Sir Roger Manwood's School
Headmaster's Newsletter
December 2005
Dear Parents and Members of the School
1. Examination Results Summer 2005
The public examination results this year were very pleasing.
At A-Level another record was set for the school with an overall pass rate of 98.5% and 59.4% of all the exams entered passed with the top grades of A and B. 21 students achieved 3 grade A passes and more. All 7 students who had received offers from Oxford and Cambridge Universities gained their places. Another notable achievement was that by Lauren Hazleton who received a special letter from the Exam Board congratulating her on achieving one of the highest marks in the country for her A-Level Textiles examination.
In emphasising the above highlights we do not, of course, overlook the sterling performance of nearly all of our students. The vast majority indeed gained the good results they needed to go on to the university of their choice to pursue their further studies and this is very pleasing to report.
The GCSE results also saw an improvement upon the 2004 results which in turn had bettered 2003, so an encouraging upward trend has been maintained. 45.3% of the exams entered were passed with A* and A grades. Again, there were many outstanding individual results, 16 students gained all A* and A passes, one student 10 A* and 3 students 9 A* and 1 A. Another excellent feature was the number of students who received special letters from the Exam Boards congratulating them on scoring one of the top five marks in the country: 3 for French GCSE, 3 German GCSE, 2 Spanish GCSE and one for Italian GCSE.
Again, the above highlights should not obscure the many good performances throughout the year group. The overriding aim of the school is that everybody fulfils their potential which, of course, because of our selective intake, is considerable. We are now focussed on the prospects in the coming year. The assessments this term have been by and large very encouraging, and suggest that with continued hard work the students are capable of matching this year's excellent results.
Early next term there are some important dates for Year 11 upwards to be aware of:
4 th January – GCSE and A-Level Certificate Presentation Evening 7pm in the School Hall (for our present Year 12 and last year's Year 13 leavers).
9 th January – Year 11 Trial GCSE Examinations start.
18 th January – AS/A2 Options Evening 7pm in the Sports Hall (for our Year 11 and parents as they consider their options for the sixth form).
30 th January – Year 12 and Year 13 “Internal testing” week begins.
2. Student Questionnaires
You will remember that in the Summer Term we commissioned a Pupil Survey by Kirkland Rowell Marketing. The subsequent Report came into school during the summer holiday and helped to inform the development of the School Improvement Plan for this academic year.
477 completed questionnaires were returned and the Report stated that “the survey results reveal that the school has reason to be happy with most of its activities”, which was very reassuring.
The survey is useful because it has given us an insight into student perceptions of the academic subjects taught and also a range of aspects of school life, such as community spirit, homework, choice of subjects, exam results etc.
This year's School Improvement Plan priorities have in part been developed in response to the survey and it will be interesting to see if this is reflected in the response to questionnaires which we hold in the future.
The importance of the pupil voice is something we are keen to develop further in the school and this term the Year Council and School Council meetings also raised a number of interesting issues. We do take these meetings very seriously as demonstrated by the recent change to black trousers for the girls' uniform and the introduction of soccer teams alongside rugby.
This term has also seen the setting up of a working party in school to look at the provision for “Gifted and Talented”. Both staff and pupils are members of the group and we look forward to receiving their report.
Another working party is being set up in school as part of the “Healthy Schools” initiative which we are keen to utilise to best advantage. This also will have pupils as well as staff members and the first area of focus will be the school cafeteria. A starting point for their discussions will be the results of a student survey carried out recently seeking the views of the student body on the service provided.
3. School Communication and the Web-Site
Plans for the school's web-site have progressed rather slowly this term for a variety of reasons. However, I am optimistic that the many ideas that have been generated will come to fruition next term.
One of the main aspirations is to use the web-site to keep parents well-informed. This information may range from rather dry, but useful factual detail, to the more lively celebration of students and staff activities in school.
In the former category I have recently posted on the web-site a Data Fair Processing Notice which we are obliged to bring to the attention of all pupils and parents and also a calendar of dates for the next academic year which may help families with forward planning.
4. Language College Up-Date
At half-term there were two exciting trips abroad. First, Mr Boyle organised another History/Politics trip to Washington and New York and this again proved to be an action-packed and very fulfilling week for the sixth form students and staff who accompanied them. Secondly, Mrs Venn took another group of sixth form students to our partner school in Cremona, Italy. This proved very successful with the host families very welcoming and lots of interesting things to see and do, not least a day trip to Venice. The Italian students have recently made the return trip to us and I would like to thank all those families who made the exchange possible by looking after a student for the week.
Similar thanks go to those families who hosted a German student from one of our two partner schools in Germany earlier in the term. This particular exchange offers our sixth form students studying German A-Level the opportunity to spend three weeks with our partner school in Baden-Württemberg towards the end of the summer term.
Our other German partner school in Sundern, North Rhine Westphalia is presently hosting a party of over thirty Manwood students who are spending the last week of term there. The German students will visit us next term.
We continue to offer a range of language classes out of main school time, both for our students and parents and also for the wider community, including primary school teachers in this area. There are opportunities to study Spanish, German, French, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese. If parents would like to know more about the courses on offer Mr Taylor would be happy to furnish you with the information.
A group of students who study Mandarin Chinese participated in a British Council sponsored National Chinese Competition held in Nottingham in November. Angela Liu wrote a short play which was performed by Charlie Thompson, Seve Findlater, Angela and Catherine Liu and Toni Alder and was highly commended.
Looking ahead to next July, we are beginning to plan for another group of students and staff to visit China. There will be language classes, lots of interesting excursions and a visit to our partner school Hengshui High School in Hebei Province. Priority will be given to those studying Chinese at school but there may be places available to others. Please contact Mrs Venn for further details.
5. The Charity Committee
The Charity Committee has been very busy this term. The Harvest Assembly was very well supported by the students and resulted in 85 gifts being distributed throughout Sandwich and its environs. The school is raising money for Leukaemia Research this year and a number of charity cake stalls, other small events and a non-uniform day have raised something towards £2,000 so far. Individuals are also demonstrating initiative and three forms raised well over £300 for Children in Need. The Christmas Lunch on December 6 th was a great success and many senior citizens and ex-members of staff enjoyed themselves greatly. There has also been a shoebox collection for British Humanitarian Aid and they will be going to children in countries such as the Ukraine, Croatia and Bosnia.
6. The Manwoodian Magazine
At the end of term the new school magazine was distributed to all the students. This is the fourth and final production under the editorial supervision of Mrs Amanda Mitchell. She has worked tirelessly to produce a publication of which we can all be very justly proud and we thank her for all her efforts.
One of Mrs Mitchell's innovations was the “Manwoodian Writing Competition” to spur on creative writing in the school with the best results being published in the magazine. This year the response from the students was better than ever, with the prizes going to the following:
Journalistic Writing: |
1 st Prize |
Emily Brooks 7S |
|
Joint 2nd Prize |
Ellie Keighley 11CB and Chris Hannan 13MS |
|
3 rd Prize |
Angela Liu 10S |
Poetry: |
1 st Prize |
Amy Allebone-Salt 8S |
|
2 nd Prize |
Rhue Findlater 9M |
|
3 rd Prize |
David Harris 11B |
Prose: |
1 st Prize |
Amy Thomas 10A |
|
2 nd Prize |
Sam Clough 10S |
|
3 rd Prize |
Francesca Street 7D |
7. The Kent Youth Council
Manwood's recently became a polling station for the day when one of our students, John Manion in Year 7, put himself forward for this new body. We understand that Kent County Council will be paying some attention to the student representatives and we were therefore delighted to hear that John was elected to represent East Kent. I understand that Manwood Road is on his agenda when they meet – best of luck!
8. Science Visits
At a time when the Science curriculum is undergoing yet another major review on the premise that it is failing to engage too many young people, it is good to report that our young scientists are taking the opportunity to get out and about to see science in action.
As part of the microbiology course Year 13 students have recently been on two visits. The first was to Pfizer and involved a guided tour and several lectures. The second was to Faversham and included visits to the Shepherd Neame brewery and Brogdale to learn about the microbiology involved in the brewing and cheese-making industries respectively.
9. Textiles Visit
A very successful visit was made by Year 13 Textiles students to Kensington Palace to see Princess Diana's garments, together with the usual trip to the Victoria & Albert costume rooms and Harrods designer area. At the V & A an amazing collection from Queen Maud's wardrobe was on display.
10. Music and Drama
This term has been an incredibly busy term for music, not only within the school but also looking out into the wider community.
The term has been dominated by the highly successful production of Les Miserables which played to sell-out audiences for three nights and an equally-full matinee performance for our own Year 7 and pupils from Sandwich Junior School. Under the musical directorship of Mr Greenhalgh, and the stage direction of Mr Holden, the performances of this challenging show were very well done across the board and the audience response was tumultuous.
The School Choir, the Chamber Choir and the School Orchestra have been out and about. The School Choir joined up with the Sandwich and District Choral Society for a concert at St Clement's Church on St Cecilia's Day, November 22 nd . The programme included the Requiem by Gabriel Fauré and the ‘Choral Suite' from The Armed Man by Karl Jenkins.
The School Orchestra made a return visit with Mrs Cullis to Equien Plage, near Hardelot in Northern France on November 21 st further developing our links with Fabrice and the town band there. The concert and the day trip as a whole was a great success.
The Chamber Choir performed Bob Chilcott's Jazz Mass at Woodnesborough Church on Sunday October 9 th as part of a Sunday morning service attended by the Archdeacon of Canterbury. The Chamber Choir also performed as part of the Manwood Singers Christmas Concert at St George's Church, Deal on December 10 th .
Manwood's pupils also performed in a concert given by the Thanet Male Voice Choir at Sandwich Guildhall in aid of Save the Children on 2 nd December. Year 10s, Rebecca Dean and Rainbow Wu performed Fauré's Sicilienne , Year 7 Catherine Liu performed a Tarantella by Pieczonka, and Year 12s Toby Boalch & Jack Frowde contributed some Jazz to what was a musically varied programme.
Term's end brought the traditional Christmas Concert featuring soloists, and ensembles from all aspects of the music department's work, and the choirs and orchestra were prominent in the end-of-term carol services in St Clement's and the School Hall. Sadly the planned Rock & Pop concert had to be postponed at short notice, but there was an opportunity for rock music performance as part of the Friends of Manwood's Christmas Fayre in the Sports Hall on December 9 th .
11. The Boarding Community
This year we have 46 boarders in the school, 23 boys at the Grange and 23 girls at the Lodge. Their presence on the school site undoubtedly adds an extra dimension to the community life of Manwood's. A significant number of boarders have continued to be conspicuous in their support of school activities, with for example their involvement in the CCF, the orchestra, music concerts, choirs, sports teams and the recent production of Les Miserables, both on stage and helping with front of house. The Fashion Show also saw a number of boarders on the catwalk and Olu Doherty gave a star performance when he choreographed and participated in a very impressive dance sequence.
The boarders have again been raising money for Demelza House by bag-packing in the Co-op in Sandwich. They also had a stall at the Christmas Fayre and over £1,000 has been raised so far. Some girls also offer their services at the Sue Ryder Charity Shop.
Congratulations should also go to Lloyd Horncastle who after a series of rigorous interviews has been awarded a place on the Officer and Aircrew Selection Course at RAF Cranwell.
12. Creative Partnerships
At the end of term a new cross-curricular project was launched in school in association with Creative Arts Kent. A number of our Year 7 pupils are working with a professional musician, a film maker and a ceramicist, as well as our own staff, in a series of two-hour workshops that will run through to March 2006. The projects are intended to encourage creative learning across a range of subjects and there will also be opportunities later on to work with students from Sandwich Junior School and Sandwich Technology School.
13. Girls Games
The senior hockey teams have enjoyed a good level of success this term, with the 1 st XI winning all but two of their matches and the 2 nd XI losing only one of theirs. The U15's had a tougher season but still managed a 50% success rate and there were some very good individual performances from Sophie Dilnot-Smith and Kate Diomede. In recent years it has become increasingly difficult to obtain District hockey fixtures and although junior matches had been arranged with local schools a number of them were cancelled because the opposition could not field teams. This was disappointing and it means that we will have to travel much further afield in order to fill our fixture list next year. In spite of this the junior sides did do well in their remaining matches with the highlight being their victories over St Lawrence College.
Amy Hill-Turner (Year 10) continues to impress with her running ability. Having won the District Cross Country Competition, she has been selected to compete in the County Championships next term. We wish her all the best.
In Golf, Katie Cornwall (Year 10) is making a name for herself, having picked up the title of Ladies Champion at St Augustine's Club.
In Gymnastics Louise Orchard (Year 9) competed in the Regional Championships and came away as overall champion in her age group.
14. Boys Games
The Autumn term has been an incredibly busy one for the PE department. As well as a full rugby fixture list, we have competed in the Dover and District football leagues, the Kent Cup football competitions and are currently competing in the Dover and Folkestone Basketball league.
The basketball season has yet to reach the half way stage, but already we have tasted success, winning 50% of the games played. Both the U13 and U15 squads have produced good victories against Channel and the U13's also beat Archers Court 50 – 2!
Considering that this was our first season of football for a prolonged period and the first time we have entered the Dover Schools league, it is safe to say that this season was a highly successful one for Sir Roger Manwood's School. The enthusiasm and support from staff, parents and most of all pupils was outstanding and everyone deserves praise for this.
Our Year 7 team, managed by Mr Smith, came 6 th , winning one, drawing two and losing three of their games. Their victory came in the final game of the season, an excellent team performance resulting in a 4 – 1 triumph over eventual league winners, Walmer School; this shows progress throughout the season and promise for the future.
The Year 8 team, managed by Mr Boyle, finished fourth, narrowly missing third on goal difference to Walmer School. A record of two wins, two draws and two losses was very impressive, an emphatic 6 – 1 victory over Archers Court and a tense 3 – 2 win over local opponents Sandwich Technology, being highlights of the season.
Mr Merrell led our Year 9 team who harboured hopes of a possible League title until late in the season. A final position of third, by goal difference, is something to be very proud of. Four victories and two defeats secured this position. Three wins over Castle Community, Sandwich Technology and St Edmunds were secured by a 4 – 2 score line showing that the team knew how to win well.
The Year 10 team, led by Mr Wallace, came 7 th in the league. However the effort and commitment of the team never wavered and there was improvement shown throughout the season which hopefully can be carried into the next.
The highest league position of any team was secured by our Year 11 team, managed by Mr Gayton, finishing second. 5 – 2 and 7 – 2 victories over Astor and Castle Community respectively shows the exceptional goal scoring ability of the team, a narrow loss to Sandwich Technology costing them a chance of the title.
Many thanks to all those who helped and supported the boys and staff, especially the families that washed all those muddy kits! Congratulations to the boys on an excellent first season of football at Sir Roger Manwood's School.
The start of the Autumn term is always interesting as many of the year 7's get introduced to rugby for the first time. This year we have seen some talented individuals combine with an excellent team ethic and the fact that 40 boys have represented the A and B sides this term, highlights the popularity of rugby within the school. There were some high scoring encounters too, with the B team notching 40 points against Chatham Grammar and the A team winning 60 – 5 against Norton Knatchbull. The A team lost just two games all season and they can look forward to a successful campaign in the Dover and District competition next term.
The U 13 squad continued to show promise, winning 5 and drawing 1 of their 9 games. Excellent victories came against Chatham House and Dover Grammar and there was also a highly credible 12 – 12 draw against a formidable Duke of Yorks outfit.
The U14's scored the second highest points tally in the school, mainly thanks to 66 point (Chatham House), 40 point (Oakwood Park) and 37 point (Kent College) victories during the season.
The U15's enjoyed a magnificent start to the season, winning 4 of their first 5 games, including progress in the Daily Mail cup. Unfortunately injuries and illness tested the resolve of the team yet they battled valiantly for the remainder of the season.
The 2 nd XV enjoyed their highest number of games for a number of seasons thanks to fixtures against emerging school 1 st XV's. This proved to be a tough fixture card but the team deserve a lot of credit for the 2 victories they gained against St Lawrence College (34 – 0) and Norton Knatchbull (17 – 7). However, the experience the players gained from this season will prove invaluable for those who will join the 1 st XV squad in 2006.
Six victories and a draw in the 10 games played only begins to highlight the progress made by the 1 st XV during the course of the season. We began the season knowing that our pack was light and our backs were quick, meaning an open style of play was necessary to exploit our strengths. Whilst we struggled to do this effectively at the beginning of the season, a fine 22 – 14 victory against Chatham House, where we dominated for long periods, gave some indication as to what was to follow. When we had a three week gap without a game the squad trained extremely hard and were able to enjoy the fruits of their labour in the next three matches, winning 67 – 7, 52 – 0 and 24 – 0 in succession. A fantastic match with Maidstone Grammar in the second round of the Daily Mail Vase followed and despite the long journey and a sizeable home crowd we matched them all the way, unfortunately losing out 26 – 15. A sizeable proportion of the squad were in year 13 and they will be sorely missed next season. John Harrington captained the side with an unrelenting commitment and passion which he managed to instil throughout the side and his performances in every game set the highest standards that all future Manwood's teams should aspire to.
Many thanks to Mr Wallace (U12), Mr Acourt (U13), Mr Stevens (U14), Mr Cox (U15 seniors), Mr Vere (seniors) and Mr Pearce (seniors) for their efforts throughout the term.
Alex Newson (Year 7) competed in the Dover District Cross Country Competition finishing 8 th overall in the Year 7 to 9 age group. He has therefore qualified to compete in the Kent Schools' Championship final which will take place in January 2006.
Ed Cannon (Year 10) continues to excel at Golf. His handicap is currently 3. He has represented Kent U18's and U16's and won the Kent Junior Championships for his age group last summer.
15. First Lego League
Ten weeks of intense preparation culminated in November in the Kent Regional Final of the First Lego League held at the University of Kent in Canterbury. Twenty schools from across Kent entered the competition which, as well as the robot challenge, involved research and presentation on a scientific theme, which this year was ‘The Ocean'.
Manwood's team won the Robert Design Award which assessed four distinct elements: innovative design, robust design and innovative and robust programming which, in conjunction with one another, make a robot and its team of designers, programmers and builders stand out. The members of the winning team were: James Fergusson (Year 9), Robert Gordon and Luke Menniss (Year 8) and Graham Harris and Damon Sutton (Year 7).
16. Public Speaking
The David Starkey Public Speaking Competition was held just before half term. The number of participants at all levels was a little disappointing but the quality of speeches made was outstandingly good. The winners were:
Junior: Ben Lesworth (9S)
Middle: Angela Liu (10S)
Senior: Alice Hooper (12S)
The enthusiasm for this difficult, and for many rather intimidating, art is undoubtedly there and two teams of sixth formers are representing the school in the first round of a National knock-out schools' competition on the penultimate day of this term. We wish them the best of luck.
17. The School Office
Several important points of procedure worth noting:
i) It is very important that the School Office is able to make contact with parents during the school day when necessary e.g. if pupils are ill. When contact numbers change it is therefore important that the school is informed. Your co-operation in this regard is much appreciated.
ii) When pupils are ill a phone call to the School Office from parents on the first morning is also much appreciated. A follow up letter is then required when the pupil returns to school.
iii) If pupils arrive late in the morning they must sign in “The Late Book”, before going to lessons. If they leave school during the day they must “sign out” at the School Office. It is vital that we have correct information about who is on the school premises in the event of fire etc.
iv) A major concern for the School Office is when pupils make direct contact with parents using their mobile phones, arrange to be picked up, say because of illness, but do not inform the School Office they are leaving the premises. In the event of illness etc. pupils should first report to the School Office who will then contact parents if necessary.
Another busy half-term then. Apologies to those whose worthy activities I have failed to mention; the above is by no means an exhaustive account of life in the school.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
Yours sincerely
C R L Morgan
Headmaster
Dec. 2005
July 2005
Dear Parents and Members of the School
1. Structure of the School Day September 2005
Next September we are moving from our present 8 period day to a 5 period day with one hour lessons, and from a 5 day timetable to a 10 day timetable with a Week One and Week Two. The beginning and finish times of the day remain the same, but the timings within the day obviously change. The new structure will be as follows:
8.40am Registration
8.50am Period 1
9.50am Period 2
10.50am Big Break
11.15am Period 3
12.15pm Period 4
1.15pm Lunch
2pm Registration
2.10pm School Assembly/Year Assembly/Tutor Time
2.25pm Period 5
3.25pm End of School Day
The termly School Calendar and the Homework Diary will both indicate which week is Week One and which Week Two. The plan for the year follows a logical pattern and should not present a problem.
2. The School's Web-Site – atschool.eduweb.co.uk/srms/index.html
Alternatively ask Google to search for Sir Roger Manwood's School and it will offer the web-site as the first option.
Further to the last newsletter the school's Web-Site is now being looked at with a view to up-dating its appearance and using it more as a means of communication to parents and any interested outside observers.
In September a Web-Site committee will be set up, along similar lines to that which oversees the Manwoodian magazine, looking to regularly up-date the site with current information and to celebrate the activities of the pupils and staff.
In the next academic year we will also be looking to communicate with families more via email where you have furnished us with your address.
3. Term Dates 2005-2006
I am attaching to this newsletter a schedule of dates for the coming academic year. Please try to avoid taking holidays in term time for the obvious disruption that this causes to the academic progress of the pupils.
4. Staff Farewells and Arrivals
Mrs Naiomh Rook joined the Art Department only last September but soon proved herself to be an excellent acquisition for Manwood's. Unfortunately she has decided to move back to her native Scotland.
Mr Peter Colthup has worked part-time in the Games Department since 2000. He, again, has been a great asset, organising and running many teams, as well as making his regular contribution during the school day. He has decided to take a break from paid work so he can devote all his time to raising a young family.
Mrs Helen Dean is completing her second spell of part-time teaching at the school in the Consumer Technology Department. Her conscientious professionalism has been much appreciated by her pupils and colleagues alike. She is now pursuing a career outside teaching.
Miss Clare Colyer has completed two years in the Geography Department having come to Manwood's as an NQT. She has contributed much across the department, teaching examination classes at GCSE and A-Level. She is now moving to East Anglia and has secured a teaching position there.
Mr Peter Dean's association with Manwood's is a very long one. He was appointed to the position of Head of Biology in 1974 and has therefore had a long career in Science teaching here, overseeing many changes. In addition to his work in the classroom Mr Dean has also contributed a great deal to the extra-curricular life of the school, most notably the CCF in which he has been a stalwart member for many years. He now retires from teaching.
Mr Howard Pashley came to the school in 1976 to teach in the Chemistry Department. In addition to his classroom teaching, for many years he held the position of Head of Junior Science and he was also a Head of Year. In recent years he has focused more on his role in the school's CCF for which he assumed overall leadership. He now retires from teaching but his recent ordination will undoubtedly lead to a continued strong commitment to the local community.
Mrs Johanna Westwood arrived at Manwood's in 1986. Her contributions to Manwood's have been many and far-reaching, as Head of German, as Head of Year, as SENCO and as a member of the Senior Management Team. The present annual German exchange owes everything to her initiative and she leaves a similar strong legacy in many areas of school life. She now retires from teaching but it is typical of her energy and enthusiasm that in her final weeks here she should be part of the staff team that took the Year 10 trip to Berlin.
New staff will therefore be joining Manwood's in September:
Miss Vicky Beale : Science Department
Miss Toni Scott: Modern Foreign Languages Department
Mr Antony Lawrence: Head of Chemistry, i/c Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
Mr Scott Grimshaw : Art Department
Miss Elizabeth Limentani : Science Department, Key stage 3 Coordinator
Mrs Carol Wilkinson : part-time ICT Department
Mr Ian Wallace : P.E. Department
5. Recent Achievements
The girls' sports teams have enjoyed a very successful season. The tennis teams won all but one of their matches culminating in the junior team's victory at the District Tournament held at Walmer Tennis Club.
There were also strong performances from the girls in athletics. The Junior team beat 8 other schools to win the South East Kent Competition whilst the Intermediate team were placed 3 rd . Manwood's also retained the Powell Trophy for the District Competition.
Amy Hill-Turner was selected for the County team in the 800 metres and subsequently for the National Schools Finals.
In Rounders all four teams finished the season unbeaten, winning their District Tournaments and all inter-school matches.
The summer term has also been extremely busy for boys' sport. A large contingent from Manwood's competed against six other schools in the South East Kent Athletics Championships at the Julie Rose Stadium in Ashford, the Junior Team finishing 3 rd and the Intermediate Team 2 nd . Romain Dennison (Year 9, 100m) and Noah Werth (Year 9, shot put) went on to represent the region in the County Championships.
Boys' Tennis has flourished this term. A Junior Team was entered for the Dover and District Schools Tournament and were overwhelming winners. Ten boys across Years 7 to 10 competed in the Kent Schools Annual Championships held in Bromley. Harry Collins and Alex Jarrett qualified for the last 16 of the Senior competition. In the Intermediate competition Charlie Michael and Tom Carnegie reached the quarter-finals and Elliott Brookes and Toby Churchill the semi-finals.
In Cricket the U15 team did particularly well, beating Kent College in the Kent Cup but losing to the eventual winners in the next round, the only match they lost all season. Both the U13 and U12 squads had impressive seasons. Highlights include an impressive result against Kent College U13's which saw Jack Payne take 4 wickets and Tom Carnegie score 98 and the U12's winning the Thanet Cup by 43 runs against Chatham House Grammar School. The 1 st XI had a tough season but ended on a high note winning the Alan Carpenter Memorial Cup with an excellent victory over the Old Manwoodian Vets.
Cricket has also seen two girls continue to excel. Tamsin Beaumont is presently in the Kent U15 Girls' squad and Toni Alder in the Kent U13 Girls' squad.
Golf has continued to progress in the school and 3 teams were entered this year for the British Heart Foundation Junior Golf Championships. The best result was achieved by a Year 9 team comprising Sam Grant, Chris Burnap and Katie Cornwall who came 4 th /20 teams competing at the Ashford Golf Club. Ed Cannons and Dean Griffiths play off 5 and 4 respectively which is indicative of the standard of play. Altogether the teams raised over £1,000 for the British Heart Foundation.
A final point on sport. We were fortunate with the weather this year on Sports Day and it proved an excellent day and thanks go to the Games Department for organising it so well, to the staff for officiating so efficiently, to the students for competing so wholeheartedly and to all those who spectated in such a good spirit. Outstanding performances on the day came from Adam Asher (Year 7, 200m), Romain Dennison (Year 8, 200m) and Femi Ogunbiyi (Year 9, 100m), all of whom set new school records. It was also very pleasing to have a Swimming Gala. The swimming pool has been much more reliable this year and has been well used.
This term has been as busy as ever for the Music Department. A significant amount of the activity has been outward looking with ensembles performing to the wider community in a series of events.
As part of the “Sea Britain” celebrations, the Girls' Choir joined forces with the Manwood Singers in June in a successful performance of “Hip Hip Horatio” at St Mary's Church, Sandwich.
In July The Chamber Choir sang at a concert in St George's Hall in Deal in aid of Macmillan Cancer Research.
Music students in Years 10 and 12 had the opportunity during May and June to participate in a series of composition workshops sponsored by the Deal Festival. The students produced pieces which were then performed by professional musicians in concerts as part of the Deal Festival.
Manwood's Jazz Band has also been out and about playing a key musical role in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme Presentation Ceremony held at Northbourne Park in June. In July they gave a joint concert with the Sandwich Technology School's Jazz Band at Woodnesborough.
The Jazz Trio (Toby Boalch, Nicola Vella-Burrows and Jack Frowde) along with Kitty Swanson and Rachael Gordon also provided excellent musical entertainment at Mr Williams' wedding reception in the International Study Centre, Canterbury Cathedral in April.
In school there have also been many events. On 16 th July the Divertimento was held in support of the fund-raising efforts of the Friends of Manwood's. Two very successful and well-attended evenings of Rock and Pop Concerts took place in early July. Most recently A Summer Soloists' Concert was held in the School Hall showcasing performances given by students from all year groups and covering music of all types from Purcell to Dolly Parton.
School drama saw an outstanding senior production of Euripides' “The Trojan Women” in late April. Under Mr Holden's direction, ably assisted by Miss Clancy, the dark events following the fall of Troy were brought to life with some excellent acting performances and imaginative lighting, sound and set design.
The Junior and Senior Dance Clubs have continued to meet and we look forward to the next Synthesis production.
The Art Department has also had a very active term. In April six sixth form students had their work accepted for an art exhibition in Maidstone for the John Downton Awards for Young Artists 2005. One of the six, Naomi Tipping, went on to win “The Canterbury School of Fine Art for Drawing Award”.
The Department has also been very successful in winning two further awards. Together with Sandwich Technology School and Sandwich Junior Manwood's has won the title of “Schools of Culture 2006” for the South East of England. This prestigious award brings with it a financial bonus of £10,000 to facilitate a collaborative programme of cultural activities which are planned for the coming year.
The Art Department has also made a successful Lottery bid. The money awarded will be spent on setting up a Photography Club and an Animation Club which will run at lunch-time and after school. An exhibition of the resulting work will be held in 2006.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme has continued to run in school under the enthusiastic guidance of Mr Acourt. The White Cliffs Area Panel Presentation held at Northbourne Park School in June saw Manwood's very well represented. 9 students received their Bronze Award, 6 students their Silver Award and Claire Williams, Sam Johnson, Lee Waddon and Greg Upton all received Gold Awards.
This year Manwood's hosted the Young Enterprise Presentation Evening for the Dover Area. One of our three companies, ICON, was declared overall winner as well as winning the award for best company report. Another of our companies, ZEUS, won the award for best presentation. ICON went on to the Kent Final held in Maidstone in May where they acquitted themselves very well.
Following on from a very successful Adventure Week in Snowdonia at Easter, the CCF has had a very full term of activities. In May there was Inspection Day in school and the Civic Sunday Parade in Sandwich. Manwood's were Division 6 winners of the Dover and Folkestone Rifle League 2005 and Greg Upton received the Bond Cup for scoring the highest total in the League.
In June there was a Year 9 Self-Reliance Weekend and in July the Annual Camp is being held at Penhale in Cornwall.
Academic pursuits have also seen some excellent achievements this term. In the UK Mathematical Trust Junior Challenge 13 of our students were awarded Gold Certificates and Richard Thomas (Y8) was also awarded “Overall Best in School”.
In the Thanet Mathematics Competition for Year 12 students the school entered 3 teams competing against three other grammar schools and Sandwich Technology School. A very close competition resulted in a Manwood's team comprising Jared Bond, Nathan Blundell and Luke Richards winning by half a point over a team from Chatham House Grammar School.
Two Year 12 students secured prestigious places in summer schools in their chosen subjects in July. Liam Macadam gained a Sutton Trust place at Oxford to study History and Gini Sharvill gained a place at the Eton Summer School to study French.
This term has also seen many initiatives with an international dimension which reflect our status as a Language College. In June we had an “India Week” with Indian musicians, artists and dancers coming into school to run workshops with different year groups. There were also yoga sessions held, Kabaddi and Carrom tournaments organised, an Indian flavour to many lessons and special assemblies held every day. Mrs Venn is to be congratulated for putting together such an imaginative programme of events.
There have also been many trips abroad organised. The French Department took all of Year 8 on day trips to Boulogne. The History Department took Year 9 to the Somme and Year 10 to Berlin. The Art Department took their sixth formers to Florence. A group of Lower VIth students studying German have spent three weeks at a school in Southern Germany. We have also had a group of students and staff from Hengshui High School in China spend over two weeks here at Manwood's. I would like to express my gratitude to those families who helped to host and look after them. This week a group of our own students, led by Mr Taylor and Mrs Cullis, are making a reciprocal visit to Hengshui before moving on to Beijing for a two week visit that combines language lessons and daily excursions to all the major sights.
All of these activities offer very special opportunities to the students and the effort that staff make in organising and running them must not be underestimated.
Not surprisingly everyone, staff and students alike, are feeling very tired at the moment and very much in need of a holiday. It was nice to see so many sixth formers at the Summer Ball, another well organised event, and the next time we will meet will be on A-Level results day, rested and hopefully celebrating many successes.
Another very busy term then. Apologies to those whose worthy activities I have failed to mention, the above is by no means an exhaustive account of life in the school.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a good summer holiday.
Yours sincerely
C R L Morgan
Headmaster
March 2005
Dear Parents and Members of the School
1. Parental Perceptions Survey
Last summer term we asked parents to complete an “Evaluation Questionnaire”. The response rate was pleasingly high and the information gleaned is proving very useful in helping us to plan for future improvement.
When asked to identify your most important priorities in school, “Teaching Quality” was placed first and “Happiness of the Child” second. This reflects the national picture: parents want good teaching and confident children in a caring, disciplined environment. Your perception of our performance in these areas was very positive, you scored us highly, but at the same time you sent us a message that you wanted it to be better and better.
The same message came through on the quality of school facilities; you gave this a high score but also saw this area of school life as an important priority to continue to improve.
Another priority area identified was “School Communication”. As you know we have introduced a new Assessment Form this academic year. We hope that as a result the communication of academic information to parents has been greatly enhanced. The “level indicators” enable teachers to track individual pupil progress against achievable but challenging benchmarks and give very clear messages as to the progress being made. The Assessment Form also allows areas for concern to be flagged up and then followed up.
The new system certainly works with great clarity at KS4 and KS5 where GCSE and AS/A2 grades are a currency which everybody can identify with readily. At KS3 it is not so straightforward because National Curriculum Levels are less easily understood, especially as they are not necessarily well standardised between the different subjects across the curriculum. It is important that each teacher explains to their pupils what a L6a or a L7c means in their particular subject.
Another area of communication we are hoping to develop is the school's web-site. We feel that there is a great hitherto untapped potential here for expanding the site to include for example, pupils' work and curriculum information, information on careers and communications between school and home. In regard to the latter we are very conscious that many letters from school (including this newsletter) never find their way to the intended recipients.
Currently the school web-site can be found at: atschool.eduweb.co.uk/srms/index.html. Another simple way to access the site is to go through Google and simply ask it to search for Sir Roger Manwood's School. The newsletters from school are always placed on the web-site.
One last thought on communication would be for the school to have everybody's home email address and then send information home electronically. Is this a possible way forward? Or should we just post important information up on the web-site and expect parents to regularly access it for up-dates?
The Parental Survey was thus very valuable to us and early next term we are planning a similar exercise with the pupils
2. Sir Roger Manwood's Careers Convention
This is being held on the first Wednesday back after the Easter holiday – 13 th April 2005, 7.30pm in the Sports Hall. It is open to parents and students from Years 8 – 13. A very wide range of organisations are represented to answer your questions about possible careers, universities and GAP year opportunities. Mr Ainsworth has worked tremendously hard in organising this event, so make sure you come along and make the most of this opportunity.
3. Two Weeks in Beijing
We now have the dates for the Language Immersion Course in Beijing organised by the British Council. The course will run from Thursday 21 st July to Sunday 7 th August. The course will involve 3 hours of language tuition in the morning and organised excursions in the afternoons. The course is based at the Central University for Nationalities and the students will be staying in the university accommodation.
Students studying Mandarin have been given priority to take up this opportunity but there are still some places available. Students from Years 8 – 12 are eligible and if you are interested see Mrs Venn. The only cost to students is the cost of the airfare.
Our link with Hengshui High School in Hebei Province (350kms south of Beijing) is continuing to prosper. We are expecting to receive 8 students and two teachers from 25 th June to the 13 th July – if any parents would like to offer hospitality to one of the students Mrs Venn would be delighted to hear from you.
A number of staff will be visiting Hengshui High School in the summer holidays and will teach English in their Summer School.
4. School Rules
You are probably aware that we decided to have a purge this term on a number of areas of school life where we felt the pupils could do better. One area, for example, was the wearing of uniform. We are very pleased with the response from the pupils and we now want everybody to continue to maintain these high standards when we return after the holidays.
5. Healthy Eating in School
This issue has risen even higher on the agenda in recent months, not least because of Jamie Oliver's programme on TV.
Some time ago we decided to remove the sale of crisps, sweets and unhealthy drinks from the school. There are undoubtedly also a wide range of healthy options on sale in the Canteen each day. However, the Catering Manager is keen to review current practices and it is his intention to reduce the occasions on which such items as burgers and chips are available. This new regime will start next term.
6. Friends of Manwood's
The Friends are planning a number of events for next term:
Sunday 26 th June 1pm Treasure Hunt around Sandwich. A BBQ and swimming back at base.
Friday 1 st July is Sports Day and the Friends will again be supporting this event, serving refreshments etc. Parents are very welcome to come along to this event and support the pupils in their athletic endeavours.
Saturday 2 nd July 5pm Divertimento – an evening of music and drama.
The Friends have recently committed money to the Swimming Pool to help us get it successfully up and running next term. We are now working hard to try and achieve this.
The School is also looking into the possibility of buying a new minibus and the Friends again will support this initiative. Thus, I hope you agree that all their hard work and fund-raising efforts are helping the school in some very worthwhile ways and you will want to support one or more of the above events.
7. The Summer Term and Exams
The disruption caused by the snow, and the early timing of Easter this year, makes this coming holiday of even greater importance for those students who will be taking important public examinations in the summer. GCSE and GCE AS/A2 students should be planning to use the two weeks to get some important examination preparation under their belts.
The Key Stage 3 SAT's examinations for Year 9 students begin on Tuesday 3 rd May. The Internal School Examinations for Years 7, 8, 9, 10 begin on Monday 6 th June.
8. Recent Achievements
Boys' Sport: The Hockey season has proven to be a very frustrating one for everybody involved in the school teams due to the inclement weather accounting for 18 cancellations. Despite this, as with Rugby, the future of Manwood's Hockey appears to be very bright.
The U15, U14 and U13 squads have had very good seasons, winning a large number of games between them. The U13 chalked up particularly impressive wins against Chatham House (4-1) and St Lawrence College (3-2). Their season will finish with the John Maylam Tournament on the last Monday of term. Expectations are high as we go to print and we wish them well for the day. The U14's started the season impressively with a 7-0 victory in the Kent Cup. Unfortunately, we met cup favourites Langley Park in the next round and, despite a strong first half performance, we conceded to the better side. The U14's were hit by cancellations more than any other side during the term, but their potential for the future was confirmed with an impressive 5-2 victory against Chatham House. The U15's have a number of players who will be challenging for the senior squad next season so it was particularly pleasing to see them secure some fine victories, including a 7-4 win against Harvey Grammar and a 3-1 result against St Lawrence College. Expectations were high for the Peter Firminger Tournament, despite being in the toughest group for the morning stage, so it was very disappointing to miss out on a quarter final spot by 1 point. We recovered from this disappointment by winning all of our afternoon games comfortably to win our group and finish 9 th overall.
The U12 and senior sides had little success this year, but the junior players are developing quickly. As for the senior players, special mention must be made of Ainsley Waite, George Bostock, Kevin Spencer, Dave Miller, Adam Muggivan, Kyle McKenzie-Fraser and Jamie Rankin who have given 100% to the squad and will be missed next season. A good number of strong players are also coming through with Matt Gwyn, Josh Tutton, Chris Goulden and Alex Greaves all representing Kent this year.
Rugby has also featured this term with the U12, U13 and U16 playing 9 matches between them. We were extremely successful here, winning 8 of these matches. In their respective Dover leagues the U12 and U16 squads maintained a 100% record and if the bad weather had not caused so many cancellations, we were likely to be celebrating two league titles.
We now look forward to an extensive fixture list for Cricket, Tennis and Athletics in the summer term.
Girls' Sport: Unfortunately the Netball fixtures have been badly affected by the snow and wet weather this term and about a third have been cancelled. Of the remaining matches the junior sides have performed well, with all the sides winning the majority of their matches. Particular highlights for them were decisive wins against St Edmund's, Canterbury and Dover College. The 2 nd VII played well as a team and can be reasonably satisfied with their performances. The 1 st VII fought hard against very strong opposition but only managed to achieve one success against Dover College.
Cross Country. Two girls, Amy Hill-Turner (Year 9) and Suzi Miller (Year 11), competed in the County Cross-Country Championships and finished in very creditable positions.
Katie Morris (Year 7) is excelling in the field of Gymnastics and will be representing the region of Kent, Surrey and Sussex in a mational competition in April.
The ski trip to Wagrain in Austria over the February half term proved to be very successful again. Many thanks go to all the staff who make this possible. Mr Boyle is now planning for 2006.
This term has also been very busy on the Performing Arts front. Synthesis VI, an evening of dance, drama and song, lived up to all expectations. The Senior and Junior Drama Clubs and Dance Clubs put together a cornucopia of entertainment under the expert guidance of Jenny Parks (from the Deal and Dover Academy of Performing Arts) and Mr Holden, Mrs Coles and Mrs Mitchell in school.
Mr Jon Williams, the new Head of Music, has also been very active. The “Battle of the Bands” competition was followed by two evenings of Rock and Pop Concerts. In the last week of term there will be the Spring Concert in the School Hall.
The School Orchestra, under Mrs Cullis, continues to maintain its link with Hardelot in northern France, and earlier in the term gave a joint concert with our French partners at St Leonard's Church.
Young Enterprise Companies have been operating in school this term. In January Gini Sharvill (Year 12) won the Dover Area Young Enterprise Public Speaking Competition. She thus went on to represent the Dover Area in the County Final and came a very creditable second. She spoke about the economic challenges and opportunities facing Kent over the next ten years.
With the departure of Mrs Garvey, the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme is being looked after by Mr Acourt for the remainder of this academic year. The interest in school remains very buoyant and a number of students will be presented with awards at a Presentation ceremony in the summer term:
Bronze Award: Hannah Johnson (Year 11), Annika Johnson (Year 11), Katie Jasper (Year 11).
Silver Award: Sam Johnson (Year 13).
Gold Award: Sam Johnson (Year 13), Claire Williams (Year 13).
On the academic front a number of sixth form students competed in the British Physics Olympiad 2005 with success: Bronze Awards went to Jehan Ariyaratnam, Sam Johnson, Gary Tse, Gordon Watson and Olusomi Delano and a Silver Award to George Bostock.
In school Mrs Judd, School Librarian, organised a “Chemical Crossword Competition”. Seve Findlater (Year 11) and Gary Tse (Year 13) won their respective age groups.
The Art Department have also had a particularly busy term with Year 10 and Years 12 and 13 trips to the National Portrait Gallery, the National Gallery, Tate Britain and Tate Modern. In July a group of sixth formers will visit Florence for a four day study/drawing course.
The Department has also joined in a Creative Partnership with Sandwich Technology School and Sandwich Junior School. This has resulted in a number of projects and presently Year 10 students are working on “giant” sculptures for parades locally and in France.
The Charity Committee continue to work hard in school raising money for the British Heart Foundation. A Charity Week saw forms throughout the school organise fund-raising activities, ranging from male leg waxing to the school's own slant on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”. Other initiatives also saw money raised for the Tsunami disaster and form 12H raised £80 to buy a flock of poultry for a poor family in Africa.
The end of this term saw the reciprocal visit from our German exchange school partner. Miss Scott was very pleased that everything went well. We are very grateful to those families who hosted a German student.
On the last day of term the CCF will depart for Snowdonia on their Adventure Week. We wish them well.
Another busy term therefore comes to a close. Apologies to those individuals and groups who did not get a mention in this newsletter; the above is far from an exhaustive survey of everything that goes on at Manwood's.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Easter Holiday.
Yours sincerely
C R L Morgan
Headmaster