Welcome to this week's newsletter
As I write this week's newsletter, it feels like the weather has dominated almost every conversation. With Raunds experiencing some of the hottest temperatures of the year, I would like to thank our staff, students and families for the fantastic support, adaptability and resilience shown throughout the week. Adjusting our school day and routines was not something any of us had planned, but everyone responded with positivity and good humour. Most importantly, our students have been exceptional. Their behaviour, maturity and willingness to follow the adaptations we put in place have been outstanding, and it has made me incredibly proud to be Principal of Manor School this week. It has also been a pleasure to welcome our new Year 12 students back for their Sixth Form Induction on Thursday and Friday. The step from Year 11 into Sixth Form is a significant one, bringing greater independence and personal responsibility, and it has been fantastic to see how quickly this new cohort has embraced those expectations. They have made an excellent start to the next stage of their education, and I look forward to seeing them continue to grow over the coming months.
Despite the heat, we were delighted that our students were still able to enjoy a fantastic day at the England Hockey event at Lee Valley. The organisers adapted the programme exceptionally well, ensuring students remained hydrated, spent time in shaded areas and were able to experience hockey at the highest level in safe conditions. Opportunities like this inspire our students and show them what they can aspire to achieve. Thank you to Miss Hustwait and Mrs Taylor for giving up their time to accompany and support our students throughout the day. Unfortunately, not every event could go ahead. We were all hugely disappointed to cancel the Year 11 reward trip to Alton Towers. I know how much students had been looking forward to it, but with the combination of extreme temperatures, limited guarantees around access to shade and water, and the uncertainty surrounding ride availability and transport, we simply could not be confident that we could keep students safe and well. While disappointing, I remain certain it was the right decision. Looking ahead, next week promises to be a little kinder to us, with temperatures returning to more normal levels. This means we will return to our normal school uniform expectations, although blazers and jumpers will not be required throughout the week. We are also excited to welcome our new Year 7 students for their transition days on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. These are always some of my favourite days of the year as we begin to build relationships with the newest members of our school community. We also look forward to meeting parents and carers on Thursday evening to share our updated behaviour policy and the high expectations that will continue to underpin everything we do at Manor School. As we move towards the final few weeks of the academic year, thank you once again to everyone in our community for your continued support. Working together, we continue to make Manor School a place where our young people can thrive, whatever challenges the week may bring.
Adam Crawte, Principal
Parent forum
A reminder that we are holding a parent consultation evening on the Manor School rewards and behaviour policy on Thursday 2 July at 5:30pm. The session will last approximately one hour and will provide an opportunity for us to share proposed developments to the policy, gather your views, and discuss how we can continue to work together to support high standards of behaviour across the school. We will be sharing information about the rewards we use in school, along with some updates to our approaches to behaviour and consequences that will be introduced from September. If you would like to attend, please book tickets using the link below:
Healthy lives survey
We are supporting North Northamptonshire Council with an important piece of work to better understand how to help children and young people live healthier lives. As part of this, families across the area are being invited to complete a short Healthy Lives survey. The survey explores:
- How easy or difficult it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle
- Any challenges families may face
- What support or information would be most helpful
Your views will help shape future support and services for children, young people and families locally. The surveys are quick and easy to complete and will close at 11:59pm on Friday 31 July.
Hockey trip
Miss Hustwait and Mrs Taylor took 15 students to Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis centre on Wednesday to watch both the England men and women’s team compete in the FIH Pro League. Due to the heat there were some factors that needed to be altered, but the event organisers were amazing in the way they looked after everyone - we were moved to seats under the shelter, people were walking around with water mist sprays, and plenty of water stations were available throughout the whole event. Everything ran slickly which reduced any time needing to sit or stand in any direct sunlight, and then to top it off four of our students were selected to be on the big screens being interviewed and playing games during the interval breaks. As usual, our students were brilliant from start to finish, showing impeccable behaviour and seeming to really enjoy the hockey games and event as a whole. Hopefully one or two may even be inspired to pick up a hockey stick at a local club! A huge thank you to England hockey and an even bigger thank you to Florin, Evan, Kaiden, Mason, Logan, Isabelle, Archie, Callum, Jennifer, Maisie, Abi, Darcy, Riley and Kimberly for making us very proud teachers.