AUGUST 2018

CO-OP GROUP
Manchester Co-op
Academy doubles in size
with £18m extension
The Co-operative Academy in Manchester
has doubled in size after the official
opening of a new £18m extension, with a
300-seat theatre, climbing wall, sports pitch
and fitness suite.
The Co-op Group took over Plant Hill
Arts College in 2009, which was then at
the bottom of the national league table
for truancy with a persistent absence
figure of nearly 29%. Under the Group’s
sponsorship, the old school was replaced
with a new purpose-built academy.
This year, Ofsted rated the academy as
“good”, with many features, including
leadership and management, rated
outstanding. Before the Group took over,
pupils were 10 times more likely to skip
school, but attendance figures are now
well above the national average.
Principal Steve Brice said: “The official
opening of the extension marks a very
proud day for the academy.
“Staff and governors are committed to
providing truly outstanding experiences
and outcomes for all students and we
are driven to improve the life chances
p Students at the Manchester Co-operative Academy
of students and add value to the
local community.”
“The academy has gone from strength to
strength in recent years. We are extremely
proud of what we do at the academy and
are delighted that the local authority
approached us to extend the reach of this
to even more young people in the city.
The new building not only gives us much
needed space to develop our offer, but
also allows much larger intakes to benefit
from what we do.”
The Co-op Academies Trust is a charity
controlled by trustees appointed by the
Co-op Group, which gets its day-to-day
funding from the Department for Education
(DfE). It operates 12 academies across
Greater Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent and
West Yorkshire. In April, the Co-op Group
announced it aimed to treble the number
of academies it sponsored to 40 over
the next three years.
The retailer recently allocated £3.6m to
the trust to kick-start the next growth
phase. Pupils can also benefit from work
placements and apprenticeships at the
Co-op Group; it is estimated that 250-
300 candidates from Group-sponsored
academies will join the retailer by 2022.
Frank Norris, director of the trust, said:
“We understand the effect of having a
good school that was previously failing
or weak is immense in regenerating
communities.
“It is testament to all the students,
teachers, support staff and governors that
the DfE had the confidence to support this
major expansion.”
Sounding a sad
note for Co-op
brass band
The Co-op Group is
withdrawing its sponsorship
from the Co-operative
Funeralcare Band and has asked it vacate its current rehearsal
facility in Newhouse in North Lanarkshire.
The band, which has been the Champion Band of Great Britain
twice, and is Scotland’s most successful contesting outfit,
celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
Former Band chair, Ronnie Tennant, told brass band website
4BarsRest: “Significant changes have occurred within [the
Group’s] business and with the running of the band.”
He said it was “of vital importance that we try to maintain a
link that has given the band a worldwide identity and helped
provide the Co-op with such a positive link to the community.
The Group’s chief executive, Steve Murrells, told the band that
he appreciated their success and did not uphold the decision
lightly. But he said the Group was re-assessing its entire expense
base “from bottom up” to ensure its sustainability.
Welsh membership jumps by 40%
The number of active members of the Co-op Group in Wales has
jumped by 40%, to more than 300,000, since it re-launched its
membership scheme and rebranded in 2016.
Over the same period, the retailer has supported 749 local Welsh
causes through its membership scheme, handing out almost
£1.2m. It says it is also investing in its stores, with plans to recruit
250 new colleagues before the end of the year. The Llandovery
store relaunched last week following a £1m makeover, and the
rest of 2018 will see investments in Ammanford, Pontycymmer;
Wrexham, Llandudno
Junction, Denbigh, Machen,
Llangollen and Hirwaun.
Tina Mitchell, the Group’s
managing director for Wales,
said: “We want our stores
to be at the heart of local
life. Our investment in our
communities is transforming
our stores – ensuring the
Co-op is agile, efficient,
p Tina Mitchell
innovative and relevant.”
10 | AUGUST 2018