Newsletter 01.05.2026 - Manor High School

Headteacher’s Update

Dear Families

Spring has finally sprung and the sun is shining at last! The spring term is undoubtedly a busy period in our school calendar, and this has been particularly evident in recent weeks. Our Year 7 parents’ evening, which took place last night, was exceptionally well attended and demonstrated the genuine enthusiasm and commitment that parents have towards supporting their children’s education. The energy and engagement evident throughout the evening was genuinely encouraging. However, the demand for appointment slots significantly outstripped the availability we were able to provide. We recognise this as a positive challenge—it reflects the strength of our school community and the priority that parents place on their children’s learning- this is not the case in all communities and we are thankful that there is partnership between school and home. We will be reviewing our systems and processes to ensure we can accommodate this level of demand more effectively in future and acknowledge this needs to be better. We will explore ways in which we can enhance our provision of parent-teacher consultation opportunities, and I will be in touch with further details in due course about how we amend this for next year.

Now that we begin to enter (hopefully) warmer periods of weather I would like to remind all students and parents of our uniform expectations. It is essential that all students wear their blazers as part of their school uniform. Jumpers remain optional; however, when worn, they should be worn in conjunction with the blazer. Maintaining high standards in our uniform is a reflection of our commitment to excellence and the values that Manor High School upholds. I would be grateful for your continued support in ensuring these expectations are consistently met. Of course, should the weather become unseasonably warm we would communicate with you changes to the expectations around blazers, which we do every year when this is the case.

We now enter the GCSE examination season, with formal examinations commencing on Friday 8th May, with Drama being the first subject out of the blocks. This is a particularly significant time for our Year 11 students, and it is a period that requires collective effort and mutual support across our entire school community- we will all remember ourselves the pressures we felt during these times. The examination period still places considerable pressure on our GCSE candidates, and we ask all students throughout the school to be mindful of this and to offer their support to their peers during this challenging time. It is important to recognise that every student in the school will eventually face the pressures associated with GCSE examinations, and the consideration and encouragement they demonstrate now will hopefully be repaid to them in the future.

At Manor High School, we operate as one team with one collective aim: to ensure that every student achieves the very best outcomes that they are capable of achieving. This shared purpose only comes to life if there is the combined efforts of staff, students, and families working in partnership. I am genuinely grateful for the consistent support that parents provide to their children and to the school as we work together towards this common goal.

Have a great bank holiday weekend!

Mr S Greiff

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 Xhoel of 7.3 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!

School Clubs

Meet the Governors

Over the next few weeks, we will be introducing you to the dedicated governors who support and guide Manor High School. Our governing body plays an important role in helping the school provide the very best education and opportunities for our students.

This week, we are pleased to introduce our final two governors –

Sophie Bodycote, Green Governor

“I am a Governor at OAK Multi Academy Trust, currently serving a four-year term. I
retired from teaching in September 2025 and have always had a close link with
Manor High school having been the deputy head at Brookside Primary school for 15
years. I have always had an interest in protecting the environment so after
retirement I took on the role of Trust sustainability lead for a day a week. In this role
I work alongside the sustainability and eco-leads of all the Trust schools providing
guidance and helping each school meet sustainability targets on their climate
action plans. Each of the Trust schools are working towards achieving the Green
Flag award and I also support them with this.
As Green Governor, I ensure that sustainability is on the school agenda and that
pupils have the opportunity to learn about green careers and have hands on
experience, through working on the green flag award, to improve the biodiversity of
the school environment.
In addition to my trust role I also work with a landscape gardener and have been
involved in a number of planting projects in Leicester and the surrounding area. I
live in a village on the outskirts of Leicester with one of my daughters, my grandson,
2 cats and a mad dog. In my spare time I walk my dog and volunteer at my local
primary school running the eco-club.”

Zaynab Bharuchi, Governor
Profession: Senior Vice Principal (Secondary)
Link Responsibility: Curriculum

“I am a local girl, having been raised close by in the city, but I am currently living
and serving in Warwickshire. I have 11 years of senior leadership experience across
all aspects of school, including trust wide leadership. I serve in a community where
deprivation is high, and it’s this knowledge and experience I bring to the team of
governors at Manor High School.
It’s a privilege to serve in a school in such a different context to my own. I see my
role as providing support and challenge, and bringing an outside perspective that
is rooted in the realities of modern school leadership. I believe that effective
governance is about asking the right questions to ensure that resources are
translated into real-world impact for pupils. It is an honour to contribute to the
Manor story, and I am committed to helping the school build on its strengths while
maintaining a relentless focus on continuous improvement and pupil wellbeing.”

We would like to thank Sophie and Zaynab for their time and dedication given to the school.

Class of 2026 Leavers Hoodies

Orders are now being taken for our Class of 2026 hoodies. The heavy-weight hoodies are £25 each and your child can choose from 26 colours. They feature an embroidered logo on the front and large printed design on the back. All hoodies can be personalised for just £3 extra.

It is really easy to order. CLICK HERE

Deadline to order is 5^th May 2026.

Alumni

We would love former students to come into Manor High School to talk to students (with staff) about their experiences of post 16 education, university, the world of work and more! If you are interested in helping please contact us!

Celebrating success stories

We endeavour to share our students’ positive stories during tutor time and where we can during assemblies. If a student has achieved or accomplished something please do share it with your tutor. Your tutor will be able to celebrate this during in tutor time and share with the relevant Standards and Progress Leader. We can then use some to celebrate with the whole year group in assembly. We have so many amazing students and we want to share as many of their positive stories as we can

Attendance Winners – Non-Uniform Day

The March tutor group attendance winners will have a non-uniform day on Tuesday 5^th May (next week).

The winners were:

7.1

7.5

8.1

8.5

9.4

9.5

10.1

10.5

11.1

11.5

PLEASE NOTE – IF A STUDENT HAS PE ON TUESDAY THEY NEED TO WEAR APPROPRIATE SPORTS KIT.

As April has seen two weeks taken for Easter holidays and May will lose days for bank holiday and half term, our next attendance competition will combine attendance for April and May. Winners will be announced after May half term with the non-uniform date being announced then as well.

Lunch Que Times (this week coming is week A)

Please do remind our students of the queue times, we will be doing this in school too. Many thanks

Attendance

Make sure you are in school to try and earn your tutor group a non-uniform day. The next competition is for April/May and the winners will be announced after May half term.

Attendance matters – we love seeing our students in school as they are a part of our community and being in school helps them to maintain social interactions and of course progress with their knowledge and understanding in their subject areas. Students are expected to be in school for 190 days per year. Please do avoid taking your child out of school. By being in school students can:

Develop friendships further
Interact positively with peers
Interact positively with staff and learn about developing professional relationships (key future skill)
Develop key life skills (teamwork, cooperation, communication, achieving success, dealing with setbacks to name a few)
Develop and improve their knowledge and understanding in a range of different subjects areas (giving keys skills and knowledge for their future)

We have created a document around our attendance procedures which can be found on our web site here: Attendance-procedures-Manor-High-School.pdf This is located in our attendance area on the website which is here: Attendance – Manor High School – Oadby

Our attendance figures as of Friday 24^th April were:

Year 11 – 92.6%

Year 10 – 91.1%

Year 9 – 93.6%

Year 8 – 94.6%

Year 7 – 95.6%

Preloved School Uniform Sale

We’re delighted to offer preloved school uniform items for sale — a great way to save money and support sustainability!

A price list is below for your reference. If you’d like to purchase any items, please email us at
📧 Preloveduniform@manorhigh.leics.sch.uk with the items and sizes you require.

We also gladly accept donations of clean, gently used uniform. Donations can be dropped off at school reception at any time.

Please follow this link to view the school uniform requirments Uniform – Manor High School – Oadby

Thank you for helping us make school life more affordable and eco-friendly!

Send & Safeguarding Update

As a parent/carer, you play a key role in supporting your child to make healthier choices.

Vaping has been linked with respiratory issues such as increased asthma symptoms in young people, though long term effects are still being studied.

Please see the attached leaflets if you need help with supporting a loved one to quit vaping.

Information for parents and carers on young people and vaping

Help you young person quit vaping

Safeguarding Monthly Topic

As you are aware our safeguarding topic this month is child exploitation. The link here County lines | Leicestershire Police is from Leicestershire Police and explains what County Lines is and how we can look out for signs of child who might be at risk of exploitation. It provides some really good support for parents, and hopefully you will find it useful.

Online Gaming

This video provides a quick overview on how to keep your child safe whilst gaming online, outlining communication risks, in game spending, age ratings and reporting tools.

knowsleyclcs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Online-Gaming.mp4

Fidget Toys & Sensory Aids

While we recognise that some students benefit from using sensory tools to help them focus, we have recently seen an increase in items being brought into school that are unsuitable for a classroom environment. Many of these items are causing distractions during lessons due to the noise they make or their general nature.

To ensure a productive learning environment for everyone, we ask that students do not bring fidget toys to school unless this has been formally agreed upon as a support provision with our SEND department. If a student is seen with an item that has not been pre-approved, they will be asked to put it away immediately.

Please note that ‘squishee’ style items, slime, and the brightly coloured ‘stress relief cubes’ currently popular in shops are now completely banned from the school site. These items have a tendency to become damaged, and the material inside is extremely difficult to remove from school surfaces. As this presents a significant health and safety risk, these specific items will be confiscated if seen.

We are committed to supporting every student’s individual needs. If you believe your child requires additional sensory support or a specific tool to help them engage with their learning, please contact your child’s Form Tutor in the first instance.

Thank you for your continued support in helping us maintain a safe and focused learning environment.