Year 9
Year 9 students have an extensive pastoral care system to support them through the year. There is a particular focus on ensuring their decisions around their option choices as these are central to the Year 9 curriculum and getting them right is vitally important for every child, ensuring that they study the right subjects to enable them to follow their own hopes and aspirations.
Each student will have a tutor that will be the first point of contact for any issues that may arise. In addition there is a Pastoral Support Officer for the year group to further support the needs of the students with any issues, be this; behavioural, well-being or safeguarding. Rewarding students and celebrating their success is at the heart of our approach ensure student enjoys and engages with the curriculum. Post cards are sent out for any students who demonstrate our ‘Achieve’ ethos. In addition to this, the students who receive the highest number of achievement points in each tutor group receive a post card home. Termly achievement assemblies allow students to be recognised with both a certificate and a badge for their performances, successes and improvements in their different subject areas.
The curriculum within year 9 is designed to be broad and balanced in order to give the students the opportunity to develop their understanding of each subject offered at the Manor Academy. Students continue to access Technology, Expressive Arts, Humanities and Languages alongside Maths, English and Science. In year 9, subjects begin to develop higher-level skills to equip students for KS4. This will prepare the students to make informed decisions on their GCSE options choices at the end of the year.
We are proud of our ‘Achieve’ ethos, and this remains central to the year 9 curriculum experience. We want students to be happy and successful at all of their endeavours, enjoying the support of staff and their peers as they go on to achieve academic success. We encourage student voice through our Student Senate. We want children to be proud of their school and to be a part of the community.
Within tutor time, students will discuss their attendance and conduct at school with their tutor, this is to encourage positive behaviour and improvements within attendance weekly and for children to understand why strong attendance and a good attitude to learning are important for them. Students will also discuss current affairs to ensure students have an understanding of the society around them, through a weekly quiz and analysis of news stories.
Year 9 students will take part in Drop Down Days throughout the year to enrich students experience. We offer a rewards trip to Clip ‘N’ Climb and Spy Missions, a careers day to get the students thinking about their future careers in preparation for their options and a Fundamental British Values day which allows them to gain an understanding of ‘Britishness’, which fit in with the school’s own ‘Achieve’ values. In addition to this, students are offered other enrichment opportunities such as trips and extra-curricular activities. Examples include students being offered a trip to the Battlefields of the Western Front and a ski trip to Italy.
