9 February 2023
Manchester Enterprise Academy gained Holocaust Beacon School status in 2021, in recognition of their relentless work to engage students in reflecting and understanding, meaningfully, the complexity of The Holocaust. MEA’s Holocaust education promotes and teaches students to challenge misconceptions in society, allows students to develop their own values regarding human rights, prejudice and justice and to develop an understanding of the impact of The Holocaust on the lives of individuals.
In history classrooms teachers ensure that students develop a deep and nuance understanding of history, engage critically and are given the opportunity to explore the very real impact of history on people. MEA’s work as a beacon school extends beyond a re-design of the Year 9 curriculum and has impacted how a range of sensitive and diverse histories across the department are taught.
‘Lessons about The Holocaust are special because they teach about a dark aspect of humanity that we need to understand, so that we can put a stop to hate in the world today.’ Charlie Galbraith (Year 10 student)
Working as a Beacon School reaches far beyond the history classroom. The Beacon School status recognises the impact of the school’s work to create a community of belonging, the emphasis on kindness and broader approach in challenging extremism and harmful ‘Us Vs Them’ narratives. Our broader Community of Belonging programme ensures that everyday students learn about and reflect on the importance of belonging.
At the heart of what is explored through this education is that The Holocaust was a catastrophe not only for its millions of victims but for ourselves too. We must confront the uncomfortable truths of the past and present, if we are to inspire and empower our young people to build a future where prejudice, discrimination and extremism are challenged wherever they are found. MEA are proud to empower everyone in their community to challenge unkindness and devote a significant amount of curriculum time and staff CPD to building a true community of belonging.
‘The work at Manchester Enterprise Academy [on belonging] has the power to shape educational discourse across the country’
Dr Nicola Wetherall MBE, University College London
‘We are immensely proud of the way in which our staff and students continue to embark on our journey to build a community of belonging and their contributions to this, from our students engaging with curiosity and respect to our staff who engage critically on their own practice, so that we continually improve the impact this work has on our community.’ Mr King (Curriculum Leader for Fantastic Futures, RE and History)
The video below captures just some of the impact that this vital work has on our young people everyday.
