Message from the Principal
What a difference some good weather and a slight relaxation in our movements inside and outside of school makes to our mood. I hope you are feeling it too. Our students continue to impress with their resilience and positive attitudes.
Extra-curricular activities
Although on a day-to-day basis our COVID risk assessment and therefore our procedures during the school day have not changed, we have been delighted to see the huge attendance at our year group clubs. How quickly we forget that there really is a joy in seeing young people choosing to spend their own time participating in physical and creative activities once again. If students haven’t yet attended but would like to, we would encourage everyone to participate in something!
Thank you to all of the staff and parents/carers who support our students in this endeavour.
REACH Rewards
I have also had the pleasure today of distributing the Silver and Gold REACH awards for last term. You will find the detail further on in ‘Our Manor’, but I think that these rewards are particularly special as they demonstrate all of our values that our students have demonstrated during lockdown and their return to school. We are all very aware of the difficulties that this presents in our own lives, so it is right that we should give recognition to those young people who continue to flourish and make progress in these extraordinary times.
Assessments
Earlier this week Mr Hurren wrote to all parents/carers of Year 11 students outlining the latest assessment processes alongside details about the end of year arrangements for Year 11. Similar information will be coming from Mr Carter for post-16 students. Our key driver is ensuring that all students reach their preferred destinations whilst having robust systems in place to maintain integrity in all of our processes for awarding grades.
These assessment windows are an essential part of the process and students can really help themselves by maintaining high levels of attendance, revising thoroughly and preparing in detail for the assessments that they will face. Although this is not an exam series as we would usually expect, approaching the next few weeks as such will be an excellent attitude to have.
Planning ahead
This time of year is always exciting as the weather improves and we develop our summer term events and strategic plans for the new academic year.
We are determined to recognise and celebrate the successes of the year groups who have seen so much disruption to their KS4 and KS5 courses. We are working hard on our plans to be able to do this and ensuring that we have contingency arrangements so we can remain COVID-safe.
We are also working on our transition plans at the other end of the spectrum, working closely with our feeder schools within and beyond NET to ensure we have a great programme for our incoming Year 7s. This is particularly exciting this year as September coincides with the launch of our new branding.
In addition, we are looking to develop our Work. World. Wellness. curriculum still further, enhancing the experience for all.
More information about all of these aspects and many more will be forthcoming over the next few weeks and months. It really is an exciting time to be part of the Manor School journey.
Thank you for your continued support.
Jay Davenport, Principal
REACH Rewards
On Friday, Mr Davenport visited year groups to present certificates and sweets to students who have achieved their Silver Award (45 REACH points) or Gold Award (60 REACH points) in our Going For Gold programme. Due to the overwhelming number of students who have recently achieved their Bronze Award (30 REACH points), these are being celebrated in tutor groups.
Congratulations to all students who have received an award for displaying our REACH values.
Parents' Evening
Thank you to our Year 8 students and their parents/carers for their impressive turnout at the Year 8 Virtual Parents' Evening last night. The feedback received so far has been positive, as demonstrated by the following comments:
- "Our daughter is very happy indeed at Manor - she’s formed great friendships and feels safe, secure and settled. Absolutely no concerns. We are really impressed."
- "My son is happy at school and is always given the opportunity to give his full potential. We would like to thank all the staff for their hard work."
- "My husband and I are very pleased with our son's progress at Manor School and he seems happy and interested to learn new skills."
We look forward to continuing to work on the processes around these as the system use is increased.
We are really keen to understand what is working well with these events and what could be further improved. Please fill out the feedback form to share your views.
The next Virtual Parents' Evening takes place on Thursday 27 May for Year 7. A letter with full booking details will be sent via SchoolComms in advance.
Potential police visit
Please download the letter below which explains the context for a potential police visit to the school site along with other secondary schools within the local area.
RSE lessons
As part of your child’s education at Manor School, we promote personal wellbeing and development through a comprehensive wellness programme. ‘Wellness.’ is underpinned by our school ethos and values. The ‘Wellness.’ strand of our curriculum is to provide students the knowledge, understanding, attitudes and practical skills to live safe, healthy, productive lives and meet their full potential.
During the summer term in their wellness lessons, students will focus on the relationships and sex education (RSE) aspect of this programme, which is a statutory requirement. RSE lessons in Year 9 will be in line with the government guidelines which can be found here. Students will also have the opportunity to ask questions that help prepare them for relationships of all kinds in the modern world.
As a school community, we are committed to working in partnership with parents. If you have any concerns or would like further information, please contact gmartin@manor.school
Manor Maths Challenges
Mrs Radd has some more challenges from 7Puzzle for you this week. Here's a bonus tip for the first puzzle - start at the end of the second bullet point and work backwards...
Healthcare summer school
The University of Leicester will be hosting a digital two-day healthcare summer school for students in Years 10 and 11. The summer school will take place online from Monday 26 to Tuesday 27 July. Students will need to be available for live sessions taking place on both days with an online optional social event on the Monday evening. This is a free event.
Students will take part in a variety of sessions led by both healthcare professionals and student mentors. The summer school aims to develop a student’s knowledge and understanding of medicine and the allied health professions, such as Nursing, Midwifery and Operating Department Practice (ODP). Students will learn what it is like to study these subject areas, what a healthcare career may involve as well as the skills and qualifications that are required to enter the profession. A social event will also take place in the evening to showcase university student life.
If you or someone you know is interested in applying for the pre-16 digital healthcare summer school, applications are now open and will close Friday 14 May, with applicants being informed whether they have got a place on the summer school by Friday 4 June.
For more information and to apply, click the link below.
The Big Ask
The new Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, has launched The Big Ask – the largest ever consultation with children aged 4 to 17 in England. It aims to find out children’s concerns and aspirations about the future, so that we can put children at the heart of our country’s recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
All schools are encouraged to support their pupils to complete this survey. Parents, carers and those working with children are also invited to complete the adult survey to share their views about the future for children and young people today, and what they think is holding young people back.
The results from this survey will help the Children’s Commissioner identify the barriers preventing children from reaching their potential, put forward solutions and set ambitious goals for the country to achieve.
Term 5 extra-curricular timetable
Please see below an updated PE extra-curricular timetable for week commencing 26 April. It is likely that some of the activities on offer will change due to staffing and different sports and activities we would like to offer, so please continue to keep checking to ensure that everyone is aware of what is on and when. We will share this each week.
