date of October 23rd 2009. Parents will be notified in March if they have secured a place at the school.

For more information visit www.neweastmanchester.com or www.theeastmanchesteracademy.org.uk.