Welcome to this week's newsletter
Please, if you can, watch or listen (in the car) to the videos which accompany this letter to get the more personable version of the explanations and information below.
Dear families,
After a poignant reflective ceremony today, I wanted to share with you our collective pride in the students who are part of our Manor School family. Their conduct and respect within the Remembrance Service was impeccable. We were proud of the whole school.
This week we have had a specific focus in the classroom of staff piloting techniques which were shared with them in the October INSET training days. Staff have each chosen 3 techniques aimed at increasing learning engagement from students. These range from the use of non-speaking intervention, precise praise and chunking learning, to firm calm finesse and the use of mini whiteboards to gauge levels of knowledge and understanding. Please ask your child whether they have experienced any of these techniques and how they may be helping them get more from their lessons. We will be asking for feedback from the students soon.
Please encourage your child to continue to be part of our thriving extra-curricular programme. It is a goal of our school that everyone is part of at least one club - a place where they find their niche, their tribe, their joy, and feel like they belong. There is a strong correlation within human populations for those who feel that they belong and happiness with life. In school we find the students who regularly take part in extra-curricular activities also have better attendance, which is an indicator of happiness. Both of these things are something we want for all young people in our care and will lead them on to becoming more successful and fulfilled members of our society in the future.
Remembrance Service
Today (Friday 11 November) at 11am we, as a whole school community, carried out a Remembrance Service. We did this to remember and show gratitude for the Armed Forces, and their families, from Britain and the Commonwealth, as well as the vital role played by the emergency services and those who have lost their lives as a result of conflict or terrorism. We also give our thoughts to those around the world who are currently affected by war and conflict.
I am particularly grateful to the following:
- our Cadets, Scouts and other students who are members of associations for participating in their respective uniforms
- Oliver R, Rose O, Rosena H and David K from Year 13 who performed readings
- our Uniformed Protective Services students who planned the event
- Miss Barron and Miss Bishop who played The Last Post
We look forward to representing Manor School at both the Raunds Flag Raising event on Saturday and the Parade on Sunday. Please come and join us.
Councillors visit
We have so much to be thankful for at Manor School as part of our wider community. This week we were thankful for a visit by Cllrs Lee Wilkes, Helen Howell and Richard Levell, who enjoyed a comprehensive tour of the school campus. They were impressed with many things including the students’ wall of excellence in art, the student engagement in their learning (handing out ‘I was caught being Resilient’ slips along the way) and the dedicated approach of the staff to ensure a warm caring environment. They recognised the good relationships around school and welcomed all the measures we are implementing to improve learning. We look forward to them returning soon.
Parent surgery sessions
If you would like the opportunity to ask about, or discuss school life, with myself and the Senior Leadership Team please phone the enquires line at school and book one of the available group sessions. Each session will be for a maximum of 6 adults and will be to create visibility, open debate, share perspectives, clarify actions or policy, leading to a more positive environment and successful school. Sessions are 4-5pm on Thursdays and 10:30-11:30am on Fridays for the remainder of this year.
Principal's Commendation
Finally, you will recall that in last week's newsletter I shared a message from a member of the public about the assistance they received from some of our students whilst out shopping. I had the great privilege of awarding the students involved with their Principal's Commendation certificates this week. Thank you again to Mason, Alex, James, Jash and Karan for their kindness and care.
Have a lovely weekend.
Dr Newman and the Manor School family
Tassomai and GCSEPod
We strongly encourage students to use the following two online services to assist with their knowledge retrieval and revision.
Tassomai
If your child has previously had an account, which is the case for Year 8 upwards (unless they have recently joined the school), their Tassomai account is already set up. All they need to do is visit app.tassomai.com and log in with their school email address. If they can’t remember their password, they can reset it by clicking on ‘forgot password?’.
If your child is in Year 7 or is new to the school, they will have a preset password. Please watch the video link below to hear the password (Tassomai section starts at 2:38). Your child will need to set a new password on first login and select their classes from the drop down menu.
GCSEPod
We have been given a period of free access to a platform called GCSEPod in order to access revision materials for science, maths, technology and computer science subjects. This package is not forming a compulsory part of our provision, but it is an optional activity for students in these GCSE subjects. Students may wish to watch the onboarding video below and then log in with their username and password (provided via form tutors) which will need resetting on first use.
Progress Reports
Teachers have just finished entering their assessments of students. These assessments are being used to populate the first round of Progress Reports which will be released to parents and carers during the next week. A full explanation of the data included in these reports and what this data represents will be included in both written and video format.
Mr Bateman
Cross country results
On Wednesday 8 November we took a record number of students to the District Cross Country in Wellingborough. Each of these students will receive 10 enrichment points for representing the school, but on top of this we would like to congratulate Darci C and Billie L who ran the U13 and U15 races respectfully and are both in the reserves for the county squad for January. We would also like to say well done to Lilly L and Jim G who ran in their U17 races and both qualified to be part of the county squad, therefore representing the Wellingborough and East Northants District in January.
Ski trip
There are limited places remaining for the February 2025 ski trip to Italy. To secure a place for your child, please log in to their Wisepay account to make the initial deposit by 9am on Monday 13 November.
If you have any queries about the trip, please email Mr Hill (shill@manor.school).
Student illness and attendance
As we approach winter, there is an increased chance that your child may become ill. We know that sometimes our students cannot come to school because they are really unwell - and that's the right thing to do for them and other students. Medical advice is clear however that children with mild illness will often be well enough to attend - for example if they have a cough, or cold, without a temperature. The NHS guidance Is my child too ill for school? is designed to support parents/carers in their decision making about mild illness.
If you would like to speak to a member of the attendance team regarding any attendance concerns, please email attendance@manor.school.
Mental health and wellbeing support
Poor mental health can have a significant impact on a child's safety and wellbeing, including their educational attainment, relationships and physical wellbeing. It can also change over time, so it is important to be able to recognise the signs of poor mental health and know how to respond.
We have therefore put together a leaflet with the names and contact details of 20 mental health organisations and support groups. These organisations all provide a wealth of information & advice and offer support to those who need it. This leaflet can be downloaded at any time via our website, or by clicking the following link.
Diwali
We would like to wish a happy and prosperous Diwali to those within our community who are celebrating this weekend.
Northamptonshire groups and events
The Northamptonshire Children's Trust have produced a newsletter that focuses on all the events, clubs and groups that families, children and young people can access across the county that are free or affordable to attend.
Sixth Form Open Evening
Our Sixth Form Open Evening is taking place on Thursday 16 November.
There will be two presentations - one starting at 4:45pm and the second starting at 6:00pm. Following this, you will be able to visit the subject information fair where members of staff and current sixth form students will be on hand to answer any questions you might have. Please click here to book your place.
Information about the subjects we offer will be available on the evening, via the subject stands, as well as via the school website.
We hope you find the subject information events useful and give you an insight into what students can expect in the sixth form. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Odd Socks Day
Extra-curricular timetable
Please note that due to rehearsals for the school musical, we are no longer able to run cheerleading club on Tuesday lunchtimes.
A new food technology club is starting after school on Monday 13 November. This is open to students in Years 7 and 8 only for this term, but it will be offered to other year groups in the future.