Headteacher's Bulletin
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 6th May 2025
It has been a short but exciting week at Sunbury Manor as the GCSE written exams got underway. Drama and citizenship took place yesterday, with students coming out very positively, and as I write this, the business exam is still underway. I know that all of the hard work will have paid off for our students, and all of our best wishes are with all our students as they go into next week's exams.
This week we also had a very important visit from the charity Charlie’s Promise, who delivered a talk on knife crime to students. This was a very personal talk and very emotional. This is obviously a very difficult topic, but also one which we need our students to be educated on and understanding of the consequences. Students and staff were very touched by the talks, and all students showed extreme maturity throughout. If any students do wish to speak to anyone about this, then please do reach out to us so we can support.
We are very proud of Ewan in year 10, who has been successful in his Wimbledon recall trials and will be attending the Wimbledon training again this year. We wish him well and hope that he will be successful in becoming a ball boy once again for the 2025 Championships. We also wish the best of luck to our year 11 students who attended their recall trial last weekend and wait to hear if they have been selected this year. This is a very proud tradition of Sunbury Manor School, and one that I hope continues for many years to come.
We have continued with our drive on line-ups this week, to really embed the Sunbury Standards. Year 8 have been the focus this week, and I must say, they have been extremely impressive, perhaps even better than the year 7s, although I’m not sure Miss Batten will agree! Next week we will be focusing on year 9s! Although line up may seem like a minor part of our day in the scheme of things, gaining the buy in from students here really sets up the rest of the day, and their lessons to come. The old adage goes, “sweat the small stuff...”. This is why we focus on line-ups and uniform, because this sets our standard, so students are ready to learn, and in the right mindset to get it right. I will never apologise for having these standards, and we will continue this drive at Sunbury Manor to be a truly excellent school. I hope next week to be able to share with you the Ofsted report from our recent monitoring visit, which will demonstrate the progress we have made.
Have a fabulous sunny weekend!
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 2nd May 2025
It certainly felt like summer had arrived this week at Sunbury Manor! The warm weather brings many challenges to any school, but the vast majority of students coped very well.
We had the next phase of the GCSE exam season this week, with Spanish speaking exams going on through the week. Well done to all students for their efforts. Next Thursday the written exams start, with drama and citizenship on Thursday, and business on Friday. We are then in full flow the following week. I know students are working very hard to get themselves ready, and I always say never underestimate the final sprint for the line. That last push leading up to the exams can make all the difference.
A few weeks ago we launched the reading mentors’ scheme, with 15 year 10 students volunteering to support year 7 and year 8 students with their reading. Sessions take place on Tuesday and Friday during tutor time in the library. This is a wonderful scheme to support our younger students and help them make progress, as well as a great experience for the year 10 students. I talk about community often, and this is another example of our community working together to support each other, and nothing makes me prouder.
I had a lovely surprise yesterday, on the hottest day so far, when the science club dropped in with homemade ice-cream for me, made while investigating how salt affects the freezing point of water. The enthusiasm of these students learning about science is a real testament to the diversity of our school and the breadth of activity on offer. I must give a mention to Miss Homewood who gives up her time to run the science club, and it is down to her commitment and enthusiasm that brings so much enjoyment for the students. You may also remember that as part of science week the science club made a digestion system out of cake and sold it off to raise money for charity. They raised £35 which went the Dogs Trust.
Finally, this week we started a drive in our next phase to improve the effectiveness of line ups. We began with year 7s, and we have practised transitioning to lessons each line up. The year 7s have been fantastic. We will be practising with other year groups starting with year 8 next week. I introduced line ups to the school because of the significant impact it has on making the start of lessons calm and purposeful, and I have seen first hand in other schools, the significant impact that it can have. We know there is still some work to do to fully feel the benefits across the school, but we will keep practising to ensure that all students are ready to learn for their lessons, and that learning time is maximised.
I am hoping to be able to share the report from Ofsted following our recent monitoring visit in the next few days. I will be writing to parents as soon as this is published. Thank you for your ongoing support.
Have a lovely long weekend!
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 25th April 2025
It has been a short but very busy first week back at Sunbury Manor. I always enjoy welcoming students back from their break, well rested and ready to go into a new term. It was a pleasure seeing so many year 11s at Easter revision classes over the holidays, and many of the classrooms were bursting at the seams.
We really are into Exam season now, with the art exams taking place this week along with the PE practical moderation. Next week we have the Spanish speaking exams, and the written exams start the following week. I have no doubt that year 11 will perform brilliantly throughout, but every minute really counts, and I know teachers are doing everything they can to support.
On Tuesday I gave an assembly to all students on community and what that means to us. We are all part of Sunbury Manor community, and as with any community there are shared rules, expectations and values. I spoke to students about how important it is that we are all positive contributors to our community to ensure everyone in the community can be successful.
On Tuesday I also conducted a full uniform check of all students in years 7-10 (year 11 were exempt as I didn’t want them missing lessons). It was pleasing to see that the vast majority of students (over 90%) were in full and correct school uniform. Well done to all of those students who are representing our school with pride and doing the right thing. As always, however we are aiming for 100%. Please do ensure that if your child is missing any uniform that this is addressed as soon as possible, and that your child leaves the house each day in the correct uniform. The main issue we have for those few students are missing blazers and missing shoes with students wearing trainers. It looks like we are in for some very warm weather next week. Can I remind all parents that students are still expected to be in full school uniform, including their blazer (which they may take off and carry if the weather is particularly hot). Students should also have water to drink, but bottles must be filled up at break and lunch times, not during lessons.
Finally, this week I had the pleasure of meeting with representatives from MCR Pathways. If you don’t know, this is an organisation who provide a mentoring programme in school to support students who could benefit from this. Some students do group work with our full time Pathway Co-ordinator, and many students have a mentor, who is from outside of school. This has been proven to improve life chances of young people. It was wonderful to hear the report of all of the amazing work that has been done over the last year, and the impressive statistics of how students have responded to the programme. We have signed up to this for another year, and I know that the programme will be able to help even more young people next year. You can find out more about the programme at https://mcrpathways.org/. Have a great weekend!
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 28th March 2025
It was an absolute joy last night to be treated to the Sunbury Manor performance of Matilda! Every one of the students was absolutely incredible, and I’m thoroughly convinced we have some future stars of the west end amongst us. It takes a huge amount of effort from so many people to put on a show like this, and our incredible music and drama teachers do all of this in their own time. I can’t express enough thanks to these colleagues for the time and commitment. There are so many other staff who contribute as well to make these things happen- I won’t try to name them all, but a heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone who contributed, and congratulations to all the students involved. I am lucky enough to get to see it again this evening as I write this before the final performance- I can’t wait!
It has been an incredibly busy week at Sunbury Manor. As well as the show, we had visitors from Ofsted in on Monday and Tuesday, as you know. This was part of a monitoring visit following our inspection last year. While these visits are stressful for staff, I was grateful to have the opportunity to show inspectors how far we’ve come as a school. While I can’t share any outcomes of the visit with you until the report is published, I will say that the visit was a positive one, and inspectors were pleased that leaders of the school knew what needed to be done and had taken action to address key requirements. I will provide more feedback to parents when I am able to do so. I would also like to thank parents who completed the survey. We always welcome feedback from parents, even when it is not easy to hear!
Despite these key events this week, school life continues. We have had more sporting success, this time in basketball, with year 8 girls winning and becoming district champions for the second year in a row. Our year 7 girls fought a tough battle and ended up runners up- still an amazing achievement. Well done to all! Continuing our relationship with the Wimbledon Championships, Ewan in year 10 has been accepted back into the training. Year 11s’ recall trials are in May and we wish them the best of luck in continuing this tradition.
We are proud at Sunbury Manor of our House system, and I often talk about competitions in sport, however, these contests are also held across all curriculum areas of the school. This week we had 45 students competing in the house RE competition to create their own henna designs, just in time for Eid. Winning students in each year will get to create their designs for real with real henna tattoos on our willing volunteers, Miss Martin and Miss Baines. Congratulations to the winners Fatima (Y7), Sharon (Y8), Retaj (Y9) and Annabelle (Y10).
Finally, I will Eid Mubarak to all Muslim members of our community. We want to allow everyone to celebrate and so we are happy to authorise 1 day of absence for Muslim students to celebrate with their families.
This week you are hearing from Reverend Wood, deputy headteacher:
“I spent most of my early years in East Sussex before moving along the coast to study for a degree in Theology in Southampton. I had planned to train to be a primary school teacher, but a last-minute change of heart led me to train to be a secondary Religious Education teacher in Oxford. After teaching in schools in Brighton, Oxford, Poole and Fulham I started at Sunbury Manor in January 2001 as Head of RE. Since then, I have been Head of Humanities and an Assistant Head before taking on my current role as Deputy Head. I can honestly say it has been a privilege to work within this community for the last 24 years to see generations of the same families through the school and hear about all the things they have gone on to achieve. I am passionate about giving every student the opportunity to learn and achieve to the best of their ability both within and beyond the classroom. I enjoy travel and learning more about the world we live in; sharing this interest with students has led to many adventures, taking students to France and Belgium on our World War I Battlefields Tour as well as visits to Barcelona, Morocco, Prague and Rome.”
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 21st March 2025
Another week done, and we are edging closer and closer to the Easter break as well as closer and closer to the start of the year 11 GCSE exams. Many subjects are putting the final pieces in place for students in their qualifications. This week the year 11 citizenship students started the citizenship action component of their GCSE, spending a day earlier in the week forming their teams and collecting secondary research, and then getting out and about around the school interviewing staff on key topics. I personally was grilled by 2 groups and answered questions on bias in the judicial system and whether the legal voting age should be changed- it may have been the most challenging part of my week. This week we also had the final food and nutrition final exams, and I must say that what the students created wouldn’t have been out of place in a fancy restaurant. Well done to all our students who are working so hard, and a huge thankyou to staff going above and beyond to make these elements of the courses a success.
On Thursday we had our year 7 parents’ evening- the penultimate parents’ evening of the term (year 10 is in a couple of weeks, with year 8 in the new term). Turnout was great, and parents were full of positivity throughout. We also trialled a new element which we will roll out to other year groups. With our big push on attendance, we gave attendance breakdowns to all parents to show how well students were doing, and where they might improve. Remember- the target for all students it to be in school every day, and attendance should be at least 97%!
We are always looking for ways for students to be more creative, as we know that school isn’t just about academic achievement. Key stage 3 students this week submitted a variety of paintings and drawings for the Spring Art competition, demonstrating creativity and awareness of the world around them, as well as cultural symbolism behind the change in season. It was lovely to see our diverse community represented in the work submitted. Well done to Zara and Jemima who were the winners, receiving a watercolour painting set and 50 house points each.
This week you will hear about our deputy headteacher and safeguarding lead, Mrs Quincey:
“I was born and bred locally, having attended Sparrow Farm School and then Longford Community School (which is now Rivers Academy). I attended Swansea University and studied English literature. As the first person in my family to attend university it was an exciting and daunting experience.
To date, one of my most rewarding experiences in education was when I was part of the founding staff of an Academy in Wandsworth. Starting a school from scratch was incredibly hard work, but also thrilling and super fun!
I believe that we are all learners for life and I am so privileged to be able to facilitate sessions on the NPQ courses to support teachers and other colleagues from schools across Surrey and London to develop their own practice.
I am dedicated to all things safeguarding and am committed to working with our young people, our families and our staff to ensure that Sunbury Manor School is, and remains, a safe and happy place for all members of its community. Although only starting here in September 2024, I already feel very much a part of our school and I know I will enjoy many more years here.”
Have a lovely weekend and week ahead!
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 14th March 2025
This week, British Science Week launched in spectacular style with an unforgettable live animal workshop in the hall for our year 7 students and students from learning support. Pupils delved into the fascinating world of animal habitats, origins, and unique features, all while getting up close and personal with the creatures themselves! This was an amazing experience for our students to learn about the different animals as well as overcoming fears to hold a snake, baby meerkats, barn owls and a hedgehog! It was incredible to hear some students making the Kookaburra laugh! The feedback was very positive from all the students and staff who attended! But that wasn’t all—lunchtimes were transformed into thrilling science spectacles, as students were wowed with explosive chemical reactions, complete with dramatic bangs and dazzling flashes with Mr Abukar. Meanwhile, Ms Homewood, Ms Isa, and Ms Chapungu guided students through hands-on eye and heart dissections, offering a truly immersive learning experience. Science club made a life sized human digestive system out of cake. It’s quite unique and they have been selling parts to teachers at lunch time for charity. To top it all off, students unleashed their creativity by designing eye-catching posters inspired by this year’s theme: Change and Adapt. It’s been a week of discovery and excitement.
Also this week we have been getting that bit closer to our school production of Matilda! The hall has been closed for most of the week as we have been installing new stage lighting to ensure that our production really sparkles. Students are back in tomorrow for the first technical rehearsals on the stage, ready for the big show- if you haven’t got your tickets already, make sure you get them (available through Arbor Pay). I can’t wait!
Finally, I will leave you this week continuing our weekly introductions to the senior leadership team. This week’s story comes from our (not so new) SENDCo and Assistant Headteacher, Ms Moseley:
“I have been fortunate to have had a rich and creatively inspired journey into the field of education.
At an early age, I struggled to fit in, to belong and to find my voice. Standing at six feet, two inches made it incredibly difficult to simply blend in. I learnt to embrace my difference and found my calling through Drama and Sport. I didn’t realise then just how impactful a weekly drama workshop would be in my early teens, but it certainly enabled me to take on that which would otherwise have been so far out of reach.
School was a real challenge for me and I didn’t know why, in further education I excelled in my chosen studies of Media, Communication & Production, a vocational course suited my learning style. I tentatively furthered my education into university and enjoyed myself so much that I went back again and again. To date I have earned a Masters in Applied Theatre: Drama in Educational, Social & Community Contexts, a BA in Acting Studies and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education and by the Summer, I hope to have completed a Masters in Psychology.
I have worked in Front of house and stage management in theatres, writing, directing and producing work for the theatre, performing on stage in the North-West of England and in London and have held various positions of responsibility across the education sector in universities, colleges and schools, including Special schools and Pupil Referral Units.
I am immensely passionate about all things SEND, and as a neurodiverse professional, I can fully appreciate the many difficulties that arrive when education is not accessible. I am a model of determination, resilience and defiance in the face of challenge and I encourage our students to pursue the best version of themselves. Supporting students and their families is my absolute joy and I am very proud to be a member of the Sunbury Manor School Community.”
Have a great week!
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 7th March 2025
Another week draws to a close and we have certainly enjoyed the sunshine this week! Since starting my time at Sunbury Manor I have made a point of being clear about the challenges we are facing, and sometimes there are decisions that are not always easy. Some of you may know that last week I made the decision to close the field area at break and lunch times because some students weren’t moving quickly enough to line up. I never like ‘punishing’ all students for the actions of some, however I made this decision because it was important that students realise we must all work together to ensure that the school is successful. While the field was closed I had the opportunity to speak to a number of students about the reasons behind my decision, and what needed to happen to allow me to reverse it, and it has been a pleasure to have such sensible, mature conversations with so many of our students. I re-opened the field on Thursday, and students’ attitudes have been nothing short of amazing- encouraging each other, reminding each other of the expectations, and ensuring that everyone does the right thing. Break and lunch time over the past couple of days have been a true joy!
As always, the school week has flown by, with so much happening it’s hard to keep track. The year 10 GCSE drama students went to Pinewood Studios Futures Festival- a careers event for those looking to start a career in the film and TV industry. Students met employers and professionals, and enjoyed looking around the studios and interacting with characters. On Tuesday our year 10 food students were having a flippin’ good time making pancakes! And congratulations to Gian in year 11, Roza in year 10, Imogen in year 9, Nathan in year 8 and Lily-rose in year 7, who achieved the highest number of completed questions in their year groups on Educake Science, well done!
I like to celebrate the achievements of our students whenever possible, whether in or out of school. This week a huge congratulations goes to Blake, who won gold in the south east region tumbling national qualifiers, making him the regional champion for the second year running. An absolutely incredible achievement.
Finally, continuing my theme started last week, this week, is Mr Cottle’s turn:
“I completed my secondary schooling locally and have lived in Surrey my whole life. I studied Geography and Environmental Issues with Information Communication Technology at Brunel University and graduated with a first class honours degree and qualified teachers’ status. I joined Sunbury Manor in 1998 as a newly qualified Geography teacher and have never looked back. During my time here I have held a variety of positions including Head of Geography, Deputy Head of Humanities, Examinations Manager, ICT Coordinator, Head of Computing and Assistant Headteacher. In 2012 I was promoted to the role of Deputy Headteacher having completed my NPQH. I have spent 27 years at Sunbury Manor and can honestly say that it has been an honour to have been able to teach and help lead a school that means so much to me. Not many can say that they have taught whole families, but to me that stability is so important. I am passionate about ensuring that every child is in school and able to succeed to the best of their ability. Outside of school I love to travel the world and have ticked off 52 countries to date!”
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 28th February 2025
The first week back from half term is always a bit of a shock to the system, for staff and students alike, but that hasn’t stopped us getting on with the job at hand. This week the Senior Leadership Team and I have been visiting lessons across the school to look at the learning, and identify where we can support our staff and students to improve things further. It has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience to see purposeful classrooms, attentive students and rapid progress in departments across the school.
This week we hosted one of my favourite school events: The year 9 options’ evening. Reverend Wood held an assembly for year 9 earlier in the week, and on Thursday parents attended school to hear about the process and speak to subject teachers about what subjects are on offer. It was a hugely successful evening, with virtually all of year 9 in attendance, demonstrating how much students and parents value their education. As well as the options evening itself, departments have also been discussing their subjects with students in lesson during the week. Earlier in the week I was lucky enough to see three year 10 music students perform to all of the year 9s, so they could see what taking the course would really be like, and the variety of performances they could be part of. It was a real privilege and well done to Layla, Dara and Nicolo for their performances.
This week we also had the start of the second set of mocks for year 11. As we draw ever closer to the real exams, every bit of practice and feedback is essential to ensure that students are able to maximise their grades. Once again students impressed with their punctuality, organisation, commitment and hard work. I am looking forward to seeing the results from these mocks, as well as seeing how students’ confidence grows towards the start of the GCSEs in a couple of months’ time.
Our science department have been hard at work, and have been working with the site team to construct and set up a hedgehog feeder in the school garden, ready for hedgehogs waking up from hibernation. They have also organised a big litter pick next Thursday after school (weather permitting), and have planned to plant a wild area to use for ecology lessons in the summer. It always impresses me how much our staff and students merge education, the environment and a sense of community, and it really is what Sunbury Manor is all about!
I received some feedback recently that parents would perhaps appreciate an insight into the senior leadership of the school, so I will include a slot over the next few weeks, giving you a bit more information on each of our team, starting with me:
“I am originally from the North East, and studied mathematics at Newcastle University. I trained as a teacher after moving to London, completing my PGCE at Kings College, London, and then went on to work at a number of London schools, including in Ealing, Islington and Brent. During this time I completed my masters degree in leadership at UCL, and have been a head of department, and eventually becoming an assistant headteacher and deputy headteacher. Most recently before joining Sunbury Manor I worked in a school in Luton to help improve that school. I am passionate about education for all, and it is my mission to ensure that everyone has access to a high quality, free education.”
I hope you have a lovely weekend.
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 7th February 2025
I can’t believe that we are already heading into the final week of half term! It has been a very productive half term across Sunbury Manor, as we continue to make further strides on our journey of improvement. As we have seen further improvements in uniform, in conduct around the school, and most importantly in lessons; we have been able to embrace some of the opportunities beyond the classroom for our students.
This week we had our year 9 STEM day, with 60 students taking part in workshops combining science, technology, engineering and maths. Students competed in the Renewable Energy Challenge by building the best wind turbines, and they certainly embraced the challenge. Our Partners, Smallpeice Trust, who ran the event commented on the high level of student engagement and behaviour, and that the students were a credit to the school. I must also mention that the girls really impressed with both the winning and second place team made up of all girls. In an industry that unfortunately still too often lacks representation from women.
In sport it was success for both the boys and girls, with the year 7 girls winning their group stages of the basketball and through to the finals later in the term, and the year 7 boys rugby team winning against Thamesmead. The year 7 and 8 netball teams won both matches this week against Matthew Arnold- all round success for the key stage 3 sports teams. Well done!
This week we also moved forward with what I consider one of the key stones to a school’s success- the school council. It’s taken us a little while to really get things going this year, but now that we have, I can really say that student voice is alive and well, and it was fantastic this week to hear what the student representatives had to say. Last week each year council met, with representatives from each tutor group. Reverend Wood was on hand to co-ordinate and give everyone a chance to raise and discuss topics that were important to them, and any concerns they had around the school. They also selected their representatives for the School Council, and it was wonderful to hear how seriously students took this responsibility of representing their peers. Citizenship is one of the most important subjects we teach at Sunbury Manor, and something that really does make the school unique- it was evident from the council meetings, just how much students had taken on board. I was lucky enough to attend the full School Council Meeting on Thursday, to hear ideas from students of how they wanted to take the school forward, and they certainly didn’t hold back. What was most wonderful was that students didn’t just bring forward worries or complaints, but real solutions of how to help and support their fellow students, and how they can take the school forward. This included ideas for a student bulletin, written by our head student team, collating ideas from all the council members; and a video showing what Sunbury Manor is like from a student perspective. I think I may be out of a job!!
Finally this week I want to draw your attention to one of the most exciting events in the school calendar! I spoke earlier in the year about the school production of Matilda way back when we were first holding auditions. Well, rehearsals are coming to an end and I must encourage each and everyone to put it in your diary! The performances are on Thursday 27th and Friday 28th March at 6:30pm and there will be a link to buy tickets in next week’s newsletter. I’ve managed to sneak a few peaks at the rehearsals, and this really is one not to be missed!
Have a fantastic weekend.
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 31st January 2025
We are already closing in on the end of the half term now, with only 2 weeks left. This means we draw ever closer to the GCSEs for our year 11 students, with only around 11 weeks left of school until they start. Our intervention programme kicked in for students this week, with a targeted programme of after school classes to address key areas of learning ready for their second mock exams when we return from half term. As a fan of athletics, I always compare this to the sprint for the line at the end of a distance race, and we all know the effort put in now can make all the difference to the final outcome. As students continue to work hard towards this, they are rewarded with prom points with a total of 70 required to qualify for the prom. 3 students have already qualified, with many not too far away. I hope that all year 11s will qualify to attend this important rite of passage, but they will need to keep up the hard work to make sure!
For the rest of the school, we continue to provide as many opportunities as possible beyond that of the normal curriculum. This week we had 2 trips out, one for year 9 who headed to Shepton Mallet Prison as part of their crime and punishment unit in RE- what an exciting chance to see a very different environment; and on Thursday we had the KS4 Poetry Live trip to the London Apollo Victoria Theatre. On Wednesday we also had an opportunity for all of our year 8s to see live theatre, with a production of A Christmas Carol in school. Students invariably did Sunbury Manor proud, representing the school and demonstrating our school values.
In sporting news, 16 year 7 students attending the Sports Hall Athletics competition this week at Eclipse Leisure Centre. After competing in a range of track and field events, Sunbury Manor finished second in the district. Well done to all our competitors! Also this week, we held the Year 8 girls basketball tournament, with our girls winning their group stage, and moving forward to the final later in the term. A big congratulations and we’re looking forward to seeing how they do in the next stage.
This week we also had a round of Year 9 vaccinations. When we facilitate these events, it reminds me just how much we need to manage as schools to ensure the best for our students. It reminds me that schools really are the hubs of their communities, and while our key goal will always be education, schools often perform so many other functions and provide support for our families. We will continue to strive to ensure that we work with families and the community at every opportunity to improve the lives of all who we serve. The vaccination team were kind enough to pass on their thanks to the Sunbury staff who supported the vaccinations, and praised our students as a ‘delight to see, well behaved and polite’. It’s always uplifting to hear such positive feedback about our students.
Finally, I’d like to update you on some of the things we are doing around school to help improve the learning environment for students. This year, we have started a full redecoration programme of classrooms, with the humanities and maths department having been decorated and recarpeted, and English and the Ready to Learn Centre booked in at half term. We now have new interactive screens in all of our classrooms, new fencing in the carpark and around the playing courts, and a new student reception and medical room. We are currently looking at plans to rejuvenate the courtyard area, and refurbish some of the toilets, as well as new stage lighting in the hall in advance of our school show in March. I believe that the learning environment should be representative of the aims of the school to help young people to thrive and achieve, while we can’t do everything, we will continue to improve our school to allow us to compete with the very best!
Have a lovely weekend.
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 24th January 2025
It continues to be full steam ahead at Sunbury Manor this term. I often think Spring term as the filling to our sandwich of the academic year. While during Autumn term we are getting to know new classes and students and getting into the swing of things, and summer term there’s a big focus on exams and we start looking ahead, this term is where things really happen and where we make sure this really is a successful year for all students and staff.
We have had plenty going on this week, with our first set of year 9 careers workshops (the rest are this Thursday). This the initial part of the year 9 GCSE options process, with the official launch in the weeks to come. The options process is one of my favourite events in school, as students have the first real choices in their educational journey, and really start to think about their future.
While the year 9s are at the start of their GCSE journey, the year 11s are getting ever closer to the end of theirs. The majority of students have now completed the speaking and listening element of their English Language GCSE. This is a wonderful part of the course as students get to pick a topic of their choice to talk about, and every topic you could imagine has been chosen, including citizenship, art, science, music and politics. The English team asked me to pass on their congratulations to all of the students, and said that they have been incredibly impressed and are very proud of the students.
We’ve had a number of sporting accolades this week. The year 9 boys were runners up in the district 7-a-side football tournament, and we also took part in the district swimming gala. All students performed admirably, but I have to mention the year 11 girls' team, who were crowned district champions for the 4th consecutive year (winning every year that the event has taken place since they started in year 7).
While some students were celebrating sporting achievements, others were exploring new areas of science in science club, making sulfate crystals and learning all about crystallisation. The students now have their seed crystals and are growing their crystals ready for next week to see who has the best one!
Finally from me, a plea. We have had some challenging weather this week as the temperature dropped again, and then some torrential downpours yesterday. Please do make sure that your children are dressed appropriately for this weather, noting that they may well need to be outside even when it is cold, and that they need to journey to and from school. The nature of our school site also means that they will need to travel between buildings, even when it is wet outside. There were some students this week who didn’t even have a coat with them! The wellbeing of our students will always be our top priority, but the school will remain open unless we absolutely cannot, and this means that students may well need to face the inclement weather! If any parents need support with this, please do reach out to the school and we will always help where we can.
Have a great weekend.
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 17th January 2025
I’d like to start off this week by giving a big thank you to all of our teachers for the year 11 parents’ evening on Thursday- the first parents’ evening of the year. Parents’ evenings are an essential part of our calendar for all year groups, and I know that teachers at Sunbury Manor really appreciate that opportunity to talk to parents in person, but we must also acknowledge that they take a great deal of effort from the teachers, and so many parents really expressed their personal appreciation for this yesterday. These occasions couldn’t be more vital for our year 11 students, with only a few months to go before exam season, the advice, feedback and direction they received from their subject teachers will be key to reaching their potential in the summer. I will look forward to meeting and speaking to more parents as these events come about for the other year groups over coming weeks.
We have been really focussed this week on ensuring that all lessons in the school get off to a great start, so that we can maximise learning for all. This has included a big push with line ups and lesson changeover, and we are already seeing the benefit, with lessons starting more swiftly and with greater purpose, which is fantastic. As always the success of this in the longer term will come down to all of us working together. I have been emphasising to students the importance of getting to lessons on time, every time, and only in the case of a true emergency should they be anywhere other than in their lessons. I’d like to ask for your support in reiterating this will all students- to use the toilets during break and lunch, rather than lesson change over; to make sure that if they need to see a member of staff they do this outside of lesson time; and to be prepared so they know what lessons they need to get to. Your support is very much appreciated. From Monday we will be having another drive towards uniform- please do make sure that over the weekend any missing blazers are located, school shoes are replaced, and hoodies are nowhere to be seen. We will be challenging students on the way into school, but I would prefer to see everyone getting it right!
Finally, this week I wanted to give you a quick update, as far as I can on the news I shared before the Christmas break regarding the future of Sunbury Manor. As you know, Sunbury Manor will become part of the Harris Federation and it is planned that this will take effect from September. We have been having a lot of meetings and sharing information as part of the due diligence process to give colleagues at Harris a full understanding of Sunbury Manor, where we are on our journey of improvement, and our priorities moving forwards. This is an exciting time, and I have enjoyed meeting new colleagues and developing new partnerships which will be so beneficial for the students at Sunbury Manor. I know that you will be eager to hear first hand how these changes will benefit your children, and rest assured this is in hand, and once a date is set and we are in a position to share more details we will be inviting you in to hear all about the opportunities to come.
I hope you all have a great weekend, and week to come.
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 10th January 2025
It has certainly been a chilly start to the new term, and I am very glad that the snow didn’t really materialise locally.
As we get ever closer to the GCSE exams, things are really ramping up in school and there is no time to lose. This week we have the Creative iMedia exam, GCSE food practical exams and the English speaking and listening exams all taking place and continuing into next week. These are real exams, and elements of the final qualifications, so it couldn’t be more important for students to be focussed and doing everything they can to maximise the time they have left.
I had the pleasure of delivering assemblies to all of the year groups this week to welcome them back and provide a little bit of context to our journey so far and what is to come. The theme of my assembly was change, and I discussed some of the changes we have made already at the start of our journey to becoming an outstanding school, and those changes which will be taking place over the coming months. I know as parents you will be very keen to know what that will look like, and while I don’t have anything more to share at this point, I can confirm that work is ongoing and I have met several times with colleagues from The Harris Federation, many of whom have visited the school to see where we are on our journey and begin our work together.
I also spoke to students about the changes they can make to support their progress and ensure success. It was interesting to me to talk about these points with the different year groups, at such different points on their journeys at this school. I spoke about the importance of thinking carefully about what changes they might want to make, ensure that these changes are achievable, and that they will have impact. For some this may mean packing their school bag the night before so they are not rushed in the morning; for others it might mean setting an alarm 10 minutes earlier to make sure they always arrive on time, or have time for breakfast; and for some it might mean spending a few minutes every evening reading rather than watching tv or on their phones- all very achievable, and all will have impact on their success at school. I’m sure for year 11s these changes will be focussed on their study and preparation for their exams, and so I also emphasised the importance of thinking strategically- making sure that they are working on the right skills and knowledge to have the most impact.
I am excited to go into our first full week back next week, and really get the term underway with extracurricular activities kicking in in full and lots of events coming up this term, including trips out, theatre events in school and the year 9 STEM challenge. This term also sees a number of parents’ evenings as well as the start of the year 9 options process- a vital time for those students. We will keep you updated, but please do check the calendar and letter sent before Christmas to ensure these things are in your diary!
Finally, I will leave you with an opportunity sent to us from Sunbury Leisure Centre for our female students, in a drive to get more girls into sport and fitness. If you think your child would be interested, please do have a look at the details, here.
Happy new year to you all and have a wonderful weekend!
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 13th December 2024
The end of term is definitely approaching quickly, and while we are still focused on learning across the school, there have been some opportunities to celebrate and to get into the festive spirit.
Year 7 with top attendance were rewarded with a Christmas movie night, with over 165 students attending! The evening was very well received, with students enjoying the cinema experience.
A group of students were also able to visit the Greeno Day Centre in Shepperton to spend time performing and singing Christmas carols. Our bands and choir were fantastic, with residents commenting on how polite and friendly all of our students were. As well as performing, students took the opportunity to chat with residents, listening to their stories and sharing Christmas memories, finishing with a group sing along of Silent Night and Jingle Bells. Before Covid, this was an annual event, and I am thrilled to be able to bring this tradition back and enable our students to give back to their community.
This week saw the inaugural meeting of our year group councils. A different year group met each day, representing their tutor groups, and discussed key issues on behalf of their peers. The main topic was extra-curricular activities. This is a common theme raised by students and indeed coming through the parent surveys (more to follow on our actions following this). Students had some wonderful ideas on what additional clubs could be offered, but we were also able to have constructive conversations about what was realistic and how we could go about making those ideas a reality. While it will take more time for us to develop our extra-curricular offering to reach the level we would like, we will be sharing the updated outline of our current offering with parents next week, ready for January. I would encourage all students to attend at least one club as there really is something everyone can enjoy. This week, the science club were making bouncy balls- I'm sure everyone would find that fun!
This week saw the final round of Yondr pouch launches, with year 10 collecting theirs on Tuesday, and it was another successful week. Almost every student has worked with us to embrace the new protocol, and we are already seeing a drastic change around the school. I actually think that quite a lot of our students are grateful to have the temptation taken away for a few hours each day! Don't forget, students must bring their yondr pouch each day as part of their equipment, and we will check them as students arrive at school. This is still the case if students don’t have a phone or don’t bring one to school! Letters have gone home to year 11 students this week informing parents that the same rules apply to year 11, although we won’t be issuing them with pouches, and we are expecting our year 11s to be good role models for the younger year groups, with phones turned off and not seen or heard.
With the final week of school upon us, can I remind everyone that this is a normal week of school, with regular lessons, normal expectations and full uniform throughout. I’m sure there will be the odd festive themed activity, and I know we are all wondering what Mrs Quincey’s final week of Christmas outfits will be, however students should still be ready to learn for each of their lessons, right up until we break up.
Have a great weekend!
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 6th December 2024
It has certainly been an eventful week this week at Sunbury Manor as we hit December and really started the countdown to the Christmas break. While I know everyone will be looking forward to the break and festivities for those who partake, we must also make the most of the final couple of weeks of lessons to ensure every student has the best opportunity to succeed. We will have normal lessons right up to the time we break up, and just as a reminder we finish our final day with our usual early finish- students will be dismissed at 12.20pm.
I’m sure many of you will still be absorbing the news that Sunbury Manor will be joining the Harris Federation, and I am glad that, this week, I have been able to share this news with you. I’m sure there are lots of questions (what colour the uniform will be has been the talk of the playground this week!), and I will endeavour to answer these questions as soon as I am able, and there will be more opportunities for parents to hear more in the new year. I will be working closely with colleagues from Harris to ensure we build upon the improvements we have already seen at Sunbury Manor throughout this year and moving forward.
Despite heading towards the end of the term, life continues in school. We’ve had a number of exciting events this week, with the Heathrow STEM Challenge for all of year 8 taking place on Monday- an exciting workshop for students to engage with science and technology. The final of the House Bake Off competition took place on Tuesday. Students submitted their designs for a decorated swiss roll, and the top 12 designs were selected for students to put their designs into practice. The results were amazing (photos to follow in the newsletter). The winning entry was from Attenborough House, made by Ankunda and Martha in year 9. Well done! On Thursday we had the incredible GCSE music showcase evening. Students from the GCSE music class performed for us, and also introduced their original compositions- truly incredible and an amazing display of talent!
We continue with our roll out of the Yondr mobile phone pouches. This week saw year 9 embrace the new routine and be phone free for the whole day. We are already seeing dramatic change in the year groups as we introduce the pouches to them. Next week, year 10 will join year 7, 8 and 9, with their pouches given out on Tuesday. As well as supporting their focus in class, free from distractions, we are seeing students talk more and interact. It is such an important life skill to be able to survive without the use of a mobile phone, and I’m pleased to say that almost all of our students are really embracing the opportunity.
Finally, just a reminder. You will previously have received a link to the parent survey and there is still time to complete it if you haven’t already- closing date Monday at 9am. The link is below, and I would encourage as many parents to complete it as possible. Your views (good and bad) are really valuable to us and help to form our priorities for the school, so please do take a few minutes to complete it if you can!
https://forms.office.com/e/zNneJuTAKw
Have a great weekend and week ahead!
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 29th November 2024
I want to start this week by saying huge congratulations and well done to our year 11 cohort for how well they have conducted themselves throughout the mock exams over the last two weeks. There are still a few exams left to complete next week, but the exams team has been singing the praises of the students for their mature and committed approach. It really does make me incredibly optimistic for the outcomes in their GCSEs in the summer.
Meanwhile the rest of the school have been getting on with the day job of lessons and learning. We've been focusing on tightening up some of our routines and expectations. We are now able to make sure that everyone is wearing their tie each day (in their new year group colours), that everyone is ready to learn, moving into their classrooms sensibly and calmly, particularly when coming from their line ups, and that lessons are purposeful through our new lesson structures and routines. It still excites me walking around the school and seeing students engaged in their lessons and making real progress.
We have had the usual array of activities going on. Our year 10 footballers won the district 7-a-side tournament against 7 other teams from across the district, winning their group, semis and final without conceding a goal. Special mention to Sam who captained the team, Oscar who scored 5 goals and Alfie for scoring the winning goal!
Over the last 2 weeks students from all year groups have been competing in the House Basketball Competition. It has been great to see so many students taking part and representing their houses, as well as so many students coming to provide support! And the final result:
In 3rd Place: Curie House with 4750 points
In Joint Second place: Attenborough and Lovelace Houses with 5500 points each
And in 1st place, congratulations to Mozart House with an amazing 7000 points!
It’s not only sport where great things have been happening. In Mr Ediare’s electronics club students were really excited to make a dimmer switch and see how science links to electronics in the real world.
Finally, this week we launched the use of Yondr phone pouches with year 8 students and it has been an astounding success so far. Students have engaged extremely well and have really understood why we are moving to this system. We are rolling this out to year 9 students next week, and I am looking forward to having the majority of our students across the school, and all of key stage 3 phone free for the whole day, without distractions or temptations. I would also like to thank parents for the overwhelming support for this initiative.
Have a wonderful weekend and week ahead.
Sparx readers for last week: Emily (Year 7 and Connor (year 8)
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 22nd November 2024
I’ve been very proud this week watching our year 11 students complete their first week of mock exams. There have been some nerves, but students have worked really hard and done their best to show what they have learned, practice their exam technique, and get ready for the real exams in May and June. There are still some exams to complete with written exams continuing throughout next week, and practical and speaking exams the week after.
We are always on the lookout for ways to extend and deepen our offerings in subject departments across the school, and there have been 2 departments who have worked hard to move the school forward that I wanted to draw attention to this week. This week was maths week, and the maths departments ran a number of activities to celebrate and challenge students, including some lessons beyond the curriculum such as creating Islamic tiles and solving maths mysteries, as well as puzzle of the day competitions and year 9 will be taking part in Edge Hill University Mathematics Challenge. As a mathematician myself I am excited to see our maths department encouraging students so they can see how maths applies in so many different contexts.
The other department I wanted to celebrate this week is our music department. Following an application, we have successfully met Music Mark’s vision for accessible and excellent musical learning and engagement. Music Mark is an award that recognises the commitment that Sunbury Manor makes towards providing high-quality music education and promoting musical opportunities for our students. It's fantastic to have our commitment to delivering and inclusive, diverse and accessible music curriculum recognised, and my congratulations go to our fantastic music team.
Sticking with a musical theme, I am thrilled to congratulate Layla in Year 10 on her successful audition for the musical Disney Newsies Jr. at the BUZZ theatre, Woking, which will be performed in February half term. Layla managed to secure the role of Katherine Plumber, which is the lead female part.
I’d also like to celebrate an accolade we received this week from Girls’ Football School Partnership who designates us Equal Access School 2024 for helping Surrey to provide equal access to girls’ football provision. It’s great to know that what we are doing is helping to move forward equality in sports in the area! We can also celebrate our year 7 boys 7-a-side rugby team who came runners up in the district tournament, the first time they had played together, and some having never played before!
Finally, I would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who donated coats to wrap up London. Reverend Wood could barely get into her office this week as there were so many, and we have now taken them off to benefit those in need.
Thank you all for your ongoing support, have a wonderful weekend, and be sure to wrap up warm and stay safe.
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 15th November 2024
It’s been a very busy week at Sunbury Manor this week, and it has been a real pleasure to see students embracing the opportunities that so many staff work hard to provide them.
On Monday we had the award winning Guilford Shakespeare Company visit school and perform Macbeth for all our year 11 students. Following the performance actors from the company led workshops and students engaged fantastically, impressing the actors with their knowledge and enthusiasm. Special mention goes to Syprus, Amiee, Marija, Owen and Riley, who won particular praise from the actors, who said that Sunbury Manor was the best school they had been to! These ‘co-curricular’ activities that support all students in their studies beyond the classroom setting are essential in ensuring that students can achieve their very best, and it’s a true joy when I see students really benefitting from these.
We always aim to ensure that our curriculum not only provides students with depth of knowledge and skill in that particular discipline, but also addresses current affairs, and local, national and world issues. This week in art Year 8 students have been making recycled plastic jellyfish sculptures, influenced by David Attenborough’s efforts to reduce plastic waste in the ocean. As well as being able to express their artistic abilities, this has provided opportunities for many valuable conversations about plastic pollution and what we can do at Sunbury Manor to help reduce our personal waste.
On Thursday this week we hosted our annual mock interview day for year 10. Members of our community, local businesses, governors and friends of the school kindly volunteered to ‘interview’ our year 10 students as part of their careers programme, and give them a taste of what it might be like to go for interviews for college, university and jobs in the future. The students thoroughly enjoyed it and the interviewers were full of nothing but praise for our ‘wonderful students’.
There was much talk through this week as students tried to guess what colour their year group would get for their new tie! I can confirm that the coloured stripe on the ties for each year group are as follows: Year 7- Purple, Year 8- Red, Year 9- Yellow, Year 10- Blue, Year 11- Green. If you do need to purchase a replacement tie, then please do make sure you purchase the correct colour. We now have a supply of spare, secondhand ties in school, and we plan to make these available to purchase at a much-reduced cost. Houses will continue to form an important part of school life, and students will receive a badge to indicate the colour of their house.
We were very lucky this week to have a visit from our local member of parliament, Lincoln Jopp. Mr Jopp met with me, with our head student team, and stopped into some classes. Some of our year 8 students had the privilege of Mr Jopp speaking to them in their citizenship lesson. Mr Jopp spoke about some of the improvements he would like to make to the local area, and it was a pleasure to speak to him about our community and what is important to us.
I will finish this week on what I think was my highlight of the week. While working in my office after school yesterday I heard some giggling outside my window but couldn’t see anything. As it turns out we might have some budding spies in our science club, who had been making periscopes! The joy from those students engaging in this is really the reason that teachers teach, long may it continue!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sparx readers for this week: Nathan (Year 8) and Gurneel (year 7)
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 8th November 2024
I find it hard to believe we have only been back 1 week since the half term break as it feels like we are right back in the swing of things. It’s been a very busy week at Sunbury Manor, with activities, events and sports matches; and of course, getting right back down to our main focus of learning.
We welcomed home our travellers from the WW1 Battlefields trip to France and Belgium who returned on Monday. What a wonderful experience for those children who were lucky enough to go and learn about this important period in history and the experiences of those soldiers. There was also a snail tasting experience- I'm afraid I wouldn’t have been partaking!
Our year 7 netballers had their first game at Sunbury Manor, and I’m thrilled to say that their hard work paid off, with a 6-0 win against Jubilee High School. The Year 8 netball team also showed great determination and teamwork in a close match. In other sporting news, Annabelle in year 11 has been selected to train as a mixed martial arts instructor for Shentie Mixed Martial Arts Academy- a real accolade and demonstration of her character and skill! Sport is a vital part of the community at Sunbury Manor, and this isn’t limited to the football and rugby fields, or the netball and tennis courts.
Our year 11 students began their qualification process for the prom this week, and as you can imagine they are extremely enthusiastic and looking forward to this rite of passage at the end of their Sunbury Manor journey. More information will follow in a letter to parents.
Our coding club is also increasing in popularity. We now have 5 groups of year 8 students ready to enter the Code Club competition to build an animation or game for a charity of their choice. I encourage all students to find extracurricular activities that they will enjoy. Coding club is for year 7 and 8 students, with no previous knowledge needed. There really is an activity for everyone at Sunbury.
Charity is another key aspect of our community at Sunbury Manor. However, we know that donating money is not always easy for everyone, or the best way to be charitable. Wrap up London is part of a wider initiative to donate old coats to those who need them as we enter the colder months. Last year Wrap Up London shared 16,500 coats with 75 charities. We will be collecting coats for this amazing cause so please do see if you have any adult or children’s coats you no longer need, and we will be collecting from next week. Importantly we will also be looking at how we can get these coats to those in our own community who are in need, before passing them on to Wrap-Up London.
We all know that mental health concerns affect us all. On Thursday all students in the school participated in workshops delivered by Mind of the Student. The sessions tackled stigma around mental health and introduced students to some mindfulness approaches.
We are now a Mind of the Student recognised school following our commitment to improving mental health understanding and support of our students.
Finally, I would like to inform you that for some students we are having a change of tie. This will mean that all students in a year group will have the same colour tie. Any students who need a different tie to match their year group colour will be given a new tie by the school at no charge, they will just need to hand in their old tie in return. Students will be informed of what they need to do next week. This is already in place for year 7s, and this will help us to manage students transition around site by making it easier to identify who is in which year groups. Another step in helping us improve Sunbury Manor for all students!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Top Sparx readers for the half term break were: Benedicta in year 7 and Louis in year 8!
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 18th October 2024
I’m sure you have been as confused as me by the weather this week- summer seemed to have returned for some of the time, while at others I thought we were deep into winter. There are always challenges around school when this happens- rain at lunch and break mean a change to routine and more crowded indoor space; students feeling wet and a bit soggy in their lessons or when they arrive at school; the number of puddles and muddy fields around our large site. I must thank the students, who have been so mature when we have had to make last minute changes. Behaviour has typically been exemplary, and this means we can focus on our task at hand- learning!
Sunbury Manor Staff continue to be so dedicated to the students, including in subjects where part of the course goes far beyond the classroom. This week we had our sports study trip on Monday and Tuesday, a required part of the course. Students were taken to High Ashurst to take part in mountain biking and rock climbing. Unfortunately, the weather was not particularly kind to them on Monday, but nevertheless a great time was had by all, and another step towards their qualifications (and I think some of the staff had even more fun!)
The arts continue to be such a vital part of Sunbury Manor and this week the year 11 GCSE music group submitted the first version of their own compositions, demonstrating real creativity in an incredibly challenging part of the course. Year 10 also performed for the first time in their music lessons, putting aside their nerves to demonstrate their skill. The GCSE music evening is on December 5th where some of these pieces will be performed in what I know will be a spectacular display of talent- please do come along!
You may be aware that we recently had some filming in school to create a video showing who we are as a school. I was privileged enough to watch the first draft this week (and cringe at my own sections!). I became a little emotional when listening to how students and staff spoke about the school, the relationships we build and the supportive environment that we have in Sunbury. I will be sure to share the video with you once the final edit is complete, and I’ve no doubt you will agree with me.
As the penultimate week of the half term draws to a close, I am reflecting on how far we have come as a school in a short space of time. I’ve never shied away from the challenges we face at Sunbury Manor, and when I first started working with the school in February, followed by the Ofsted inspection in May, I knew there was plenty of work to do to ensure the school was providing for the young people in our charge. Well, we have worked hard (and there is more hard work to come) and now I can look out at our school and say that safeguarding is effective; that lessons are purposeful; that students are happy; that behaviour is good; that staffing is stable, and that students are flourishing, not least our year 7 students who joined us this year. We will continue to work for our community to ensure that Sunbury Manor is the best place to be for all of our students.
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 11th October 2024
This week I took great pleasure in welcoming many of you into school for our meet the tutor evening. This is such an important event on the school calendar to ensure that we are all working together and the lines of communication are open. I do hope parents appreciate the information sheet that we gave you to help you keep in touch with us and reach the appropriate colleagues in school. Communication is incredibly important to us at Sunbury Manor, and we will continue to look at how we can develop communication with parents even further. The evening was also a great opportunity for us to invite a number of providers in for our careers fair, including the Royal Navy, NHS, several local colleges, Kingston University and many more. I really enjoyed watching our students speak to different providers and find out more about different options open to them when they leave Sunbury Manor and beyond!
Our sporting success continued this week with Year 9 boys winning the district rugby 7s tournament without losing a game! I would also like to congratulate Huy in Year 7 and Simonas in Year 8, who are our top Sparx Readers for this week- what a fantastic achievement for these young people.
Something that was raised by a parent at the meet the tutor evening was a question about how we are developing our curriculum. It struck me that I have spoken a great deal in this bulletin about so many of the wonderful events, sports and competitions that take place at Sunbury Manor, but haven’t taken the opportunity to tell you about some of the amazing work we are doing in the classroom to make our students education the best it can be.
We have launched a number of initiatives this year, some of which students will have seen already, some of which will be rolled out throughout the year. We now have mini-white boards in every classroom. These are a simple but effective tool teachers use to check understanding instantly and adapt their lessons as needed. We are also working on a centralised curriculum- this means that teachers work together to plan the best lessons possible that all teachers will then use, ensuring that all students receive first class lessons. We have spent time developing the structure of our lessons, for example with the use of a ‘do now’ activity at the start of every lesson, to help students get straight to work when they come into the classroom, maximising learning time, and to help them recall prior learning that they need for the lesson ahead.
These are just a few of the steps we have taken to develop a world-class curriculum for the students at Sunbury Manor and ensure that every child can achieve their very best. We want all students to be safe, happy and ready to learn when they enter the classroom, and we then need to make sure that the lesson ahead is purposeful, engaging and challenging, meeting the needs of all students in the class.
Finally, as we go into the last two weeks of the half term, before a well-deserved rest for students and staff, I would like to ask once again for your support. In the long half terms we know that students can start feeling fatigued, and standards can start to slip. Please do continue to ensure that your child is coming to school (no days off!), ready to learn (uniform correct, full equipment, a good night’s sleep). Our expectations will remain high, and so must theirs of themselves!
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 4th October 2024
It’s hard to believe we’re already over halfway through this half term. The academic year really is fully underway! Across the school we are seeing students really embracing the new year, with year 11s focused, year 10 enjoying the new GCSE courses, and year 7 really settled into life in secondary school. Although the skies are blue as I write this, this morning reminded me that we are headed into much colder weather and shorter days. Please do make sure all children have a warm coat. While we have great dining facilities here, there simply isn’t the space to have everyone inside in the cold weather, and so everyone needs to be dressed appropriately to be outside at lunch and break, as well as for the journey to and from school.
We have seen a great increase in our attendance to school this year, however we would still like to see this improve further. Mr Cottle delivered assemblies this week with an attendance focus. Remember, it is absolutely essential that every child is in every lesson in order to make the most progress. Please do ensure that your child is attending school every day.
At Sunbury Manor we try to give our students opportunities beyond their normal curricular lessons as often as possible. This week we had two incredible workshops in school. One was Think Maths, exploring the hidden sides of maths, for key stage 3, and the other was Frontline History for year 9 and year 11 students exploring World War 1, including some student dress up, very much looking the part! Extra-curricular activities continue across the school. I often talk about some of our sporting achievements, but there are so many other areas for students to explore. This week at science club students constructed LED lighting systems and made bath bombs! There really is something for everyone, so please do encourage your child to find an activity that interests them!
I’d also like to celebrate the start of an important part of our school. The training for Wimbledon ball girls and ball boys has started. 12 of our students will be heading to the training centre to help support their skills and experience what it would be like to be selected. We hope to be sending students to the championships once again this year!
There are a few things coming up that I would like to draw your attention to. On Thursday it is mental health awareness day, and to show support we are asking students, if they would like to, to wear a yellow accessory, such as socks, scarves or headbands (while wearing full school uniform); and just a reminder that on the same day, 10th October is meet the tutor evening, and I hope to see all parents there.
Finally, I have a bit of an appeal from Mrs Lebihan, our careers lead. On 14th November between 11.20am and 1.20pm we are hosting our year 10 mock interviews. This is an incredible opportunity for young people to develop their interview skills ready for college and the job market. We would like to ask if there are any parents who feel they could offer a couple of hours to come and interview some of the students. All information, questions, etc. will be provided. If you are interested in this, then please email lpacey@sunburymanor.surrey.sch.uk, we would be thrilled to get you involved!
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 27th September 2024
While the sun has not been shining in Sunbury very much this week, we continue to have a positive term at Sunbury Manor as many of our improvements take hold and become the norm in our school. I’m so pleased that feedback from parents of our year 7 students has been overwhelmingly positive. It reassures me that the changes that we have made to support students, such as the Yondr phone pouches to lock their phones away and a trousers only uniform, as well as the larger scale changes around the school have meant that students are arriving safe, happy and ready to learn.
As the term moves forward and we all get into the swing of things, the opportunities for students to experience wider enrichment are coming thick and fast. This week we had our language ambassadors visit a local primary school to teach the students Spanish- a great experience from them, and very well received from their students! Our careers programme is an essential part of our curriculum, and this week year 10 and 11 students had the opportunity to attend a trip at Expo Technologies, and on Friday representatives from Strodes College came in to deliver an assembly to year 11 about some of the opportunities there will be once they leave Sunbury Manor. Our sporting success was also added to this week, with our year 11 girls winning the district 6 a side tournament on Wednesday, unbeaten and without conceding a goal in the whole tournament!
Our first tour for year 6 parents took place this week, following on from our successful open evening last week. We were fully booked, as is our next tour on Monday. I am thrilled that so many parents want to see our school.
I’m very much looking forward to inviting all parents into school on 10th October, when we will be holding our meet the tutor evening, with careers fair and GCSE information evening (letter with full details and how to book appointments has gone out today). Parent involvement in the school is incredibly important to us and is key to our success and the success of our students. This is just one opportunity that parents have to discuss your child’s education and meet key members of staff, and I encourage all parents to join us.
Coming up this week we will be having a big focus on line-up. We have line-up 3 times a day, and it is an essential tool in ensuring that students are ready to learn going into their lessons, leaving their social time in the playground, with a calm, safe and orderly entry into the building. While line-up has made a big difference since we introduced them in February, I know that they can be better so we can maximise learning time and start each lesson with the right mindset. Please can I ask you to discuss this with your children, so we can support them in appreciating the importance of us working together to make sure we are the best that we can be each day. Have a wonderful weekend and here’s hoping for a drier week next week!
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 20th September 2024
It was a real pleasure this week to welcome families into school for our open evening, my first as headteacher. We had packed halls where prospective parents and students had the chance to hear about our journey from me, but more importantly about the experiences of our students, who spoke so passionately about our school. They were then able to tour the school and see some of the incredible work being done by our departments across the school. I also want to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate all of our student helpers, whether they were tour guides for our visitors, or helping in departments, they were all a credit to our community.
It was busy across the school throughout the week. It was photo day on Wednesday, and students were proud to be photographed in their uniforms, looking so smart. Many of our students had their first opportunity to prepare food as part of our food and nutrition curriculum, such an important part of their learning! Now that we have completed a full two weeks, students have attended all of their lessons, and met all of their new teachers. Please do encourage your children to check timetables, know where they should be going, and make sure they are there on time and ready to learn.
I would like to take this opportunity to address an area which is causing me some concern in school. We currently have a high number of students asking to go to the toilet during lessons. This means that not only do they miss learning, but it is also disruptive to the lesson for other learners. I am aware that there are some students with genuine medical conditions, and adjustments will always be made for these students. I would also like to assure all parents that we will always enable students to use the toilets where there is a genuine emergency, however I would ask you to speak to your children to make sure they are using toilets at break and lunch, and between lessons, to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum.
I was very much encouraged by how students spoke at open evening about their experiences of extracurricular activities, and how much they valued these. As clubs, teams and various events begin in school, I would really encourage all students to get involved. We are currently working on collating all of the information on these activities across the school to make it easier for students and parents to see what's on offer, and I'm sure there is something for everyone!
It is always wonderful to hear positive feedback from parents about the improvement we are making, but I would also like to reassure all parents that any feedback is very welcome, and that everyone is welcome to raise any concerns at any time. By working together and ensuring lines of communication are open we can all drive improvement and do our best for every child, so they are safe, happy and ready to learn.
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 13th September 2024
It has been such a positive first full week back at Sunbury Manor. I’ve really enjoyed watching our new year 7 students find their way around, embracing new friendships, and really becoming part of our school community. Likewise, seeing year 8 grow from being the youngest students, to realising that they are now role models, year 9 taking more responsibility for their learning, knowing that they will be choosing their GCSE options soon enough; year 10 begin the oh so important GCSE courses, and of course year 11 getting down to some real focus in their most important year of school so far. This really is what Sunbury Manor is all about- enabling students to grow through their time with us, all the while being supported along the way. It has been such a pleasure seeing students in their lessons getting to know their new teachers. Sunbury Manor is now fully staffed with specialist teachers in all departments, so students really are receiving outstanding lessons from the experts in their fields.
Although it’s only our first week, we have already hit the ground running with so much going on around the school. Our year 10 and 11 GCSE drama students enjoyed an amazing evening at the New Wimbledon Theatre to see Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse. We had our auditions for our school production of Matilda, with a turnout of over 40 students- what an exciting event that will be, and I expect to see plenty of year 7s taking part as they have already demonstrated a love for singing in their music lessons this week. Our year 7 students have started their enrolment on the Sparx Reader programme. This programme will support with their reading throughout their time at Sunbury Manor, and we are already seeing results from year 8 who enrolled on the programme last year. We know that reading is one of the most important things that takes place in school, and vital for students’ achievement in all of their subjects and also in their lives beyond school. Sparx is just one way in which we support students to develop their reading. I’m delighted to announce that one of our students won the national Sparx Reader Challenge for being one of the top young people in the country on Sparx over summer. What an accolade!
We have plenty to look forward to next week in school, not least our school open evening. Some of you may have younger children, in years 6 or 5 and will be coming along to see what we offer for your children as they transition to secondary school, but I also invite any parent to come and see what we are doing in school. A flier is attached with further details. I can’t wait for the community to see the school and hear more about what we are doing. Also do note that students finish slightly earlier on Thursday and start slightly later on Friday.
Finally from me, I am aware that as we transitioned to the new Arbor payment system there were a few teething problems, unfortunately these were out of our control. Please see a link here for more information about Arbor including the new payment system. I would like to reassure all parents that we will never let a child go hungry, even when there are issues with payment! We’re hopeful that these issues are all now being resolved. I wish all of our students a wonderful weekend, and a well-deserved rest so they can return to us on Monday safe, happy and ready to learn.
Headteachers Bulletin (GCSE Results) - Thursday 22nd July 2024
Students at Sunbury Manor received their GCSE results this morning, and for the majority of students this was a time of celebration and a time to smile. It was so pleasing to see so many happy students who had worked so hard for their results.
The improvement they made from their January Mocks was remarkable. The changes, challenges and capacity we put in place from February really had impact and we are so pleased to see this materialise in results and smiles. Most important are their efforts, their resilience and their commitment to success. Well done Year 11 and thank you to our parents that were absolutely significant in their child’s outcomes.
Excitingly and bucking the national trend, a number of our students achieved top grades, with 234 grades at grade 7, 8 or 9. One of our top achieving students achieved 9 top grades, including 6 grade 9s; this is truly a success. Another student achieved grade 9s in both English and English literature. Again, this is against national trends, and we were happy to hear that they are feeling “great” about going on to study this at college.
Some of our students described how proud they were of their achievements, particularly where their hard work had led to grades they had thought out of reach. This will be the theme of next year and a common state moving forward; this we promise:
We also recognise and celebrate the achievements of students whose hard work led to significant progress and resulted in grades which seemed out of reach only months ago. We couldn’t be more thrilled as they head off to start a wide variety of courses at college and sixth form; we know they will show the calibre and quality of a Sunbury Manor student.
As a school our favourite successes are those students that are resilient against adversity and make progress beyond what the government metrics say. We have so many of those and we are so very proud of the pace of their progress.
Our new Headteacher, Mr Lee, said “we couldn’t be prouder of Sunbury students today. They have shown resilience in the face of a number of challenges, and I am thrilled at the achievements of our students”.
As a school we are proud of our students. We recognise the challenges we have faced in recent years also. However, the energy, support and leadership in recent months make us confident that this message this time next year will be filled with even more joy, progress and stories of success for our young people.
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 19th July 2024
As we see our students off for the summer holidays, I have had a chance to reflect this week on some of the changes we have already made to Sunbury Manor School in the short time I have been headteacher. Lessons are more productive; students are happier; and the school is a calm and purposeful place. I am fully aware that there is a lot to do, but with the support of parents, students and staff I have no doubt we will continue on this upwards trajectory.
There are a number of changes happening in school over summer, including some work on classrooms, a new student reception area and other improvements around the school. This is the start of a programme that will bring the school up to date and ensure we have the environment and facilities conducive to a first-class education. I am truly grateful to all parents for accommodating our change in dates at the end of term so we could close early and ensure we could get the school ready for the work over summer and also for the new year. I am looking forward to inviting parents into school, where you will be able to see some of the changes. We have said goodbye to a small number of staff who leave us to go on to new endeavours, and we welcome some new staff starting in September. This includes a new deputy headteacher in charge of safeguarding, and a new assistant headteacher who will be our SENDCo. These are vital roles in the school, and I know that these new colleagues will be instrumental in our improvement journey.
Our final week included our final events for this year, including our fantastic sports day (thankfully the weather held out for us) and our end of year music concert. It was truly lovely seeing such a mix of talent and performances, and this included some students who were incredibly nervous but overcame these nerves and got on stage and were truly amazing. We are so proud of them for putting themselves out there, and I can’t wait to give students more opportunities to be part of concerts, productions and events.
I would like to make you aware that last week I commissioned a safeguarding review of the school, from a local trust, Every Child Every day, who run several good and outstanding schools. This was so that I could be reassured that the work that we have done over the past few weeks is having the impact that we need to see, and I can be confident that we are keeping students safe. The review was extremely positive about the changes we have made.
Finally, I would like to wish everyone, students, parents and staff a great summer, whatever it holds for you. I would like all our students to have a well-earned break, but most importantly to stay safe, and we are looking forward to seeing them back school in September.
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 12th July 2024
It was an absolute privilege to be part of the Sunbury Manor celebration evenings this week. The hall was packed on both evenings as key stage 4 (including our year 11 leavers) and key stage 3 students received their various awards for academic achievement, contributions to the community and sporting excellence. It was a wonderful reminder that even in challenging times we have so much to be proud of and to celebrate. My heartfelt congratulations to all students who received an award, and my thanks to all staff the involved in putting on these events.
These last few weeks remain very busy as we approach the end of term, and we have had so many different events and trips this week I won’t be able to mention them all. On Thursday our year 7s headed to Henfold Lakes to enjoy some time in the outdoors (and get very muddy!). Students represented the school very well, and it’s great for students to get to spend time in a very different setting and make some memories. Our year 10 students experienced another taster of college life this week on the Strodes trip- high engagement and enthusiasm from all, and a wonderful opportunity to explore ideas for when they leave year 11. We had a DT workshop in school this week run by Spelthorne Council to give year 9 students who have opted for DT as one of their options a head start on their course for next year. Our Key stage three athletes did us proud at the district athletics on Monday, with several champions crowned (too many to mention here!)- a great team feeling with students supporting each other. This week we had an Olympics theme running through lessons, with departments putting an Olympics twist on learning in class. We have had Olympics pizza and biscuits in food, playing some unusual Olympics sports in PE and designing a sustainable Olympic park in geography. Today we also held our final transition event of the term, with Springfield School students coming in to visit. We were pleased to be able to offer this to our new students as they weren’t able to attend the main transition day.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate our year 10 mentors. They are now finishing the last week of paired reading where they support year 7 students with their reading. This is such an important role in school, and will make a huge difference to the year 7 students who took part, who are so positive about the experience, and have been given a real boost in their learning.
As we approach the final week of school, I’d like to add a couple of reminders for all. As per the letter sent home this week, we will be finishing school on Thursday 18th July at 12.20pm. This is a day earlier than originally planned so please do take note of this. This will be a normal morning of school for all, and students are expected to be in full school uniform.
We have seen some incredible improvements in the school over the last few weeks, including improvements in behaviour, punctuality and focus in lessons. This was acknowledged by our school governors, a number of whom were in school this week to meet students and visit lessons. We have much work to do to ensure that all at Sunbury Manor achieve, but I would like to thank all of the students and parents for your commitment to our improvement, and I am excited by our next steps.
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 5th July 2024
As we are getting closer to the end of term things only seem to get busier at Sunbury Manor as we try to squeeze in as much as we can before we break up. It’s been lovely this week to see students get so excited by things outside their normal lessons that so many of our dedicated staff put on for them to support their learning and enjoyment beyond the normal curriculum.
This week we had our mock election, with all students having the opportunity to vote, and some of our year 10 citizenship students facilitating. Students were genuinely excited, having spent the last week reading manifestos, rating political broadcast videos and debating policies. Sunbury Manor tutor groups voted unanimously for Labour, with a 49% share of the votes! We have also seen many students embracing their competitive streaks over the past week. Our Science department has been running a wildlife photography competition and we have had some amazing pictures submitted so far. There is still time to enter, with a final closing date of Monday 8th of July. With a more sporting focus, on Tuesday we held our house rounders competition, with lots of students taking part, and Mozart finally taking the win! Students have been signing up in droves for some of our IT after school clubs, such as, coding to learn some valuable skills, with full classrooms for all of the clubs. Sticking with sports, we are incredibly proud at Sunbury Manor to have the tradition of sending some of our students each year to be ball boys and ball girls at Wimbledon, and this continues in 2024. Three of our students headed off this week for the start of the championships- we'll be watching out for them on the TV!
I am pleased to have seen standards in uniform and punctuality improve since I started at Sunbury Manor, and students are taking responsibility by keeping their mobile phones off and out of site so they aren’t distracted. This week I will be asking all students to reflect on their focus in lessons and how this impacts their learning. I will be reminding all teachers to challenge students whenever they are not fully attentive. By raising our expectations, avoiding distractions and staying focused we can all ensure that every child reaches their potential.
Finally for this week, I spend a great deal of time thinking about the future of Sunbury Manor, never more so than this week. Tuesday was our transition day with our new year 7 students who will be joining us in September. The young people had a great time exploring their new school, learning some of our routines, and meeting classmates and teachers; it was a truly special event for all! As we continue on our improvement journey as a school, I find myself considering what these new students will say about Sunbury Manor throughout their time here. I have no doubt that they will be proud of their school, provided we all work together.
I will be writing to you next week with arrangements for the end of term and for September- please look out for this.
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 28th June 2024
It’s been another busy and productive week at Sunbury Manor and I have been incredibly impressed by the
resilience of our students working so well despite the heat over recent days.
As we approach the end of term things only seem to get busier. This week we had our tea party for students who
are coming as the only young person from their primary school. It was so lovely to meet some of our new year 7s,
and help them to make some friends before they join the rest of the cohort for the main transition day next
week. At the other end of the school, our year 10 students headed off to Brooklands College to get a taster of
some of the different courses they may study after they leave us next year- what a wonderful opportunity to try
out some activities they normally wouldn’t get to do in school! I’ve been incredibly impressed seeing students
practising ready for our summer concert on 16th July, and I can’t wait to see their hard work pay off in what I
know will be some incredible performances. I am continually impressed by how adaptable our students are to
their learning. In life skills, year 7 and 8 students have shown incredible maturity in tackling some challenging
topics. In music, year 8 have been singing their hearts out to Eye of the Tiger (and sounding amazing), and in DT
students have been making falafels- trying something new, healthy and good for the environment.
Reading is one of our priorities at Sunbury Manor as we know how vital this is to students’ success in all their
subjects and once they leave school. Students have been helping to select new books for the LRC ready for
September so that we can ensure we have books available that all students will enjoy.
When I wrote to you last week I identified punctuality as a priority for this week and essential in securing the
success of the school, and I have been impressed by the improvement over this week. I have been at the school
entrance every day this week, and we have reduced from a significant number of students being late, to only a
few in the course of a few days. It is so impressive to see students taking responsibility for themselves and their
learning, and making adjustments to get here on time (in spite of the roadworks holding things up!).
Next week our priority is on mobile phones. I am fully supportive of students having a mobile phone with them,
as I know that many parents rely on this to ensure children are safe on the way to and from school. However, I
am also concerned about how distracting phones can be during school. Our policy is that we shouldn’t see or
hear mobile phones from students at any point throughout the school day, and we have in place reasonable
sanctions if we do- the phone is confiscated, and a 15-minute correction is issued. Phones will always be returned
on the same day. I ask for your support by asking you to remind your children of the expectation, and also to
avoid contacting them during the day (if you do need to get in touch urgently, you can do this through main
reception).
Spending time outside during break and lunch times and seeing students really enjoy their free time with friends
reminds me of how happy a place Sunbury Manor is, and while we work hard to ensure that we are supporting
every young person in our community effectively, seeing our students each day I am sure that the vast majority
feel happy in school. I am looking forward to opportunities over the next couple of weeks to get students’ and
parents’ views as we will be sending out surveys- please look out for these opportunities as we move into the last
3 weeks of term.
Headteachers Bulletin - Friday 21st June 2024
I am excited to share with you my very first headteacher’s bulletin as the new headteacher at Sunbury Manor. On Monday I delivered assemblies to all year groups with the theme of responsibility. I talked to students about my responsibility to them as their headteacher: to keep them safe, and to provide them with a high-quality education. I also talked about them taking responsibility for themselves; to ensure they are doing the right thing, even when sometimes this isn’t the easiest choice. I have spent much of my time this week going into lessons and speaking to students around the school. It fills me with joy to see productive lessons and to see students excited about this new chapter at their school.
There are so many amazing things happening at Sunbury Manor each week that it will be hard for me to celebrate them all here, but I will fit in as many as I can. This week we have some incredible champions at the district athletics championship, with winners in the year 9 1500m, javelin, discus, shot putt and year 10 shot putt and 300m. Our year 10 cricketers have also made the final of the district cup, winning by 3 runs! Our year 10 sports leaders have been passing on their experience to younger students by teaching year 7s. Year 10 end of year exams started this week, and students have really stepped up - seeing them preparing with their revision cards and after school sessions fills me with confidence that moving into year 11 they will be ready to take on their GCSEs. Leadership opportunities are very important at Sunbury Manor and this week we announced our house captains and sports captains. They received their badges in their house assemblies, and join our head student team who we appointed earlier in the term.
This week we have had a focus on uniform and making sure students wear their uniform with pride, showing us they are ready to learn. I want to thank parents for supporting us with this by making sure your children have all the required items for their uniform. We have seen a real improvement in just one week.
Next week our focus will be on punctuality. As a reminder students should be on site no later than 8.25, when the doors will close and students arriving after this will be issued with a late correction. It is absolutely essential to our success that students are here on time and are ready to learn. Punctuality to lessons is also key so students don’t miss the start of lessons. We will really be pushing to make sure everyone arrives to lessons quickly during lesson changeover and following break and lunch.
Finally, as we say goodbye to our year 11s at their prom this week, we make room for our new year 7 cohort. Miss Batten and Mrs Virdee have been out visiting the year 6 students in their primary schools and they are so excited to be visiting us at the upcoming induction day and being here full time in September. We can’t wait to welcome them into our family!