Emmanuel College

Writing this in 2023 as a parent of two children at the school who have been there for several years now.

This is an amazing school. I had real reservations when choosing it as I had read some reviews that made me worry. I also felt very uneasy on the open day as the children showing us round all seemed a little bit ‘too good to be true’

There are strict behaviour policies but if your child is well behaved this is no issue. Because the behaviour and uniform policies are so strict there is no oneupmanship, cliquey behaviour, far less bullying. Kids can get on with the task at hand which is to get an education. The fact most behaviour is in check means the staff and kids have mutual respect. My kids regularly come home with stories about fun banter they have had with staff members and there’s genuinely a sense of mutual respect and affection between children and teachers.

My kids have a fair few openly gay and non binary friends at the school who are all comfortable to be open about their identities because it’s a safe supportive space to do so. Both from a staff and student perspective. PHSE is taught weekly and they have an age appropriate lecture about teen related issues from a completely secular perspective. School also has a great pastoral care system and a student welfare office where kids can seek support at any time during the school day for a variety of issues.

The school may be ‘Christian ethos’ but that really only manifests in morning prayers in assembly. The school doesn’t force religion on kids that don’t have one. RS lessons are often very lively with different points of view all being given equal weight. It is one of the most multicultural schools in the NE. There are many different world views in the student body that aren’t Christian and the school caters for all of them. My kids are atheists and have never felt like religion has been forced upon them. Their views are respected by their peers and the staff.

Workload is fine. Homework is by no means unmanageable and far less in volume than I remember getting at school.

The only thing I will say is that the school has a rigorous assessment regime. So there seems to constantly be a set of exams going on. Not just end of year ones. I think they do this instead of homework as it will very quickly pick up issues and knowledge gaps so a course correct can happen before it becomes a huge issue.

Another downside is that because it has such a large catchment then it’s hard for kids to socialise out of school as few are local to each other.

Their results speak for themselves. It’s a supportive, nurturing and inclusive school where putting your hand up in class doesn’t make you a ‘swot’ and bullying is frowned upon, not just by staff but by students too.

The christian aspect is simply a framework to base their values on. Kindness, reaching your full potential, trying your best, taking personal responsibility for yourself, helping the wider community and thinking about others.

I hope this review puts some parents minds at rest as I do not recognise the school based on some of the reviews on here. Which seem to be completely outdated.

I currently attend Emmanuel College as a KS3 student and it’s great. Most details in my star reviews!!🥰

Brilliant school, my child has been at the school from 2020- pastoral care is excellent and kids are well cared for. The school has been under different leadership to the school described in some of the other reviews here. I do not recognise the school mentioned in some of these accounts. My daughter is gay and has lots of gay and non binary friends and they are very happy to be themselves. They are treated with respect by other students and the staff. I’ve noticed a lot of the old staff have moved on and there are lots of new younger teachers who are far more modern in their approach to dealing with teens. The work is academically rigorous and teachers expect the best from their students but that is reflected in the schools excellent results.

It’s ridiculous! Students are getting 1 hour detentions for forgetting their trainers, pencils etc without warnings.

did nothing for my mental health but i learned some pua cushty belta hymns

I wrote a review of Emmanuel College in 2018, in those years since my review became the most up-voted review of the School on Google.
There have been many things I want to add however unfortunately there is a character limit on Google, and to fully divulge everything about this place and the trauma it has caused me requires more space to write.
So I have decided to write here more.

When there is an entire section on the school's Wikipedia about controversies, you know that something is definitely wrong.
Putting aside the general issues I have about the education system in the UK in general and how it's incredibly outdated, harmful and quite frankly useless, Emmanuel takes these things to the extreme.

Education wise, it is largly Christian dominated. Being told this is the solid truth and not to question.
The workload is extremely harsh, I have been through university and work, truly nothing was intense and stressful as the amount of work I had as an 11 year old child at Emmanuel.
I actually retract my previous statements about education being high standard, it's high standard if you believe that useless, outdated subjects will actually be used and implemented in daily life.
Emmanuel truly exists in a bubble, devoid of any sense of the real world, telling naive students they will actually need this information in order to succeed, which in most part is entirely false.
Not to re-hash prior points in my initial review but there was blatant hypocrisy in how the Head teacher saw me crying, noticed and walked past, yet would preach countless hours in assemblies about kindness, genuinity and the core values to behave in God's image.
It has taken me years to unlearn the countless harmful ideas and fear mongering that were drilled into me from this school.

Uniform is of course rediculously enforced, female students are told that wearing "inappropriate" clothing will distract male students. Sexism, enforcement of heterosexual, outdated and traditional marriage is very much forced upon students with no room for questioning nor deviation.

I attended the school from 2011-2014. I did not complete my full time at the school due to being unable to function anymore.
I'm 21 years old now, and since writing my prior review I have been professionally diagnosed with C-PTSD.
Part of my Complex-Post Traumatic stress disorder has come from my experiences at this school.
I still to this day, have traumatic flashbacks about my time being a student there.
And I know that I am not the only person. I recently found articles from Faith schoolers anonymous (unable to link, but can be searched for) and I was horrifed but sadly not suprised with what I read.
I did not stay until age 16 where the sex education starts, but I do recall older students discussing their issues with homophobic education so I have no doubts that I would have received this "teaching" if I were to continue.
I am glad I dropped out, looking back I have no regrets. If anyone tells you that not attending this school will detriment your success, it's nonsense.
There is life beyond GCSE and my thoughts go out to anyone who is still attending.
I staunchly believe that Emmanuel is dangerous and extremely harmful to the students who attend.
Children as young as 11 are told they are adults, this was drilled into us.
This should go without saying, but 11 year olds are MINORS. They should not be expected to be independent, fully developed and act like adults, they are literally children.
Some may argue that this is to encourage children to be mature and responsible, which I support however there are other ways to go about it.
Telling a minor they are an adult, from firsthand experience is extremely harmful in many ways.
11 year olds should be allowed to be children, to make mistakes, play and be happy. Simply put. It's incredibly disturbing seeing such young children Brainwashed into having the mentality of someone over 40.
Speaking of brainwashing, the Christian indoctrination and Creationism is rampant and disturbing.
Christianity and conservatism is inserted into everything, including pastoral services.
I was told to not kill myself because "God would not want that"
Myself, I am not straight nor neurotypical.
I have suffered immense religious trauma from my upbringing and time in religious schools.
I despised myself for being different, something that was and still is very blatant, something that has been with me my entire life and after years of trauma I have chosen to fully embrace.
I was bullied relentlessly for this, I was told to kill myself by other students. Some threatening to kill me and my pets.
The staff turned a blind eye to me, and of course blamed me for being different.
The conformity is very strictly enforced, physically and socially in school.
Staff would actually contribute to this, singling me out in class and laughing and redicule.
I am not afraid to come forward about this anymore nor to name names which is within my right, however due to guidelines I will refrain.
I am not at all surprised that others suffered with self harm, suicidal thoughts and trauma for being different, whether that is for being queer, neurodivergent, of a different culture or anything else, you are hammered down like a nail.
This school literally almost caused me to develop an eating disorder and take my own life a very young age.
I very nearly became a suicide statistic.
At times I would come into school in a very clearly neglected state as external abuse was occuring to me and I had very visible self harm, and again, this was turned a blind eye to.
Schools have a duty of care to their students, a school should not have a student praying and begging to God to die, in a disassociated and suicidal state.
A school should not have multiple students bringing in scalpels to lessons and cutting themselves.
A school should absolutely not blame a student for external abuse at home that they had a duty of care to do something about, and for their personal situation.
A school should not be the cause for many of it's students to develop Post traumatic stress disorder, depression, eating disorders and anxiety to name a few.
A school should not cause a student to have traumatic flashbacks almost a decade later.

When I wrote my first review I didn't feel confident to disclose the darker details, but now I feel like it must be said.
I remember my arms bleeding, as a child at this school, from the desperation of pain I had inficted upon myself, I had blood seeping through the white sleeves of the blouse, being covered by the blazer.
And I believe this is a perfect metaphor, for how the school covered up and ignored anyone suffering behind the scenes.

Looking at other reviews it looks like nothing has changed, and likely will never change.
I staunchly believe that Emmanuel College should be shut down.
Ofstead and the authorities are looking solely at the education statistics, as they would as this countries standards are in ruin.
Also not to mention, all schools act up for Ofstead, inspection, etc.
But I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if Emmanuel College had caused suicides and they have been covered up or never came to light.
This is not to be taken lightly, as much as I wanted to make jokes about blasting "Born this way" outside the school gates (please do, by the way.) I couldn't take a lighthearted, sarcastic or humorous tone in my review, this is a threat to the wellbeing of students attending and I believe that something needs to be done, there needs to be protest, for more to speak up.
Otherwise nothing will change.
I am sure there are points I have forgotten or have blurred out due to trauma, and I would rather not repeat myself, but having seen others speak up I think the time has come to finally speak the truth no matter what it takes.
I've lived through this hell of Education, and most has been useless.
One thing I have learned though is to build up my self esteem shattered by this place and others, and to use your voice.
You are who you are, do not let a cult "school" remove your individuality.

- V.

This school does nothing for your mental health they give everyone a booklet and to summarise some of the points. If you anxiety just face it. If you are depressed just be happy. Eating disorder just eat. There is no one to talk to who is fully trained when you go down they either send you back to your lesson they let you talk to you if your lucky but then call your parents and tell you everything. They proceeded to give you a mindful colouring page if your crying but as soon as you stop sorry mate but your back in your classroom.

The school cares TOO much about uniform. How come in year 11 we have to have our hair tied back and can’t wear makeup as otherwise it will affect our learning but in year 12 we can have makeup on and hair down this dosent make sense. If you have your ears pierced you would think you could wear clear earrings haha no you thought wrong you can’t even wear clear ones so sorry but it’s very likely that all your piercings are gonna close. Skirts. Oh where do I start. They must be mad. They go a cm above your knee and you would think your about to detinate a bomb. I don’t understand why having our skirt touch our knee is important. On school trips girls can’t wear leggings or jeans as it will distract the boys we must wear baggy trousers.

They don’t reall do much for bullying they just have a meeting with you and the person and tell you to sort it.

They do try their best in lessons but a lot of teachers can’t control the students. They also try to inflict there opionions and believes on you . Over all the school is a mess and cares more about looking pretty than getting grades and DO NOT i repeate DO NOT come here if you have bad mental health and need help.

Like others have said, the welfare team isn't fully trained. They give out booklets about mental health, but don't do much personally. The rest of the school (learning etc.) is fine, except some teachers.

I love the fact I can learn an instrument (I have been learning saxophone for a while and I love it) but there is no welfare support unless you cause a problem for the teachers. The teachers try to force their views on you and the pressure put on students is a lot to handle

It’s a good school for academics and they do push you for the highest grades. However, DO NOT ATTEND if you suffer from mental health difficulties or issues, the welfare team is absolutely shit and non-existent, they do not care about student’s issues and will only let you be in the welfare office if you are on the brink of death. There is nobody mental health trained there, and they do not understand anything about mental health whatsoever.

Okay I guess it's a school