Headteacher’s Update
Dear Families
Firstly I would like to thank you all for ensuring that students are present and learning in school. We all know the importance of being present in lessons in order to achieve the best possible standards. We aim for the highest level of attendance possible. Our school target is for students to be present at least 96% of the time. There is sometimes a misunderstanding about attendance rates – if a student achieves 90% in a test we celebrate this achievement. However if a student attends for 90% of the time, this is not good enough as it means 1 day in 10 days of school is missed. This equates to nearly 20 days a year of learning missed – or 130 hours of learning!!
In the event of an unavoidable absence please follow the guidelines below-
What YOU must do:
- Try to telephone the school before 8.30am each day of your child’s absence.
- Tell the school in advance, of any medical appointments and bring in appointment cards/letters. Try to make appointments outside of school hours if at all possible. When not possible please send your child back to school as soon as possible after the conclusion of the appointment.
- If you are not sure whether your child is well enough to attend school, send them in anyway as they often perk up on arrival.
- Have a backup plan for if your child misses transport, call on a family member, neighbour or friend.
- If you and your child are experiencing difficulties with school attendance then talk to us as a first step so we can help!
What WE will do:
- Check your child’s attendance every day.
- Phone home to discuss your child’s attendance with you.
- Invite you into school for attendance meetings if we are concerned.
- If we cannot establish a reason for absence, then we may make a welfare home visit.
Punctuality rates are high at school and we are thankful of the parent support with this also. Being on time for learning is important. If your child is late for school there is impact –
| In a school year, if your child is late every day by … | Your child would have lost approximately … |
| 5 minutes | 3.5 days from school |
| 10 minutes | 7 days from school |
| 15 minutes | 10 days from school |
| 20 minutes | 14.5 days from school |
| 30 minutes | 22 days from school |
Do please continue to encourage high levels of attendance and punctuality at school so that your child can maximise the opportunities available.
There is a copy of our extra curricular timetable attached and we encourage students to take advantage of as many opportunities as they can. Learning and Character building doesn’t just take place in lessons, it takes place beyond the classroom as well.
Extracurricular Club Timetable 2024 25
This enables us to truly achieve to our shared vision of “Excellent People. Excellent Results”.
With best wishes
Mr S Greiff
Ramadan
As Ramadan approaches, we would like to share our process for supporting students fasting during school hours.
We recognise that fasting during Ramadan requires significant strength and willpower, and for some students, this may be their first time observing the fast during their secondary school journey. We understand that fasting can require some physical adjustment, and we encourage students to participate in lessons as they normally would.
If a student is unwell during a lesson, we will monitor their condition. If a teacher has concerns, the student will be referred to a first aider, who will enquire whether the student is fasting, and the feeling of unwell is as a result of fasting there is little that school can do. If the student would like to break their fast we will contact parents. Should parents not be available we will adhere to the student wishes.
We understand the importance of this month and want to support our students during this time and encourage them to attend and participate in all activities.
We wish all following this religious observance, Ramadan Mubarak.
National Careers Week
Next week (w/c 3rd March) is National Careers Week. We are actually running our school Careers Week events this year in the week commencing 24th March. We will be focussing our activities around Labour Market Information (LMI) and looking at the World of Work here in Leicester and Leicestershire. In preparation for this could parents/carers have a look at the World of Work Booklet 2024/25 which has been provided by the Leicester & Leicestershire Business and Skills Partnership. This booklet looks at the range of different career opportunities we have available and helps young people and their parents/carers to really look into potential; careers including pathways into those careers and so much more information. The 2024/25 booklet can be found here via this link: LLEP WORLD OF WORK LEICESTERSHIRE
During our Careers Week (24th March) we will work with students to look at this resource and to understand the opportunities available to them as well as to encourage them to start thinking about potential career routes (or even consider alternative career routes if they already have some ideas in mind). We will also be asking our students to interact with parents/carers to have discussions about this. So please do start looking at this as soon as you have the opportunity as it will be useful for students in preparation for our careers week.
Please note that this extra link also takes you to a World of Work web page that then has different sub links for various sectors if needed: World of Work Leicester and Leicestershire – LLBSP
Careers coffee morning – exciting opportunity
We would like to invite parents/carers into school on Tuesday 11th March to come and meet with Mr Croucher and also Anna Scull (from the Leicester & Leicestershire Business and Skills Partnership). Tea and coffee will be available too! In this session we will be able to provide information about careers and Labour Market Information which can help parents/carers have positive and meaningful discussions with young people around the World of Work and possible job opportunities. If you are interested in attending this morning please can you email Admin@manorhigh.leics.sch.uk to let Mr Croucher know that you are attending by Friday 7th March. This links in hugely to our careers week focus as mentioned above.
Labour market information describes the world of work and how the employment trends are changing. It tells us about the jobs and skills employers are looking for, which industries are set to grow and where the opportunities for promotion and salaries are going to be. Most importantly for young people, LMI covers the future demand – what kind of jobs/sectors will be in demand after leaving school and what sorts of skills will be needed.
The coffee morning will take place at Manor High School on Tuesday 11th March from 9am – 10:15am.
College Applications & PS16
Some students will be receiving invites to attend offers holding events / offers events at schools/colleges they have applied to. We can not let students offsite during the school day unless we have had consent from a parent / carer in the same way a students would need consent to attend a medical appointment etc. If you know that your child has been invited to an event during the school day you must contact the school in the same way you would for a medical appointment and also advise whether your child will be making their way to the school/college themselves or whether a parent / carer will be collecting them.
Please note that WQE have told us they will be inviting Manor High School students who have accepted offers with them to an offers holding event on Tuesday 18th March at 13:30. Students will only be allowed to leave site for this if their parents/carers have provided consent for them to attend (in the same way parents/carers would notify the school about a medical appointment etc)
Many thanks
Year 11 – Positive Steps 16 site (PS16)
Please can all year 11 be aware of these key next steps regarding Post 16 applications. Thank you.
Next steps:
- Regularly log into PS16 to see if you have had any offers or messages from schools or colleges. Be patient as different schools/colleges work with different time frames. You should hear back by the end of March latest.
- Regularly check your emails (the email address you gave on your PS16 profile e.g. school or personal email) as schools / colleges may email you here
- Do not worry if your friends have already heard from a school / college and you have not. This is totally normal.
- Accept all offers that are made to you. You can hold multiple offers. Do not ignore an offer whilst waiting for your favourite school/college. Accept any offers you are given. On results day you will choose where you go to (after you have seen the grades you get).
- If you wanted to make changes to any of your applications you need to call the school/college and speak to them. If you have any issues come and find Mr Croucher / Mrs Mahomed.
Leicester College applications
If you have applied to Leicester College through Post16 they have emailed students (on ps16) to say they will be dealing with your application through their College Learner Hub. Please do not worry! They have said that they will email you information about how to log into the College Learner Hub and how to then manage your application etc. Please check your emails regularly (the emails you sent to them via your profile on PS16) to keep an eye out for their messages. If you have any concerns you must contact Leicester College and then also come and speak to Mr Croucher / Mrs Mahomed.
Simply put this means that Leicester College will manage your application through their College Leaner Hub. Any other schools/colleges you applied to will still be managing your application through Post 16.
Progress Reports and Parents Evening
Year 11 have been focussed in their pre-public examinations (PPEs), which is nearly coming to an end. Once Spring PPEs are completed, teachers will be populating data for progress reports. This will give everyone an idea of the grades as follows:
- Spring PPE result: Pre-Public Examinations (PPEs) results from February mock exams. Grades from these PPEs range from U to 9 for GCSE Subjects and U to LD*2 for Vocational subjects.
- Working at Grade (WAG): This is the grade that students are currently working at.
- Autumn GCSE Prediction: GCSE subject predictions reflect content covered, evidence of work and attainment to date. Teachers have drawn on a range of evidence to determine Autumn GCSE predictions. This evidence may include:
- In-class assessments
- PPE (mock exam) results and internal tests
- Non-examined assessments, for example, coursework
- Classwork and homework
We have done a lot of work with our Year 11 students to help them understand what their progress reports show through our PSHE lessons, and what steps they need to take to accelerate their own progress.
We look forward to meeting parents at the Parents’ Evening on Thursday, 20th March to discuss progress reports. Parents will need to book individual time slots with subject teachers to review their child’s progress. This will be a valuable opportunity to ask questions about your child’s performance, revision strategies, available resources, and the preparation required for the upcoming final exams.
Support Initiatives:
To support students, we have shared the following study skills that you may find useful when talking to your child about revision:
- Structured Revision Timetable: Allocate specific time slots for each subject or topic to ensure comprehensive coverage.
- Active Recall Techniques: Engage in active recall methods such as flashcards, summarising key points, and teaching concepts to others to reinforce memory retention.
- Past Papers Practise: Regularly attempt past exam papers to familiarise yourself with the format, time constraints, and types of questions likely to be asked.
- Study Groups: Collaborate with peers for group revision sessions to discuss challenging topics, share knowledge, and test each other’s understanding.
- Healthy Lifestyle: Maintain a balanced diet, regular exercise, and sufficient sleep to support cognitive function and overall well-being during the revision period.
- Utilise Technology: Explore educational apps, online resources, and interactive platforms to supplement traditional study methods and enhance learning.
We want to do all we can to support students in their final stretch, this includes:
- Exam timetable – shared with students in December. Please do consider this when planning holidays and other out of school activities.
- Interventions – afterschool targeted intervention sessions are continuing. Please do make sure your child attends as requested by their subject teacher. We are planning some additional Saturday and Easter school sessions. This will be communicated directly by subject teachers to you.
- Revision resources – we have invested in many printed revision resource packs, including past exams papers and your child’s teachers will have provided these. Please encourage your child to use the resources and seek support from their teachers should they need to.
- Study space and support – study centre remains open every day till 5.30pm. Students are welcome to use this for independent or group study, and staff will be available to support and answer questions.
- Pastoral care – House Managers continue to provide pastoral care to all students, but are available for students who need any additional TLC or support.
Furthermore, we are planning the following to maximise every opportunity for Year 11:
- Support clinics – we will be facilitating time and space for students to talk to a member of Senior Leadership Team should students have any apprehensions or questions about their exams.
- Revision breakfast – research has shown a direct link between nutrition and focus in studies. We will be hosting free breakfast for Year 11 students every day of their final exams.
Please do continue to have conversations with your child about how they are getting on in school and about their progress.
Lastly, a polite reminder about Parent Support Webinars hosted by Elevate. The next webinar is taking place on Tuesday 11th of March 6:00 – 7:00pm and will be on Exam Preparation. Parents can register at the link https://go.elevateeducation.com/ukwebinars The company can also send a recording if you cannot attend. Further details can be found here:
First Aid at School
This has improved, thank you for your help in reinforcing this with our students. Please can we have one more push on this.
We have been experiencing a number of students walking to reception if they feel unwell. As a result, we have mapped out the following expectations for students to follow if they feel unwell during lessons or at the start of a lesson. We have also communicated this with staff. Please can you remind our students as well. Many thanks.
- If you have a minor injury before school or during break/lunch you should go straight to reception and ask for first aid. Please note – students should not take themselves to reception at the very end of break/lunch if they are feeling unwell – they need to head straight to their lesson and let their class teacher know they are feeling unwell. The class teacher will contact first aid if needed.
- If you are feeling unwell during a lesson / you need medical assistance during a lesson you must tell your class teacher and stay in class. The teacher will then contact first aid if it is needed.
- You should not be leaving lessons. First aid will come to you (unless you have an underlying health condition the school is aware of ).
- If you are not sure about any of the above, please speak to your tutor who can reassure you.
Please note, in the event of a serious medical emergency, staff are aware of what is needed to be done.
Leicester Riders Ticket Offer
Manor High School have been given the offer of 50% off tickets for the next few home games. Simply use promo code ‘OAK50‘ at checkout to claim your discount.
Click here to view the Leicester Riders Basketball website
If you haven’t been before, we would recommend giving it a try. Basketball is a fast paced game, full of excitement, that is easy to follow. Great for whole families!
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.
After School Study Centre and Interventions
Please can you reinforce to students that if they are staying behind at school to use the study centre (either to work or to wait for a parent to collect them) they must not leave site first and then come back. We have had a number of students leave site at the end of the school day, head to the shop and then arrive back at school 15 minutes later saying they need to wait in the study centre. We cannot allow students to just come and go like this as it is not safe and also not fair to staff who are supporting in the study centre.
The same is the case for interventions. If a student has an intervention session after school they must leave session 3, stay on site and then head to their intervention. Some students have been leaving site at the end of the day, heading to the shops and then wanting to be let back onto site 15 minutes later. This is also not acceptable.
Thanks for your support with this.
Safeguarding Update
Over the next few weeks, we are going to be speaking to students about the devastating impact of knife crime. As we are all aware, knife crime presents a serious concern to us all and it’s important for all students to understand the risks associated with carrying knives.
Below is a link to a great website and resources to support you as parents in having conversations with your child about knife crime.
The Ben Kinsella Trust – A guide to knife harm for parents and carers.
NHS Mental Health Drop-ins
