Welcome to this week's newsletter
The mornings are getting darker and the evenings are drawing in — autumn is certainly making its presence felt. I’ve already had to bring out my coat for gate duty, and my umbrella has made several appearances this week. Yet, despite the seasonal shift, it remains business as usual inside our classrooms. Walking through the school, it’s heartening to see our students still fully engaged, focused, and enthusiastic about their learning. With just one week left in what has been a long term, their commitment remains strong — they are very much “on it.”
On Thursday evening, we were delighted to welcome our Year 7 families to meet their form tutors. These meetings are invaluable opportunities to reflect on the first few weeks of secondary school, to explain key systems, and to celebrate early successes through meaningful conversation. In an age where so much communication takes place online, it’s a timely reminder that face-to-face interaction remains one of the most effective and personal ways to connect. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend as I was representing the school at a Department for Education conference in Nottingham, but the feedback I received was overwhelmingly positive. It is always encouraging to hear what we are doing well, and equally important to understand where we can improve. Our journey of improvement continues, and listening to our community remains central to that mission.
I have also continued to show prospective Year 7 families around the school this week, and it has been a pleasure to showcase our fantastic students in action. I observed Year 7 enjoying a reading lesson with Miss Dicker, Year 8 tackling the nth term with Mr Bechoo, Year 9 crafting joints and baking jam turnovers in technology, and Year 10 exploring new scientific concepts. These visits are a true reminder of what makes this school special: curious, hardworking students and dedicated, passionate staff.
A wonderful way to end the week. Wishing you a restful and rewarding weekend.
Adam Crawte, Principal
Year 13 Consultation Evening
Year 13 BTEC Consultation and Targeted Intervention Evening – Thursday 6 November 2025
Students in Year 13 studying BTEC qualifications are encouraged to attend the Consultation Evening to discuss their progress and next steps following summer examination results, as well as the upcoming BTEC examinations. In addition, some students have also been selected to attend an intervention appointment to discuss their progress in Year 13 so far, in preparation for the upcoming trial examinations in November.
Bookings for meetings with tutors must be made using the Arbor app or online portal by following the link to the Consultation Evening on the dashboard.
The booking system is now open for you to start making appointments, and will close to new appointments at 12:00pm on Wednesday 5 November.
If you have any queries or concerns regarding this event, please contact mdupille@manor.school
Making good choices
On Tuesday our Year 9 students spent the day attending a variety of sessions about the causes and consequences of crime, all delivered by the fantastic team from Prison! Me! No Way!
The crime and safety awareness day saw students hearing from a convicted offender about the choices they made that resulted in their sentence and the consequences of having been convicted. They also learnt about county lines, domestic abuse and one-punch assaults, and got to experience what prison life is like by going inside a replica jail cell. The day additionally included a rail safety session from Network Rail.
It was great to see students fully engaging in each session by respectfully listening to the guest speakers, offering their own views and asking inquisitive questions. We hope that what they have learnt will help enable them to make the right choices.
Sports result
Our U13 girls football team travelled to Hatton on Thursday 16 October for the new District Cup competition. This was the first experience of an 11-a-side game on a full pitch for most of our team, so it took a little time to get used to this for both sides.
Despite some valiant defending and goalkeeping the final score was 4-0 to Hatton, but our Manor team should be really proud of their efforts as they continued to keep playing right until the end and were commended by the other school teachers for their positive attitude.
Isabelle played exceptionally well in goal, doing her part to keep the scoreline down. She was supported by her defensive line with Ettie and Indie working tirelessly in the middle, and then with Maria, Willow and Elodie alternating to keep the wings from cutting in. Emily came close to scoring after a driving run by Sofia found Emily in the box, but the shot went just shy of the left post.
Despite the score, the game was played in good spirits and the girls can take this experience with them as they prepare for their district league games after half term.
Extra-curricular timetable
Please note that there will be no hockey club after school on Friday 24 October.
Community opportunities
England women's U23 match offer
The England Lionesses U23 team are playing Portugal U23 at Sixfields in Northampton on Monday 27 October. The Northampton Town FC Community Trust would like to offer the chance for parents and carers to book their tickets (£5 each) and receive an U16 ticket free of charge by using the code SCH1901 (LCS East Stand only).