We have a well-constructed curriculum, tailored to meet the needs of our learners, and address social disadvantage on many levels. It is designed to ensure that every student, irrespective of personal need can access all aspects of the curriculum. Students who need additional support to achieve this, receive it through a range of bespoke interventions designed to remove any barriers to learning or participation. This is essential if we are to overcome the deficit that many students face compared to other students nationally. As a result of our broad, inclusive curriculum, the number of pupils who are NEET has reduced to zero and the number of pupils progressing to Further Education College and sixth form has increased to 96% in 2020, a record high. We continue to develop our offer, with photography, 3D art food technology, textiles, art, graphics, ICT, dance, drama, and music taught in Key Stage Three alongside our core, PE, Ethics, Philosophy and Citizenship (EPC) and Ebacc subjects. In Key Stage Four we offer an extensive range of technical, vocational, and academic subjects that allows every student to pursue their individual area of interest or career pathway. We are very keen to expand this provision and have added computer science and triple science to the option list this year. We also offer art, textiles, graphic design, photography, creative media, hospitality and catering, sports science, music, dance, drama, and statistics.

The Key Stage four option process takes place over a number of weeks and includes detailed presentations from each subject area as well as a comprehensive parental consultation. This ensures that students make the right choice, reflecting their individual strengths and areas of interest. All the subjects are equally well represented, underlining the academies objectivity towards the option process. Alongside these accredited subjects we also deliver a number of optional curriculum opportunities which reflect the needs of the local community. These include the Scholars Programme for our most able pupils and Duke of Edinburgh Award. This gives students broader exposure to the skills and qualities required to excel at university and in the workplace.

Manor Croft Academy has been on a journey of improvement and development over the last 4 years.  In 2016 only 40% of students left the academy having achieved the requisite C grade in maths and English GCSEs.  This negatively affected the life chances of our learners and their ability to play an active role in the labour market.  By 2019 this had risen to 77% of students achieving a grade 4, ensuring that a much greater proportion of students had the opportunity to take an ambitious step into the next phase of their learning.  It was therefore right that at the start of our journey of improvement we focused primarily on literacy and numeracy across all year groups.  Alongside this we redeveloped our methods of teaching and have relentlessly raised our expectations of student behaviour and attitudes to learning.  This now means that we have the systems in place to ensure all pupils at Manor Croft leave with the qualities, skills, knowledge and crucially the qualifications needed to successfully progress to the next stage. 

The next phase of the academy’s development has been to broaden student’s exposure to different forms of learning in the classroom as well as to a more extensive range of experiences both within school as well as offsite.  Our curriculum now truly goes ‘beyond the classroom’, ensuring all pupils have the chance to take part in charity events, volunteering activities as well as direct learning in their local community.  Many of these activities now sit within our dedicated Pledges program for years 7, 8 & 9 but the requirements of our desire to be of service to others is carried on throughout the rest of their time at Manor Croft.  In addition to this our Memorable Experiences initiative ensures that all students in years 7, 8 & 9 are taken on at least three offsite trips throughout the year which are directly linked to elements of the curriculum taught in classrooms.