Our Manor

9-13 March 2026

Welcome to this week's newsletter

It has been great to welcome our Year 11 students back into normal lessons following their trial exams. I have been particularly impressed with the focus they have shown in class and, just as importantly, how many have been proactively speaking to their teachers about what they can do to improve further. This positive mindset will make a real difference as we move closer to the summer exams. Students continue to earn points for doing the right things day in and day out – strong attendance, attending intervention sessions, maintaining focus in lessons, and demonstrating our school values. Currently only 26 students are on negative points, and the competition at the top of the leaderboard remains incredibly close, with just 600 points separating the top ten. Our current leader, Noku, has reached an impressive 4,559 points. With 100 points available simply for attending an intervention session and 300 points for 100% attendance in a week, positions can change very quickly. Our weekly winners so far – Grace, Freya, Maddie and Henry – have each earned between 700 and 1,100 points in a single week. With further points available for improvements between our two trial exam series (100 for each subject and each grade of improvement), there is still everything to play for. On Thursday evening, our Head Student Chris in Year 13 organised and led a fantastic concert as part of his A Level music final project. Based around the important theme of caring for our environment, the event featured performers from across the school as well as some Manor alumni. It was very well attended and was a wonderful showcase of the talent we have in our school community. Sixth Former Alfie also revealed a hidden talent for compering, keeping the audience entertained with some excellent one-liners and expertly filling an unexpected gap when one band’s lead singer nearly missed their slot! It has also been great to hear about the attendance and positive support at our SPARX homework catch up sessions. Mr Turner tells me that students who attend are getting support from subject teachers, so that they can complete their homework with a clear understanding. The sense of achievement that they get from overcoming the challenge is brilliant. If your child is struggling with their SPARX, encourage them to attend. They can just drop in, no need to book in, every Thursday after school in Room 40C. Thank you to the staff who have supported students in these sessions so far. Next week we look forward to our Year 9 Preferences Evening on Thursday. I am expecting a strong turnout so that students and families can explore the Key Stage 4 options available and ensure they have the information they need to make informed choices. I hope you all have a restful and enjoyable weekend.

Adam Crawte, Principal

Meet the attendance team

Our attendance team works closely with students and families to ensure every child can access their learning. If you ever have concerns about attendance, punctuality, or barriers to getting to school, please contact us. We are always happy to help and work together to find solutions. Strong attendance is one of the biggest factors in helping students succeed. Contact attendance on attendance@manor.school or by calling 01933 623921.

LRC competition

Students have the opportunity to receive REACH points and potentially win an Easter egg in our latest LRC competition. There are ten book titles to correctly identify by solving the anagrams (author initials are in brackets). See the poster below for details and the all-important anagrams.

Click to enlarge

Sports news

Football Our Year 9 boys were in cup semi-final action on Friday 6 March away at Wrenn. On their long grass pitch it was always going to be less about free-flowing football and more about grit, determination and avoiding costly mistakes. With two key players missing through injury and illness the side had to be reshaped, but there was still confidence that the boys could produce the performance we know they are capable of. The match itself was a scrappy affair with few clear chances, and it looked like it might take a single moment to decide it. That moment came in the final ten minutes when Maxwell battled brilliantly to win a free kick on the right-hand side. Tommy N stepped up to deliver an excellent ball into the box, and Maxwell capped off his hard work by getting on the end of it to score what proved to be the winning goal. A special mention must also go to Matthew W, who immediately volunteered to go in goal after our regular keeper was injured. Stepping up for the team like that showed fantastic character. Next up is the final, where we will face the winners of Ferrers vs Hatton on Tuesday 21 April at Raunds Town Football Club. * * * This week our Year 8 boys played a triangular football fixture against Hatton School and Rushden Academy. Despite strong effort and determination throughout both matches, the team unfortunately lost both games by a narrow 1–0 scoreline. The playing surface proved very difficult for all teams, making it challenging to control the ball and create clear attacking opportunities. As a result, both matches were tightly contested, with limited chances for any side. Although the results did not go our way, the players showed resilience and teamwork, continuing to compete and work hard until the final whistle in both games. The experience will provide valuable lessons as the team looks ahead to future fixtures.