Welcome to this week's newsletter
We have had a busy week at Manor and we have welcomed many visitors to our school. On Monday we hosted 65 external visitors for a teaching and learning conference. The conference was led by international education expert and author, Tom Sherrington (@teacherhead on X). Tom has authored the very successful 'Walkthrus' series of books about effective teaching and learning. This is an approach that is central to the professional development that our staff have undertaken this year, so it was great to get positive feedback on our plan, from the person whose work it is based on. It was also a chance to share new ideas and best practice with colleagues from local schools. It was a productive and thought-provoking day. Thank you to Mr Carter for planning and driving the event, and our Teaching and Learning Professional Development this year.
We also welcomed external speakers from universities and the Elephant Group to speak to our Year 12 students about their future options. Our lower school students were involved in a range of activities that enhanced the teaching that they receive in lessons all year round. Speaking to Year 9 students at break about their deep dive into Macbeth was particularly inspiring. They were very enthusiastic about their day of Shakespeare. You can read a full roundup of Curriculum Day further on in this newsletter.
On Tuesday and Wednesday we welcomed representatives from the Meridian Trust to speak to staff and students. They were able to see Manor in action and understand what we are all about. Nene Education Trust wrote to you last week about the process we have now started with Meridian. At this point, they are engaged in information gathering and due diligence. As the process progresses, there will be opportunities for you to meet senior members of Meridian - including Mark Woods the CEO - to ask questions and how they will support the next chapter of Manor School. I will keep you updated of this process at regular points via the newsletter.
On Wednesday we also hosted "I'm a teacher, get me out of here" in the main hall. The event was ably hosted by Alex from Year 9 and Hannah from Year 7. The teachers involved were Mr Malden, Mr Skeggs, Mrs Parker, Mr Mayes, Mrs Bannard and myself. After successfully or unsuccessfully answering general knowledge questions, forfeits followed, mainly involving eating olives, gherkins, Marmite, scotch bonnet peppers and insects. I thank the teachers who went off to teach that afternoon with the warm glow of chilli peppers ringing round their mouth. We raised around £100 from the entrance fees that will go towards student reward events such as REACHfest.
I have visited a number of our partner primary schools this week to speak to our new Year 7s about life at Manor. The young people I have met have been excited, polite and full of questions. I am looking forward to them starting with us and coming to experience life at Manor in their upcoming transition days.
Finally, we had our Leavers' Assembly on Friday. With shirt signing, goodbyes and some tears, we said farewell to this year's cohort. I wish them best of luck in the future and in whatever their next steps are.
Have a great weekend and we hope the weather stays sunny.
Adam Crawte, Principal
Curriculum Day
Students were out of lessons on Monday 9 June for Curriculum Day. The day saw each year group participate in a variety of talks, workshops and projects related to a specific branch of Manor’s Work World Wellness curriculum programme.
Year 7: A celebration of me
Students began the day by thinking about the characteristics they have that make them who they are, and recognising that they should be free to be themselves without the fear of ridicule or discrimination. This involved learning about the characteristics and identities that are protected by law under the Equality Act 2010. Students then took on the roles of Manor School policy makers by coming up with ideas on how we can increase awareness of these protected characteristics so that they are at the forefront of how we treat each other.
In their next session, students participated in a ‘get to know you’ bingo-style activity where they had to try to find people within their class who met the criteria on their grids, such as someone who likes baking or has a pet dog. This was followed up with a discussion on how varied people within the class are.
They then went on to prepare a short verbal presentation about something they consider an important part of who they are such e.g. a characteristic, hobby, achievement, talent or general interest. After working on their speeches, presentations were delivered within their classes, with students listening respectively to each other and asking questions about what their peers had talked about.
Year 8
Year 8 students learnt about the role that charities play in making the world a more equitable place, as well as people’s attitudes and behaviours towards supporting a charitable cause. Students discussed the reasons why people may choose to donate to charity and whether they thought it is important to prioritise UK-based charities ahead of international charities.
They also spent time finding out about the work of the British Heart Foundation, NSPCC and Shelter amongst other charities by watching videos and reading fact-files. By making notes of the different ways that these charities operate, students discovered the breadth of areas they cover and how they each have a significant impact on the lives of others.
Students then spent the afternoon coming up with their own ideas for a charity, creating posters that outlined their mission statement, how they would raise funds and why people should donate to their cause. Finally, students were given ‘money’ to donate to what they deemed to be the worthiest charity.
Year 9
Having already developed key skills in their English and drama lessons, Year 9 students put them into practice by working on an abridged version of Macbeth by William Shakespeare. They started the day by watching an animated recap video of the play and making notes on the key moments of the plot and the characters’ story arcs.
It was then time for each class to decide on who would take on the role of actors, directors and designers for the day. Whilst the actors and directors rehearsed the script and worked together to bring the dialogue to life, the designers were busy making props and costumes to amplify the performance.
Having spent only a few hours putting everything together, the students performed the thirty-minute play in the afternoon with enthusiasm and passion. A group discussion rounded off the day, with students evaluating how well the performance went, what they found most challenging about their roles and what they would do differently next time.
Year 10
Students spent the day participating in a variety of business activities inspired by Dragons’ Den. After initial brainstorming of potential ideas and establishing their unique selling point, students went on to attend five workshops to help them develop the business:
- Market research – looking up competitors and analysing their strengths/weaknesses
- Branding – designing their logo, creating a slogan and compiling a product specification
- Promotion – creating promotional materials and working out ways to reach their target audience
- Place - working out how their product/service gets to the consumer
After spending time learning about what makes a good elevator pitch and writing their own presentation script, students went head-to-head within their classes to pitch their companies to their teacher. Following the announcement of which teams had won best idea and best pitch, the students discussed how easy or hard it was to be innovative and what their strengths and weaknesses were.
Year 12
Our sixth form students took part in a variety of workshops and activities throughout the day to help prepare them for the next steps in their education and career. The day began with a talk from a former Manor School student about her experiences at university and her advice on time management when it comes to the expected level of independent study.
The year group then split into three groups as they attended a series of sessions with representatives from the University of Sheffield, University College London and the University of Exeter on the topics of:
- How to choose a degree course
- Leaving home to go to university
- Why go to a top third university?
- Degree apprenticeships
- How to showcase personal experience in a personal statement
After lunch, students began writing their own personal statements, using the information and advice they had received earlier in the day to guide them.
Year 11 exam timetable
We will be sharing an overview of the following week's exam timetable both in the newsletter and on social media throughout the exam season.
Students are now only required in school if they have an exam (colour coded as orange). They are also encouraged to attend school for booster sessions (colour coded as blue).
Please take note of the following:
- Students leaving site during the school day will be expected to sign out of school prior to departing
- Students will not be allowed to leave the school site and then return later that day
- In the event that there is a gap between an exam and a booster session, students remaining on site will have access to a quiet supervised study area
- All afternoon exams start at 1:15pm, therefore students coming in for an afternoon exam must be on site for 1:00pm at the latest
For further information about study leave, please see the letter sent via Arbor on Monday 2 June.
Sixth form applications and induction
Year 11 students are reminded that they need to RSVP to our sixth form induction days on Monday 30 June and Tuesday 1 July, as well as finalise their application via the Applicaa portal. Please see below for details.
Thank a Teacher Day
National Thank a Teacher Day is an annual celebration of teachers and support staff across early years settings, schools and colleges. This year it will take place on Wednesday 18 June 2025. The Thank a Teacher campaign recognises all staff working in schools and colleges - school leaders, teachers, teaching assistants, and all support staff such as lunchtime supervisors, caretakers and cleaners.
Sports news
Year 7 athletics
On Wednesday, our Year 7 students took part in their first athletics competition at Wellingborough School. With a fantastic turnout from schools across the district, the atmosphere was energetic and full of excitement. Staff at Wellingborough were quick to praise all participants for their exemplary behaviour and positive attitudes throughout the day.
Our students truly rose to the occasion, displaying impressive determination, resilience, and team spirit in every event. We’re proud to share that our boys team secured fourth place overall, while the girls team finished sixth - a great achievement for their first outing.
A huge congratulations to all our athletes for their effort and enthusiasm. We now look ahead with anticipation to the next competition on 24 June at Wollaston.
The team: Prince W, Jude B, Ciaran B, Noah H, Henry H, Ben P, Alex J, Courtney R, Amelia I, Liepa T, Sofia M, Maria D, Evalyn B, Rebecca C.
Year 8 rounders
This week, our Year 8 rounders team traveled to Wollaston to compete in several fixtures against other schools in the district. Despite having a number of dropouts on the day leaving us with only seven players (two short of a full team), the team showed remarkable resilience.
In our first match against Huxlow, we narrowly lost by half a rounder. On another day, the result could have been different if not for a couple of no balls and an obstruction call that went against us in the field.
Our second game was against Wollaston, where we faced a slightly heavier defeat by 2 rounders. Unfortunately, our hits often found their fielders, and we struggled with wayward throws and catching the ball effectively.
The third and final game was against Wrenn, and it turned out to be our highest-scoring match with 5 rounders. However, the result was a draw as both teams had the same total in terms of rounders and batters out.
A huge well done to the seven players who represented the school and demonstrated great resilience despite the circumstances: Emily M, Lexi Y, Lily A, Olivia F, Charlotte F, Maisy B, and Mia B.