Lady Manners School

Year 8 and 9 students have recently returned from a trip to Bernières-sur-mer in Normandy. The smooth ferry crossing from Portsmouth to Caen was aboard a refurbished boat which had fantastic facilities including an on-board cinema! The students learned a great deal about the Normandy landings during the Second World War from the German gun battery at Longues-sur-mer, the 360˚cinema at Arromanches and the Pegasus Bridge Memorial where they found out about the gliders used in the campaign. The visits to both the American and British War Cemeteries were very moving and thought provoking. The group's coach driver, who played the trumpet in a military band, kindly played the last post at the end of our visit to the British War Cemetery. The trip included visits to the Bayeux Tapestry and cathedral, which seemed a particular favourite with many of the students, and a cider and apple juice farm which gave students the opportunity to find out about typical Normandy produce and how it is made. By contrast, a trip to Festyland Theme Park was great fun - and very wet! One of the real highlights of the trip was the bakery where Eric the baker taught the students in French how to make their own baguettes. Students expanded their French vocabulary and really enjoyed the whole experience especially as they could eat their bread afterwards. Thank you to the staff, who gave up their time to make the trip possible and to the students, who were very good company and a credit to the school.

Each year, the Wrench Shield is awarded to the house with the best performance during the year. The shield is presented in memory of Surgeon Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Mason Wrench, a keen educationalist who concluded his full and eventful life in Baslow, and who was a Governor of Lady Manners School. Dates on the shield go back to 1912, when the house system was instigated and there were only three houses: North, South and Town. The house events included in the competition are: badminton, basketball, chess, cricket, cross country (boys and girls), dance, enterprise, football (boys), hockey (boys and girls), house points, literacy quiz, netball, quiz, rounders, rugby, softball, sports day (boys, girls and overall) and tennis. This year, the competition has been intense and very close, and we are delighted to announce that the winner is (by one point)...Taylor. Well done to everyone in Taylor!

As we approach the summer holidays, we thought we'd share part of a display that we've been lucky enough to see in the Art Department. Year 9 have created these images as part of a 'Packaging Project'. Thank you Year 9 for brightening our days!

Members of our Gardening and Horticulture Club will be having a delicious tea tonight, following the harvesting of their new potato crop this lunchtime. The students have been tending their potatoes for several months and the benefits of their care and attention became obvious as their bounty was unearthed. Well done – these spuds look delicious!

We are very proud of our extra-curricular activities at Lady Manners School. We run more than 80 clubs and our annual survey indicates that 83% of our students benefitted by taking part in one or more of them this year. The clubs and activities on offer include all manner of music groups such as choirs for all ages, bands, ensembles and full and jazz orchestras. Our sporting teams and clubs range from hockey and football to rugby and our Equestrian Team and everything in between. In addition, this year we have offered many more unusual clubs such as Zoo Keepers Club, First Lego League Competition Club, Chess Club, History Club, SkRaP (where students can chill out to the sounds of ska, reggae and punk music). Of course, none of this would be possible without the staff who run and support the clubs. We thank them for the efforts and time they invest in providing our students with these extra-curricular opportunities. Full details of what has been on offer are available at www.ladymanners.net/clubs. Work has started on our offering for 2018-19 and details will be launched at the start of the Autumn Term.