A brand new free school is being built in Belle Vue and will be run by Co-op
The Belle Vue school will launch in temporary accommodation before moving to the new building in September 2023, and the Department for Education and local council have selected Co-Op as its official operator.
The Co-Op will run a new secondary school in Belle Vue, Manchester City Council has confirmed.
The school, which will have space for 1,200 students aged 11-16, is set to open in temporary accommodation in September 2021 – welcoming an initial set of 120 Year 7 pupils.
A fresh intake of 11-year-olds will be added over successive years until full capacity is reached in every group from Year 7 to Year 11 in 2027.
The Co-Op’s Academies Trust branch already operates 26 education facilities in England – including one in North Manchester.
The Belle Vue school will open in a temporary location before moving to a new permanent building in September 2023 – with the Department for Education and local council selecting Co-Op as its official operator.
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Co-Op
The new school has been built to meet rising demand for places in Manchester – with the number of pupils in local schools continuing to grow.
Councillor Garry Bridges, Executive Member for Children and Schools, Manchester City Council, said: “Co-op have a good track record of operating schools in Manchester and elsewhere and it’s great news that they’re going to be at the helm of this much-needed brand new school in this part of the city.
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“Pupil numbers are set to continue to rise across Manchester and we’re already working closely with schools and others on this, and have detailed plans in place to ensure we have the right number of places in the right locations to meet this growing demand.
“Our children and young people deserve the best education, delivered in the best buildings, and this is what we’re determined to ensure they get.”
The Co-op Academies Trust wants to make the new facility ‘environmentally friendly’ – with plans to involve pupils in the design of the building.
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Chris Tomlinson, CEO of Co-op Academies Trust, said: “We’re determined to create a school that will be a beacon of both educational and environmental standards.
“We’re a vibrant Trust that provides an engaging, inspiring and innovative curriculum, underpinned by Co-op values and principles, that equips young people with the skills, knowledge, understanding and qualifications they need to make a success of their lives.
“Inspired by the Co-op’s 1 Angel Square in central Manchester, which is one of the greenest offices in the world, we want to engage local year 5 and 6 pupils in the design of the new school and explore with them what environmentally responsible elements can be incorporated into it.”
Middleton to receive a cinema and Metrolink as part of regeneration plans
Thomas Melia
Greater Manchester town Middleton is about to undergo a huge facelift thanks to a new regeneration project, including a new cinema and Metrolink tram station.
Middleton is one of many bustling communities that make up the borough of Rochdale, and with these new plans, the town might receive a fair few new visitors who want to know what it’s all about.
The Greater Manchester town is undergoing a huge transformation with regeneration plans confirming that Middleton will receive a brand new cinema complex along with an extended Metrolink line as part of the Bee Network expansion covering this area.
This is all thanks to Middleton teaming up with the Mayor to launch the Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC), which pushes forward regeneration plans for the town and future ideas.
Middleton Shopping Centre right in the heart of the town centre.Middleton Town Centre bustling as the markets take place.Credit: Steven Haslington (via Geograph)/@Rept0n1x (via Flickr)
The MDC considers lots of aspects of the town and even aims to create new homes and improve surrounding public spaces.
Middleton regeneration plans have been floated previously, but complications arose due to a lack of land and available funding, which ultimately brought these foundations to a halt.
Now it seems the green light has been lifted and Middleton is about to get a whole new facelift, which will not only improve the town economically but aesthetically too, along with the wider Rochdale region.
For many Middletonians, the idea of a cinema may have felt like a distant memory, with their last big screen location shutting down just over a decade ago.
This all-new high street regeneration will not only bring an array of shopping favourites back to the town centre but also the long-awaited return of a local cinema. Most importantly, the plans also include a slate of new housing, with an estimated 300 apartments set to be created in one building alone.
Early CGIs of the proposed Middleton regeneration plans.Grade II-listed Warwick Mill looks set to be turned into flats.Credit: Publicity Picture (supplied)
This all falls in line with the ‘Atom Valley scheme‘, which has been commissioned in order to generate over 20,000 job opportunities for people in Bury, Oldham and Rochdale.
The scheme also mentions how it aims to bring a combined economic boost of around £1 billion to these previously mentioned areas.
Rochdale Borough Council leader, Neil Emmott, said: “The development of 1.2 million square metres of employment space around the junction 19 area will help to generate 20,000 high-quality jobs and bring a £1 billion economic boost.”
Featured Image — Publicity Pictures (supplied via Rochdale Borough Council)
News
Scouting For Girls announce stacked UK tour with Manchester date
Thomas Melia
British boyband Scouting For Girls are heading out on an extensive UK tour with dates up and down the country, including right here in Manchester.
If the first thing that pops into your mind when you read this headline is “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know how we’ll make it through this”, then you’re on the right side of history.
Nearly 20 years since their single ‘She’s So Lovely’ reached catastrophic heights and had everyone putting on their best Roy Stride accent, Scouting For Girls are heading back on the road.
This UK tour announcement comes two years after their last project, The Place We Used To Meet, reached our ears and was coined by the band as “Our best work since our debut”.
It’s been 18 years since this Brit trio captivated our hearts with their eponymous debut album, which sold over one million copies and went number one on the UK official charts for two weeks.
Whether you know them for ‘Heartbeat’ or ‘Elvis Ain’t Dead’, it’s clear to say this band had their fair share of smash hit singles throughout the noughties.
This tour, however, celebrates the sophomore follow-up: Everybody Wants To Be On TV, which went on to continue their legacy and secure them their only number one, ‘This Ain’t A Love Song’, back in 2010.
Now, the boys are treating UK fans to an array of live performances, and if you can’t make one date, fear not because there are 20 different locations for you to choose from.
The group will also be playing the likes of Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and a whole host of other Northern cities, so you have plenty of chances to catch them.
If you can’t wait all the way until March 2026 for your next Scouting For Girls fix, lead singer Stride has his own cameo account where you can get the star to read out a message or even sing you a song: “‘Michaela Strachan’ in full, please?…”
Scouting For Girls are coming to O2 Apollo in Manchester on 21 March 2026, with tickets going on sale next Friday, 2 May at 10am HERE.
The Manc -
16th September 2020 
