Headteacher’s Update
Dear Families
We reach the end of the first half term of the academic year. It seems so long now since we returned after the summer break on Weds 27th August! Our Year 7s are now fully settled into school and are enjoying life in secondary school. We have established new pastoral systems with a move to a year group structure. Feedback about this has been positive and I enjoyed seeing rewards assemblies in full this week organised by the Year Group Standards and Progress Leaders. We have also seen more relevant tutor period sessions and been able to focus these on more age appropriate activities. We will relaunch elements of the House System over the next term to ensure the elements of competition and belonging remain.
The term has seen many trips, visits and opportunities for students to engage beyond the classroom. I am pleased to see so many students engaging with activities beyond the classroom. We are entering a run of Parents’ Evenings over the next term or so, and we begin with our Year 11 Parents’ Evening, tonight (Thursday) as well as our Post 16 evening at the same time to enable you to speak with colleges and to discuss what the next steps for your child maybe. This is an important step for families and we are here to lend support. Parents in other years, look out for the emails about booking parents’ evening appointments over the next half term and beyond.
30th October 2025 is Year 7 tutor evening.
6th November 2025 is Year 10 tutor evening.
Both events are face to face events and we look forward to seeing you all soon after half term.
I would like to take the opportunity to wish a Happy Diwali to all that are celebrating and I wish all of you a wonderful half term and look forward to seeing all students back at the usual time on Monday 27th October.
With best wishes
Mr S Greiff
Year 10 Art & Design Students Visit Hungarton Dairy Farm
Our Year 10 Art & Design students recently enjoyed an inspiring trip to a local dairy farm in Hungarton. After a tour of the farm and surrounding landscape, students spent time creating on-site sketches and capturing photographs of the animals and scenery for their first art project of the year.
To round off a creative and enjoyable day, everyone was treated to freshly made milkshakes in a variety of delicious flavours.
Budding Scientists at Manor High School
It’s been a busy and inspiring few weeks for our budding scientists at Manor High School!
Students recently enjoyed an incredible visit to the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University for Physics at Work 2025, gaining a fascinating insight into real-world physics and cutting-edge research. It was the toilet of the future that sparked most discussion between our students!
In school, our weekly Science Club continues to buzz with energy while our Eco Ambassadors have recently launched their project to help make Manor High a greener place.
We’re also looking forward to two exciting events on the horizon — the Ministry of Science Live! trip straight after half-term, and a special visit from ZooLab before Christmas (more information to follow!).
After School Clubs
Barcelona Trip June 2026
The Modern Languages team is excited to announce that uptake for the Barcelona trip in June 2026 has been excellent and we thank all students for their interest. Students will be notified before half term if they have secured a place. Students who have not been able to go at this time will have their deposits returned to them and will remain on a reserve list in the event that another student does not want the place that they have been offered.
Club Timetable Week Beginning 27th October 2025
Design Our Official Christmas Card!
We’re inviting all children across the OAK Multi Academy Trust to take part in a fun and festive competition — design our official Christmas card!
The winning design will become the official OAK Multi Academy Trust Christmas card for 2025 and will also earn the talented artist a special prize!
✨ How to take part:
-
Create your best Christmas card design
-
Submit your entry by Tuesday, 19th November – Entry Form here
-
The winner will be announced on 30th November
We can’t wait to see your creativity shine this festive season — good luck to everyone taking part!
Safeguarding Update
Please follow the attached link for more information on how to keep children safe this Halloween – How to keep children safe this Halloween | 12 top tips
SEND Dept
T: 0116 2729791 (or 0116 2714941 ext. 791)
E: SEND@manorhigh.leics.sch.uk
Lead Operational DSL & Senior Mental Health Lead Ashma Ghani
T: 0116 2729760 (or 0116 2714941 ext. 760)
E: AGhani@manorhigh.leics.sch.uk
Headteacher’s Update
Dear Families
We have been pleased to see students participating in our extra curricular offers this week. Our football and netball teams have represented us well in the local Leicestershire Leagues. We are proud of all of the teams that have played well and shown great character and resilience. There are some final fixtures left next week and I am sure the boys and girls will continue to represent their school with pride.
A special mention goes to our Year 7 footballers- they have won their league this week with a game to spare! Whilst we are proud of all of our teams and it is great to see our students enjoying playing sport and working together as a team, but it makes it even sweeter when they are so successful!
We also sent a group of students to enter a Chess Tournament at The Market Bosworth School and we are grateful for their hospitality. Our students enjoyed the experience thoroughly and again did us proud- more information is in the newsletter below.
In school we have welcomed visitors from our Trust to review progress of school and again we are pleased with the outcome of this. We always strive to do the very best for our students and will continue to work to improve even further, every day, every lesson. We are pleased that our Trust Education team recognised the high levels of engagement from our learners and the quality of education provided for our students. We do not get some of the strongest results nationally by chance, we get it by hard work, resilience and meticulous attention to standards. All of this along with support from home makes us successful. We are grateful for this and your positive comments about the school and the work that we do. Partnership is central to our success.
Note- I remind you that school is closed to students next Friday 17th October, it is a school staff training day, therefore the last day students will be in school before the half term break is Thursday 16th October.
With best wishes
Mr S Greiff
Chess Competition
The Battle of Bosworth was a fiercely fought contest as opponents lined up, face to face and eager to be the winner. This battle was the Chess Competition of 8.10.2025 which took place at Market Bosworth School. There were similarities to the Battle of Bosworth of 22.8.1485 in that the aim of both contests, with the aid of knights and castles, was to capture and surround kings, ensuring no further advance of the king was possible.
There were 8 excellent students representing Manor High School, along with teams from a number of other schools from all over Leicestershire. All teams played against each other and the results were recorded. Our pupils won a number of rounds and showed nerves of steel. Standards were very high and many students showed their skills in tactics and diplomacy. There were 19 teams present and one of our teams took a very creditable 6th place. A special congratulations went to Nicholas who made a great start for Manor by winning the first match and was awarded Manor’s player of the tournament medal. Our pupils conducted themselves professionally and personably and were a real credit to the school. Well done to all our students – Isaac, Ollie, Affaan, Hashir, Muhammad, Nicholas, Leon & Mustafa – who should be very proud of their achievements.
World Mental Health Day
It is World Mental Health Day on the 10th October every year and this year we would really like to promote awareness and help for young people to ensure that they never feel alone. Young Minds Charity calls the initiative Hello Yellow and in tutor times, students will be making peer support pledge cards in yellow that will share advice/tips on how to support each other.
We would also like any parent/carer to get involved by sending in any useful advice or tips that they can offer when supporting their child’s mental health. Parents/carers have a world of knowledge and strategies to support young people and we would love to hear from you. We will then share these in the weekly parent newsletter. Please send your tips to schudasama@manorhigh.leics.sch.uk.
Miss Chudasama
Sparx Maths Student of the Week
We’re delighted to celebrate this week’s Sparx Maths Student of the Week! This recognition is awarded to Imogen of 9.4 who has shown outstanding effort, determination, and commitment to their independent learning on Sparx. Their hard work not only strengthens their mathematical skills but also sets a fantastic example for their peers. Well done – we are very proud of their achievement!
Year 11 Science Intervention – Update
There will be no Year 11 Science Intervention after school on Thursday this week (w/c 13 October) due to Parents’ Evening.
Sessions will resume as normal after half term.
Parents of students invited to attend the intervention sessions have already been notified.
Thank you for your understanding.
Year 7
Thank you to all of our students for making a great start to the term. Let’s continue to be in school and make good efforts whilst we are here – you are doing brilliantly.
We have decided to change our adapted Year 7 timings to further support Year 7 in their transition. Our aim is for Year 7 to be fully in line with the whole school timings after half term (we are monitoring this).
The timings for Year 7 next week will be as below. After half term Year 7 timings will then be in line with the rest of the school.
- Year 7 break time will no longer be early. Break time is now 10:40am as with the rest of the school.
- Year 7 lunchtime will continue to start at 12:30pm (10 minutes earlier than everyone else)
- Year 7 will finish the school day at the same time as everyone else 3:05pm
At all points teaching staff will walk out with Year 7 and stay with them until duty staff arrive for break / lunch. At the end of the school day, teaching staff will walk Year 7 to the front of school.
Post 16 events
We have emailed the attached document – P16 Open Events – to our Year 11 students and parents via class charts. However, it is useful for all our students. Please encourage students (especially in Years 10 and 11) to look at schools / colleges from a Post 16 point of view as visiting them will help to make informed choices. We always encourage our students to make at least 2 applications for their post 16 education but you can make as many as you want. It is always good to have a range of options including back up options.
Lastly, please find attached a letter from the Loughborough Grammar School (STW letter) regarding a scholarship offer for Sixth Form education.
Post 16 evening at MHS
Please note that we have a number of schools/colleges visiting Manor High School on the evening of the 16th October alongside our Year 11 parents evening. This will allow Year 11 students and parents a chance to interact with a range of different post 16 providers. Local providers will be located in rooms 3, 3a and the study centre between 4:00pm and 6:30pm on the Year 11 parents evening. Please do take time to drop in and talk to these providers before, in between or after your parent evening appointments.
Mandarin Club
We are pleased to let you know that we continue to work with Leicester’s De Montfort University (Confucius Institute) and will be offering Mandarin classes on a Tuesday after school from 3:05pm to 4:15pm. If you would like your child to attend these please email Mr Croucher. The classes will start on Tuesday 28th October (the first Tuesday after half term).
Lunch queues
Our students have queued really well this week. Please keep it up. Can parents continue to remind our students that they need their QR codes ready before they get to the till as this will help to speed up our queues.
Please also reinforce that students must queue in the following way:
- Queue calmly and respectfully
- Queue in pairs (no more than two across)
- Ensure we are not pushing up to the pair in front of us
- Ensure we do not push and ensure we do not try to pass someone who is in front of us
- Listen to staff instructions
- Step into the serving area only when a member of staff asks us to do so
Students should only queue once – they should not queue, buy some food and then return later to get something else. Please get everything in one go – this will help others get their food more quickly. Please also note that the queues are only for people purchasing food or drink. Please do not wait in the queue just to stand with a friend who is buying food.
Leicester Riders Basketball Introduction
We are excited to announce that the Leicester Riders will be hosting a basketball introduction session here at Manor High School in the Sports Centre on Tuesday 14th October, from 3:15 pm to 4:20 pm.
This session is open to all students in Years 7, 8, and 9 who would like to come along, learn new skills, and enjoy an introduction to basketball with professional coaches from the Leicester Riders team.
No prior experience is required—just bring your PE kit, plenty of energy, and enthusiasm!
We look forward to seeing lots of you there for what promises to be a fun and engaging session.
Book of the Week
This is a book about empathy, friendship and learning English. The novel is a 9-year-old refugee who has fled war and his classmates welcome him – breaking barriers of fear and prejudice. His friends offer him kindness, inclusion and hope.
Themes:
- Empathy and kindness: The children show genuine compassion toward Ahmet despite not fully understanding his situation.
- Prejudice and acceptance: The book highlights how adults and children can react differently to people who seem “different.”
- Friendship and courage: The friends’ loyalty to Ahmet drives the story and shows how small acts of bravery can make a big difference.
- Refugee experience and loss: It sensitively portrays the trauma of war and displacement through a child’s eyes, making it accessible to young readers.
The book is available to borrow from the Study Centre
Year 11 Parents’ Evening
We look forward to welcoming you to Parents’ Evening on Thursday, 16 October.
Please remember to book appointments with your child’s subject teachers in advance.
This evening provides a valuable opportunity to:
• Review your child’s progress
• Discuss performance and effective revision strategies
• Learn about available resources and support for final exam preparation
Year 11 Study Skills and Revision
On Monday 6th October, we hosted study skills workshops for Year 11 students. The workshops were designed to help students prepare for their upcoming Pre-Public Examinations (PPEs) starting on Monday 10th November.
Please find attached resource – Maximise Your Potential – that was provided to students to help them with tips about good revision habits and techniques.
Interventions
Many subject teachers are running lunchtime and after-school intervention sessions. These are targeted for students who need extra support. Teachers will contact parents directly if a student is invited. Please encourage your child to attend if they are invited, as these sessions offer tailored help beyond normal lessons.
| Day | Week A and B | ||
| Morning | Lunch | Afterschool | |
| Monday | English [SG: R9, CL: R11, SD: R9a, MJ: R12, AH: R10, EW: R3a]
Music [EJ: MR2] |
P.E. [OK: R4]
Drama [BW: DS] Geography [TS: R1, AM: R3, CB: R6] History [CP: R8, HJ: R5] |
|
| Tuesday | Food [MH: DTA1]
History [CP: R8] |
History [SC: R7]
French [AP: R13, SRM: R14] Spanish [PRD: R15, MRO: R17, KWE: RM 16] |
|
| Wednesday | Hospitality [MH: DTA1]
Media [MMJ: R12] |
Maths [BP: R22, CB: 22, JL: R20, FP: R21, UG: R21] | |
| Thursday | Business [AM: R27, CB: R26]
ART [BWa: DTA4] Drama [BW: DS] Computer Science [BA: R4] |
Science [ST: L5, KJ: L3, SK: L1, AL: L2]
D&T [RP: DTA3] |
|
| Friday | History
[CP: R8] |
Computer Science [BA: R4] | Creative iMedia [CB: R26] |
SEND Dept
T: 0116 2729791 (or 0116 2714941 ext. 791)
E: SEND@manorhigh.leics.sch.uk
Lead Operational DSL Ashma Ghani
T: 0116 2729760 (or 0116 2714941 ext. 760)
E: AGhani@manorhigh.leics.sch.uk
Headteacher’s Update
Dear Families
We have celebrated the many successes of our students this week. It is a week that I look forward to immensely. It is the week where we reflect upon our last year and reward students at our annual awards evening. So many of our students do the right thing every single day and we are delighted to reward them for doing so well. We were so pleased to be able to hand out 100 awards to students last night Our awards evening doesn’t just celebrate those that have achieved the highest standards, it rewards those that have excelled in various ways. We acknowledged students who consistently demonstrate exceptional character as well as being able to highlight achievements across various discipline and recognising students who embody our school’s core values.
In our vision to develop good citizens that have an understanding of the world around them, we are hosting our Culture Day on 7th November. This is always a great day where students get to wear their own traditional cultural dress. This day really aids students’ understanding about different cultures and it is a day that our students love to engage with. Whilst lessons will take an approach to an element of culture we are also keen to put on some workshops and special events around widening awareness about the vast range of cultures and backgrounds there are here at Manor High. If you have any information about groups in the community that may be able to assist us do please email the school.
As a point of information we have had some really organised parents ask us about our term dates for the NEXT academic year. We appreciate parents asking this before booking holidays as this supports our expectations around students being at school every single day and we thank you for your support. The dates for the next academic year are now on our website. Attendance at school is crucial so we are thankful of your asking us before you booked. Data shows that students with 95+% attendance have around an 81% chance of achieving 5 GCSE passes including English and Maths. When attendance drops only a little into the 90-94.9% bracket, the chances drop hugely, to 50%. Attendance at school makes a huge difference. As the weather starts to turn and the nights start to draw in, please make sure your child attends school, even with a slight cough or cold, they should be here whenever possible.
With best wishes
Mr S Greiff
Year 11 Updates
We are very proud of our Year 11 students for starting the term so well. Their effort and commitment will help them achieve their goals beyond Manor High School. Below are some key updates.
Pre-Public Examinations (PPEs)
Year 11 will sit two sets of mock exams this year:
| PPEs | Dates | Results Distribution |
| Autumn | Mon 10 Nov – Fri 21 Nov 2025 | Results Evening – Thu 11 Dec 2025 |
| Spring | Mon 9 Feb – Fri 6 Mar 2026 | Parents’ Evening – Thu 20 Mar 2026 |
PPEs are important because they:
- Get students into the right exam mindset
- Provide structured revision practice
- Highlight mistakes and knowledge gaps
- Build confidence and resilience under pressure
- Inform predicted grades used for Post-16 applications
Please encourage your child to give their best effort, as the results will show where further revision is needed before the final exams.
PPE Timetable & Equipment
The PPE timetable will be shared with students soon via their tutors. Please ensure your child comes fully prepared with the correct equipment so they can focus without distractions:
- Clear pencil case
- Several black pens
- Pencil and eraser
- Ruler
- Calculator
- Any subject-specific equipment (e.g. geometry set, highlighters)
- Water bottle (label-free)
Exam Conditions
Students have been reminded of the rules for exams. Please talk to your child about the importance of following these rules and ensure they do not bring prohibited items such as mobile phones or other digital devices into school.
Progress Reports & Parents’ Evening
Teachers are currently preparing progress reports, which will include:
- Working at Grade (WAG): The grade your child is currently achieving
- Autumn GCSE Prediction: A predicted grade based on evidence so far, including:
- Class assessments
- PPE (mock exam) results and internal tests
- Coursework / non-exam assessments
- Classwork and homework
We have worked with Year 11 students to ensure they understand their reports and what actions they need to take to make further progress.
Parents’ Evening
We look forward to seeing you on Thursday 16 October for Parents’ Evening. Parents will need to book appointments with subject teachers. This is an important chance to:
- Review your child’s progress
- Ask questions about performance and revision strategies
- Learn about resources and support for final exam preparation
Interventions
Many subject teachers are running lunchtime and after-school intervention sessions. These are targeted for students who need extra support. Teachers will contact parents directly if a student is invited. Please encourage your child to attend if they are invited, as these sessions offer tailored help beyond normal lessons.
| Day | Year 11 Interventions 2025 – 2026 [Week A and B] | ||
| Morning | Lunch | Afterschool | |
| Monday | English [SG: R9, CL: R11, SD: R9a, MJ: R12, AH: R10, EW: R3a]
Music [EJ: MR2] |
P.E. [OK: R4]
Drama [BW: DS] Geography [TS: R1, AM: R3, CB: R6] History [CP: R8, HJ: R5] |
|
| Tuesday | Food [MH: DTA1]
History [CP: R8] |
History [SC: R7]
French [AP: R13, SRM: R14] Spanish [PRD: R15, MRO: R17, KWE: RM 16] |
|
| Wednesday | Hospitality [MH: DTA1]
Media [MMJ: R12] |
Maths [BP: R22, CB: 22, JL: R20, FP: R21, UG: R21] | |
| Thursday | Business [AM: R27, CB: R26]
ART [BWa: DTA4] Drama [BW: DS] |
Science
D&T [RP: DTA3] |
|
| Friday | History [CP: R8] | Computer Science [BA: R4] | Creative iMedia [CB: R26] |
Extra Academic Support
We are committed to supporting Year 11 as they prepare for their exams. To help, we have invited Maximize Your Potential to deliver a study skills seminar on Monday 06.10.25. This session will focus on:
- Setting clear academic goals
- Understanding the steps to achieve them
- Managing time effectively
- Reducing stress and building confidence
Please encourage your child to make use of the study resources available, including creating and following a personal revision timetable.
Attendance & Progress
Thank you for supporting your child’s daily attendance. Being in school every day is vital, especially with exams approaching, as it ensures they receive full teaching and support.
Research shows a strong link between attendance and achievement. Students with 100% attendance make, on average, a grade and a half more progress than those with lower attendance. We regularly share this message with Year 11 students to remind them of the importance of being in school every day.
Support Initiatives
To help Year 11 with revision, we’ve shared some key study strategies that you may also find useful when supporting your child at home:
- Create a Revision Timetable – Plan set times for each subject to cover all topics
- Use Active Recall – Try flashcards, summarising notes, or explaining topics to others
- Practise with Past Papers – Get used to exam formats, timings, and question styles
- Work in Study Groups – Revise with friends to tackle difficult topics and test each other
- Stay Healthy – Eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep to keep the brain working well
- Use Technology Wisely – Explore apps and online resources to support learning
We hope these strategies are helpful. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like more guidance on how best to support your child with their studies.
Post 16 events
We have emailed the attached P16 Provider Open Events document to our Year 11 students and parents via class charts. However, it is useful for all our students. Please encourage students (especially in Years 10 and 11) to look at schools / colleges from a Post 16 point of view as visiting them will help to make informed choices. We always encourage our students to make at least 2 applications for their post 16 education but you can make as many as you want. It is always good to have a range of options including back up options.
We have also invited a number of schools/colleges into Manor High School on the evening of the 16th October alongside our Year 11 parents evening. More information about this will be out soon.
Sparx Maths Student of the Week
We’re delighted to celebrate this week’s Sparx Maths Student of the Week! This recognition is awarded to Akira of 8.5 who has shown outstanding effort, determination, and commitment to their independent 
learning on Sparx. Their hard work not only strengthens their mathematical skills but also sets a fantastic example for their peers. Well done – we are very proud of their achievement!
Science Club
Unfortunately, there will be no Science Club on Monday, 6th October. The club will resume as normal from Monday, 13th October.
If you would like to join Science Club, we’d love to have you! Come along on Mondays after school in Lab 3.
Year 7
Thank you to all of our students for making a great start to the term. Let’s continue to be in school and make good efforts whilst we are here – you are doing brilliantly.
We have decided to change our adapted Year 7 timings to further support Year 7 in their transition. Our aim is for Year 7 to be fully in line with the whole school timings after half term (we are monitoring this).
From next Monday (6th October) the timings for Year 7 will be:
- Year 7 break time will no longer be early. Break time is now 10:40am as with the rest of the school
- Year 7 lunchtime will continue to start at 12:30pm (10 minutes earlier than everyone else)
- Year 7 will finish the school day at the same time as everyone else 3:05pm
At all points teaching staff will walk out with Year 7 and stay with them until duty staff arrive for break / lunch. At the end of the school day, teaching staff will walk year 7 to the front of school.
Lunch queues
Our students have queued really well this week. Please keep it up. Can parents continue to remind our students that they need their QR codes ready before they get to the till as this will help to speed up our queues.
Please also reinforce that students must queue in the following way:
- Queue calmly and respectfully
- Queue in pairs (no more than two across)
- Ensure we are not pushing up to the pair in front of us
- Ensure we do not push and ensure we do not try to pass someone who is in front of us
- Listen to staff instructions
- Step into the serving area only when a member of staff asks us to do so
Students should only queue once – they should not queue, buy some food and then return later to get something else. Please get everything in one go – this will help others get their food more quickly. Please also note that the queues are only for people purchasing food or drink. Please do not wait in the queue just to stand with a friend who is buying food.
🌎 Reading Around the World Challenge🌍
Pack your imagination and get ready to travel across continents—through books! Each story will be your passport to new cultures, voices, and adventures.
Get ready to pack your imagination and set off on a global adventure—through books! From the snowy peaks of the Himalayas to the bustling streets of New York, from African folktales to Japanese manga, every story will be a new passport stamp in our reading journey.
Join us for “Reading Around the World Challenge”, where we will explore stories from different corners of the globe:
Books to Begin Your Journey:
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Brazil)
- My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell (Corfu)
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Afghanistan)
- A Song of Comfortable Chairs by Alexander McCall Smith (England)
- Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (Japan)
- Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (Mexico)
- A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Afghanistan)
- Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (Korea/Japan)
- Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes (Spain)
- Disgrace by John M Coetzee (South Africa)
- The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse (Swiss)
- The Crow Eaters by Bapsi Sidhwa (Pakistan)
- Detective by Carter Brown (Australia)
What to Expect:
- Book recommendations from every continent 🌍
- Fun activities to track your reading journey ✨
- Opportunities to share your favourite discoveries 📚
- Students who visit the most countries will be rewarded!
Starts Monday 6th October
Let’s travel the world 🌎
Safeguarding Update
Attached is a great resource about keeping your child safe online. It provides some practical tips to support you as parents – Parent Factsheet
Below is a recording to the online safety parent session that we shared.
Online Safety Parent Session Oct 2025 – Knowsley City Learning Centres
If you didn’t manage to attend, hopefully you will find the details supportive.
Anger Management in Children – NSPCC
Every year many thousands of children are referred to Childline for anger issues. Anger management in children is one of the top mental health concerns in childcare. Anger and the ability to control it are key skills of adulthood. Violent thoughts frequently bubble underneath human interactions. Anger is the quickest way for those thoughts to become reality. For this reason it is tightly regulated in our society. Children must learn to overcome anger so that they do not fall a foul of strict controls on violent conduct. However, this is difficult for children to learn to manage since anger is remarkably powerful. Yet as parents and teachers there is no choice but to teach them to reign these emotions in. This can be hard knowledge to impart, but the NSPCC has produced helpful resources to aid you in that vital mission. If interested, please follow the link below:
Headteacher’s Update
Dear Families
Well, what a week here at Manor High School. We held our open evening last night, and attendance was extremely high, as you would imagine. Our students were the stars of the evening. They spoke so passionately to everyone they saw and were so proud to attend this school. They demonstrated a true sense of belonging. We know that if people feel that they belong they will do more and perform better as well have a more positive mindset. We were very proud of how they all wanted to show prospective parents their school.
In addition we have celebrated the European Day of Languages today, with a themed assembly and languages quiz this morning, where all students were treated to a pain au chocolate! As you all know, we hugely value Languages at Manor High School. We strongly believe that learning a language in school provides many benefits, not just being able to speak the language itself. It boosts brain function, improving critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. It also develops cultural awareness, empathy, and global citizenship by opening students to different perspectives and traditions. In addition to the fact that it is a skill that increasingly businesses are keen to see employees have. Our lunch menu today is also themed around this and includes Albondigas and Mille Feuille dessert!
We have also been into classrooms this week- I have spent time in almost every classroom looking at student engagement and classroom practice along with OAK trust colleagues and have been impressed with the efforts and enthusiasm shown by all of our students. They are a credit to you and to us.
I mentioned last week the parking situation outside of school, and as I said would happen, the police and enforcement officers were around at the start of school this week, and will continue to drop in. Whilst there has been an improvement this week, they did unfortunately issue tickets to people who were being incredibly dangerous with their parking and showed a blatant disregard for the road markings. There has been a suggestion made by frustrated residents and parents for us to ‘name and shame’ and photograph people parking dangerously and publish this to parents! I do not plan to do this, however the mere suggestion suggests the level of concern and frustration from parents and residents- do please park sensibly, respectfully and safely around the school site. I thank the vast majority of you that do and ask for the small minority to address their behaviours and to set a positive example to their children.
With best wishes
Mr S Greiff
Take Your Teenager to Work Day
Last week, our Year 8 students had the exciting opportunity to take part in Take Your Teenager to Work Day. This special event gave young people a chance to step into the world of work, gaining first-hand experience of different careers.
The day provided a hugely valuable educational experience outside the classroom, encouraging students to think about their futures and explore the possibilities ahead.
Hafsa thoroughly enjoyed her day shadowing a Teacher at Luton Sixth Form College, gaining an insight into the role and the day-to-day responsibilities involved.
We would love to hear about other students’ experiences too! Please share your stories and any photos from the day with us—we look forward to celebrating the many different career journeys our Year 8s had the chance to explore.
Sparx Maths
As you may be aware, we will be using the Sparx platform to issue homework to students throughout this academic year. All students in Years 8 to 10 have been given the opportunity to review the process of accessing this homework during their Maths lessons and will have been issued their first homework. The Sparx platform has shown to bring about significant benefits to all learners who engage with the process and research undertaken by RAND Europe and Cambridge University found that using Sparx Maths for one hour a week significantly improves grades. It is a personalised programme that allows students to revisit topics previously studied whilst securing knowledge of more recent class room learning.
As a department, we ask for your support in ensuring that your child can benefit from this and engage with the tasks which can be viewed using Class Charts. Students using Sparx Maths Homework made 83% more progress with just 15 minutes of practice (in comparison to those who did no homework). To support this or any further independent learning that your child wishes to undertake, we have a Maths club staffed by a member of the department, which would provide an opportunity to complete any outstanding tasks. Alternatively please seek the support of any Maths teacher who would be more than happy to facilitate this.
Thank you for your support and please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Maths teacher should you have any further questions.
Sparx Maths Student of the Week
We’re delighted to celebrate this week’s Sparx Maths Student of the Week! This recognition is awarded to Mikel of 9.2 who has shown outstanding effort, determination, and commitment to their independent learning on Sparx. Their hard work not only strengthens their mathematical skills but also sets a fantastic example for their peers. Well done – we are very proud of their achievement!
Announcing our Study Centre Ambassadors
I am excited and proud to announce our new Study Centre Ambassadors for this academic Year
CONGRATULATIONS
Boris, Lucy, Orhan, Ahmad, Valentino, Saira, Muhammad (Year 7), Matilda, Hooria, Noah (Year 8), Maryam, Azfareen (Year 9), Ishan, Taran, and Samin (Year 10)
Our ambassadors were selected following an application process in which they confidently expressed their qualities, skills and enthusiasm for the Study Centre.
They will be assisting me during break, lunch, important events and support the reading challenge – Reading Around the World Challenge.
Word of the Week
‘QUIZ’
A story about ‘quiz’ tells how a man in the 18th century Ireland bet that he could introduce a new word in 48 hours. He hired people to write ‘quiz’ on walls, so that everyone was talking about it. There is no evidence for this tale; instead, it is likely that ‘quiz’ came from ‘inquisitive’ which means ‘curious.’
Have a restful weekend!
Mrs Osman
Study Centre Achievement Leader
Year 7
You have made a great start to life at Manor High School.
We will continue our adapted Year 7 timings for one more week as it will be beneficial to our students.
- Year 7 break time will start at 10:35am (5 minutes earlier than everyone else)
- Year 7 lunchtime will start at 12:30pm (10 minutes earlier than everyone else)
- Year 7 will finish the school day at 3pm (5 minutes earlier than everyone else)
At all points teaching staff will walk out with Year 7 and stay with them until duty staff arrive for break / lunch. At the end of the school day, teaching staff will walk Year 7 to the front of school.
Open Evening Thursday 25th September
Thank you so much to all of our student ambassadors on the evening. Thank you too to the many students who could not be involved – we could not have everyone and we were overwhelmed with requests to help. It is so nice to see so many students show so much care and pride for our school.
To the students that helped on the evening, you were amazing. So many of our visitors were complimentary about how well you behaved.
Lunch queues
We are asking all students to ensure their QR codes are ready before they get to the till as this will help to speed up our queues. Please could you reinforce this with all students at home.
Please also reinforce that students must queue in the following way:
- Queue calmly and respectfully
- Queue in pairs (no more than two across)
- Ensure we are not pushing up to the pair in front of us
- Ensure we do not push and ensure we do not try to pass someone who is in front of us
- Listen to staff instructions
- Step into the serving area only when a member of staff asks us to do so
Students should only queue once – they should not queue, buy some food and then return later to get something else. Please get everything in one go – this will help others get their food more quickly. Please also note that the queues are only for people purchasing food or drink. Please do not wait in the queue just to stand with a friend who is buying food.
Our queuing order is below. We just wanted to share this with parents.
This week it is week A
Main outdoor hatches (by Viking Building)
Week A:
12:40 to 12:50 – Years 7 and 8
12:50 to 13:00 – Years 9 and 10
13:00 onwards – Year 11 if needed
Week B:
12:40 to 12:50 – Years 9 and 10
12:50 to 13:00 – Years 7 and 8
13:00 onwards – Year 11 if needed
Humanities hatches
Week A and Week B – Year 11 only
Indoor hatches
Week A:
12:40 to 12:50 – Years 7 and 8
12:50 onwards – Years 9 and 10
1pm onwards – Year 11
Week B:
12:40 to 12:50 – Years 9 and 10
12:50 onwards – Years 7 and 8
1pm onwards – Year 11
We ask that all students follow the expectations below for queuing – these have been communicated with all students regularly during tutor time.
Headteacher’s Update
Dear Families
We have spent this week focussing on Resilience. This is one of our core values and we are keen to ‘catch’ our students demonstrating this core value. Mr Karavadra has led this theme in assemblies this week and we have been highlighting this core value in lessons. At the time of writing more than 2600 reward points for Resilience have been issued this term alone. It is important that we encourage this core value as much as possible. I firmly believe that we are all capable of more than we realise, and we mustn’t have the mindset of ‘I can’t do it’ , we all must try to do better and be the best version of ourselves.
We are currently electing form reps under our new pastoral structure and our Year 10 and 11 students are currently talking a lot about student leadership, and we plan to establish our student leadership team over the next few weeks. If your child is in Year 10 and 11 do encourage them to make applications and talk to their form tutor/trusted adult about whether they are suitable for application and also to talk through the process for applying.
I remind you about keeping our students safe before and after school. I met with the local police this week and had a positive conversation about traffic outside of the school. There are concerns around drop offs and pick ups, both from us, and also some parents. I highlighted the expectations around punctuality in my message last week. Parking is a key issue, please leave enough time in the mornings to drop off at a sensible location a little further from the school to ensure safety of both our students and the students at our sister primary school on site Brookside. When you are running late the temptation is drop your child right at the school gates, but this increases the risk of an accident involving cars, or worse still primary and/or secondary aged students. Our students are old enough to walk a short distance to and from school and this would really help with the traffic at the end of the school. Our local police told me that they plan to be around the site over the coming weeks along with the traffic enforcement team and we would rather show them that there are improvements, rather than see parents fined for inappropriate and dangerous parking.
With best wishes
Mr S Greiff
Welcome Year 7!
You have made a great start to life at Manor High School.
We have decided to extend our adapted Year 7 timings for one more week (a slightly earlier break, slightly earlier lunch and a slightly earlier end to the day). This will help Year 7 continue to adjust to life at a new school.
- Year 7 break time will start at 10:35am (5 minutes earlier than everyone else)
- Year 7 lunchtime will start at 12:30pm (10 minutes earlier than everyone else)
- Year 7 will finish the school day at 3pm (5 minutes earlier than everyone else)
At all points teaching staff will walk out with Year 7 and stay with them until duty staff arrive for break / lunch. At the end of the school day, teaching staff will walk Year 7 to the front of school.
Year 8 Take Your Teenager to Work Day
Thank you to all parents/carers for working with us on this opportunity. It was lovely as always to see some students in school and equally lovely to see so many students engaging with workplaces. We will upload a post experience task onto the iPads for students to complete next week.
Open Evening Thursday 25th September
Letters have been sent to parents/carers asking for consent for some students to help at open evening next Thursday (25th September).
Letters that went out earlier in the week were requesting support in specific curriculum areas. Today letters went out requesting support for tours. Please can you complete the online consent form if you received a letter.
Please note the letters / consent form refer to an 8pm finish – we are hoping the students will be ready nearer to 7:45pm so we ask that any parents/carers collecting students after the event aim to arrive at 7:45pm please. Many thanks for your support and thank you too for so many of our students stepping forward to be volunteers.
Lunch queues
We are asking all students to ensure their QR codes are ready before they get to the till as this will help to speed up our queues. Please could you reinforce this with all students at home.
We ask that all students follow the expectations below for queuing – these have been communicated with all students regularly during tutor time:
- Be respectful
- Queue calmly
- Queue in pairs (no more than two across)
- Ensure we are not pushing up to the pair in front
- Ensure we do not push and ensure we do not try to pass someone who is in front of us
- Listen to staff instructions
- Step into the serving area only when a member of staff asks us to do so
Please also note that the queues are only for people purchasing food or drink. Please do not wait in the queue just to stand with a friend who is buying food.
Students Send Birthday Wishes to Veteran Turning 100
Students have been busy writing birthday cards for Dougie, a former Royal Navy serviceman and Second World War veteran, who is turning 100 years old on September 23rd.
Dougie, who has no surviving family members, will be receiving heartfelt wishes from many young people at Manor High School. The students have taken time to create thoughtful messages, drawings, and warm words to help make his milestone birthday a special one.
By coming together to celebrate his 100th birthday, the students hope to remind Dougie that he is not alone and that his life and service are remembered and appreciated.
Year 10 Botanical Gardens Photography Trip
The Year 10 Art & Design students enjoyed a sunny photography visit to the Leicester botanical Gardens last week. Students spent their art lesson walking around the gardens and greenhouses photographing various flora and fauna for their Natural Form project, including a range of flowers, plants and Koi fish.
Safeguarding Update
Please see attached poster regarding an online safety briefing run with our safeguarding partners – Online Safety
Parent/Carer information session
Wednesday 1st October 2025 – 4pm – 4.45pm
Focus: Online Safety Briefing – this session will cover all aspects of children’s online lives and will cover the risks associated, the latest trends and data and guidance on how you can support their online lives.
The link to access this session will be sent to you one week before the event for you to share – you can share it via your website if you wish or your usual communication channels.
Chatbots and Children – The Children’s Society
The social media sphere has recently gained a new tool in their battle for youth engagement – the chatbot. Chat bots are not particularly new, but the sophistication of their governing algorithms is. These applications are designed to keep people engaged with artificially generated responses. Responses formulated based on the information the user puts into them. This can create a self-reinforcing effect, where the chatbot continually increases the user’s convictions in the truth of their own inputs. False information, reinforcement of poor choices and self-manipulation are common issues with this emerging software. The Children’s Society has recently published an article on the issue which you can find here:
https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/blogs/chatbots-and-children
Rethinking Masculinity and Mental Health – Harmless
In male culture showing emotion, crying for example, is seen as a relative taboo. Other outpourings of emotion; anger, sadness or seriousness, is generally discouraged. However, this creates a restrictive environment for males and breeds into their relations, a prohibitive social expectation over emotional engagement. The penalties for breaking this taboo can be bullying or physical abuse within intra-male relations. Psychologically this produces harmful mental effects that can impinge on development and social relations. The Harmless Organisation has recently published an exploration of this phenomena and its related issues over on their site. If interested, please follow the link: https://harmless.org.uk/boys-dont-cry-rethinking-masculinity-and-mental-health/
Year 7 Transition Workshop for parents
Please see the poster from the NHS Mental Health Service, who are running an online workshop around transition to secondary school.
We will send out the link for you to join, nearer the time.
Headteacher’s Update
Dear Parents
The weeks seem to be passing very quickly at the moment. Our Year 7 students are settling well into school and are now that we have been through a cycle of our two week timetable are becoming settled. I welcomed them into assembly this morning and it was great to see them smiling and happy.
We have had some real positives over the last couple of weeks. Before writing this email I checked how many reward points have been issued this year so far. At the time of writing this, 12441 reward points have been issued so far this term! The balance of positive to negative is high as well, with over 95% being positive points. This reflects exactly what I have seen in lessons this week, high levels of engagement in learning and a lovely energy in our learning spaces.
There is one element that is letting a small number of students down though, and this is morning punctuality. Each morning, I observe students jumping out of cars outside the school, rushing into school having arrived with insufficient time to reach their tutor room on time, often citing traffic as a reason. This is not preparing these students for a day at school. They are rushing, and immediately faced with a negative interaction and indeed a sanction. Please help your child to have a good day by getting them to school in ample time.
Key Considerations:
- We understand morning traffic challenges, but we have to allow time for these- peak hours in a busy city result in traffic- please plan time in to your routines.
- Our school doors open at 8.05am to support early arrival- if you have to do multiple drop offs you can drop here first and utilise our study centre for your child, it is supervised from 8.05am and also is available after school until 5.30pm
- Sometimes there are accidents on the roads and sometimes there are emergencies at home. These are understood and accommodated on the rare occasion that they occur, we know things don’t always go to plan.
- If you ring school to state that there is traffic en route, this does not automatically mean your child will not be sanctioned.
Request to Parents:
- Please review your morning routes
- Plan to arrive with adequate time to spare
- Utilise our early access facilities from 8.05am
- Help your child start their day calmly and punctually.
We appreciate your partnership in supporting our students’ success and maintaining our high standards.
With best wishes
Mr S Greiff
Welcome Year 7!
You have made a great start to life at Manor High School.
We have decided to extend our adapted Year 7 timings for one more week at least (a slightly earlier break, slightly earlier lunch and a slightly earlier end to the day). This will help Year 7 continue to adjust to life at a new school.
- Year 7 break time will start at 10:35am (5 minutes earlier than everyone else)
- Year 7 lunchtime will start at 12:30pm (10 minutes earlier than everyone else)
- Year 7 will finish the school day at 3pm (5 minutes earlier than everyone else)
At all points teaching staff will walk out with Year 7 and stay with them until duty staff arrive for break / lunch. At the end of the school day, teaching staff will walk Year 7 to the front of school.
Year 8 Take Your Teenager to Work Day
We have emailed all parents / carers about an exciting opportunity called Take Your Teenager to Work day. This will be on Friday 19th September and only involves Year 8 . Please see the email that should have come directly to you. We will talk to the students about this next week.
Thank you to all who have completed forms and returned them. Please could we ask for any more forms to arrive with us by Wednesday 17th September at the latest so we can see the numbers of students who will be going to a placement as well as the number of students who will be coming into school.
There will be another opportunity for another year group later in the year and we then hope to make this an annual event so all students can benefit from it as they move through the school.
All Years – October Rugby Skills Camp
Please see the flyer attached at the bottom of the newsletter. Harry Ellis (former Tigers, England and Lions scrum half) is running this rugby skills camp over half term at Leicester Grammar School. It is open to girls and boys aged between 8 and 16.
Bikes
Please ensure students ride to and from school safely. We advise that students should be wearing a helmet.
Students must not ride across the car park. They should dismount their bikes at the front of school and walk the bikes onto site via the pedestrian gate at the front of school (right side as you look at school). Many thanks for reinforcing this with students.
Achievement Points
It has been another hugely positive week. Since the start of term 95% of points have been positive. There have been far less detentions so far this academic year. For example, this time last year there had been 84 S2 detentions for disruption. This year we are at 32. We have always prided ourselves on having calm and purposeful classrooms full of engaged pupils. However, we believe that this is getting even better. This has been down to high standards and engaging lessons set by staff and the efforts of our students who continue to amaze us.
Next week is an exciting week, where will build upon this fantastic start. Some of the priorities are:
- Sharing our character curriculum focus for the week. Next week it will be resilience, where we will discuss why we believe it is imperative that mobile phones remain switched off and in bags during the school day. We believe that both academic achievement and wellbeing depend on us enforcing this and we would be letting your children down if we allowed transgressions on this. The research and data on this topic is growing by the day and we believe as a school that we must take a stand, and appreciate your support. As such we will be having a real drive on this and if phones are seen, they will be confiscated and they will receive an RTL after school detention as per our behaviour policy.
- Electing form reps in each form and meeting up with them to discuss what rewards they would like to see as incentives. It is really important to us that we work with students on matters of school life.
- We are starting the election process for our year 10 and 11 form reps. By Friday, all those interested have to submit an application.
Thank you for your continued support of the school. If you would like to be more involved in pastoral matters and help shape the school’s direction, please contact Mr. Cross at across@manorhigh.leics.sch.uk. He is keen to arrange a number of meet-ups and Teams meetings throughout the year.
School Production – Matilda the Musical
Rehearsals have started for our School Show 2025 – Matilda the Musical. The full read through on Wednesday was absolutely magical.
The performance dates are Monday 15th and Tuesday 16th December 2025.
Rehearsals are on Wednesdays and Fridays after school. Students wishing to perform need to attend on both days.
📣 Become a Study Centre Ambassador! 📣
Are you enthusiastic, friendly, and keen to make a difference at school?
We are looking for Study Centre Ambassadors from Years 7–10 (2 from each year) to join our team!
✨ What you’ll do:
• Help welcome students into the Study Centre.
• Support students with finding books, resources, and homework.
• Promote reading, learning, and positive behaviour.
• Share ideas to make the Study Centre even better.
• Support important library and reading events.
• Model and maintain a calm and purposeful reading and learning environment.
• Support during allocated days on a rota basis.
🛠 What you’ll need for the role:
• A positive attitude and enthusiasm for reading and learning.
• Good communication skills and friendliness towards others.
• Reliability and willingness to commit to your allocated times.
• Respect for the Study Centre rules and the ability to set a good example.
• Teamwork skills and an openness to share and listen to ideas.
🌟 What you’ll gain:
• Leadership skills and confidence.
• The chance to make new friends and work as part of a team.
• Contribute to decisions on how the Study Centre is run.
• Recognition for your contribution.
📅 How to apply:
Please apply by writing a formal letter of application to Miss Wale and Mrs Osman. Your letter should be a maximum of 1 A4 side answering the following questions:
Safeguarding Update
Please find attached a great presentation put together by one of our safeguarding partners. It gives you great advice and support as parents about online safety and supporting you in keeping your child safe in online. Please take the time to look at this and develop your knowledge and understanding about online safety.
Headteacher’s Update
Dear Parents
Another week has passed with this week’s assembly theme being around Excellence, the quote “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm” is one that has been used this week in our assemblies. There are very few of us that have managed to progress through life without having knock-backs. However making sure we bounce back and try again is absolutely key to being successful. We encourage students to take risks, try something and if they don’t do well, then to try again.
The great basketballer Michael Jordan once said “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed”. There cannot be a clearer message than this about success.
We gave our Year 7 students iPads last week, and now all students in Year 7-10 have ipads. We also reminded students of some do’s and don’t about their iPad-
Do:
- Charge it when you get home every day
- Connect to your home Wi-Fi (this allows it to update!)
- Keep it in its case at all times
- Store it safely in your bag, away from water bottles
- Clean the screen gently
- Use it on a flat surface, like the desk, especially when writing
- Ensure you bring your charged stylus to school every day
Don’t:
- Leave it on the floor (including in your bag!), where it could be accidentally stood on
- Walk around site with it in your hands, unless you are going to see AIT
- Throw, drop or swing it around
- Have food or drink around your iPad
Store with water bottles in your bag
With best wishes
Mr S Greiff
Welcome Year 7!
Well done on such a positive start to your new school. You have done brilliantly.
Please remember that for next week Year 7 will have a slightly earlier break, slightly earlier lunch and a slightly earlier end to the day. This will help Year 7 continue to adjust to life at a new school.
- Year 7 break time will start at 10:35am (5 minutes earlier than everyone else)
- Year 7 lunchtime will start at 12:30pm (10 minutes earlier than everyone else)
- Year 7 will finish the school day at 3pm (5 minutes earlier than everyone else)
At all point teaching staff will walk out with Year 7 and stay with them until duty staff arrive for break / lunch. At the end of the school day, teaching staff will walk Year 7 to the front of school.
Wet Weather
Please ensure you send your child to school with an appropriate coat when the weather is forecast as wet. On Thursday we had a large number of students arrive to school in rain without coats meaning they were wet for the start of the day.
With this, we will always strive to keep students out at break and lunch time. Students therefore need a coat in the event of rain. We will call a wet break / lunch if rain is heavy but we do aim to keep students outside whenever we can.
Many thanks for your help with this.
Bikes
Please ensure students ride to and from school safely. We advise that students should be wearing a helmet.
Students must not ride across the car park. They should dismount their bikes at the front of school and walk the bikes onto site via the pedestrian gate at the front of school (right side as you look at school). Many thanks for reinforcing this with students.
Year 8 – Take Your Teenager to Work Day
We have emailed all parents / carers about an exciting opportunity called Take Your Teenager to Work day. This will be on Friday 19th September and only involves Year 8. Please see the email that should have come directly to you. We will talk to the students about this next week.
There will be another opportunity for another year group later in the year and we then hope to make this an annual event so all students can benefit from it as they move through the school.
School Production – Matilda the Musical
Rehearsals have started for our School Show 2025 – Matilda the Musical. The full read through on Wednesday was absolutely magical.
The performance dates are Monday 15th and Tuesday 16th December 2025.
Rehearsals are on Wednesdays and Fridays after school. Students wishing to perform need to attend on both days.
Exam Success
A huge well done to the following students who passed exams in the summer term.
Isla – Violin Diploma with Merit
Kirsten – Grade 5 Flute with Merit
Felipe – Grade 2 Piano with Distinction
Zara – Grade 7 Speech and Drama with Distinction
Please do get in touch if your child has recently passed a music or drama performance examination. We love to hear about their successes.
Study Centre
We are pleased to share that the first week back has been very successful. Students have thoroughly enjoyed making use of the Study Centre and are already settling into positive routines.
To help ensure the space remains supportive and productive for everyone, we have shared a set of housekeeping rules and expectations with students. These cover respectful use of the facilities, maintaining a focused learning environment, and taking responsibility for keeping the Study Centre tidy.
We appreciate your support in reinforcing these expectations at home so that students can continue to make the most of this valuable resource.
Art Catch-Up Club
Students are welcome to make improvements and develop their art work this year at Art and Design Catch-Up Club on Thursday’s Lunches in DTA4. Students can eat their lunch and access a range of media and resources to refine their art work.
Headteacher’s Update
Dear Parents,
It has been a wonderful first week back, it has been great to see our students return to school with such a positive approach, and of course to welcome our new Year 7s into school.
We have moved to a year group structure and I held our first assemblies in year groups this week. This was a new experience for all but Year 7- but it was nice to see year groups together. We focussed on good starts, maintaining positive efforts from last year, and in some cases making a new start and ‘wiping the slate clean’ for the very few.
We have also introduced a new catering company into school this week. Whilst there will be teething problems as things bed in, the students seem to be enjoying the new food served at breakfast, mid morning break and also lunchtime. Please note- we now offer FREE porridge every morning- available to every student to ensure they have something to eat to start their day. Students can collect this from our Streateries service point.
Next week on TUESDAY we welcome our photographer into school to take photos of students. These will be available to purchase and details will follow once the photographs have been taken. Full school uniform required please!
We have also distributed our iPads to our new Year 7 students and they will be getting used to using these over the next few weeks. It is really important that students look after their iPads, and keep them away from bottles of water in their bags and also muddy PE boots etc. They need to be brought to every lesson charged, with a stylus. We ask you to make a minimum contribution of only £18 for the year, and this can be paid through Arbor. This is a small charge but helps us with the filtering and monitoring software to ensure it works at home, and also goes towards the cost of cases. An iPad is essential for learning at Manor High School, but we try to keep the cost to parents to an absolute minimum.
We also had a successful set of GCSE results, our students performed exceptionally and did themselves and their families proud. It is more than likely that this will place us in the top 10% of schools nationally once again, as we have been year after year. Impressively, a quarter of all grades were awarded at Grade 8 or 9, including a total of 158 Grade 9s, the highest grade possible. Importantly though, on average all students achieved at least one grade better than internal assessments in Year 7 said they would (there were no Year 6 SATS scores to compare to). These results demonstrate the academic excellence that students have consistently strived for throughout their studies. Without the support of families and staff working together these results would not have been possible. We thank you for working with us to achieve such superb standards. This is something we repeat year and year and will continue to strive to do even better every year.
With best wishes
Mr S Greiff
Welcome Year 7!
Well done on such a positive start to your new school. You have done brilliantly.
Please remember that for the next two weeks Year 7 will have a slightly earlier break, slightly earlier lunch and a slightly earlier end to the day. This will help Year 7 continue to adjust to life at a new school.
- Year 7 break time will start at 10:35am (5 minutes earlier than everyone else)
- Year 7 lunchtime will start at 12:30pm (10 minutes earlier than everyone else)
- Year 7 will finish the school day at 3pm (5 minutes earlier than everyone else)
At all points teaching staff will walk out with Year 7 and stay with them until duty staff arrive for break / lunch. At the end of the school day, teaching staff will walk Year 7 to the front of school.
Please remember that your first point of contact, for all students, is your form tutor. Tutors meet their students at the start of every day and are best placed to support students. Thanks for your cooperation with this.
Oadby Food Festival
Following the success of last year’s debut event, Oadby Food Festival will be returning to The Parade even bigger and better on Saturday 30 August and we need your help to bring the local community.
The Oadby & Wigston Borough Council organised event takes place from 11am to 5pm, and will once again be showcasing the best food and drink the borough has to offer.
We also have an adult and junior bake off which this year will be judged by celebrity chef Kwoklyn Wan at 2pm at Oadby House – entries need to be received by 1pm at the latest with a list of ingredients. We have some cool prizes to hand out to winners!
From Zeph’s sweet treats to the Chilli Guys’ curries there will be something for everyone, with confirmed food vendors taking attendees on an international culinary journey from Caribbean classics to a taste of Thailand to perfectly tender Texas BBQ.
The day will also see entertainment from EAVA FM, live music and dance performances, giveaways and competitions from local businesses, free face painting and the return of the baking competition.
Welcome Back to the Study Centre! 📚
We’re thrilled to welcome all students and families back.
This term, our Study Centre will be filled with exciting new resources designed to support learning and inspire a lifelong love for reading. Whether you’re just beginning your reading journey or building on your skills, there’s something here for everyone.
✨ Here’s what you can look forward to:
- A wide range of books and literacy materials for all levels
- Fun and educational reading activities and games
- Supportive guidance to help you grow on your education journey
At the Study Centre, we believe that reading opens doors — to knowledge, creativity, and a brighter future.
Please do get in touch should you require information or have any questions about availability of specific resources.
Let’s learn, grow, and fall in love with reading together!
Mrs Osman
Study Centre Achievement Leader
Headteacher’s Update
Dear Families
Well, the summer holiday is upon us. There has been a great deal achieved at school this year and this newsletter highlights some of the highlights of the academic year.
I have stated numerous times that not only are excellent results important, so is excellent character and I have seen real progress in this area this year. There have been over 130,000 reward points issued this year, that equates to approximately 135 positive points per student. This is really great. I want teachers to ‘catch students being good’ and highlight the positives. 85% of all points issued this year have been positive points, with only 15% negative. The vast majority of students get it right the vast majority of the time. There are some that do not however, and we have processes in place to address this, and we will do this- every time. It may be sensible for parents to have a look at their classcharts app and ask two questions-
- Is my child close to that 135 average positive points score?
- Is the ratio of positive to negative weighted 85:15?
If an answer to the above is not Yes- then you should discuss with your child the reasons for this not being the case.
We have discussed with you the move to a year group based system next year. We confirm that the following structure will be in place-
| Year Group | Assistant Pastoral Leaders | Standards and progress Leaders |
| Year 7 | Mrs Mohamed | Mr Croucher |
| Year 8 | Mrs Naylor | Miss Hutchinson |
| Year 9 | Mrs Naylor | Mr Barton |
| Year 10 | Miss Sumra | Mr Daud |
| Year 11 | Miss Patel | Miss Booth |
Please read below the information about this year, we have achieved so much. However it would not be possible without the support of parents and I thank you for this. The positive words that have come in to school this week about staff and also the general comments are really nice to receive at the end of the year.
I wish you all a wonderful summer and look forward to seeing all students, old and new, back at school on Weds 27th August 2025.
With best wishes
Mr S Greiff
Celebrating a Year of Achievement and Growth
As the school year draws to a close, we would like to take this opportunity to share with you the many achievements and activities from each of our departments. It has been a year filled with learning, creativity, collaboration, and success. From academic milestones to extracurricular triumphs, every department has contributed to making this year memorable. We are proud to highlight the hard work and dedication of our students and staff, and we invite you to take a look back at all that we have accomplished together.
English
It has been an incredibly busy year for the English Department, here are some of the things the English Department has launched and been involved in this year.
Launch of Sparx Reader:
We are thrilled to announce our launch of Sparx Reader. We have trialled this as a new reading programme with our current Year 8 students, who have said they like the “ease of the platform”, prefer that they “can read any time” and they feel “encouraged to keep [reading] to be the best in the class”. Student engagement has been excellent – they have already read 360 books over a total of 903 hours of careful reading so far! Special mentions go to our current top three readers: Amelia R, Mohamed B and Lydia F. We look forward to seeing this progress continue into our new academic year.
Published Poetry:
A huge congratulations to Maryam A in Year 9, who is having her wonderful poem published by Young Writers and will be featured in their next book. We are incredibly proud!
Young Voices Tackle Big Questions: Oxford-Style Debate Meet Inspires Insightful Discussion
This term, 14 students from Years 7 to 9 took to the stage to participate in an exciting Oxford-Style Debate meet, showcasing not only their eloquence but also their maturity in tackling some of the most complex and thought-provoking issues of our time. The event was a highlight of the term and a testament to the power of student voice.
Divided into teams, the students debated three diverse and challenging motions: “Should assisted dying be legalised in the UK?”, “Should the voting age be lowered to 16?”, and the more philosophical, “Does true love really exist?” Each motion sparked passionate arguments, careful reasoning, and, at times, surprisingly heartfelt perspectives.
The debate on assisted dying saw students grappling with moral, legal, and emotional considerations. The proposition eloquently argued for the rights of individuals to die with dignity, while the opposition raised powerful concerns about the potential for misuse and the value of life at all stages.
On the topic of lowering the voting age, Year 8 and 9 students presented strong cases grounded in civic responsibility, maturity, and engagement with current affairs. The opposing team questioned whether most 16-year-olds are truly ready for the responsibility of voting, making for a lively and balanced exchange.
Perhaps the most unexpected and entertaining motion was saved for last: “Does true love really exist?” This debate brought laughter, introspection, and even a few moments of heartfelt sincerity. While one side argued that true love is a myth perpetuated by movies and media, the other spoke earnestly about enduring relationships, emotional connection, and the possibility of love that stands the test of time.
Throughout the meet, students impressed with their research, teamwork, public speaking, and willingness to listen and respond respectfully to opposing views. This event not only sharpened students’ critical thinking and oracy skills but also reminded us all that even the youngest members of our school community can tackle the biggest questions with thoughtfulness and insight.
Interested in learning how to formally debate? At Manor, Miss Jordan is able to offer training for the formal parliamentary, Oxford and Model United Nations style of debating formats. Come and speak to her in the new academic year to sign up!
MFL
European Day of Languages
It was an exciting week in Modern Languages as we celebrated the European Day of Languages on Thursday 26th September. The week started with a Key Stage 3 House competition, with 32 students from across the four houses competing to build the best Eiffel Tower from paper straws and cellotape! After lots of heated debate between the judges, winners were as follows:
1st Clarendon
2nd Watermead
3rd Bradgate
4th Knighton
All members of the winning teams also received some MFL prizes and Class Charts points. Thank you to our Year 11 helpers for making the event a success!
On the special day itself, tutor groups across the school participated in a tutor time European Day of Languages quiz and our wonderful catering team also prepared two delicious Spanish and French dishes for the lunchtime menu; albóndigas and ratatouille. The meals went down a treat with staff and students alike!
MFL Porteek Club – Greek and Portuguese Club
Our Porteek club was launched in September, with students across KS3 having the opportunity to learn more about Portuguese language, music, food & festivals. Miss Patel, herself a fluent Portuguese speaker, is looking forward to continuing this club in August 2025 – come along and broaden your cultural horizons!
A Level Modern Languages visit to Beauchamp College
In December, the Modern Languages department at Manor High School was offered an exciting opportunity by Beauchamp College VI Form for students to participate in an A Level French or Spanish taster morning. We were asked to select ten students who either have expressed an interest in studying French or Spanish at A Level or have an aptitude for these languages. Students had the opportunity to meet current VI Form students, Beauchamp College teachers and a member of staff from the Modern Languages department at the University of Leicester, who was able to answer questions about how languages can complement other career pathways.
A huge thanks to the staff at Beauchamp College VI Form, our students had a fabulous time and it has confirmed for some of them that they will definitely pursue a language in KS5.
French theatre production for Y9 & 10 students by Onatti Productions
In March, 150 Year 9 and 10 students had the opportunity to watch Prendre Sa Revanche by Onatti Productions. The play was performed by French native speakers and aimed at students of 13-16 years learning French as a foreign language. There was lots of audience participation and four Year 10 students in particular absolutely stole the show, performing live and spontaneously for their peers and showing great character and resilience!
Spanish theatre production for Y9 & 10 students by Onatti Productions
In June, we again welcomed the fantastic Onatti Productions to Manor High School, whose French native speaker actors had performed for our students earlier in the year.
This time, it was the turn of over 200 Year 9 and 10 students to watch a performance of Primera Cita by two native Spanish speakers. There was again lots of audience participation, most notably by Josh and Jensen in Y9 – ¡muy bien, chicos! – and students thoroughly enjoyed the performance!
Manor High School Languages Ambassadors visit to Woodland Grange School
In June, a group of our fabulous Year 9 Modern Languages Ambassadors visited Woodland Grange Primary School. The students had independently planned and resourced a French lesson for Woodland Grange students, which they thoroughly enjoyed delivering, and received a warm welcome from Woodland Grange staff and students. It’s always a pleasure to collaborate with other schools in the OAK Trust!
Nice visit 2025
At the end of June, 40 Manor High School students from Years 7 to 10 spent a memorable four days in beautiful Nice in the South of France.
Students went straight from the airport to Parc Phoenix, where they explored the park and saw a range of wildlife and tropical plants.
The following morning, students started their day with an authentic French breakfast, followed by a French cookery class, where they learned how to prepare Daube, a traditional local stew, served with gnocchi due to the Italian influence in this region of France.
After lunch, students experienced a guided tour of Nice, learning more about the geography and history of the area. The tour ended at the harbour, where students then boarded a boat to explore the French Riviera by sea.
After our cruise, students went to Confiserie Florian, where they were shown how the typical French sweets and chocolates of the region are manufactured, before buying souvenirs in the gift shop to take home for friends and family to sample.
Our final full day was spent at Aquasplash, an amazing water park with plenty of rides for the brave… and the not so brave! Students had the run of the park and proved to be total adrenaline junkies, with some overcoming their fears and demonstrating one of Manor’s Core Values – Resilience – in spades!
Next June (2026), the Modern Languages department will be offering its bi-annual visit to Barcelona, where students will have the opportunity to explore this iconic city with the promise of a water park at the end of the week!
If you would like to see this year’s trip to Nice or, indeed, our 2024 Barcelona trip, so that you know what is on offer next summer, please click on the links below:
We hope to see lots of students signing up when we launch our Barcelona trip in September 2025!
Maths
As the academic year draws to a close, the Maths Department is proud to celebrate the hard work, achievements, and exciting opportunities our students have experienced throughout the year. From competitive challenges and additional qualifications to parental workshops and innovative learning tools, our students have continued to develop their mathematical skills and enthusiasm in a variety of ways. Here’s a look back at some of the highlights from this year’s Maths activities and successes.
UKMT Team Maths Challenge: Year 8 and 9 Students Showcase Their Problem-Solving Skills
In March, a group of talented Year 8 and 9 students represented the school in the UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) Team Maths Challenge. Led by Mr Clothier, the team demonstrated outstanding collaboration and lateral thinking skills as they tackled a variety of complex mathematical problems and logic-based tasks. The competition was a fantastic opportunity for students to stretch their mathematical abilities in a fun and competitive environment.
AMSP Maths Feast Competition: Year 10 Team Takes 2nd Place!
Also taking place in March, our Year 10 team competed in the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (AMSP) Maths Feast. Under the guidance of Mr Lansdale, the students impressed judges and competitors alike with their problem-solving ability, teamwork, and resilience—earning an impressive 2nd place finish. A fantastic achievement for all involved!
Parental Workshops: Supporting Year 11 GCSE Success
To help our Year 11 students prepare for their GCSE Maths examinations, the department hosted two well-received parental workshops this year, delivered by Mr Patel and Miss Bryce. One session was held online, and the other in person, making them accessible to more families. These workshops provided practical strategies on how to revise effectively, prepare for exams, and support students at home. We look forward to offering more workshops during the next academic year.
Maths Club
This year, the Maths Club has continued to thrive, offering a supportive and welcoming space for students across year groups to receive help with homework, develop their mathematical understanding, and explore fun challenges beyond the curriculum. Led by Mr Gurugi and Mr Clothier, the club remains a popular fixture in the department and an excellent resource for all.
GCSE Statistics
An additional opportunity for our keen mathematicians, the GCSE Statistics course was offered to Year 10 and Year 11 students and delivered after school by Mr Lansdale and Mrs Patel. This extra qualification supports students in developing a deeper understanding of data analysis and real-world applications of mathematics. We now eagerly await the results in August.
AQA Level 2 Certificate in Further Mathematics
To help bridge the gap between GCSE and A-Level Maths, selected students were given the chance to study for the AQA Level 2 Certificate in Further Mathematics. Led by Mrs Patel, the course provides a strong foundation for students considering Maths or STEM subjects post-16. We are proud of their hard work and await their results in August.
Money Matters Broadcast with James Wright
During the Autumn term, a Year 7 class had the exciting opportunity to participate in a live broadcast on financial literacy titled Money Matters, hosted by James Wright. Students learned valuable lessons about managing money, saving, and budgeting, and were able to ask insightful questions. This engaging session provided an important foundation in financial awareness early in the school year.
Sparx Maths Achievements
Sparx Maths continues to be an invaluable tool for homework and independent learning across all year groups. Many students have shown exceptional commitment, and we’d like to congratulate the top XP earners over the past 12 months:
- Year 7 – Yahya A and Fateh R
- Year 8 – Hashir U and Azfareen U
- Year 9 – Shauna P
Well done to all students who consistently engaged with the platform throughout the year!
Science
It’s been a fantastic year in the Science Department, full of discovery, exploration, and inspiration. A particular highlight was the thought-provoking talk delivered by a professor of addiction science, which sparked meaningful discussions among our students and staff alike.
We sent a super team of scientists to represent MHS at a Faraday Challenge Day. They did a spectacular job! While they didn’t take home the top prize, their excellence in teamwork and problem-solving resilience truly shone through—we’re incredibly proud of their performance and the way they represented the school.
Our students also had the chance to explore science beyond the classroom through successful trips to the Big Bang Fair and the National Space Centre. These experiences brought science to life and reinforced the importance of STEM in shaping the future.
Back in school, Ms Morrant’s KS3 Science Club has been buzzing with creativity and curiosity. One notable project was designing and testing wildlife trackers to investigate the creatures living around our school grounds. To celebrate a brilliant year of experiments and teamwork, the club finished with a deliciously fun session—making ice cream using the power of science!
Looking ahead, we have even more to look forward to. We’re thrilled to be planning enriching trips to Cambridge University, London Museum and even Iceland! These are just some of the many exciting opportunities in store—watch this space for more.
As we end the year, we’re proud to have built links with our feeder primary schools. Mr Loweth has visited Overdale Primary school this week to deliver lessons on sound, and we are looking forward to delivering hands-on science workshops for their Year 5 and 6 students, helping them develop a love for science and a glimpse into what life is like as an MHS scientist.
Huge physics success for ex-MHS student!
Samuel Bailey entered Oxford University’s Big Think Competition for Physics and was selected as the “Subject Winner for Physics”. The physics tutor at Oxford University physics tutor was thoroughly impressed by Samuel’s submission and praised not only his knowledge and scientific method, but the way in which he presented the information to his audience.
Samuel’s time at MHS inspired his love of physics and he is currently exploring which university he would like to study physics at, and which type of physics. The Science Department are extremely proud of his achievements and are looking forward to hearing about what he does next! He has truly been inspired by Dr Kellett!
Thank you for your continued support, and we can’t wait to share more adventures with you next year!
Performing Arts
Our Summer Concert was a real highlight of the term. We have seen more students than ever before joining Manor Voices and the school Orchestra this year and this gave them a great opportunity to showcase a variety of songs and pieces.
Years 5 and 6 from Brookside joined us for a special afternoon performance and were an enthusiastic, supportive and appreciative audience. It was great to have the opportunity to show them what they can be a part of when they join us at Manor, as many of our current musicians came from Brookside.
During the evening performance we said a fond farewell to our Year 11 musicians Bekah, Niamh, Isla, Ikjot, Tania, Mia and Ariana. It was wonderful to hear them perform on our stage one last time. A special thanks to Ariana for her heartfelt poem ‘Photographs’, written for the occasion, and beautifully delivered. A huge well done to all the performers and a big thank you to all the families who came to support us and enjoy the music.
Humanities
This year has a been a great year of transition in Humanities, with new teachers, and the involvement of the IPads. Humanities have developed some fantastic practice across the department and are excited to see where this leads us next year.
This year we have run some charity initiatives showing the compassion and kindness of our staff, students and parents. In December, we collected 164 pairs of pyjamas for the Children’s Pyjamas Charity that provides new pyjamas for children aged 0-18 who are spending long periods of time in hospitals/hospices/refuges. Parents and staff donated around £300 which was absolutely amazing.
In June, we have been working with the Baby Basics Charity collecting donations of toiletries that can be used by families who are struggling with the financial and practical burden of looking after a new baby or young child. Students, staff and parents again have donated so generously and show such inspiration in willing to support those who are unfortunate in our local area.
Transition lessons at Overdale Junior School
We had the opportunity to run a local history workshop with Year 5 students at Overdale Junior School to give them a taste of History at Manor High school. The workshop run by Miss Chudasama and Miss Jennings built upon what students were learning about the Windrush generation and their impact on Leicester. Year 5 students did role play interviews focusing upon the impact of the Ugandan Asians on Leicester and they loved the mystery bag where they explored different objects. We look forward to working with more budding historians in the new academic year!
Berlin 2026
We are super excited about the amazing opportunity for our students to go to Berlin and experience a tour of Berlin Olympic Stadium, Checkpoint Charlie and a topography of a terror museum. It runs from 21st April-24th April 2026.
This really will bring classroom learning to life and will deepen the student’s understanding of one of our GCSE topics focusing on Germany’s History.
Additionally we have also launched an Iceland trip, with the Science department.
Design, Technology & Art
Food has been a subject of celebration of skills and investigational work this year. We have developed a love for food science throughout our KS3 and KS4 curriculum. We have began to investigate what happens with ingredients and why rather than just cooking to eat for great sensory qualities. This has included investigations such as changing the type of fat in cakes, the amount of starch in a bechamel sauce, changing whisking times for meringues and changing conditions supplied to yeast to ferment. We have also focused on presentational skills this year. Although we continue to develop students ability to work with excellent time management we have also focused, down to Year 7, how to plate food and make a portion look appealing.
This year we have began to work closer with our Trust primaries, starting with Year 5’s at Woodland Grange. We had a lovely bunch of enthusiastic pupils arrive to complete a ‘Focaccia art’ activity in which student designed their breads and decorated using a range of toppings. All students did a great job and we hope they enjoyed their experience.
Rotary Club Competition
This year we had the opportunity to attend to attend a D & T event at Leicester grammar school in which 36 teams took part in an engineering challenge. The challenge was for teams to design and make a rocket launcher from a set of given materials. They had to make the launcher reach a certain height but also land within a certain area to gain points.
The competition had representatives from all the top schools in the area including Oadby Beauchamp, Gartree, Crown hills and Leicester grammar. The event was split into 3 categories for foundation KS3, intermediate KS4 and higher KS5. We took one group of four Year 9 Design and Technology students to represent the school in the foundation section. I am very pleased to say they did a fantastic job and came 3rd in their category.
We also took four Design and Technology Year 10 students and I am delighted to say that they won the Intermediate section after creating a fantastic design and also creating an outstanding portfolio of work explaining their thought process. The event was great fun and a great experience for the students who had the opportunity to work as a team. Well done to all the students who represented the school.
Farm photography and live sketch visit
Year 10 Art students engaged in on-site work through plein-air sketching and photography, capturing the landscape and animals of a local Leicestershire farm.
Year 7,8 & 9 Art London Gallery & Theatre Visits
Some of our Year 7, 8, and 9 students enjoyed an inspiring day in London, beginning with live sketching in Trafalgar Square and the chance to see some of their favourite artworks at the National Gallery. They then took in the vibrant atmosphere of Covent Garden’s street theatre before ending the day with a spectacular West End musical.
GCSE 2 day London Gallery & Museum Visit
Our Year 10 students explored some of London’s most iconic cultural venues, including the Tate Modern, the National Portrait Gallery, and the British Museum. After an exciting evening in the city with dinner and the phenomenal West End production of Hamilton, students enjoyed a moonlit walk along the Thames, passing landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and Big Ben—a truly memorable artistic and cultural experience.
Clay workshop for year 5 students from Oak Trust Schools
We had the privilege of hosting some of the Year five students from the Oak trust primary schools to take part in a clay workshop. The students spent the afternoon designing and creating clay tiles inspired by favourite holidays with a focus on summer landscapes.
End of Year Art & Design Exhibition
We had an outstanding turnout this year for the End of Year Art & Design Technology Exhibition! Refreshments and canopies prepared by the talented Food Technology students started off the evening before the doors were open to the exhibition which was full of diverse projects across various mediums and disciplines. The evening was also a wonderful opportunity for our Oak Trust Young Artists to celebrate their own art and be inspired by the work of older students, sparking new ideas and aspirations as they continue their own creative journeys.
PE
PE at Manor underwent several changes over the year with an emphasis on building students physical and cognitive skills within a wider range of sports. Football and Netball were the first sports covered and we certainly saw the potential for future success bursting through with some excellent results against other local schools.
The first half term also saw the CNAT Sports Studies students plan and participate in a trip to the Leicester Outdoor Pursuits Centre where they kayaked along the River Soar. The teamwork and resilience learnt on the day, in somewhat fresh conditions, no doubt helped in their journey through Year 11.
The Netball continued into late October with the Year 7’s coming second in the South Leicestershire group. Table Tennis was next on the agenda with both under 13’s and under 16’s in action The older boys cruised through their South Leicestershire league remaining unbeaten throughout. Into the Leicestershire county finals, the boys unfortunately got beaten on count back in the semi-finals despite another series of excellent performances. Girls Futsal was by now in full swing, with both the Year 7’s and Year 9’s enjoying success, with both teams finishing in second place in their respective tournaments. Basketball has proved incredibly popular, with excellent attendance to clubs and at fixtures. We look forward to developing this into next year with the successful completion of the new sports centre.
In between all the sporting action, our Year 9 sports leaders took time out to help run the Key Stage 2 area Netball tournament held at Manor. The girls were professional throughout, earning lots of plaudits from other staff, so much so the tournament will stay at Manor next year with requests made that our girls help again!
The summer season of Athletics, Cricket and Rounders is just finishing. It has been great to see so many Manor students attending these afterschool clubs. These excellent numbers were reflected in our excellent turnout (over 80 students representing) at the area athletics at the Saffron Lane Athletics club. From this event we had multiple winners who went on to run, jump and throw for South Leicestershire at the full County Finals at Loughborough University. Despite the grey and damp day, the Manor students shone brightly picking up 4 individual medals. Our eyes will remain on Matilda (who also has gained national success at Cross Country), Desire, Reed and Rahil (all Year 7) for future successes.
Continuing on the Athletics theme, Ted (Year 8) has very recently represented in the National Para Athletics, picking up 5 Gold Medals. An outstanding achieve, and one we are very proud of here at Manor.
Finally, congratulations to the PE staff at Manor who have gained recognition themselves, receiving a ‘Gold’ Games Mark award. This is an award that assesses lots of criteria including curriculum, extra-curricular participation and successful evaluations of current practices. A busy year for PE, and a really exciting one to look forward to at the start of the new academic year.
SEND
It has been a fantastic year of growth, resilience, and meaningful progress for our SEND learners at Manor High School. We are incredibly proud of the individual journeys each student has taken and of the collaborative work that has taken place across the department to support them. This term has been filled with a wide range of achievements, and we are pleased to share just a few of the highlights.
Our Preparation for Adulthood programme has been a real success for our older students with EHCPs. Through creative, hands-on sessions, learners explored essential life skills such as CV writing, interview techniques, meal planning, budgeting, and using transport. By incorporating engaging themes such as favourite footballers or video game characters, students were able to build practical skills while boosting their confidence and independence in a fun and accessible way.
In Literacy, learning has been active and dynamic. Students have participated in sponge-throw spelling games to reinforce phonics, and our growing Alphabet Arc display continues to support students in mastering key literacy concepts, such as digraphs and trigraphs.
Travel Training has developed significantly this year, with students practising how to use public transport through both role-play activities and real-life journeys. These sessions have helped students gain greater confidence and independence when navigating the local community.
Several students with social, emotional and mental health needs have been working with Miss Ayres through the Zones of Regulation intervention. These sessions have supported students in recognising their emotions, understanding how feelings can affect behaviour, and learning practical strategies to help them regulate when needed.
We recently started a Touch-Typing intervention group which has had a positive start, with students improving their accuracy and speed. This is a vital life skill that we know will continue to support their academic progress and preparation for adulthood.
Social communication has been another key area of development. Students have made great progress in interacting with staff and peers, with improved confidence in initiating conversations, taking turns in discussion, and advocating for themselves in different contexts. These improvements have been noted both at school and at home.
It has been heart-warming to see how much our students have grown over the year. Whether it is overcoming challenges such as reading aloud, becoming more independent in exams, or developing resilience in problem-solving, the progress made has been both meaningful and inspiring.
Many of our SEND students are selected to represent the school in public events, participate in student panels for interviews, and lead school tours, consistently demonstrating the school’s values of respect, resilience, excellence, and inspiration. One standout achievement has been Aaliyah’s appointment as a Digital Lead. She contributed valuable ideas for our open evening, many of which were implemented and celebrated by the whole school community.
We are also incredibly proud of the progress identified in the SEND review last week. This has helped recognise our strengths and where we can continue to improve. We are fully committed to leveraging this momentum to further enhance SEND provision in the new academic year.
As always, we remain dedicated to helping learners grow in confidence, independence, and academic achievement. Thank you to all families for your continued support. We look forward to building on these successes next academic year
Have a wonderful summer break!
Euro Dash Summer Challenge
The UEFA Women’s Euros have begun in Switzerland, and we’re challenging you to get active this summer! Whether you prefer walking, running, scooting, or cycling, your mission is simple: rack up the miles by making your way to a legendary football club—using your own power! You can choose a football club to actively travel too.
The challenge takes place from 11 July – 24 August. Let’s get moving!
To sign your child or family up for the challenge email mkhan@southwigston.lwlat.org.uk stating the distance you aim to travel too. Successful participants will receive a certificate and be put into the draw to win an Amazon voucher!
🏆 Bradgate Wins the House Cup! 🏆
We are thrilled to announce that Bradgate has triumphed as the House Cup Winners for this academic year!
Through a combination of achievement points, competition victories, and an unwavering commitment to our core values of Respect, Resilience, Excellence, and Inspiration, Bradgate has earned this well-deserved win.
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Achievement Points: Bradgate students consistently demonstrated outstanding academic effort, positive behaviour, and contributions to the school community, earning the highest number of achievement points across all houses.
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Competition Points: Whether it was sports, the arts, or academic challenges, Bradgate brought energy and teamwork to every event. Their determination and competitive spirit helped them dominate the leader board.
Congratulations to every member of Bradgate! Your hard work, unity, and dedication have earned you the top spot. Let’s carry this momentum forward into another fantastic year!
Open Mornings
Headteacher’s Update
Dear Parents
We are edging toward the end of the academic year, however this does not slow us down. The last few weeks of term are as important as the first few weeks of term. It is imperative that we finish well, our expectations remain the same as they did on the first day of the academic year.
We have had further external scrutiny this week to evaluate progress we have made, with a review of our SEND provision by an external nationally renowned SEND advisor. I am pleased to say that she was impressed with the changes we have made to our approach to SEND over the last 12 months. There have been many changes to how we give support to students and this is showing impact over time. Whilst we are yet to receive the final report, the verbal feedback in the debrief received was positive and I will share snippets in due course. Naturally there are things that we must focus on to be even better, but I would be surprised if there were not, we always want to move forward.
We are preparing for the next academic year now, with student timetables etc. We thank you for your positive comments about the move to a Year Group structure. We feel this will benefit students hugely, and today we have told students who their tutor will be for the next academic year. They will get their first experience of their new group next week with our induction days when we welcome our new Year 7s into school. I remind you also that Tuesday is our Sports Day and we very much look forward to this. Do please keep an eye on the weather. At the moment it looks like it will be a sunny day, therefore we would expect parents to send their children to school with water and sun cream. However, if the weather forecast changes and is looking slightly wetter we would expect you to send your children with a waterproof of some description, so please do continue to check the weather.
In preparation for the new year we have had some meetings with our new catering provider Aspens. We are very excited about improving the food offer here at Manor High. When we speak to students about what could be better at school, they often talk about the food! We have worked together to provide a menu which promises to give more choice and greater innovation for students. Aspens will also be offering a breakfast service (including free porridge) and a breaktime service too. We look forward to the start of the year. We anticipate some teething problems as you may expect, but once through this transition time we have high hopes! We will seek the views of students to see what they think of the food as the new term progresses.
Finally from me, some information about the final day of term next Friday 11th July. We will finish school at 1.30pm that day, we have made arrangements with the school bus company to collect earlier, the buses will depart at 1.45pm at the very latest.
With best wishes
Mr S Greiff
Nice Trip
Last week, 40 Manor High School students from Years 7 to 10 spent a memorable four days in beautiful Nice in the South of France.
Students went straight from the airport to Parc Phoenix, where they explored the park and saw a range of wildlife and tropical plants.
The following morning, students started their day with an authentic French breakfast, followed by a French cookery class, where they learned how to prepare Daube, a traditional local stew, served with gnocchi due to the Italian influence in this region of France.
After lunch, students experienced a guided tour of Nice, learning more about the geography and history of the area. The tour ended at the harbour, where students then boarded a boat to explore the French Riviera by sea.
After our cruise, students went to Confiserie Florian, where they were shown how the typical French sweets and chocolates of the region are manufactured, before buying souvenirs in the gift shop to take home for friends and family to sample.
Our final full day was spent at Aquasplash, an amazing water park with plenty of rides for the brave… and the not so brave! Students had the run of the park and proved to be total adrenaline junkies, with some overcoming their fears and demonstrating one of Manor’s Core Values – Resilience – in spades!
Next June (2026), the Modern Languages department will be offering its bi-annual visit to Barcelona, where students will have the opportunity to explore this iconic city with the promise of a water park at the end of the week!
If you would like to see this year’s trip to Nice or, indeed, our 2024 Barcelona trip, so that you know what is on offer next summer, please click on the links below:
We hope to see lots of students signing up when we launch our Barcelona trip in September/October 2025.
Attendance During Work Experience Week
We would like to inform you that Year 10 students who are not participating in a work experience placement are expected to attend school as normal during this period.
Please note that any absence from school during this time, without a valid reason, will be recorded as unauthorised.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
SEND Provision Review
Following the review of our SEND provision we appreciate that only a few parents were able to have a conversation with the reviewer. We would like to extend the invitation to other parents of SEN students. Therefore, please watch out for an email from the SEN team, which will include a link to a parent voice form. Which will be reflecting on the last 12 months, as well as looking forward to the next academic year.
Please can parents complete this at their earliest convenience, the form will close on Friday 18th July.
Thanks SEND Team.
Teen Health Lunchtime Drop-ins
Safeguarding and Wellbeing Updates
The next Live Safe Parents/Carers Workshop- Keeping young people safe from knife-related harm is taking place on Tuesday 8th July 6pm-7pm.
This virtual workshop provides parents and carers with awareness around knife-related harm and how to keep children and young people safe.
This workshop is being run by the Violence Reduction Network and covers the following topics:
- Understanding knife-related harm in Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland.
- The impact of knife-related harm on individuals, families, and communities.
- The reasons why young people are vulnerable to knife-related harm.
- Approaches to preventing knife-related harm.
- How parents and carers can keep their children safe.
- Help and support.
There will be an opportunity for questions and answers during the workshop.
Parents and carers can remain anonymous if preferred. There is no requirement to use your cameras or microphones unless desired.
Alumni
We are really keen for former Manor High School students to share their experiences of the world of work with our students.
If you, a family member or even friend who was a Manor High School student and could possibly help us with this please email us via the Admin email (FAO Mr Croucher).
Many thanks.
Group Tabla Lessons
National Space Centre Trip
Over 70 students had the incredible opportunity to visit the National Space Centre last week, and the experience was truly out of this world! It was a day filled with curiosity, discovery, and inspiration—and by all accounts, everyone had an amazing time!
🛰️ Fun Facts About the National Space Centre
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🚀 The Rocket Tower is 42 metres tall—taller than 9 double-decker buses stacked on top of each other!
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🌌 The Centre houses over 150 interactive exhibits about space, satellites, and astronomy.
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🧑🚀 You can see real space suits, including one worn by British astronaut Helen Sharman.
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🪐 The Sir Patrick Moore Planetarium is the largest in the UK.
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🌍 The National Space Centre is located in Leicester and opened in 2001.
