Year 8: Wellness – Mental health and creativity

Building on their existing knowledge of how to look after their mental health, Year 8 students spent the day participating in creative activities to improve how they see and understand others.

After thinking about their own experiences, students were tasked with producing a piece of artwork that represents their fears and worries. They then paired up to discuss their artwork, sharing as much about the thoughts behind it as they felt comfortable with. This was followed by a class discussion on how we should respect the fears and worries of other people, and how it is not always easy to know that somebody is struggling with their mental health.

In music, students looked at the lyrics of songs and considered how they were linked to mental health. They were then challenged to write lyrics for their own pop song or a rap, before sharing it with the rest of the class.

For their drama activity, students explored different scenarios in which individuals were being bullied or were struggling with their mental health, thinking about how the people involved might feel and how others should respond. They then worked in groups to prepare a performance based on one of the scenarios.

The final task of the day saw students coming up with potential new policies/strategies for the school that help to spread kindness and encourage empathy.

Year 9: World – Prison Me No Way

Year 9 students attended a series of six workshops themed around making good life choices in relation to crime, organised by Prison Me No Way. PMNW are a charity that aims to increase awareness amongst young people about the causes, consequences, penalties and impact on crime.

• Choices and consequences – in this session, students heard about the experiences of someone who had been in prison, discovering how poor decisions can stack up until they result in something really bad.
• County lines – students learnt how criminals can manipulate children into drug dealing, looking at a number of case studies to find out how easy it can be to get caught up in illegal behaviour.
• Violence – this workshop included discussing the difference between self-defence and intentional acts of violence, as well as discovering the potential sentences for various physical crimes.
• CEOP – CEOP is a law enforcement agency that works to help keep young people safe online and protect them from online sexual abuse and grooming. In this workshop, students discussed the impact of social media on face-to-face interaction and the laws surrounding sexting.
• Prison – as well as being taught about the prison system, students had the opportunity to experience what it is like to be kept in jail by visiting a mobile prison cell.
• Gangs – looking at real life cases, students found out about jail terms for those involved in gang violence and how not to be drawn into joining one.

Year 10: World – Faiths

Year 10 students developed their understanding of different worldviews and religious perspectives by hearing from representatives of various faiths.

Students began by completing a spirituality quiz, which aimed to show students that while some may not be what we see as conventionally religious, they will have a certain degree of spiritualism.

They then attended five virtual talks about Judaism (Brian and Viv Pollock), Paganism (Russ Baxter), Buddhism (Geoffrey Warren), Sikhism (Jasjit Singh) and Islam (Saif Nasser).

They finished off the day by creating displays showing the similarities and differences between the religions, as well as sharing what they believe based on all that they have seen during the day’s talks.

Year 11: Wellness – Ace your exams

The focus of Curriculum Day for Year 11 students was to improve their revision and examination skills in anticipation of their upcoming trial exams. This consisted of a variety of activities and talks throughout the day.

A guest speaker from external agency Educate delivered a presentation on ‘10 steps to exam excellence’, with students following this up by completing a workbook full of activities.

There was the chance for students to plan a revision schedule for their trial exams, with additional time allocated to the creation of revision resources such as flashcards and mnemonics.

Students also watched a thirty-minute video from Nene Education Trust Wellness Lead Amy Bradshaw which gave plenty of tips, advice and guidance for looking after their wellbeing during the exam period.

Finally, Mr Bateman lead a pledges assembly in which he shared all the ways that Manor School will be supporting students ahead of their trial exams. This was followed in the evening with a similar session for parents/carers.

KS5: Work – Applying for a job

Sixth form students took on the roles of potential employers and employees for the day as they learnt everything that is involved when it comes to job applications.

Year 12 students began the day learning about the importance of CVs and how to write them, as well as developing their interview skills and exploring the job application process. After researching the different job roles on offer, they went on to write a CV and apply for the role they were most interested in.

Whilst they also received tips on CVs and interviews, Year 13 students also spent time putting together questions and tasks for the Year 12’s to experience in their interviews.

Interviews for the 10 roles took place in the afternoon, with Year 13 students acting as the employer and Year 12 students as the job applicants.