Manchester Communication Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school School leaders, including governors, bring to life their vision that social disadvantage should never be a barrier to learning. High-quality personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education helps pupils to keep themselves safe and prepares them to be valued members of Britain's multicultural society.

Improvements in the quality of teaching have ensured that pupils are making greater rates of progress. This is particularly true for disadvantaged pupils. Despite the improvements in the quality of teaching, pupils' progress in mathematics is not as strong as in other subjects.

In addition, a small proportion of teachers do not have hig...h enough expectations of students, particularly boys. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have not made as much progress as other pupils in the past. There are signs of improvement, but it is too soon to see if these are sustained.

The curriculum is broad and balanced. Leaders personalise the curriculum to meet the needs of individual pupils when necessary. The curriculum is supplemented with high-quality extra-curricular activities.

These activities help pupils to broaden their experiences and knowledge base. Pupils are very proud of their school. They value their education and the support that they receive from teachers.

They demonstrate this through positive attitudes to learning and good behaviour. Attendance has improved steadily over recent years. It is now broadly in line with national averages for all groups of pupils.

The proportion of pupils who do not attend school regularly has reduced considerably over the last three years. However, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND who are regularly absent from school, remains higher than the national average for all pupils. The proportion of pupils who are excluded from school for a fixed period remains high.

This is particularly true for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. There is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school. All staff work towards creating a safe and caring environment for all the pupils.

Information about this school

The school opened in September 2010. It is a larger-than-average secondary school. The lead sponsor of the school is British Telecom.

The school is a member of the Greater Manchester Trust. The trustees are responsible for the core governance functions of setting the school's direction, holding the headteacher to account and ensuring financial probity. The scheme of delegation sets out clearly which powers have been delegated to the local governing body and executive officers.

The proportion of pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium is very high. The proportion of pupils identified as needing support for SEND is below average. The number of pupils with an education, health and care plan is below average.

The school uses three alternative provisions: Harpurhey Alternative Provision Centre, The Lighthouse Group Centre and the local authority's pupil referral unit. There are currently 29 pupils educated at alternative provision. The school works with Cheadle Hulme Teaching School to provide support for mathematics.

The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish on their website. The school has extensive links with other organisations. It is a STEM Flagship school; part of the National Space Education initiative; a member of the Science Learning Partnership; Lead Health and Well-being School; a Digital House School and a member of the Global Learning Partnership.