Welcome to this week's newsletter
Dear families,
Several weeks ago we shared with you that we are developing collaborations with both the Rushey Mead and Brooke Weston Trusts for the benefit of the students across all three of our Trusts. This week we have welcomed colleagues from Rushey Mead Academy who came for a day observation and evaluation visit. During this visit they observed lessons, student conduct in lessons and around school, and discussed improvements to school standards with senior leaders. Our visitors were thoroughly impressed by the polite warm greetings our students offered them and other staff. They felt the school was calm and friendly with many happy students. They also shared with us their embedded use of student learning plans to support teachers in helping remove learning barriers and increase engagement with students in the classroom. Today we have been developing those bespoke plans for some of our students who find the challenge of lessons more demanding. We will be training staff in their use in the near future with the goal of making the learning experience for all students to be more effective and efficient, and therefore more enjoyable.
We are grateful to our other Trust colleagues for their time and input in our drive for higher standards. We look forward to our reciprocal visits in the near future.
For students, it has been a busy week of assessments which will help to give you feedback on the progress of your child. Our next data collection points will be in the next few weeks.
Finally, we are looking forward to sharing our school experience of the Bounce Forward programme during Children's Mental Health Week (5-11 February). We are delighted to have been chosen as the only school to be featured in news items on the BBC during that week, with online live links with Harry Kane. More details to come next week. How very exciting!
Have a good weekend.
Dr Newman and the Manor School family
Term dates consultation
The local authority (NNC) has now published their term dates for 2025-26 so it is time for us to decide on our own for the schools within the trust. In previous years we have consulted whether we as a Multi Academy Trust (who can set our own term dates) should continue to follow the NNC pattern or set our own.
I was very conscious that this year the term before Christmas was a long one which inevitably takes its toll on staff and children. As we are a people-focused organisation, I am mindful of everyone’s wellbeing and consider it is now time to review whether we can spread our terms better. Inevitably public holidays, Easter and Christmas timings have an impact, so it is never going to be perfect.
Although we have set term dates for 2024-25 aligned to NNC and there are a couple of long terms in there, it is too late now to change tack as I appreciate people will have already made plans this year and into next year.
However, for 2025-26 I would like some feedback on whether we could have a two-week October half-term and have a longer summer term in July.
I have prepared a very short survey that asks if parents/carers want to keep to the NNC dates for 2025-26 or change to this new model. Below are copies of the two calendars for you to compare the two options. Please may I ask you to completed this survey by Friday 16 February and I will take this feedback on board when I set the dates at the end of February.
Thank you for your continued support.
Chris Hill, CEO of Nene Education Trust
University of Northampton trip
A group of Year 11 & 12 PE students went to the University of Northampton on Tuesday morning where they participated in a strength and conditioning workshop, measuring power output, hamstring strength, jump height, mobility and movement planes and groin strength, plus some sprint testing. This was followed by a presentation on the university's media and journalism course.
Thank you to Luke Callis and Jefferson Lake plus the university students who facilitated these workshops and ignited discussions around university study and future prospects.
Lost property
The lost property collection held in the LRC is becoming quite large, particularly with regards to coats and blazers. If your child has recently lost any of their belongings, please can you ask them to check at the LRC as it may have been handed in.
Online safety
MyLOL is a free social networking and dating site aimed at teens which poses online safety risks in relation to age verification and misuse. Please see the following guide for how you can help keep your child safe.