Welcome to this week's newsletter
It has been a busy week at Manor, where students have been enjoying the warm weather but still focusing on their learning and being amazing in lessons. I have been into a number of lessons this week and seen students who are Ready, Respectful and Responsible, as well as displaying our REACH values to create supportive, positive learning environments. Thursday provided an opportunity to speak to parents, carers and students from Year 7 about their hard work, achievements and areas for development at the Year 7 Consultation Evening. It was a really positive evening. Our Year 7 students have taken a very mature approach to their first year at Manor. They are reflective and have high standards for themselves. They will be amazing role models for our new Year 7s, who we will be welcoming to Manor next week for their transition days.
Another positive experience was enjoyed by Year 7 students on Wednesday, when 11 students went to The Chester House Estate in Irchester, along with students from our NET partner schools. They were able to see a large-scale archaeological dig for Roman ruins and artefacts, led by archaeologists from the University of Leicester. They were able to get hands-on experience, as well as speak to the project leads, Professor Sarah Scott and Dr Jeremy Taylor and other members of the Chester House team. The students were great role models and supported the younger students with the tasks admirably. Thank you to Nigel, Georgina, Natasha and all the team at Chester House for a wonderful experience. Thank you to Mrs Bannard and Mr Poole for leading the trip and supporting the students throughout the day. You can read more about the day further in this newsletter.
Our school musicians were involved in the Nene Education Trust Musical Festival at the Castle Theatre. They joined together with other NET schools to produce a truly spell-binding performance. The feedback from staff from other schools and parents/carers was really positive and this is another great example of our students performing to a high standard, showing off the best that Manor has. Well done to all involved and to Mrs Jarvis and Miss Bishop for supporting the students to produce their best.
On Wednesday Miss Downie, Mrs Jarvis and Miss Colyer had a very positive meeting with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and Silhouette Theatre Company to talk about the plans for next year. As an associate school, we are in a select group of local schools who have access to the RSC and the rich experiences that they provide through professional shows and actors, workshops, and access to experiences of Shakespeare that not every school gets. We have already got some exciting ideas for next year, so that as many students a possible get a great experience of Shakespeare at Manor. We look forward to extending our associate school status, alongside Northampton Academy and Kingsthorpe College, and working closely with Silhouette and the RSC for another year.
Best of luck to our students who are completing their final Duke of Edinburgh expedition today and tomorrow. They are hiking to Woodford and back, being self-sufficient and carrying all their own supplies for two days. They were excited and keen to get going when I saw them off from the school restaurant this morning. I hope that the enthusiasm lasts for the next two days, on what will be a great achievement for these young people.
Finally, congratulations to Elsabeth in Year 8 who has completed 100 Park Runs. This is an incredible achievement, which she has completed with the support of her family. Well done to Elsabeth and her family - you should be really proud of the focus and dedication it took to meet this milestone. Keep going and 200 will come round very quickly.
Have a great weekend and see you all next week.
Adam Crawte, Principal
Uniform expectations
As we move into the warmer months, we would like to remind all students and families about expectations regarding uniform and appropriate dress.
We have noticed a number of boys wearing multiple layers, either a second pair of trousers or football shorts, under their school trousers, which is not appropriate, particularly during hot weather. Students seen wearing extra layers will be asked to remove them in a toilet or changing room. Refusal to do so may result in further consequences, including a possible suspension.
We are also seeing a number of girls wearing leggings without skirts. Leggings are not part of the school uniform. Any student wearing leggings will be asked to put a school-appropriate skirt over them.
Summer Concert
A reminder that tickets are on sale for our Summer Concert on Tuesday 1 July. The event is an opportunity to see the range of brilliant musicians within our school performing a range of musical styles, from classical to pop, and as soloists or within ensembles.
Healthy Minds blog
Please click the following link for this week's mental health blog.
Apprenticeship vacancies
Northampton College have a number of apprenticeship vacancies that may be of interest to school leavers. Please click here for details.
Year 13 Leavers' Day
Our Year 13 students gathered for one last day together on Monday 23 June. Following an achievement assembly led by Miss Collier in the morning, students headed outside to the field to participate in a variety of "sports day" style events such as a tug of war and an egg & spoon race. After break it was time to play rounders and football with our Year 12 students, before being treated with an ice-cream from Ang's Ices. The day was rounded off with a final tutor session before students left the site at 1:30pm.
We wish them all the very best in their future endeavours and look forward to seeing them on results day in August.
Archaeology trip
On Wednesday 25 June, a group of keen historians in Year 7 visited Chester House to experience a Roman archaeological dig site along with students from Nene Education Trust's primary schools.
During the day students experienced a number of brilliant workshops which deepened their understanding of archaeology. The post-excavation workshop gave our students the opportunity to study artefacts through microscopes, sorting their finds into various groups. Students then helped volunteers by categorising their finds in the Archaeological Resource Centre – the central office for all finds of significance in Northamptonshire. This was followed by an osteology workshop where pupils learnt about the human skeleton – reconstructing their own model from 205 plastic bones, before seeing a real two thousand year old skeleton found at Chester House by the excavation team. The day was rounded off by a visit to the dig site itself, where students were given a tour and learnt more about the archaeological process. A careers talk was then given by Professor Sarah Scott from the University of Leicester.
Overall it was a fantastic day for our students who thoroughly enjoyed the experience, demonstrating all of our REACH values.
If you are interested in Roman ruins and archaeology, Chester House is running a free festival, Roman Fest, this weekend. You can book your free tickets for your family using this link.
NET music concert
On Thursday evening members of Manor's choir performed at the Castle Theatre in Wellingborough as part of the Nene Education Trust annual summer concert. This was led and organised by our very own Mrs Jarvis and Miss Bishop.
All eight Trust schools performed individually and as a whole group. The evening showcased the Nene Education Trust community and was a wonderful evening of entertainment and celebration.
Matt Coleman, Deputy CEO of Nene Education Trust, ended the evening off by addressing our young people and proud parents/carers/families:
“There’s something uniquely joyful about children singing. It is not just the sound, it’s the spirit behind it. Their voices carry innocence, hope, and a kind of unfiltered truth that reminds us of what really matters. When children sing, they don’t just perform… they connect us to joy, to each other, and to a future we can believe in.”
Congratulations to all who took part in creating such a fantastic event.
Sports news
Rounders
On Thursday 26 June our Year 9/10 rounders team travelled to Ferrers for the District School Games rounders tournament where the winners would go on to the county games next week. We finished a respectable third place so didn't qualify, but the quality of rounders play and the sportsmanship shown by the girls was highly commendable.
We won our first game against Hatton 8 - 5 ½ with Evie M racking up a lot of those points from her tactical positioning in the batting box, and we then lost the second game to Huxlow 5 ½ - 1 ½, being caught out by a strong crosswind when bowling and some fantastic fielding by Huxlow. Our third game against Weavers was another win 3 ½ - 2, followed by another loss to Ferrers 6-5. Our final game against Wrenn actually ended in a draw 3-3 although we didn't have any outs, but did get four of their players out.
It was a lovely way to spend a Thursday evening with an enthusiastic and respectable group of students so well done to all!
Team - Lara C, Libby W, Maisie H, Emma H, Riley S, Kimberly L, Evie M, Erin U and Jerrie A.
Mini London Marathon
This term we have had all our students in Key Stage 3 undertake the TCS Mini London Marathon challenge, which involved walking or running 8 laps of our athletics track.
We would like to congratulate every single child who completed their laps for showing fantastic determination and resilience to complete the challenge.
A special mention for these students who went above and beyond with this challenge and completed the most laps in their year group:
- Year 7: Noah H, Sofia M
- Year 8: Harley F, Emily M
- Year 9: Harry S, Amelie B, Isla R