Newsletter 13.03.2026 - Manor High School

Headteacher’s Update

Dear Families

This week, our teachers have issued 4,000 positive points, which represents a significant indication of the positive approach and conduct demonstrated by our students. This figure shows that the majority of students get it right the majority of the time and we always try to recognise and rewards the efforts and engagements from students.

We were also delighted to welcome next years’ new Year 7 parents to our transition coffee mornings held this week. It was great to see the parents who attended and engaged with our current students during these sessions. I must particularly praise our current Year 7 students who represented Manor High School superbly, demonstrating the welcoming and inclusive ethos that characterises our school as they talked to the new parents about how they had found the transition from primary to secondary school.

Additionally, Ramadan assemblies have taken place this week, led by Mr Daud, during which we acknowledged the dedication of students who are observing the fast. Their commitment to their faith and their ability to maintain focus on their studies whilst fasting is truly impressive and worthy of recognition. The fact that students have just carried on as normal is impressive and shows real dedication and resilience.

I must bring something to parents’ attention regarding school punctuality. It is an expectation that all students arrive at school on time and in full uniform, without exception. I have observed that too many students are being dropped off dangerously on the keep clear lines outside the school building at the last minute, which creates a safety concern and endangers children, pedestrians and other vehicles.

Punctuality is not just an administrative requirement; it is a fundamental expectation that mirrors the expectations students will encounter in employment. When students arrive late, learning is disrupted. Tutor time is learning time, and promptness is essential to maximising this opportunity. A stark message is that arriving five minutes late each day equates to three full days of missed learning across the academic year. This is a significant loss of educational time.

I urge all parents and carers to ensure that students leave home in sufficient time to arrive at school punctually and safely. It is not generally those students who are walking to school that are late for school, it is those that are being dropped outside the school by parents. Whilst we understand that genuine emergencies may occasionally occur, busy roads do not constitute an emergency. It is disappointing when students receive sanctions as a result of late arrival, and I would encourage you to work with us to prevent this situation for occurring. It does not make for a positive start to the day for your children or for us.

We thank you for your support in ensuring your child has the best possible start to the school day.

With best wishes

Mr S Greiff

Iceland Trip

Our recent science and geography field trip to Iceland proved to be an unforgettable experience combining spectacular landscapes with hands-on learning about geology, energy, and Icelandic culture.

The trip began with incredible views at the boundary between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, where students even managed a snowball fight while standing between two continents! The group then visited geothermal fields before finishing the day at the Perlan museum in Reykjavík, exploring its indoor ice cave and enjoying an impressive Northern Lights show. Despite strong winds later in the day, our students showed great resilience and enthusiasm.

Day 2 and our highlight was a walk through the dramatic rift valley leading to the site of the world’s oldest functioning parliament at Þingvellir. The famous Golden Circle route followed, with visits to the erupting geysers at Geysir, powerful waterfalls, and a unique stop at a geothermal greenhouse where tomatoes are grown year-round.

A fresh layer of snow greeted our group on day 3. We hiked to the snout of a glacier, gaining a real sense of scale from the vast landscape. Later, we visited Iceland’s striking black sand beaches, complete with sea arches and rock stacks, before finishing the day at the Lava Show, where we felt the incredible heat of real molten lava up close.

The learning continued on day 4 with a visit to the Lava Centre, where students discovered that Iceland had experienced over 100 earthquakes in the preceding 48 hours – perfectly normal for this geologically active country! They also explored a geothermal power plant capable of generating enough energy to boil 1,000 litres of water every second, walked through a lava tunnel formed 5,000 years ago, and spent time exploring Reykjavík itself.

The final day came all to quickly with the spectacular “FlyOver Iceland” experience, which students really enthused about. The trip ended with a relaxing visit to the famous Blue Lagoon before we began our journey home.

We were very proud of our young people’s resilience and conduct throughout and I’m sure we have several geoscientists in the making following this trip!

Ms Jenkin

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

Meet the Governors – Jesse Jackson, Chair of 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 Jesse Jackson, the Chair of Governors.

As Chair, Jesse works closely with the headteacher and the governing body to provide strategic leadership and oversight. The role involves helping to set the vision and direction of the school, supporting school leaders, and ensuring that decisions are made in the best interests of all students.

“I am Head of Digital and Adult Skills at the Loughborough College Group and have worked in education for 7½ years following my discharge from military service.

I have experienced the power of education at first hand and have seen how education has shaped and built the confidence of our young people. Becoming a governor of the school enables me to give back to you and your community by supporting and challenging your excellent leaders and teachers to ensure that they provide the best possible educational experience for the next generation.

It is our role as governors to ensure that the needs of your community are enhanced and that all those connected to Manor High School are valued and appreciated. As your Chair of Governors, I am committed to ensuring Manor High’s team of professionals prepare the next generation of highly skilled, motivated and innovative young people that are well prepared for their next challenge of Post 16 education and beyond.”

We would like to thank Jesse for the time, dedication, and leadership given to the school in the role of Chair of Governors.

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!

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

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

I wanted to share with you some feedback we have had from Charlotte Davis Safeguarding Lead at Leicestershire County Council, who recently visited us for our annual audit:

The school demonstrates a strong and deeply embedded safeguarding culture.

Students report feeling safe, attributing this to the visible presence of staff and the availability of trusted adults. They demonstrated a strong understanding of what safeguarding means and could articulate the role of a trusted adult, with most identifying their form tutor as the person they would approach if they had concerns.

A tour of the school revealed calm, purposeful, and engaging lessons.

We are really proud of this review and the feedback we have gathered from Charlotte and we feel reflects the safeguarding culture we have here at Manor High School. Thank you for your support as parents in supporting us and the work we are doing as a school.

As always if you have any questions regarding safeguarding please contact school.