Co-Op Academy Belle Vue

Co-op Academy Belle Vue students have moved into their new permanent home on Hyde Road. 

Formerly a 12.6-acre brownfield site hosting the old Showcase Cinema, the new co-educational school will have capacity for 1200 pupils and consists of a main three-storey building including reception, community hub, library and dining hall, with a
teaching block and adjoining drama block.

The new Co-op Academy Belle Vue also boasts a two-storey sports block with Sports England - standard pitches and a multi-use games area. It will accommodate a range of sports including tennis, basketball, netball, and hockey.

These facilities were built with separate access for the wider East Manchester community, and both school and community will be served by Belle Vue’s new 140-space car park with electric charging points and play area.

The new building was built by Sir Robert McAlpine working with Co-op Academies Trust and Manchester City Council. Co-op Academies Trust has 30 schools and colleges across the North of England. The Trust was appointed by the Department for Education and Manchester City Council to run Co-op Academy Belle Vue from its first intake of year 7 students in September 2021.

Scott Fletcher, Head of Academy said:

“Today marks a new chapter in the history of our school as we move into our state-of-the-art building. This new facility represents not just bricks and mortar, but an investment in the future of our students and community. We are excited to offer our students access to the latest resources and technology, and to provide them with an inspiring and dynamic learning environment.

“As we join our new community, we will continue to empower our students to think creatively, to collaborate, and to achieve their full potential. We will strive to foster a culture of excellence and inclusivity, where every student feels safe, valued and supported.

“We are proud to be a part of this community and we look forward to working together to make a positive impact on the lives of our students.”

Dr Chris Tomlinson, CEO of the Co-op Academies Trust, said:

“We are delighted the students can now enjoy Co-op Academy Belle Vue’s state of the art new site. It’s fantastic to provide a place that will help deliver ambitious and aspirational young futures for the students.”

Co-op Academy Belle Vue hosted an Opening Gala for the school community on 1 March with Co-op’s CEO, Shirine Khoury-Haq, in attendance along with many other guests. Shirine said of the evening:

“Tonight was an incredibly inspiring evening. Looking at the fantastic facilities, seeing how happy the students are and how engaged the staff and community members are. It was extremely inspiring to see.”

On what it means to be a Co-op Academy, Shirine said:

“The reason we run our businesses is so that we can deliver on our vision of ‘Co-operating for a fairer world’ and the academies are a wonderful demonstration of that.

“We are all about providing for and building our communities, with a strong focus on youth. To see our co-operative values so integrated into the curriculum is fantastic. The children are growing and learning and it means a great deal because it’s what we’re all about.”