Sixth Form are delighted to have re-established our links with the amazing people at Access Sport. A big thank you from Head of Sixth Form Charlotte Johnson for Sixth Form teacher and PE Coordinator Hannah Harrison. Hannah has created and maintained a fantastic working relationship with the staff at Access Sport which means that she has been able to pick up where we left off before the Covid disruption halted many aspects of our partnership. Hannah continues to work hard to create as many diverse non-traditional sporting opportunities as possible for our students, supporting our Sixth Form Sport & Leisure curriculum superbly.

Access Sport are a charity who work with organisations to make sure that no one is excluded from the transformational benefits of community sport. They are working alongside us to develop our Sport & Leisure afternoon which aims to equip our students with the skills and knowledge to be able to build a healthy, active lifestyle outside of school. The brilliant coaches at Access Sport are working with us by providing tailored sessions and subsequent links to inclusive local clubs to boost community participation. So far Sixth Form students have been treated to specialist, inclusive coaching sessions in American Football and BMX. The sessions aim to improve physical and mental wellbeing as well as targeting students’ personal development and eventually linking our students with local community clubs of their choice so that this important development can continue beyond school. We have seen students improve their teamwork and communication skills during the American Football session as well as their self-belief through the challenging BMX session. These sessions are also a great way for our students to foster a sense of belonging through a sport or activity that they enjoy. Year 14 student Aaron said ‘the sessions have been really fun and entertaining. BMX is something I would like to do outside of school’. Watch this space for the next exciting sporting opportunities that our students have been part of.

KS3 have been involved in the Happy, Safe and Free project. This is a yearlong, city-wide art project, exploring empathy and understanding for refugees through creativity. It has been designed for Manchester’s Year of the Child and Young People 2022 by Emma Martin (Creative Director Stanley Grove), assisted by Judy Donnelly.

Since the beginning of 2022 over 10,000 school students across our city have been making artworks expressing
what makes them ‘happy’, ‘safe’ and ‘free’. They then destroyed their artworks, shedding each piece to illustrate the loss of the basic human needs of happiness, safety, and freedom. The shredded artworks were on display as ‘seas’ with origami boats floating on top to symbolise the dangerous journeys migrants and refugees are forced to make to find a place of sanctuary. Recently, the young-artists work has been recycled to create papier-mâché bowls exploring the vast contribution migrants have made to our city.

There is an exhibition at Whitworth Gallery next week where the bowls will be on sale and all money raised will go to refugee charities.

Watch the video above to find out more and to make your own bowl to support children from across the world.

MHS students are proud to be involved and have made their own bowls.