Manchester Curriculum

The Manchester Curriculum project was inspired by the idea that by drawing on the resources of the city it would be possible to enhance student engagement, aspiration and attainment. A pilot project exploring this idea ran in three schools from September 2008 – July 2009, with a view to longer term development both in Manchester and, potentially, in other cities in the UK. The evaluation concludes there is huge potential for further development of the ideasThe project was funded by Manchester City Council and managed by the RSA.

The schools worked with external partners (for example, Manchester artists, BBC Manchester, Old Trafford) to create projects for young people that developed their Opening Minds competences as well as their knowledge of the local area. The projects were grounded in the history, culture and global future of Manchester in an attempt to make the curriculum meaningful for young people and to give them a stronger sense of connection with their local area, and understanding of its past, present and future. 

Full case studies of each of these projects can be downloaded below.

The evaluation of this project is available and concludes both that there was much in terms of positive experiences and outcomes that came from this initial pilot, and that there is huge potential for further development of the ideas and practice begun by Manchester schools. 

The benefits of the Manchester Curriculum outlined in the evaluation report include: 

  • the big idea of a "Manchester Curriculum" challenged schools to build bridges with their city and also to reorganise time, space and teaching roles in the schools 
  • the emphasis on competencies encouraged a re-examination of teacher identity and pedagogy 
  • the project offered support for risk taking and innovation 
  • time for collaborative work amongst teachers for curriculum development was seen as critical in creating opportunities for staff to reflect upon their practice, challenge assumptions, develop new ideas and personal relationships
  • the opportunities for teachers to spend significant and sustained time with participating students was reported to make a major difference to staff-student relationships, and to the capacity of staff to develop appropriate and effective teaching strategies 
  • visits to the city were seen to provide authentic and informal opportunities for learning conversations 
  • the diversity of teaching strategies encouraged were reported to motivate many students, and to provide opportunities for different students to demonstrate achievement 
  • the visible investment in students through trips and activities was considered to be a particularly important message to children who often came from disadvantaged areas within the city 

Challenges include developing more meaningful engagement between schools and community stakeholders and institutions in creating the area based curricula, and negotiating logistical problems. We are building on this learning in the development of the Peterborough Curriculum.