It's been a great start for Year 7, who have settled in brilliantly and are already getting to grips with both familiar and unfamiliar sports. A number of pupils had the opportunity to take part in Track Cycling at The National Cycling Centre. They experienced the velodrome and also watched the Women's Team GB on the track, which was a fantastic experience. Year 7 Girls Netball finished 2nd in the league with a fantastic 4/5 victories, securing their place in the top half of the city table for next academic year. Year 7 Boys Football have finished 2nd in the league with 4 victories, 1 draw and only 1 loss all season. They'll now progress to the league play-offs with a chance to be crowned Manchester Champions.

Meanwhile, Year 8 Boys Football have had a successful season, finishing 4th in the league as they continue to progress in the Manchester Plate in the quarter-final, to be played later this month. A number of Year 8 pupils had the fantastic opportunity to take part in some BMX Cycling at The National Cycling Centre where they received some top coaching tips and spent some time on the BMX track developing their BMX skills and their confidence. 

Our Year 9 pupils have been working on their own physical challenges in gymnastics and using some of the bigger equipment to plan their routines and performances. Pupils have been working really hard on these and are very proud of their work. Pupils across Year 9 have also been fully engaged in a new Rugby Club, offered after-school. Pupils are hoping that this will progress to competing in some competitive games through the Manchester Partnerships, which would be an amazing opportunity to develop their skills even further. 

Year 9 Football are placed really well within the league at the moment and have also made it to the last 16 of the Manchester Plate competition. We're wishing the boys the best of luck for the game later this month!

Our Year 10s have made an exceptional start to their Cambridge National course and are working hard on developing their own leadership skills as they embark on becoming ‘Coach’ for a session. Pupils have to lead a session, then design and demonstrate the knowledge they have gained over the course of the unit. Our pupils have a natural flair, they're natural born leaders who ooze confidence. They're our stars of the future. It's been a pleasure to take part!

Year 10 Girls Netball have had a successful season with 4/5 victories, losing just one game; it was extremely close! The girls have shown great determination this season, and we are very proud of their efforts. 

Year 10 Boys Football have also had a successful season, The ‘A’ team are in the last 16 of the English Schools, have reached the semi-final of the county cup and are performing well in the league. The ‘B’ team have also matched their success by winning their own league. 

Last, but certainly not least, Year 11 are in their final year and are tackling the last of the exam content for their upcoming examinations. They're working extremely hard, and we wish them all the best for the future!

The corridors of our English department were transformed with World Book Day bunting and Alice in Wonderland-themed decorations. They really brought Wonderland to life, and showed that our academy community brings joy and creativity to everything we do.

The decoration provided a vibrant backdrop for the highlight of the day: the costumes!

The staff really leaned into their roles this year. We saw many beloved literary figures walking the Academy halls, including two Gandalfs! Proof that you can never have too many Gandalfs.

See if you can identify our literary legends from the clues below:

• The Adventurers: An epic journey to the mountain and an elven legend.
• The Magical & "Practically Perfect": A nanny who's "practically perfect in every way", and a wizard who insists, "You shall not pass!".
• The Whimsical & Mischievous: A stripy, mischievous feline, and a pair coming down the stairs.
• Seeking Home: A traveller all the way from darkest Peru, and a girl who believes that "There’s no place like home".
• The Curiosities: A certain someone wishing they "only had a brain”, and a very rare, very golden egg.
• The Ageing Hippy: This guy really hates The Eagles. Man.

A massive thank you goes out to everyone who dressed up and made World Book Day 2026 a day to remember!

Wednesday, 4th March gifted us with a truly beautiful day at Co-op Academy North Manchester. It was the kind of crisp, sunny spring day that you just have to sit outside and smell the daffodils, ideally with your nose in a good book.

To celebrate World Book Day, we moved the library to the courtyard to provide a space for our pupils to do just that at our academy-wide Readathon. The event ran the entire school day, with pupils able to join us and read whatever they wanted.

Books Aren’t Just for School Work

Seeing the staff and pupils sitting side-by-side in the Spring breeze, among the daffodils, the sunshine, and the World Book Day bunting was a peaceful, reflective moment. Everyone was lost in a different world, one they’d chosen themselves.

Being an inclusive community means recognising that everyone gets into reading in different ways and for different reasons. Whether they’re thrilled by a suspenseful spy thriller, escaping into a multi-volume, doorstop fantasy epic or using literature as a way to explore identity, the world of reading has you covered. At Co-op Academy North Manchester, we aim to foster an inclusive, community-led environment by connecting every child with their inner reader.

The Power of Reading

Evidence from the OECD shows that reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success. It’s also a very fun way to escape the real world and decompress. It doesn't have to be a lot, reading for just ten minutes a day can help reduce stress levels in children and adults alike. Combine that with a dose of Vitamin D and you have the ultimate mental reset.

Reading helps well-rounded personal development in other ways. Immersion requires a level of empathy that can be trained through reading. Use of the imagination to better understand characters in a book, or picture another time or place can help readers to build healthier connections in their real lives.

A Lifelong Habit

We’re a community of lifelong learners, and seeing our pupils and staff together was a powerful reminder of that. A huge thank you to our English Department, our Library and the teachers who played a part in organising the event, and to our pupils who showed that, even in the digital age, you can always count on a good book.  

World Book Day 2026 also saw our library leaders hosting a cohort of Year 5s from Charlestown Primary School in our wonderful library for the morning. The atmosphere was electric as the younger pupils stepped into our literary hub, eager to explore the world of secondary school life and, of course, some fantastic stories.

Our fabulous Library Leaders took centre stage, demonstrating incredible leadership and passion. They guided our younger visitors through four high-energy, interactive stations designed to spark imagination and a love for reading. They included ‘The Matilda Scavenger Hunt’, ‘The Dream Jar Chamber’, ‘The Witches Potion Parlour’ and ‘The Wonka Room’.

What made the morning truly special was seeing our own Academy Library Leaders in years 7 and 8 take charge. Our Library Leaders didn't just facilitate; they mentored. They managed the groups with maturity and shared their personal favourite reads and experiences, making the prospect of moving to "big school" feel much less daunting for the Year 5s and showing great leadership skills.

A Growing Community

Events like these are more than just a celebration of World Book Day; they are about building lasting links with Charlestown Primary School and our wider North Manchester community. By the time the morning drew to a close, the library was filled with the sound of animated book discussions and new friendships.

"It was wonderful to see the Year 5s so excited about our library. They realised that reading isn't just a classroom task, it’s an adventure they can lead themselves." Library Leader, Year 8.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to the staff and pupils of Charlestown Primary for joining us, and an even bigger "well done" to our Library Leaders for being such stellar ambassadors for the Academy.

The visit was well-timed as pupils are studying genetics in their science lessons. While you can draw a diagram of DNA on a whiteboard, that doesn’t quite compare with standing face-to-face with the real-world results of millions of years of evolution.

Their living classroom journey began in the Vivarium, where they breathed the humid air and marvelled at the bright colours of live species. Pupils observed how various animals have adapted to their specific environments; a key element in their studies of genetics. Seeing these adaptations in real-time, they were bursting with follow-up questions.

As they entered the dinosaur and fossil exhibition, they felt the weight of history and the grandeur of ancient life. The vast passage of time was made tangible. Standing beneath the skeletons of giants, the Year 9s explored the history of life on Earth. The fossil record provided a timeline for evolution, allowing pupils to better understand the transition from prehistoric ancestors to the planet we share today. This was a fantastic opportunity for the pupils to learn about evolution and behold the long history of life on Earth.

We know that walking into the exam hall for the first time can feel daunting. The rows of desks, the invigilators, and the official regulations can be overwhelming. And that’s exactly why we run our Mocks with such precision; we need to ensure they're ready for the real thing.

But Mocks are more than just a test of knowledge; they're a dress rehearsal for success. An opportunity for our pupils to get comfortable with the exam process, the formal setting, and the official regulations. 

The goal is simple: relieve anxiety through preparation. By replicating the exact conditions of the summer exams, from the seating plans to the clock on the wall, we’re making the unknown familiar.  When our pupils sit down for their GCSEs in a few months’ time, we don't want them worrying about the process; we want them focusing on their performance. They’ve done it all once already, the scary part is out of the way. They can enter the exam hall safe in the knowledge that they belong there.

With Mocks behind us, it’s time to look ahead to the real exam period. The days have started getting longer, and summer’s just around the corner. There are only 38 days until they take on the real thing. Let’s make sure year 11 are fully prepared and ready to make this a summer to remember at Co-op Academy North Manchester.

Because when expectations are high, we should provide support to match them!

We were delighted to welcome a guest language specialist and Mandarin speaker from the University of Manchester, who led our pupils through an energetic introduction to Mandarin. The session provided a blend of linguistic challenge and cultural discovery:

Foundations of Phrasing: Pupils practised essential greetings and basic conversation. The library was abuzz with enthusiastic ni haos and xie xies.

The Logic of Mandarin Numbers: The pupils explored the fascinating system behind Mandarin number construction, understanding and practising the patterns that make the language so unique.

A Journey Through History: Beyond the language, pupils journeyed through the vast geography and rich historical dynasties of China, gaining a broad perspective on the global influence of this ancient culture.

Inspiring Global Citizens

Events like these are what make our academy such a vibrant place to learn. By opening up new worlds and languages to our Year 7s, we’re celebrating the diverse perspectives that make the Co-op Academy North Manchester community so inclusive. It was wonderful to see our pupils embrace the role of global citizens with such open minds. By engaging with a language spoken by over a billion people, our pupils didn't just learn new words, they opened a window into a different way of seeing the world.

A huge "xie xie" (谢谢) to our guest speaker for such an engaging session and to our Year 7s for their open-minded curiosity and ready participation!