Our Manor 27 February - 3 March 2023

Year 8: Mental health and creativity

Year 8 students explored how being creative can improve our wellbeing by splitting into five subject groups designed to help educate others and promote mental health.

Students in the art group created a collaborative piece of art based on Mandala patterns. They first had to carefully transfer a pattern onto canvas using tracing paper, before deciding which colours they wanted to paint their design in with.

The dance group were tasked with choreographing a performance that represented a negative mental health situation which then transitioned into a positive message for the audience. They began by watching videos of dance performances and considering what message was being conveyed and which movements were the most powerful. They then used this to choreograph their own performance.

The third group of students explored how we can understand others through drama. Their first activity involved looking at three scenarios and considering how they and others would feel if they were involved in such situations. They then worked in small groups to develop a short performance based on similar scenarios. The performances had to include thought tracking, where characters pause the event to directly address the audience about how they feel about what is happening, as well as conclude with a resolution to the situation.

The English group looked at how reading and writing can play a vital role in helping us lead happy and healthy lives. They spent the morning participating in a number of different activities such as designing their own graphic novel spread where a character learns to understand and overcome their feelings, creating an inspirational message poster to help students to feel happier/more confident about school, and having a go at journaling as a way to write about their feelings.

Students in the music were challenged to create a song/rap to raise awareness of mental health. They began by looking at the lyrics of two songs and discussing what they might mean, as well as identifying the structure of the two pieces. They then used this to write their own songs about mental health, coming up with a melody and rhythm to accompany the lyrics.

The year group then shared their work and performed their creations in the main hall in the afternoon.

Year 9: World of Work

Having previously registered their interest in their preferred job sectors, Year 9 students attended three workshops from across the following organisations and employers:

• Police (Northamptonshire Police)
• Royal Navy
• STEM (Anglian Water)
• Leisure and fitness (Freedom Leisure)
• Health and medical (NHS Careers)
• Science (Unilever)
• Child care
• Recruitment (Simon Acres Group)
• Mental health (NHS Northamptonshire Healthcare)
• Marketing (Tingdene Parks Ltd)
• Automotive engineering (Nissan and Silverstone UTC)
• Music (Northampton College)
• Game design (Tresham College)
• Bedford College Group

In these workshops, guest speakers talked about their own career journeys and what their current job involves. There was also the opportunity to gain some hands-on experience in activities such as configuring a water supply system and handling car components.

In the afternoon, students participated in The Real Game, which is designed to help students develop knowledge, skills and attitudes they will need to assess and make decisions about further education, training and career options.

Year 10: Making positive choices

The day’s theme for Year 10 was ‘making positive choices’, and so students attended a series of workshops to help them look after their own wellbeing and that of others.

In the first aid sessions, students learnt how to respond to an unconscious but breathing casualty by checking for danger, opening the casualty’s airway, looking for injuries, and putting the casualty into the recovery position. They also found out how to respond to an unconscious and non-breathing casualty through practicing CPR on dummies and learning how to use an AED if defibrillation is required.

Students also participated in three sessions on technology and relationships which were based upon the ‘Real Love Rocks’ campaign led by the children’s charity Barnado’s. The aim was to raise awareness of the impact of technology on young people and help them understand how to stay safe. By taking part in different activities, students looked at the law in relation to pornography and sharing content, gained an awareness of the potential impact of online behaviours, and were reminded of where to go for support and how to report online abuse.

There were further workshops on the topics of solvent abuse and mindfulness led by Re-Solv and Amy Bradshaw (Wellbeing Lead for the Nene Education Trust) respectively.

Year 11: Exam preparation

With GCSE exams just a few months away, Year 11 spent the day focusing on how to best prepare for them. As well as completing a mock exam in maths, students attended a workshop where a guest speaker from Elevate Education went through the most rewarding preparation tasks, revision time allocation and stress management techniques.

Students additionally looked at different revision techniques and tips in order to identify what is likely to best work for them based on what kind of learner they are. They also received a copy of the overall exam timetable and used it to create their own revision plan if they had not already done so, as well as put what they had learnt from across the day into practice by using the revision materials they had brought into school.

Year 12: University experience

Year 12 students visited the University of Northampton for a university taster day.

Year 13: Life as an adult

Year 13 students took part in a variety of workshops and activities throughout the day to help further prepare them for life as an adult. The day began with a presentation from a member of the Northamptonshire Healthcare sexual health outreach team.

Students then split into two groups based on their plans for when they leave Manor. Those who have applied to university attended a student finance workshop, whilst jobseekers spent time sending emails to employers regarding potential work experience placements and using Unifrog to search for apprenticeships.

The final two sessions of the day saw students learning about food budgeting and making pancakes in the technology kitchen.