‘Success for all’ – but what does it mean?
Our mission statement is: Success for All. It is crucial that we have a common understanding of what this means. Therefore, for us, we proudly define success for all as creating a school that is Genuinely Comprehensive and Truly Inclusive.
Our mission is to ensure that the young people in Raunds and the surrounding area who attend Manor School have access to high quality provision across all areas outlined in the vision without prejudice and regardless of their status, wealth or needs. To that end we will work with them to achieve success in its broadest sense; within the curriculum goals, engagement and challenge, developing cultural capital and the embedding of our values and personal characteristics.
This mission in itself presents some challenges that we must overcome. To be genuinely comprehensive and truly inclusive means to accept, with open arms, all students, some of whom have hugely varying needs and experiences. Therefore, we understand that ‘success’ will be measured very differently depending on individual circumstances.
For some, success will be defined by excellent academic achievement and progression onto high level further education, apprenticeships and employment. We strive to provide the very best stretch and challenge for all our students, including our most able, enabling them to pursue their dreams and pathways. We are proud of the solid and improving academic results at both GCSE and A level, where maths and science subjects are increasingly comparable with English, which has been strong for a long time.
Following significant investment in facilities, resources and leadership, our rapidly growing sixth form now provides a high-quality academic environment in which to work, and is leading to more students attaining their first-choice destinations, whether at university, a high-level apprenticeship or through employment. We have been delighted that year on year we are able to support students in receiving offers and places to read at Oxbridge and Russell Group universities if that is their desire. However, we recognise that there is still more to do and as a result we have invested in membership of The Elephant Group, an organisation that is committed to social mobility and fair access through collaboration between schools and universities. Mr Carter will be sharing much more information in the coming weeks however, in the meantime information can be found here:
Whilst recognising the importance of academic results, other students (with complex lives or specific needs) may define success very differently and we are determined to support them to reach their goals too. Here, we work hard to identify needs early and work with students and their families to exhaust all opportunities in defining and achieving ‘their success’. Our Work. World. Wellness. curriculum which I will explore further in next week’s newsletter supports us in doing this. For us, that is what success for all and being genuinely comprehensive and truly inclusive is all about, and although this is sometimes a challenge we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Jay Davenport, Principal
COVID-19 update
Safety information posters
Northamptonshire County Council and Public Health Northamptonshire have produced two posters giving safety tips, information and guidance regarding COVID-19. You can download them via the following links:
Investment in high-backed seating
As part of our risk assessment and management process we have ordered 4 classrooms' worth of high-backed lab stools to replace the existing wooden stools in the science department. We will inform you when they have been placed in the laboratories upon their delivery.
Plans in the event of a positive test result
We have extensive plans in place should we receive news of a positive COVID-19 student or staff test result. In the event that this should happen, we will work with Public Health England and inform parents/carers and staff of how we will proceed.
Open Events updates
We are planning an exciting range of opportunities for prospective students to find out why Manor is such a great place to study. Submit your contact details via the link below to be notified when the schedule is released on our school website.
Key Stage 3 Dance lessons
Due to current restrictions we are asking for all students to wear trousers on the days that they have dance. They should bring their PE trainers with them to change into. They will remain in their uniform for lessons and just remove their blazers and ties, therefore skirts are not appropriate. We do not expect parents/carers to incur any additional costs in order to facilitate this - please contact the school if you have any concerns.
Key Stage 3 baseline testing
Given the fact that schools have been closed for a number of months this year, and that there is an absence of reliable Key Stage 2 data, we have decided to carry out baseline testing for all Key Stage 3 students over the next two weeks using materials provided by GL Assessment. The purpose of this testing is to help us identify gaps in learning, allowing us to identify both curriculum and pastoral needs and where students will need additional support. It will also help us to judge the true potential of students and highlight where hidden factors may be affecting performance.
All KS3 students will complete a CAT4 test - the UK’s most widely used test of reasoning abilities for children. It is an assessment of abilities in areas known to make a difference to learning and achievement – namely verbal, non-verbal, quantitative and spatial reasoning.
Students will also complete baseline assessments in English, mathematics and science. These will help give us a clear, accurate baseline against which we can judge future progress, as well as an understanding of the current level of attainment of students.
We would ask for parental support in reassuring students that these tests at the beginning of the school year are not being carried out to assess the current performance of students, but are designed to give us an indication of their future potential. They are not tests for which revision or preparation can be carried out and they cannot be ‘passed’ or ‘failed’. As such we would urge students not to feel unduly pressured or stressed but to consider their responses carefully and do their best.
Matthew Hurren, Assistant Principal
Introducing Microsoft Teams
To support independent and remote learning, we have rolled out Microsoft Teams across the school. Microsoft Teams will become a portal for students to view class and lesson materials for independent learning and revision as we move throughout the year, and in the unfortunate event that a partial closure of the school would be deemed necessary would provide the platform for allowing increased online learning including, for some of the time, live lessons.
All staff have received further training this week in using Microsoft Teams effectively for learning in school, and for what may happen if a partial closure is necessary.
Over the next fortnight, all students will be asked to access Microsoft Teams at home and 'turn in' an assignment for each of their classes. Students will be shown this in their lessons by teachers and further help videos will be produced to explain the use of Microsoft Teams as we move further along this exciting journey.
The images below will provide some initial help for students who are logging in from home, and the video linked here will also provide some assistance.
Chris Bateman, Assistant Principal
Learning Modes
At the time of writing, we are in the midst of a health crisis of unparalleled proportions. We are swiftly and robustly being launched into a new era in education that will be underpinned by a very different mindset.
The experiences of individuals (staff and students alike) returning to our community have varied massively. This is largely because the virus does not discriminate and has impacted on families in many different ways. Some will have suffered bereavement and many will have experienced illness, directly or indirectly. All of us have experienced new ways of living and working in this so called ‘lockdown’.
As school leaders, teachers, and support staff, we are preparing students to learn in this very different context and in new ways. Transitioning our students back into school after the period of lockdown presents lots of questions and obstacles.
We are convinced by the need to provide clear routines and structures with regards to learning in the classroom. With significant amounts of lost learning time and many students having not experienced school routines for many weeks and months, there is a need to put in place a system that means we can maximise the most of the precious learning time we have available to our students.
Learning Modes are a set of routines and classroom expectations that help to support transitions between learning activities and embed the desired learning behaviours in the classroom setting.
Below you will see there are three modes of learning which we are using in our lessons at Manor School.
For each of the Learning Modes, it should look like the following:
Respectful Whole Class
- Teacher leads the learning as the expert in the room
- Students track the teacher, listening intently at all times
- Students answer questions when asked and put up their hand up to ask a question of the teacher or the learning
Silent Independent
- Students practice their skills or test their knowledge on their own in silence
- Teacher circulates the room supporting individual students
- Students put up their hand up to ask a question of the teacher or the learning
Polite Shared Learning
- Students quietly discuss their learning with a partner whilst the teacher circulates the room
- Students take turns to listen to each other
- Students put up their hand up to ask a question of the teacher or the learning
Managing the transitions between learning activities might seem obvious and understated but it has proved decisive in helping to engage students in the learning. Learning Modes provide a clear framework for what the learning should look like at each stage of the lesson. As a result of using Learning Modes students are provided with time and space to think, collaborative learning opportunities to discuss and share and they are also given the opportunity to learn directly from the expert in the classroom, the teacher.
Lee Towers, Vice Principal
Attendance
Encouraging regular school attendance is one of the most powerful ways we can prepare our students for success, both in school and in life. Attendance at Manor School is in line with the national average and there has been a year on year increase over the last 3 years.
Here are some tips and guidance on how you can support your child's attendance:
- Talk to your child about school
- Take a positive interest in your child’s attendance and work, including homework
- Attend parent consultation evenings, parent forums and other school events
- Arrange appointments outside of school time or consider after 1:30pm or first thing in the morning. If not possible, ensure your child returns to school as soon as their appointment is finished
- Provide medical documentation for periods of illness, appointments etc.
- Inform the school’s attendance officer immediately on first day of absence
- After illness, make sure your child makes a prompt return to school (this links to our REACH value of Resilience)
- Take holidays only during the school holiday periods
- Monitor attendance closely and keep in touch with school staff
If you're worried about your child's school attendance, the first thing to do is to contact the school attendance officer to discuss your concerns. We will set up a meeting to discuss any issues in a sensitive manner.
Matt Sturgess, Director of Student Services
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