Academy Life
Developing the whole person
Being a student at Macmillan Academy is about building positive adult relationships with staff and fulfilling your potential. Obviously we want all students to achieve the best grades that they can in their chosen courses and to go on to successful careers or university courses (where 80% of our Year 13 leavers currently go) all over the country. We believe that it is vital that students do more than simply study and at Macmillan Academy we encourage everyone to get involved in all aspects of Academy life.
Student Voice
Listening to students is something that the Post 16 team take very seriously which is why there is a Post 16 Student Council which discusses all aspects of the Academy experience. The Council has helped organise social events for both year groups as well as getting involved in the recent building and refurbishment programme. The Academy is always keen to receive students’ opinions so that improvements can be made to the quality of service that is provided.
Senior Students
Every year a small number of students are elected in Year 13 to represent students and help in the organisation of Academy life. One of their main roles is to organise the Leavers’ Event at the end of Year 13 as well as to represent the whole Academy on important occasions.
Enrichment Opportunities
Working hard at Post 16 level is vital if you want to achieve good grades. However, all work and no play can make life very stressful which is why we encourage students to get involved in a wide range of activities beyond their main course of study. We have such a strong belief in enriching students that we have moulded our tutorial programme to allow students to experience a wide range of non-academic activities. These activities vary from year to year but have included the following: team sports, debating, newspaper and book club. There are lots of activities to choose from and ways to get involved in the Macmillan Academy Post 16 experience.
Rugby Academy
The Rugby Academy has gone from strength to strength in recent years and the team train on a regular basis to prepare themselves for competitions. Last year the team reached the 4th round in the national Daily Mail cup competition (their best ever performance) and has won the County Cup for the last 2 years.
Sports Leadership
The group of students following the Sports Leadership course learn how to coach other students and often get involved in organising events across Middlesbrough for other secondary and primary schools.
Drama Productions
The annual Academy production is a fantastic opportunity for budding thespians to tread the boards or for people to help out behind the scenes. The recently refurbished theatre incorporates state of the art facilities and can support many different events from talent shows to discos.
Music Evenings
The brand new Music facilities incorporate practice rooms for students who play instruments. There are also annual concerts at Christmas and in the summer when students showcase their talents to a large audience.
Coast to Coast
The Coast to Coast bike ride is an annual event organised as a challenge to stretch a group of Year 12 students and staff to physical and mental exhaustion whilst raising significant sums of money for charity. The event is completed over the May Bank Holiday weekend and students and staff cycle the 140 miles from Workington to Sunderland in just over 2½ days.
Outward Bound
A leadership and management course is organised for Year 12 students in the Lake District every year. 50 students usually take part in the week-long course which involves a wide variety of team building exercises in the environs of the Outward Bound Centre at Howtown. The course always gets rave reviews from the students who take part. Students are pushed mentally and physically during the week to achieve things that they didn’t know they were capable of at the start of the week.
Leavers’ Event
In the last 2 years the Year 13 Leavers’ Event has developed massively as a result of the effort of the students who help to organise and run the evening. The event is a culmination of 24 months of hard work and a celebration of success for our staff and students alike.
Foreign Visits
You may get the chance to travel overseas during your Post 16 studies and experience different cultures. The languages department runs an annual exchange programme and other trips abroad are being planned for next year by the Art and History departments.
London Visit
The annual London visit for Year 12 students is one of the highlights of the year. We take a group of 20 students to visit the famous sights of our capital city. The overnight stay also incorporates a top London show and a chance to visit museums and art galleries across the city.
