MANCHESTER Education Guide YOUR GUIDE TO THE BEST SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES UNIVERSITIES Manchester is more than just an impressive place to live, it offers many great opportunities for you and your family to learn and grow in one of the UK’s, Europe’s and the wider world’s best education hubs. There are a wealth of state and private primary schools, At primary level, the nearby schools offer children a secondary schools, universities and higher education well-rounded education with respective Ofsted ratings institutions across Manchester - which match and ranging from Good to Outstanding. The variety of local surpass the high quality you would expect from a secondary schools is also impressive; from historic global city of its size. From Deansgate Square, there schools dating back hundreds of years to new up and is easy access to the local area’s best schools and the coming schools which regularly set new precedents for city’s many prestigious universities, offering children attainment and pupil development. and young adults an unrivalled selection of top learning environments. WWW.RENAKERBUILD.COM UNIVERSITIES University of Manchester WWW.MANCHESTER.AC.UK 18 mins 4 mins 8 mins THEY SAY: THE UNIVERSITY OF - however, traditionally science has MANCHESTER IS A TRULY GLOBAL been a key area of research with 25 INSTITUTION, WITH A REPUTATION Nobel laureates amongst current FOR EDUCATION AND INNOVATION and former students and staff. THAT RESONATES ACROSS THE WORLD. How it performs: Recently ranked as the ‘8th Best University in the What to expect: A red brick UK’ by the Sunday Times, 93.6% university and part of the of graduates go straight into prestigious Russell Group, The employment or further study University of Manchester is the (Higher Education Statistics largest single-site university in the Agency) making it the most UK, and home to 40,000+ students targeted university by the nation’s NOTABLE ALUMNI: each year - the second most across top graduate employers (The Ernest Rutherford the country. Offering more subjects Graduate Market in 2019, High Prof. Brian Cox than any other institution, there is Flyers Research). Benedict Cumberbatch plenty of choice in terms of courses Manchester Metropolitan University WWW2.MMU.AC.UK 12 mins 4 mins 3 mins THEY SAY: A GREAT, MODERN What to expect: Although officially How it performs: Manchester Met UNIVERSITY, IN A TOP GLOBAL formed in 1970 as Manchester is placed in the world’s top 200 CITY, WITH A DRIVING AMBITION Polytechnic, MMU traces its origins universities under 50 years old TO DISCOVER AND DISSEMINATE back to the 19th century, and (Times Higher Education Young KNOWLEDGE TO MAKE HIGHER the formation of the Manchester University Rankings) with 85% of EDUCATION ACCESSIBLE AND Mechanics Institute and the research offering ‘world-leading’ or BENEFICIAL TO ALL THOSE WITH Manchester School of Design. ‘internationally excellent’ impact. It THE PASSION AND ABILITY TO The University now sits across continues to offer graduates a great SUCCEED. two campuses in the city, with start to the world of work, with 33,000+ students making it the 94.6% finding full time employment sixth largest in the UK. Offering within six months. a vast array of courses, MMU has been commended for its research NOTABLE ALUMNI: and specialisms in both Business Steve Coogan Studies and Architecture, where it Dame Julie Walters is regularly listed in global Top 10s. Thomas Heatherwick CBE Currently undergoing £400m of investment, MMU is set to continue to grow in coming years. WWW.RENAKERBUILD.COM UNIVERSITIES SECONDARY SCHOOLS & COLLEGES University of Salford WWW.SALFORD.AC.UK 32 mins 8 mins 12 mins THEY SAY: THE UNIVERSITY DRAWS base of the university, the new ON ITS HERITAGE OF INDUSTRIAL MediaCity campus sees more than LINKS TO OFFER REAL WORLD 1,500 students working within close LEARNING AND CREATE HIGHLY proximity of UK media staples the EMPLOYABLE GRADUATES. BBC and ITV. 20,000 students return to the university each year What to expect: Established in to study a number of courses, 1967, the University of Salford dates including leading research in back to the 19th century where it health, energy, media and the built Care. With strong links to local was known as the Royal Technical environment. business and industry, 86% of its Institute, Salford. Fast forward to graduates find work or go onto the present day, and the university How it performs: The University further study within six months of now operates across a number of of Salford ranks at 111th in the UK graduating. campuses within two miles west of (Sunday Times Higher Education) Manchester city centre. Although but regularly features in the top NOTABLE ALUMNI: the Peel Park Campus with its red 10 for subject-specific rankings L. S. Lowry brick Peel Building is the main including Media and Health & Social Peter Kay Royal Northern College of Music WWW.RNCM.AC.UK 16 mins 5 mins 7 mins What to expect: Now in its fifth How it performs: Research decade, the RNCM is relatively Excellence Framework (REF) young, but its rich history spans rated the RNCM the UK’s leading back to 1893 when Sir Charles Hallé music college for research and founded the Royal Manchester in 2017 the College was ranked College of Music. In 1973, this Gold in the Higher Education institution merged with the Funding Council for England’s first Northern School of Music, and the Teaching Excellence Framework. RNCM was born. Today, the College The RNCM has also been awarded is a thriving conservatoire with two Times Higher Education THEY SAY: THE RNCM IS A around 320 teaching staff and 880 Awards: Excellence and Innovation LEADING INTERNATIONAL students from nearly 60 different in the Arts (2015) and Outstanding CONSERVATOIRE LOCATED IN THE countries. The college offers International Student Strategy HEART OF MANCHESTER, WITH a range of undergraduate and (2016). A REPUTATION FOR ATTRACTING postgraduate courses looking at TALENTED STUDENTS, TEACHERS, all aspects of musical performance NOTABLE ALUMNI: CONDUCTORS AND COMPOSERS and composition. Helen Sherman FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. Eva Thorarinsdottir WWW.RENAKERBUILD.COM UNIVERSITIES SECONDARY SCHOOLS & COLLEGES Manchester Grammar School WWW.MGS.ORG 56 mins 11 mins 18 mins THEY SAY: THE AIM AND ETHOS OF creative environment in which its NOTABLE ALUMNI: MANCHESTER GRAMMAR SCHOOL pupils flourish. MGS offers places Chris Addison IS TO TEACH BOYS TO ‘THINK FOR based on assessment for boys aged Faisal Islam THEMSELVES AND DEVELOP A TRUE 7 through to post 16 with annual Sir Ben Kingsley SENSE OF SCHOLARSHIP’, FIRMLY fees of £12,930, or £4,310 per term. FOLLOWING THE MOTTO “SAPERE AUDE” MEANING “DARE TO BE How it performs: The most recent WISE”. ISI inspection (May 2019) awarded the school with the highest grade What to expect: Founded in 1515, in all areas. Last year’s GCSE results MGS’ long and prestigious history saw 89% of pupils earning grades 9, has seen it establish a reputation as 8 or 7 (A* or A) across all subjects, one of the country’s top academic while 89% of A-level grades were A* and independent institutions. It is - B. In 2018 it was also recognised also the UK’s largest independent as the Northwest’s top independent day school for boys and prides itself secondary school. on providing an inspirational and Manchester High School for Girls WWW.MANCHESTERHIGH.CO.UK 50 mins 11 mins 17 mins THEY SAY: MHSG HAS A VISION school’s rich social and cultural TO INSPIRE GIRLS TO PURSUE THE environment. MHSG is open to girls ‘HIGHEST ACADEMIC, PERSONAL from ages 4, 7, 11 and 16 and entry is AND MORAL STANDARDS’, AIMING subject to assessment by interview TO EMPOWER THEM TO BECOME and GCSE grades for Sixth Form. ‘RESPONSIBLE GLOBAL CITIZENS, Fees range from £7,650 to £10,683 WHO HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON per annum depending on year THE WORLD’. group. NOTABLE ALUMNI: What to expect: The school is How it performs: MHSG’s most Anushka Asthana revered for the quality of its recent ISI inspection (November Emma Barnett teaching and the life skills it 2019) shows the school meets all of Judy Finnigan, provides its students to help the required standards. The school them achieve their best and equip also showed strong results in last them for their future careers. The year’s GCSEs, with more than half accommodating and wide subject of all grades being 8 or 9 (A or A*) offering is complemented by its over 90% of A-level results being state-of-the-art facilities and the A*- B. WWW.RENAKERBUILD.COM SECONDARY SCHOOLS & COLLEGES SECONDARY SCHOOLS & COLLEGES Chetham’s School of Music WWW.CHETHAMS.COM 22 mins 8 mins 9 mins THEY SAY: CHETHAM’S IS THE school boasts a superb array of board. Both its GCSE and A-Level ‘LARGEST SPECIALIST MUSIC facilities, particularly for ICT and results from last year are similarly SCHOOL IN THE UK’, AND SINCE the sciences, but it is famed for its impressive with 96% and 92% of IT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1969 HAS music buildings and programmes pupils passing with grades from A*- PROVEN ITSELF AS A ‘CENTRAL of study. Chetham’s also embraces C respectively. A large percentage PART OF MUSIC EDUCATION’ FOR the freedom and vibrancy of the of pupils also go on to further study THE WHOLE COUNTRY. surrounding city and strives to and achievement in music and the bring a real community feel to performing arts. What to expect: Chetham’s is its curriculum and culture. Places not just an independent music are subject to auditions and fees NOTABLE ALUMNI: school, it also offers excellent can vary from £25,821 to £35,697 Max Beesley academic courses for students depending on age, nationality and Olivia Chaney and a multitude of pathways boarding status.