Dixons Brooklands Academy, also known as DBA or DBK, is a mixed-sex secondary school in

Wythenshawe Wythenshawe () is a district of the city of Manchester, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in Cheshire, Wythenshawe was transferred in 1931 to the City of Manchester, which had begun building a massive housing estate there in the ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England.

History

In 1957, two separate schools opened, West Wythenshawe Technical High School for Girls and West Wythenshawe Technical High School for Boys. The schools' facilities included sports fields, tennis courts, science labs and a library. A statue, commissioned by Mitzi Cunliffe, who designed the Bafta, was erected outside the boys' gymnasium. In 1967, the two schools merged to form Brookway High School comprehensive, with mixed classes. In 2003, the school was then awarded sports college status and renamed Brookway High School and Sports College. Following this, a £3 million facility was built on the site, featuring two sports halls, three classrooms and a large gym, for use by both the school and the local community.

Closure and rebuild

In 2009,

Manchester City Council Manchester City Council is the local authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. Manchester is the sixth largest city in England by population. Its city council is composed of 96 councillors, three ...

invested almost £200 million to improve the schools in the Manchester area. The original Brookway High School and Sports College/Manchester Health Academy building was demolished and a new £20 million building for Manchester Health Academy was completedin 2010. In July 2008, Barry Burke, the headteacher at Rhyddings Business and Enterprise School in

Oswaldtwistle Oswaldtwistle ( "ozzel twizzel") is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England, southeast of Blackburn, contiguous with Accrington and Church. The town has a rich industrial heritage, being home to James Hargreaves, inventor of the s ...

, was appointed Principal of Manchester Health Academy, taking up his post in January 2009. In August 2013, he retired from his position, being succeeded by Damien Owen. Following poor results and negative

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...

inspections, in January 2022 Manchester Health Academy became part of the Dixons Academy Trust and was renamed Dixons Brooklands Academy.

Facilities

The academy was built with less traditional teaching methods in mind. It features three large learning zones, each of which can be used to teach up to four classes, and two smaller learning zones that can each be used by up to two classes. Eight traditional-style classrooms host practical subjects such as science, design, technology, cooking, music, ICT, drama, art and dance. The school states that the learning zones are large enough accommodate 150 students per year group at a time, producing a theoretical maximum student count of 750 plus 150 maximum for the sixth-form centre. The centre is operated in partnership with

The Manchester College The Manchester College is the largest further education college in the United Kingdom and the largest single provider of 16-19, adult and higher education in Greater Manchester, with more than 25% of Greater Manchester’s learning provision un ...

, and currently offers courses in business, health and social care, sport, IT, forensic science, and early years education and care. The Academy also features a public library, which is operated by

Manchester Library & Information Service There are 24 public libraries in Manchester, England, including the famous Central Library in St Peter’s Square. The oldest community library still in use is Levenshulme Library in South Manchester, built in 1903. Levenshulme Library is al ...

. In 2016,

invited the school to expand its student population. A £10 million transformation of the school's estate saw the addition of a new dining room extension, multi-use games area and FA-standard all-weather pitch, together with a new maths and English building. Former

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

footballer

Denis Irwin Joseph Denis Irwin (born 31 October 1965) is an Irish former professional footballer and sports television presenter. As a player, he played as a full-back from 1983 to 2004. Irwin is best known for his long and successful stint at Manchester ...

officially opened the school's new all-weather pitch in November 2017. The new floodlit playing surface complements the school's existing sports facilities.

Notable former pupils

Brookway High School

Billy Duffy William Henry Duffy (born 12 May 1961) is an English rock musician, best known as the guitarist of the band The Cult. Early life Duffy was born and grew up in Manchester. He has Irish and Jewish heritage and ancestry. He began playing the guit ...

, guitarist of

The Cult The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury's ...

References

{{authority control Academies in Manchester Secondary schools in Manchester 2009 establishments in England Educational institutions established in 2009