MEaP 2020 Year End Review
2020 was a year of profound transformation for Making Education a Priority (MEaP). Faced with the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic, our community demonstrated remarkable resilience, pivoting our entire operations to ensure that our students and families were not left behind during the lockdown. This post highlight summarise our journey through this historic year.
IT and Health against threats to education and community
Launching the Virtual Hub – MEaP Academy Community Education Centre
In March 2020, we responded to social distancing measures by rapidly transferring our face-to-face teaching to an online platform. This culminated in the official launch of the MEaP Academy Community Education Centre in May, a virtual hub that integrated our After-school, Lifelong Learning, and Skills4Life departments to provide a seamless digital learning environment.
Understanding the mental health toll of the pandemic, we prioritised a nurturing environment in our virtual classrooms. Our staff focused more than ever on growing the emotional confidence of our students alongside their academic attainment, providing a secure space for them to express their feelings during “troubled times.”
Our teaching staff also worked tirelessly to adapt our curriculum and particularly core subject revision for Key Stages 2 to 4 to the online format. We placed a particular emphasis on making learning personally relevant and engaging, helping students process the world around them through the lens of global citizenship and social action.
Digital Inclusion for communities
Recognising that many in our community faced barriers to online learning, we developed a primary Digital Inclusion strategy. This initiative focused on outreaching to local families and providing innovative solutions for equipment and internet access, ensuring that the “digital divide” did not hinder our students’ progress.
Manchester City Council Accreditation
A significant milestone was reached in November 2020 when the MEaP Twilight Academy School became the first supplementary school in the region to receive the inaugural Higher Level Accreditation Award from Manchester City Council. This award recognised our high standards of governance and the positive impact on our pupils’ aspirations.
Community Support and Solidarity
Throughout the year, we deepened our partnerships to support those disproportionately affected by the pandemic. This included a collaboration with the Co-op to thank the local heroes, such as our own Dr Ornette, who supported our community and continued work with the National Association of Black Supplementary Schools to advocate for equitable educational opportunities.
Scholarly Activism and Global Citizenship
Despite the physical restrictions, our academic work continued. We contributed to international discussions on the UN International Decade for People of African Descent and published insights on “Black Scholarly Activism,” bridging the gap between academic research and grassroots community needs.
Verdict
2020 was a year where we were forced to think creatively and act decisively. By rising out of the “ashes of pandemic challenges,” we built a more flexible, digitally-capable organisation that remains more committed than ever to making education a priority for everyone.