Welcome to this week's newsletter
It has been a pleasure to celebrate some excellent student work across the school this week. I was delighted to award story writing prizes to Chloe in Year 8 and Darcy in Year 9 for their wonderful Christmas stories, featuring elves and princesses. I had the opportunity to read both pieces in full, and they were genuinely impressive – imaginative, well-written, and a real credit to the effort they have put into their work. Well done to both students.
I have also spent a significant amount of time teaching history this week, working with a number of our Year 11 and Year 13 classes. It has been particularly rewarding to see so many of our students working with real focus, engaging thoughtfully with the subject, and making strong progress as they move through this important stage of their studies. Finally, I met again with the Student Council to feedback on my recent meeting with our Catering Manager. This was a constructive discussion, and we explored some practical changes that can be made in response to student feedback. I am grateful, as always, to the Student Council for representing their peers so thoughtfully and helping us continue to improve the school experience. Thank you for your continued support. Have a restful and relaxing weekend. Adam Crawte, Principal
West End experience
On Thursday 22 January, our KS4 & 5 music, dance and drama students enjoyed a wonderful experience based around Les Misérables. The students engaged in a musical theatre workshop based on the show, where they were able to act out scenes, learn the ensemble songs, and perform these in costume. Following this, they watched Les Misérables in the Sondheim Theatre, which was an incredible experience. The show was outstanding, and the whole day was topped off by meeting some of the cast at the stage door afterwards. The students were impeccable throughout and have had an amazing experience at the West End.
Contacting the SEND team
If you need to contact a member of the SEND team, please email send@manor.school so that your message can be triaged and passed to the best member of staff to assist you.
Sports news
This week we held a U15 girls futsal tournament at Manor where the winners would go on to represent our district at the County School Games in February. We're delighted to announce that Manor won, and in an impressive way too. The girls scored 8 more goals than any other team with a grand total of 19 across 4 games, with goals scored by practically everyone in the team. The goals were great but the performances were even more outstanding. The skill and teamwork on show was something to admire and the girls fully deserved to win the competition. We only conceded one goal across the tournament and that was in the first game, but after this the shooting boots were on! Well done to Amelie B, Olivia M, Isla R, Erin U, Lily A, Emily M and Mia B.
We also had a new cohort of Sports Leaders from Year 8 supporting a practice event on Thursday for a Year 3/4 sports hall athletics event. These students were selected by the PE team for their continued excellent effort and attitude to their PE lessons, and during this event they did not disappoint. All students took to leading so naturally and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the chance to lead the younger children. Their next event will now be on Thursday 5 February where they will excel even further with their leadership skills, and then we look forward to other leading events throughout the year. A huge well done to Prince W, Grayson T, Owen P, Sofia M, Emily C, Ettie Y, Thomas C, Kaiden W, Alexander W, Alexandra H, Hannah H, Callum C, Ciaran B and Zac A. Thank you also to Lexi Y, Emily M, Mia B and Maisy B for helping to support our new leaders, sharing their experience with this next generation of Manor Sports Leaders.
Extra-curricular timetable
Please note that there will be no after-school basketball club taking place on the following dates due to other events taking place:
- Thursday 5 February
- Thursday 12 February
Careers and further education
Tresham SEND information session Tresham College are holding a SEND information session at 7pm on Tuesday 3 February as part of their Open Day. The session is for parents and carers of young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) who are considering applying to the college. The session will:
- Explain their SEND support model and how support works in a mainstream college setting
- Outline how they help students develop independence, confidence and Preparing for Adulthood skills
- Clarify how support at college may differ from school, including their use of a graduated approach rather than constant 1:1 support
- Provide an opportunity for parents and carers to ask questions and share feedback
Their focus is on supporting students to become more independent while ensuring they feel safe, included and well supported. The session will be led by members of their SEND team and will also explain how EHCPs are used in college and how families are involved. You can find more information and register for the event here.
University support guides With the main application deadline for most 2026 undergraduate courses having recently passed, UCAS have written a number of articles to support parents/carers if their child has applied to university:
Apprenticeship vacancies