Newsletter 06.03.2026 - Manor High School

Headteacher’s Update

Dear Families

The theme of my update this week is really around enriching the curriculum and extra curricular opportunities.

World Book Day this week provided an excellent opportunity for our students to engage with literature and celebrate the written word. The enthusiasm demonstrated by our young people whilst participating in activities across the day in all subjects was great to see. We were delighted to welcome author Alison Moore to Manor High School. Her visit enriched our students’ understanding of the skill and craft of creative writing and offered them valuable insights into the world of book writing, with a wide range of students. Her workshops were a true inspiration and we are so pleased to be able to provide our students with encounters with real life examples such as this that can inspire and motivate them. Alison Moore – author of the Man Booker shortlisted ‘The Lighthouse’

Our Iceland trip, which lands back in the UK this evening, has been a remarkable experience for all those involved- take a look at some of the stunning scenery on our Facebook page and see for yourself. As a Geographer myself I am extremely envious! The students have experienced so much whilst at the same time developed their resilience, friendships, all in a different environment! We are grateful to Mrs Jenkin for organising and the staff who have accompanied our young people on this journey. Of course, none of this would be possible without the families who have supported this educational opportunity for their children.

Equally important have been our local trips and engagement with the wider community. Today, a group of our students are at Leicester High School for Girls to participate in a conference celebrating International Women’s Day. This event provides a platform for our young people to engage with important discussions surrounding gender equality and to connect with students from other institutions. Collaborative ventures such as this strengthen our students’ understanding of their place within the broader community and expose them to diverse perspectives on contemporary issues.

Finally, I have been genuinely impressed by the response of our students to recent inappropriate promotion of so-called ‘school wars’ on social media. The mature approach shown by our young people in navigating these pressures reflects the strong values and character that we are all about at Manor High School. This demonstrated that our students possess the critical thinking skills to not over-react to rumours, and to stay calm and focussed. They also showed that they possess the respect and empathy necessary to make sound judgements in response to the rumours circulating on social media that were rather unhelpfully repeatedly posted by the local press on social media. Students showed this week the ability to stay calm, stay focussed and to ignore negativity, all in an increasingly complex digital landscape. Thank you also to parents who responded positively to our communication, ignored the press hysteria, supported their children to remain calm and sent them to school to continue as normal.

With best wishes

Mr S Greiff

Year 9 GCSE Options – Final Choices

Following the recent GCSE Options Information Evening and the practice run completed by students, the final Key Stage 4 options form has now been opened and shared with Year 9 students.

Students have already spent time researching their options by attending the Options Evening, reading the Options Booklet, and discussing subjects with teachers, tutors, friends and family members. We encourage parents and carers to continue these conversations at home to help students feel confident about their final choices.

As a reminder, all students will study the core GCSE subjects of English Language, English Literature, Maths and Science, as well as either French or Spanish (the language they began studying in Year 8). Students must also choose either History or Geography, and then select two additional option subjects.

Students should complete the options form carefully and submit their final choices by Monday 16 March 2026. It is important that students think carefully before submitting the form, as it will not be possible to change options once courses have been finalised.

If students are unsure about their choices or would like further guidance, they are encouraged to speak with their tutor or a subject teacher before submitting the form. Parents and carers may also find the GCSE Options information on our website helpful, including links to subject specifications and the Options Booklet:
https://www.manorhigh.leics.sch.uk/curriculum-learning/gcse-options/

Once all responses have been received, we will review the choices and make every effort to accommodate students’ preferences. Final subject allocations will be confirmed during the summer term.

In some cases, we may need to speak with a student to review their choices. This may be necessary if:

a subject has too few or too many students opting for it
curriculum, staffing or timetable arrangements change
a student’s choices limit future pathways
selected subjects are not considered the most appropriate match for a student’s strengths, interests or prior attainment

Any such discussions will be supportive and will carefully consider student’s future study aspirations.

Thank you for your continued support as students make these important decisions about their Key Stage 4 studies.

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 Mehmet of 8.1 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

Year 7 Boys County Cup Semi Final

St. Pauls Catholic School 0 – 8 Manor High School

Under a blue sky, but still on an extremely heavy pitch, the Manor team booked their date in the county final at Seagrave with an emphatic victory over St Pauls. The passing and high pressing game that the team use paid instant rewards, and unlike the round previous we were able to make good on our early dominance with Elliot working the channel and slotting past the keeper. Several corners brought more chances for Manor, but St Pauls were quick on the break and Gasir, Harry K and Spencer had to remain on high alert. Isaac pulled off a fantastic save to maintain the lead and then just before half time a lovely break from Noah down the left was crossed in and laid back for Flynn to smash in the second from 20 yards. At half time the 2 – 0 score line was fully justified, but there was a mature understanding that the game was far from over and concentration was needed.

The second half started like the first with Sam menacing the St Pauls defence, twisting and turning his way into the box to add a third. This was made four a matter of seconds later when the tireless Harry W showed his quick feet and expertly converted from the edge of the area. With St Pauls taking more chances on the ball in an effort to get back into the game, space opened up with Callen and Leland seeing plenty of the ball on the wings. Leland grabbed two goals either side of another from Sam, with calm finishes across the keeper. Austin and Yusuf by now had the opposition side in their pockets and it was fitting that the last action saw Sam rewarded for his pressing by bagging his hat trick.

Yet again the boys were cheered on throughout by our huge travelling support and no doubt they will be joining us for the final later in April.

Year 11 Post 16 applications

Year 11 WQE Offers holding event

WQE have invited some students to an offers holding event on Wednesday 18^th March at 9:50am. Students will have received an email from WQE if they have been invited. In order to attend this event we need parents/carers to contact school to give consent for their child to attend. Please do this in the same way you would notify school of a medical/dental appointment. If we do not get consent we will not be able to authorise absences so it is vital parents/carers contact us to give consent.

Only students who have been invited can attend – WQE have shared the list of invitees with us.

WQE have confirmed with us that the event will be completed by 11:45, therefore we expect all students to be back on site during lunchtime and ready to learn for session 3. It is really important that students come back to school as it is a vital time in their education. Thank you for your support with this..

Please can we also remind everyone about the information below:

Schools and colleges may email students directly regarding their attendance. This is normal practice. Currently WQE are emailing any students who have applied to their college but their attendance figures do not meet WQE’s expectation. Please reply to any emails and follow the instructions the school/college gives to you. If you have any concerns or questions please speak to your tutor / year 11 pastoral team.
Students will be hearing back from the schools and colleges they have applied to.
Your applications will say ‘sent’ next to them. This may change to ‘processing’ and / or ‘acknowledged’. This is normal.
Some schools and colleges will contact quickly, others may be nearer the month of March.

Please ensure students check in on PS16 and also onto their emails for any messages etc from schools and colleges. Students must respond to any requests for meetings / interviews and we ask that our students accept all offers they receive. By holding as many offers as possible our students can then make the decision that is best for them on results day in August.

Some students may receive offers before others – please try not to worry and be mindful that the schools and colleges are working their way through a number of applications and they will get to you soon.

Poster Competition: What Makes Children’s Lives Positive?

We are excited to announce a new poster competition inviting students to explore the theme:

‘What makes children’s lives positive? What will a positive childhood look like in the future for young people your age?’

This is your chance to think deeply, creatively, and imaginatively about the world around you — and the world you want to grow up in.

How Will Posters Be Judged?

Entries will be assessed on:

• Content – A clear, thoughtful, and informative response to the research questions.
• Effective Communication – Ideas presented in an engaging and easy-to-understand way.
• Creativity in Approach – A unique and imaginative response to the brief.

This is your opportunity to combine research, reflection, and creativity into one powerful visual piece.

What’s in It for You?

Winners will:

Receive a prize from the Science Department
Have their entry submitted to the national competition
Represent MHS against other participating schools

A fantastic achievement for any student!

Submission Deadline

Please submit your completed posters to Mrs Jenkin by April 1st 2026.

Make sure your name and form are clearly written on the back.

Start designing, start imagining, and most importantly — start creating.

We can’t wait to see your ideas!

Attendance

This month we have been running an in school competition to see which tutor groups have had the best attendance and also the most improved attendance.

The winners for best attendance in February:

7.6 – 99%

8.3 – 97%

9.6 – 96%

10.5 – 95%

11.1 98%

The winners for Most improved attendance in February:

7.5

8.7

9.4

10.3

11.4

The ten tutor groups above will be having a non-uniform day on Wednesday 11^th March. Please note that this is only for the ten tutor groups listed above, no one else may come to school in non uniform.

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 3pm on the Friday before half term were as follows:

Year 11 – 93.6%

Year 10 – 91.7%

Year 9 – 93.7%

Year 8 – 94.8%

Year 7 – 96.1%

SEND & Safeguarding Update

As you are aware this term our topic is about honour based violence which is a form of abuse. This week the parent focus is on forced marriage and below is a link to some details from Childline about this:

Forced marriage | Childline

We look at this topic in PSHE lessons and discuss the criminal nature of a forced marriage and so called honour based violence.