Welcome to this week's newsletter
Welcome, families.
This week we have been thanking all our students for embracing our new norms in school. A reminder of these are:
- To be extra polite to one another
- To be nice to each other
- To consider the impact of your actions on others
- To do as we are asked or told first time, every time
- To hold ourselves to a higher standard
Students have been recognised for all their acts of Humanity (by being awarded Humanity slips) and thanked in assembly for these initial wins from our new proud tradition. They include:
- Lots of smiles, happy greetings, words and tone, happy staff and students
- 4000+ Humanity slips
- 75% reduction in litter
- 1+ hour more each day for site staff to fix things for us
- Happy canteen staff – no food on the floor
- Request and purchase of new footballs and card games for lunchtime
- Lots of lollies as rewards
We have asked them to consider how acts of kindness, as part of Humanity, can be spread and the science of how this helps us as individuals as well as a community. The following is a short 2-minute video which was shown to students in assembly.
If you would like your child to experience this message so that they spread their kindness, then the following two similarly short clips show the same overall message in different ways. They are worth a watch and tug on the heart strings - maybe you will spread a little more kindness after watching these with your children.
How can you help?
We want to make sure our students - your children - are seen in the best light by our community. We know our students are delightful, considerate and kind individuals.
Unfortunately, due to general coverage in the press and because the start and end of school can often lead to large numbers of students in one place, teenagers are often seen as an intimidating, unruly entity. We do not want our community to make generalisations and feel this way about your children, our students.
Can you therefore please help by talking with your child about this perception. Encourage them to not congregate in large groups, to consider other pedestrians by actively moving out of the way should an older person or a person with a small child or push chair wish to get past. Would you please ask them to consider their use of language (we have had reports of swearing) and the volume they use, especially on the Market Square. In addition, we have reports of a few students using vapes. This is illegal for their age group and any student in uniform identified as vaping will be sanctioned as it brings the school into disrepute. Please check your child’s bag and remove any vaping equipment for their benefit as it may cause health issues in the future, making your child unwell.
The reputation of your child’s school, in your community, is as much in your hands as ours. The better the school reputation the more likely we will have a harmonious community, where everyone feels safe. Also it is more likely that we will recruit high quality teachers, which will improve outcomes for your child, increasing their life chances and choices.
Please also let us know of any acts of kindness our students perform in the community and we will reward them for spreading their Humanity.
Thanks for your support with this.
Medical conditions
At school we have a member of staff who, as one of her roles, co-ordinates support for students with medical conditions. Her name is Mrs Nattrass.
She is currently updating our records on Arbor and informing staff about any conditions which they should be aware of. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be writing to all parents/carers of students who have told us about medical conditions, to confirm those which are low risk and to arrange for risk assessments to support more significant or complex requirements.
If you know your child has a medical condition that we should be aware of but you have not told us about, or your child needs to take regular medication in the school day but you have not set this up with us, or you do not receive a letter by 29 September but you think you have told us about a condition, please contact Mrs Nattrass by emailing dnattrass@manor.school.
Attendance
Please take the time to firstly watch the video from Mr Sturgess and then fully read the letter found later on in this newsletter as it contains much more detail which we want you to be aware of. This will help us all to know the importance of good attendance habits, how we might be able to support home efforts to ensure these are good habits, and how we will reward these efforts.
Dr Louise Newman, Principal
Research projects
Throughout the year, we regularly engage in research projects with leading universities and education organisations which aim to engage with, develop and influence local and national practice in education. These projects might include working with teacher training organisations, senior leadership training providers or national research bodies.
Where these research projects take place we will inform parents/carers affected so that they are aware of any implications on their child or themselves.
One such project that we have been invited to take part in is the BITUP research project, led by the Education Endowment Fund, the Youth Endowment Fund, Kantar Public and the Behavioural Insights Team. The project is looking carefully at how communications between schools and homes can support with good attendance to school. Full information is attached in this letter that tells you more about the project and any implication on you. If you or your child do not want to take part in this project, please complete the form at the end of the letter and return to your child's form tutor, or email an electronic copy to enquiries@manor.school before Friday 29 September.
Mr Bateman, Vice Principal
Attendance and punctuality
There is wide agreement among health professionals and educational professionals that school attendance is vital to the life chances of children and young people. Being in school improves health, wellbeing and socialisation throughout the life course. The greatest benefits come from children and young people attending school regularly.
As such we wanted to take this opportunity to inform and remind our families of the school’s procedures and expectations when it comes to attendance and punctuality. Please therefore download the following letter.
Blazers
As the weather returns to some normality, we expect students to wear their blazers to, during and from school. Students may remove their blazers during lessons where classrooms are warmer or when they are playing sports at break or lunchtime.
As the weather turns colder, students may choose to wear a navy blue v-neck jumper (branded or unbranded) in addition to (but not instead of) their blazer, and we encourage students to wear coats around the site in addition to (but not instead of) their blazer on colder or rainier days.
REACHfest update
Unfortunately we have had to further postpone REACHfest this week. As you may be aware, this reward was due to take place in the summer for Quercus house and the Gold winners, but due to the extreme weather it needed to be cancelled. It was rearranged for 13 September, however this was also unsuitable for safety reasons. Please be assured that there will be a reward for these students towards the end of this term. We will in due course share with you the details.
Thank you, as always, for your support and understanding.
Ski and snowboarding trip 2025
Following our successful trip in 2023, we would like to invite expressions of interest to participate in our proposed trip to Folgaria, Italy, in February 2025. Please download the following letter for details of the trip and how to register your interest.
Extra-curricular timetable
Extra-curricular clubs start from Monday 18 September. We will share the timetable in each edition of this newsletter, as well as give notice if any of the following week's clubs will not be running.
Year 6 into 7 Open evening
We would like to formally invite prospective students and their families to our Year 6 into 7 Open Evening on Thursday 5 October.
The evening will give you the opportunity to meet and listen to the Principal. To ensure that everyone can hear the presentations, they will take place at 5:15pm, 5:45pm and 6:15pm.
To avoid disappointment, and to allow the school the opportunity to manage numbers on the school site, we would request that all families reserve their places at the Open Evening in advance of the evening by booking tickets – click here to book your place(s). The booking form will give you the opportunity to select your slot at the presentation and subsequent guided tour of the school.
For more information, please visit our website.