Manor
Church of England Academy, York
Established 1812 • Celebrating 200 years
Manor School 1812 –
Manor Church of England Academy 2012
An eventful past and
an exciting future
M
anor Academy today
provides the sharpest
contrast to when the
school was formed two
centuries ago. It started
from the humblest of
beginnings at a time when Britain was at war
against Napoleon and George III was King.
The school was founded on
13 March 1812 by the York Diocesan Board
of the National Society for the Education of
the Poor. They wanted to establish a school
in each parish so that the children “of the
labouring classes” would become “useful and
respected members of society.”
In May 1812, just ten weeks after the
board’s decision to open a school was made,
some 200 boys from the age of six were
welcomed in rented accommodation at
the Merchant Taylors’ Hall in Aldwark. The
school moved to King’s Manor, next to the
art gallery in Exhibition Square, in January
1813. It took the name ‘Manor’ from King’s
Manor, which it shared with a blind school
and which was to be its home for the next
109 years.
Education cost a shilling a quarter and
in its early days there was just one ‘master’.
Older boys, known as monitors, helped
the master in his work, receiving their own
education before and after the normal
school day. Manor became a pioneer in
teacher training, which led to the opening of
St John’s College, now known as York St John
University.
The school was originally for boys but girls
did attend in the mid-1800s. It reverted to
boys-only by the turn of the century.
Manor moved to premises in Marygate
in 1922, which were destroyed by bombs
during the Baedeker air raid on York on 29
April 1942. The boys were then forced to
share with Priory Street Girls’ School until that
school closed and Manor was reorganised as
a mixed secondary modern school in 1947.
Manor moved to its first purposebuilt premises in Low Poppleton Lane,
Boroughbridge Road, in 1965.
2
Compassionate
Gracious
Patient
Kind
With the rest of York, Manor became
a comprehensive in 1985 and increased
in size to take more students. A familiar
feeling of not enough space meant the
school embarked on a series on extensions
until physical limitations prevented further
expansion on the site. Manor moved to
its present site on Millfield Lane, Nether
Poppleton, in 2009.
Manor has always maintained strong
Christian beliefs, with its own school chaplain
and a core set of values centred around
serving others, growing together and living
life to the full.
In 2011, 79 per cent of Manor students
achieved five or more A* to C grade GCSEs,
including English and maths – among the
best in the city.
Manor was one of the first schools in
York to take advantage of their ‘outstanding’
Ofsted rating to successfully apply for the
government’s academy status, in April 2011.
Loyal
Forgiving
Just
Copies of the
104-page Manor
bicentenary book,
published in spring
2012, are available
from the school
priced at £10.
Opposite page, possibly the first
class photograph, dated between
1901 and 1905
Top, how Manor students may have
looked in 1812, outside the King’s Manor
from where the school took its name.
Photography hadn’t been invented when
Manor first opened
Above, the school’s first home, the
Merchant Taylors’ Hall, pictured in
approximately 1900
Left, former pupils and current students in
York Minster in May 2012, at a service of
thanksgiving to celebrate Manor’s 200th
anniversary
Below, Manor Church of England Academy
today
Manor Church of England Academy
www.manorceacademy.org
3
The cast of Grease, our 2012 production, on stage at The Hive, our
creative media centre
The world’s a stage
The performing arts, music, dance and drama, are an intrinsic
part of every student’s experience at both Key Stages 3 and 4.
In addition, students can choose from a wide range of dance,
drama and music groups. Performance opportunities include
concerts, festivals and school productions.
Our performing arts facilities are industry standard and
include The Hive, a creative media centre featuring a 200-seat
purpose-built theatre, rehearsal, conference and dance studios.
In York we are the lead school in developing the Creative and
Media Diploma.
Many of our students develop a passion for performance and
some pursue a career in the performing arts.
4
Compassionate
Gracious
Patient
Kind
Loyal
Forgiving
Just
Serving others
As a Church of England academy we have a very special
relationship with the Church of the Holy Redeemer. Our
chaplain, the Reverend Tony Hand, is an integral part of
this partnership and of our community.
We make every effort to live out the faith we confess.
Our acts of collective worship include a Eucharist service
each term. Students experience prayer, readings, music
and meditation and take Religious Studies up to GCSE.
We aim to be at the heart of the local community and
our students engage in valuable community work, for
example through the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
Growing together
How we treat each other is as important as our academic
performance. We have seven values, taken from the
Hebrew scriptures, which advocate that all students and
staff should be compassionate, gracious, patient, kind,
loyal, forgiving and just.
Our pastoral system targets the individual needs of
every student, who are each supported by a tutor and a
head of year. We want them to feel safe and secure in our
care and to leave Manor as confident young adults, ready
for the next stage of their journey in life.
Living life to the full
We aim to engage young people in learning that
captures their imagination. Each student is unique and
each deserves a curriculum that meets their needs and
helps them to become independent learners.
Ofsted recognised the high quality of teaching at
Manor, with five times the national average of lessons
deemed “outstanding”. Our staff develop their teaching
skills continually and share best practice.
Manor Church of England Academy
www.manorceacademy.org
5
Facilities of the future
Our 21st century facilities are built for 21st century teaching and
learning. Available to the whole community, these include:
nA 400-seat auditorium and theatre
nA creative media centre featuring a 200-seat theatre
nDance and drama studios
nMusic facilities
nFive design technology rooms
nTwo art rooms
nSeven science laboratories and prep rooms
nA sports hall, fitness centre, floodlit all-weather outdoor
surface and four tennis courts
nThree ICT rooms and a Learning Resource Centre
nLearning Support Centre.
Parent partnerships
Parents support Manor through fundraising and organising
special events such as the leavers’ prom. They are always
welcome at the parent-teacher group, the Manor Association
and the Performing Arts Support Group.
6
Compassionate
Gracious
Patient
Kind
Loyal
Forgiving
Just
Serving others
Growing together
Living life to the full
Manor
Church of England Academy, York
Established 1812
Manor Church of England Academy is a 11-16 voluntary
aided secondary school serving the north-west of York.
We aim for excellence in all we do. We want to see young
people reach their potential and develop into mature,
confident adults.
Manor is committed to providing exciting learning that
captures students’ imaginations and helps them to develop
a life-long curiosity and passion for study.
We do this in a Christian environment, where all
young people are cared for, shown respect and given
opportunities to serve others.
We have a reputation for high academic performance.
Our Key Stage 4 results place us in the top ten per cent of
schools nationally and we were the first school in York to be
commended by Ofsted as a “particularly successful school”.
Manor Church of England Academy
Millfield Lane, Nether Poppleton, York YO26 6PA
Tel: 01904 798722 Fax: 01904 782902
Email: [email protected]
www.manorceacademy.org
2007 2008