Dear Families

This week has been a period of intense activity, learning, and growth for our students across various areas.  I will outline these below.

Our commitment to STEM education was evident as students embarked on enriching trips to Gateway College. These trips provided invaluable hands-on experiences. STEM is an area that many students have a keen interest in and exposure to advanced concepts is really beneficial.

Mental health and well-being remain at the forefront of our educational approach. In line with this, we organised specialised workshops for our Year 7 and 8 students, equipping them with essential tools to navigate their emotional landscape and foster resilience.

Aspiration and ambition were the focus of a morning session conducted by Contender Charlie, who worked with our Year 10 students to explore and expand their future goals. Such interactions are vital in shaping our students' perspectives and encouraging them to be the best version of themselves.

The artistic talents of our students were on full display at our recent art exhibition on Wednesday night, it was great to see so many people present. It was truly humbling to witness the exceptional skill and creativity showcased by our young artists. Their work serves as a testament to their dedication and talent. 

Our Modern Foreign Languages department has been very busy this week too. A group of our students had the opportunity to lead a lesson at Woodland Grange Primary School, demonstrating leadership skills and sharing their knowledge. This was followed by a Spanish play performed at our school, immersing students in the language and culture. The day culminated in a delightful culinary experience, with Woodland Grange pupils joining us to prepare Gazpacho soup!

As we look towards preparing our students for their future careers, we organised a Year 8 Careers Speed Networking event. This initiative aims to provide our younger students with early exposure to various professions and insights into the world of work.

Looking ahead, we are excited about our upcoming Culture Day. This event will see all lessons themed around culture, with special visitors conducting Bhangra and Gatka workshops. We encourage students to wear cultural dress on this day to celebrate our rich diversity. To add to the excitement, spot prizes will be awarded for the most impressive cultural outfits.

These events and activities reflect our ongoing commitment to providing a well-rounded, engaging, and inclusive educational experience. I am immensely proud of the achievements and enthusiasm of our students and the tireless efforts of our staff in making these opportunities possible.

Whisper for Students

We are keen to receive feedback that we can act upon to improve our school environment.  It is important that we allow students a voice.  Whisper is in place to support students in discussing matters that they wish to disclose to us, possibly anonymously in the first instance. I would like to outline some communication routes into school.

Communication for parents

We also value feedback from parents.  It is very important to us.  In order to support our students effectively, we welcome information from parents and the local community.

This information must come to us via contact details here. Whisper is a very specific service to support our students. If you are contacting us as a parent or member of the community, please leave your name and contact details for us via the contact details page linked above to enable us to follow up with you as we are unable to verify the validity or veracity of anonymous information. A copy of our ‘who to contact’ chart is here, PowerPoint Presentation (manorhigh.leics.sch.uk) .

Mr S Greiff

On Monday 8^th July we have our new Year 6 students coming to join us for their first induction day. As in previous years, we would like our current Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 students to come into school for a 9:30am start. This will allow our Year 6 students to settle in and then meet the rest of the students in their form group.

Upon arriving at school, Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 students should enter via the student gate and then head straight to their form rooms where they will join their tutor and Year 6 students who are joining their tutor group. As always, we expect all of our students to maintain high standards. This will help the Year 6 students settle in well.

Please note that if your child normally gets the school bus, then they should still get the school bus at their usual time and come into school at the normal time. These students then need to head to their tutor rooms as they would normally do, but they will then assist their tutors in welcoming our Year 6 students. If you usually drop your child off earlier in order to let them use the study centre before school, this can also happen as normal.

Tuesday 9^th July is a normal start time for everybody.

This is our school statement (please read below and see attachment at the bottom of the newsletter) regarding safeguarding out of hours. We will send this as an attachment via ClassCharts too, alongside a list of Mental Health Support available. Thank you.

The safety of our students is of paramount importance to us.  We do everything we reasonably can to ensure their safety. 

We are sure that you will appreciate that there are limits to this outside of school hours and during holiday periods.

During these times we would recommend that you:

1. Please contact the Police / Emergency Services on 999 immediately if you believe a child is in immediate danger.

2. If you are concerned about your child’s mental well-being and /or safety during out of school hours, you can contact the Social Services Central Duty Team on:

0116 3050005 (Leicestershire residents)

0116 4541004 (Leicester City Residents)

You can also make an online referral through Report abuse or neglect of a child | Leicestershire County Council.

3. We strongly recommend that you monitor your child’s activity on social media closely.  This can prevent issues escalating which could be detrimental to the mental well-being of your child.

4. Once the school reopens, please contact us regarding any issues we need to be aware of. 

We cannot guarantee that we will be able to respond to emails during out of school hours.  To support you, please follow the steps above and see the out of school support available for your child (in the table attached below).

It has been a busy week in the Modern Languages Department! We are incredibly proud of our Student Ambassadors who planned and delivered a Year 6 French lesson at Woodland Grange. Later the same day, fifteen Year 5 Woodland Grange pupils visited Manor for a Spanish cookery lesson and prepared some delicious gazpacho - perfect for the summer weather! They were again assisted by our fabulous Student Ambassadors, who demonstrated fantastic leadership skills throughout.

Also, this week in MFL, 170 Spanish students in Year 9 & 10 were treated to a fabulous theatrical performance by native Spanish-speaking actors from Onatti Productions. Two of our Year 10 students entertained their peers with some fantastic audience participation up on stage, using their Spanish skills with confidence! A perfect end to the term after the success of this year's Barcelona trip two weeks ago!

Year 8 Speed Networking event

On Friday 28^th June we had 9 volunteers from the world of work. All of our Year 8 students had the opportunity to come and speak to them in small groups, allowing them to learn more about different employment sectors and to have the opportunity of getting meaningful conversations with people from the world of work. It was a really positive event. Our visitors were so positive in their feedback about our Year 8 students, saying that they were engaging, polite, cheerful and really positive. We are so proud of our Year 8 students! We will share some pictures via social media.

NHS Work experience opportunities

This is information about the Virtual Allied Healthcare Work Experience programme we have been asked to share with you. There are some great work experience opportunities here.
On Sunday 7^th July there is a NHS Allied Healthcare Work Experience session happening. It's a fantastic opportunity for students in Year 10 who are considering a career in healthcare.
At the start of the session, attendees will engage with a distinguished guest speaker, providing a rare chance to glean insights from Natalie Hicks, a seasoned Occupational Therapist. They will then delve into the pivotal aspects of Pain Management & Mental Health.

Registration Link: https://alliedhealthmentor.org/product/live-virtual-work-experience-programme/.

Our guest speaker, Natalie Hicks, a seasoned Occupational Therapist, will share their wealth of knowledge and insights, offering invaluable guidance to aspiring healthcare professionals. Following their talk, students will be guided through various allied health careers by exploring the journeys of two patients from initial presentation to full recovery. Students will gain invaluable perspectives on patient care dynamics and the collaborative efforts within the NHS, including exploring careers within:
- Nursing
- Midwifery
- Paramedicine
- Physiotherapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Dietetics
- Radiography
- Prosthetics and Orthotics
- Speech and Language Therapy
- Pharmacy

Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with healthcare professionals throughout each day. This will empower students to make informed career decisions and demonstrate their commitment to healthcare in their UCAS applications. Once they’ve registered, students will be emailed links to their virtual work experience portals.

Students are awarded a Work Experience Certificate for every session they complete. Those who complete the full 6-month programme will be awarded a Highly Commended Reference from the Presidents of Allied Healthcare Mentor. These are fantastic additions to their CVs!

Students can register individually at any time throughout the 6-month programme using the link below. We recommend booking early to gain as much out of this programme as possible. Places are £10 a session to cover administrative and technological costs.

Sign up here:
https://alliedhealthmentor.org/nhs-healthcare-careers-virtual-work-experience/

Kindest Regards,
Work Experience Team
Allied Healthcare Mentor

Enquiry Form: https://airtable.com/shrM6UPT8Z2uxx7OL
Allied Healthcare Mentor Helpline: 01530 417299 (Open 10am - 5pm Monday - Friday)

The safety of all students is our priority. As a result, we need everyone to be aware of this please. If your child rides a bicycle to/from school, please can you take time just to reinforce the points below with them. We have asked staff to talk to students about these as well. Thank you.

- Please do not ride your bicycle on the school site. As you arrive at MHS you need to get off your bike and walk it onto school grounds and walk it around to the bike shelters.

- Never ride across the car park. All students must access / leave the school site via the student gate. The car park is out of bounds to students except for those who are accessing the school buses.

- At the end of the school day, ensure you walk your bike off the school site. You should never be riding your bike on the school grounds

- Take care when riding on roads. Stick to the left side of the road.

- If riding to / from school with friends, do not ride side by side. Ride in single file. You need to be safe and considerate of other road users.

- We advise that students should wear helmets for safety and be visible (e.g. lights, bright top/vest)

Here are the standings as we approach the end of term:

1. Watermead
2. Bradgate
3. Knighton
4. Clarendon

Keep up the great work everyone!

HOW TO CONTACT THE SCHOOL

Your child’s tutor, also known as their trusted adult, is often your first point of contact. However, the following emails are also useful for parents to know:

• General enquiries:  admin@manorhigh.leics.sch.uk
• Exam enquiries:  exams@manorhigh.leics.sch.uk
• Finance and School Gateway enquiries:  finance@manorhigh.leics.sch.uk
• School bus enquiries:  buspass@manorhigh.leics.sch.uk
• SEND enquiries:  send@manorhigh.leics.sch.uk 

If you are not sure who to contact, please refer to our Who to Contact flow chart on our Contact Us page.