Welcome to this week's newsletter
This week we said our goodbyes to Mr Martin and wished him well for the future. He has been at this school for over seventeen years now, which is an incredible amount of time and service to one organisation. Mr Martin has had such a positive impact on this community during his time at Manor School. He has also impacted positively on so many families in that long period of time.
We have witnessed the wealth of gratitude and appreciation that Mr Martin has received in the last few days from former and current colleagues, young people and parents/carers. This is a reflection of his popularity and how much he will be missed by many. On a personal note, Mr Martin has been a great support to me in the time we have shared the headship of the school. I would not have been able to step into the role in July without him. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with him and will miss him greatly.
We wish him and his family all the very best for the future.
Lee Towers, Interim Co-Principal
Updated term dates
Due to the additional bank holiday entitlement this year, the Nene Education Trust needs to close its schools one day earlier at the end of the Summer Term than the previously published dates. The last day of term will now be Wednesday 20 July 2022 rather than Thursday 21 July 2022.
The updated term dates schedule can be downloaded from our website.
Year 11 exams
We are now getting closer to the formal Year 11 exam season so there are a few key reminders and messages:
- A final timetable of booster and power sessions will be sent out shortly with details of rooms and locations for these. Booster sessions are focused revision the day of or before the exam, covering key content and techniques. Power sessions are 'nerve-settling' sessions that take place just before the exam.
- All morning exams start at 9:00am. All afternoon exams start at 1:30pm.
- There are some exams that start at 1:30pm and will run beyond the end of the school day. Timings are set nationally by the exam boards and so in these cases it is important that transport home is arranged.
- Students must not take any electronic devices, including watches and mobile phones, into the exam room. Students should bring equipment including black pens in a clear pencil case.
- Water bottles must be see-through with any labels removed.
Very few schools now operate a 'traditional study leave model'. At Manor we apply the following principles.
Until May half term, all students are expected to be in schools at all times. Students will be in normal lessons, examinations, booster sessions or power sessions.
After May half term, in situations where all examined components are complete in a subject that would normally be scheduled at that time, and there are no booster sessions or power sessions, students are able to:
- Revise independently in allocated spaces in school, including the LRC and the restaurant.
- Sign out of school and leave site, providing consent has been given by parents/carers. In order to give consent, parents/carers must complete the Microsoft Form that was sent out in the last Year 11 parent update before Easter.
For any queries relating to anything exam related, please contact exams@manor.school in the first instance.
Arbor
Over the Easter holidays we moved our school information systems to a new platform called Arbor, in line with all schools in the Nene Education Trust and many other schools locally and nationally. This has very little impact on parents/carers at this stage, although you may notice the following changes:
- Staff are now logging REACH points and behaviour points on Arbor.
- Parents and carers will soon be invited to sign up to the parent portal or app. Some parents and carers will have access to this already through Trust primary schools and so will have access to this information already.
- Notifications for after school detentions (eg. mobile phones seen in a lesson or lesson removals) will be sent from Arbor automatically when they are logged by staff.
- Parents/carers that have already accessed the app or portal will notice that REACH points pre-Easter are not displayed. REACH points collected until Easter still count and will be transferred across in time.
Art and Design house competition
Our next academic competition is taking place next week with a challenge set by the Art and Design department. Students have been tasked with creating a visual representation of a single day in the life of someone (or something) using a collection of up to 5 photographs. This website may be useful for students who wish to participate. The deadline for entries is Monday 9 May.
Full details of the task and how to enter can be downloaded below.
Head Student elections
We believe in giving young people a voice to help to shape their school journey. The Sixth Form Student Executive team lead our Student Parliament made up of representatives from across the school in three areas - Work, World, and Wellness. They identify areas to be developed, then set targets which will help improve our school community. The Student Executive team meet with the Senior Leadership Team to feedback and discuss how to improve the school based on the student voice.
We are excited to announce that the process to elect our three sixth form 'Head Students' has started this week. A record number of students are running to be elected. Follow the KS5 Instagram account (@ManorKS5) to keep up to date with the campaign. Both voting and the results announcement will take place in Work.World.Wellness. lessons on Wednesday 4 May.
Best of luck to all the candidates!
Student careers
Did you know that we have a page on our website where students can find details of upcoming careers events and opportunities? The page is updated regularly - this week's new additions include a careers fair as part of the Northampton Film and Television Expo.
Online safety
This week we are sharing National Online Safety's guide to the Ofcom Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report 2022. In the guide, you'll find stats including the percentage of young people who own a mobile phone (and at which ages), the most-used platforms by children in 2021, and the main online safety concerns of parents and carers.
Manor Sports and Leisure
What a weekend we had! We welcomed Dani Harmer and her team to the centre to launch new classes in dance, singing, and all things drama.
Come along every Saturday from 10:00am-1:30pm for the Dani Harmer Academy with low costs, no contracts and most importantly, lots of fun!