Pupil Achievements

During the summer holidays Maddison and Matilda in Year 4 were awarded their Aqua Mission Certificates after completing a five day scuba diving course in Malta. Whilst taking part in the course, they learnt many safety skills including how to clear their mask and recovering their regulator. These skills will help them when they take the PADI Open Water Dive Course after their 10th birthdays.

In July Clément and Olivier set themselves a challenge to cycle 100 miles in one month to raise money for children’s mental health charity, Place2Be. So far they have raised over £500 thanks to the generous donations from friends and family.

During lockdown, brothers Clément and Olivier took up chess and soon participated in their first competition during the summer holidays. Both boys entered the national semi-final in their age groups. Although they didn’t go further, their parents are very proud of their perseverance and resilience.

Congratulations to Jemima in Year 2 who was one of the winners of the ‘A Cup of Inspiration’ competition. The competition was run by Oxford City Council to design eye-catching recycling bins for disposing of single-use cups. Look out for Jemima’s design on Queen’s Street in Oxford.

Sophie in 5C swims for the City of Oxford Swimming Club outside of school. In a recent U9 girls’ competition she took home 1 gold and 2 silver medals for 200m back crawl, 50m front crawl and 50m breaststroke. Well done Sophie!

I am very proud to share my experience of the Regional Tennis Tournament I took part in. The standard of the tournament was very high and my opponents were amazing players. I gave it my best effort by playing with passion and determination. It all payed off as I came runner up in my age group. I am really proud of my 2nd place medal.

Adam Heus – Year 2

Poppy in Reception has been working hard at the Abingdon Gymnastics Club. In a recent competition she won gold on the vault and bronze on the floor. Keep up the great work Poppy!

Congratulations to Year 4 pupils Cecily W and Nikita S, who will be treading the boards this Christmas on stage in Didcot Cornerstone’s production of ‘The
Adventures of Pinocchio’! The girls have been rehearsing together in the weeks
leading up to open night, but will perform in different teams during the run of the show. What a great way to enjoy Christmas!

Freddie in Year 4 was delighted to meet his favourite author, Dermot O’Leary at the Henley Literary Festival. Dermot gave a talk about how the series of “Toto the Ninja Cat” books originated and gave some inspirational advice about how important creative writing is in school and urged all the children to write stories in their spare time. The illustrator Nick East also showed the audience how to draw Toto! Freddie was thrilled to have been picked to ask a question to Dermot in front of the whole of the audience. Afterwards, Freddie met Dermot who signed a copy of his book and was delighted to hear how Freddie’s reading group at school have been enjoying the first Toto book together.

We are delighted with the number of Manor Pupils who were awarded prizes at the annual Oxfordshire Junior Tennis Awards this month. Congratulations to Banita K, Heidi H and Emily H who all won the Coaches Player Award in their age groups. Congratulations are also due to Olivia W and Ellie T who won Most Improved Player Awards in their age groups. Well done everyone and keep up the hard work!

Micah in Year 4 has been selected to join the Oxford United Elite Team, part of the Oxford United Development Centre. Micah has trained hard to become part of the team and he even scored a goal in his first match, helping Oxford to secure a win against Wycombe Wanderers.

Natasha T, Tilly VP, Sophie H & Olivia C recently competed for the first time as The Manor Equestrian Team. The children took part in various show jumping classes from 50cm-70cm as individuals. They were incredibly supportive of each other and really enjoyed their first outing together as a team. Well done to them and their ponies, Dinky, George, Gizmo and Puzzle!

During the half term break, Amelia in Year 3 took part in a Chess Tournament held at the prestigious Blenheim Palace. Amelia played in the U9 Rapid Play and played six rounds scoring 2.5 points. She was awarded a trophy for her efforts and was very proud as she had not played with a chess clock before. She can’t wait to tell her friends in Chess Club all about her experience.

Congratulations to Ethan in Year 4 who won his first tennis tournament. Ethan was entered into an orange ball level matchplay tournament at the White Horse Leisure Centre alongside eight other children – and won! Well done Ethan!

We are delighted that Zara in Year 4 has been selected to join the U9s Girls Oxfordshire County Tennis Squad again this year. There is an extra celebration as her brother, James in Year 2, has been selected to join the U8s Mixed Oxfordshire County Tennis Squad for the first time! Both have worked really hard at their tennis over the last year and are very proud to have been chosen.

Lily in Year 4 has been selected for the Oxford Junior Stars U11 Ice Hockey team playing in the EIHA South East 2 league. Lily is the only girl in the team and plays in the right or left wing. Lily is the only pupil of The Manor Prep School to play Ice Hockey for any club! This is a great achievement for Lily who has worked very hard at the sport, showing her determination to succeed.

During the summer holidays, Megan P competed in the National Biathle Championships in Salford, which also functions as a qualifier for the World Championships in Florida.

The Biathle (pronounced as Bi-ethel) is an event organised by Pentathlon GB. A Biathle consists of a 400m run, followed by a 50m swim in open water and a final 400m run. It is an exciting event with conditions in the water being particularly competitive.

Megan came 6th in the U11 division and has earned herself a place in the World Championships in Florida this October. Her sister Evey and former Manor pupil also qualified in her U13 age group.

Well done Megan and good luck!

Jemima in Year 1 took part in her first show jumping event in May 2019 at Huntersfield Equestrian Centre. She competed in two rounds and gained two rosettes for clear rounds! Well done Jemima!

Following lots of dedication and training, last year Zoë D in Year 6 was selected to be part of the South of England Under-11 girls’ basketball team. Following her selection, the team recently took part in the National Mini Basketball England Tournament in which her team came 7th overall – Well done Zoë!

Congratulations to Charlotte H in Year 1 for taking part in the National Child Taekwondo Championships in Bristol. She went through several rounds and was successful in receiving a Bronze medal. Well done, Charlotte!

Congratulations to Noah F, Micah K and Barney B who celebrated the end of the football season with the Abingdon Youth U8 Team. Noah also won the ‘Sportsmanship Award’ and Micah was awarded the ‘Manager’s Player of the Season’ trophy.
Excellent team work boys!

Grace in Year 6 has raised £142 for the Colombo Friend-in-Need Society by selling home-made lemonade and cakes. Her money raised is enough to buy two Sri Lankan children a prosthetic limb each! Well done, Grace!
Watch Grace’s That’s Oxfordshire interview here

Congratulations to Year 6 pupil, Athina S, on winning the U14 girls’ Tennis Tournament at St Andrew’s in Scotland. Athina was an un-seeded player and dominated the tournament. Not only did she beat the #2 seeded player in the semi-finals, she went on to win the final against the #1 seed, scoring 5-7,6-4 and 11-9 in a tie break. Congratulations Athina, it was well worth the long journey!

During the May Half Term, Ella C, Violet G and Emilia H in Year 6 completed the 10 mile charity walk, ‘Walk With Me’ to help raise funds for two fabulous charities, Maggie’s Cancer Centre in Oxford and Young Minds. The walk took the children from Huntercombe Golf Course in Nuffield, all the way to Moulsford on a beautifully sunny day – well done girls! For more information about the event and to support the charities, visit www.walkwithmeuk.org.

Elsa in Year 6 recently raced her pony, Poppy, at Cheltenham Racecourse. Elsa has competed in a number of races this year including; Cheltenham, Ascot, Wolverhampton, Wincanton and Lingfield. Elsa’s goal is to become the first female Jockey to win The Grand National! Go Elsa!

Hattie has won the trophy for Most Improved Player 2019 at the end of season awards for her U8 rugby team, The Henley Hawks. Well done Hattie!

Manor Pupils, Joshua P, Poppy G, Zara D and Oliver G were recently selected to represent the White Horse Leisure Centre in an Oxfordshire wide tennis tournament. Their team placed 3rd in the competition – Well done team!

Tawana in Year 5 had a very theatrical Christmas in 2018 when she performed in the Cornerstone Theatre’s production of ‘The Pied Piper’. Well done Tawana, we look forward to seeing you on the West End stage when you’re older!

Congratulations to Zoe and Elsa in Year 6 who have successfully auditioned for the National Youth Girls’ Choir. As new members the girls will attend their first residential course next year. Many congratulations to both girls for this outstanding achievement and we look forward to seeing you perform with the choir very soon.

Gisele in Year 4 and Tomi in Year 2 recently worked very hard representing The Manor at a special judo training day with Team GB Olympic Bronze Medallist, Sally Conway – what a fantastic day!

Scarlett in Year 5 had a very successful and enjoyable summer improving her golf skills. At the start of the summer, she worked hard on her swing and short game with her coach at Frilford Heath Golf Club. This dedication helped her to finish 3rd in the British 9 Year old Girls’ Championships at Celtic Manor, tie 4th in the 9 Year old Girls in the Wee Wonders GB&I Grand Final at St. Andrews and tie 18th in the 10 Year old Girls’ division.

Elyana in Year 1 drives a racing kart in the Bambino Kart Club at the Whilton Mill racetrack with the aim of racing next year. Bambino karts are designed for 5 to 7-year-olds and can do up to 40 mph with their 50cc 2-stroke engines.

Elyana started driving at age 3 and has a driven a number of different karts already. In last winter’s snow, she preferred to drive and slide her kart on the snowy road instead of making a snowman! She first drove on the track at the age of 5 and immediately loved the challenge of maximising her speed and mixing with other drivers on the circuit. Elyana is inspired by Jamie Chadwick, the first ever female winner of a British Formula 3 race, and who won the British GT Championship in an Aston Martin V8 in 2015 while still at school. She says that her ambition is to be a racing driver and then move on to design F1 cars.

Elyana is fortunate to have received coaching from her neighbour Anthony Reid, former star of British Touring Cars and known for historic racing at Goodwood. She also receives support and guidance from Iffley Motor Club.

Scarlett in Year 4 continues to excel in golf and recently played in the European Golf Championships at Longniddry, Scotland, during the half term break.
600 children competed from 50 different countries. The competition was opened by the Earl of Wemyss. This was followed by a wonderful welcome event at his Gosford House in Longniddry.

The tournament was played over three days and Scarlett scored her best ever round of +9 on the second day on the demanding Longniddry links.
She was delighted with her finish of 10th out of the Great British & Irish girls and 22nd overall. This qualifies her for the World Championships at Pinehurst, USA and the British Championships at Celtic Manor, Wales, both during August 2018.

Emilia and Sophie’s father recently went on a flying adventure and the girls convinced him to take Manor Ted along for the ride!

Their father restored a DC3 Dakota and flew it from UK to India to return it to the Indian Airforce. Along the journey, Manor Ted and crew visited France, Italy, Greece, Jordan, Saudi, Bahrain, Muscat and finished up in India.

Thank you to Emilia and Sophie for thinking of Manor Ted, we’re sure he enjoyed his adventure!

In March 2018, Danny from 1F entered his first karate competition which was refereed by national judges. The friendly competition took place in Harlow, Essex. Danny, a yellow-orange belt, fought two rounds and won both times. Representing the Oxford School of Martial Arts, led by Sensei Mary Stevens, Danny was awarded a medal for winning. Commenting on his experience, Danny said, “It was epic!” Danny’s proud parents attribute his winning to the training and empowerment with which karate senseis have provided him and to Danny’s hard work and perseverance.

Congratulations to Athina in Year 5 who recently took part in her first national tennis tournament and made it all the way through to the semi-finals!

Athina spent the weekend in Sunderland competing. She was one of 32 girls, all under 11 and was one of the youngest players in her year group.

Congratulations to Athina for doing so well in this national competition, we’re sure we’ll hear more great things from her in the world of tennis.

Golfing enthusiast Scarlett recently qualified to play in the British Junior Golf Championships at St Andrew’s. Scarlett was one of 400 girls, all under 8 years old, who qualified in this national competition and had the chance to play in the finals at this historic golfing location.

We are delighted that Scarlett finished tied 19th in her group and as a result qualifies for the European Junior Golf Championships in May 2018. Scarlett is already practising hard for the competition and thanks The Manor for introducing her to golf by taking part in golf club at lunchtimes with Greg and his team from Drayton Park.

Georgiana in Reception had a very special delivery to school, a letter from The Queen! Georgiana’s father is in the Royal Navy and will be visiting Buckingham Palace in the summer of 2017 to receive an OBE. Georgiana wrote to the Queen to let her know how exited she is to be going to the palace with her parents and grandparents. Have a lovely time Georgiana!

Scarlett in Year 3 has recently celebrated being crowned the Oxfordshire County Girls Golf Short Course Champion! Scarlett took part in the competition during the May half term at Burford Golf Club. Proud Dad, Mr Jenkins (and member of the winning team at the Manor Golf Day 2017) said “She was the youngest competitor but played fantastically and without nerves throughout. Testament to the great coaching she’s had from the Drayton Park Golf Club team on Mondays at The Manor!”. Scarlett was presented with her prize by the President of the Oxfordshire Ladies Golf Union. Well done, Scarlett!

Very many congratulations to Isabelle in Year 5 for winning a holiday for her family to Ibiza! Isabelle’s mother spotted the competition on the Family Traveller website and Isabelle decided to take part and write about the family’s trip to Costa Rica that summer. Her wonderfully descriptive piece completely transports you to the ‘turquoise ocean’, ‘deserted beaches and misty jungle’ the family experienced. Isabelle and her family are thoroughly looking forward to going to Ibiza and Isabelle says she is mostly looking forward to cycling, kayaking and staying in a hotel by the beach. Click here to read Isabelle’s story

Alicia in 5R was very lucky to recently meet Mr Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, at St Helen’s Church. Alicia is pictured here with Mr Williams and the Parish Rector, Dr Charles Miller. Alicia’s family who are part of the St. Helen’s congregation, were very honoured and excited at the same time to have the opportunity to meet such an iconic religious figure.

A BIG thank you to The Manor from me! …

During the Easter holidays I finally went to Le Manoir Aux Quatre Saisons for my my cookery class that I won for baking the winning cake for the first Manor Bake-Off last summer.
The afternoon began with us all in the kitchen making a salmon dish. We were then shown how to make a Chicken and Tarragon dish, a vegetable soup and a rhubarb and strawberry crumble. It all tasted delicious!
We were then taken to the gardens where they grow all the fruits and vegetables for the restaurant. They even have banana trees! We tasted the herbs growing there too.
I absolutely loved my day at Le Manoir and even got to keep my Raymond Blanc Cookery School Chefs Jacket. I hope to go again one day.
Thank you again and Good Luck to the next Manor Bakers!

Lara Kalafatis

We are delighted at the recent success Phoenix has had in ice skating. In January 2016, Phoenix won the Oxford Open Ice Competition (level three seniors). Not only was she the youngest in her level, but she won with a personal best score!

Well done Phoenix!

In 2015, Tatiane (Year 6) dislocated her elbow and broke all three bones in her arm on the first day of the summer holidays.

She had a painful few weeks of hospital appointments and scans and eventually had her cast removed and started on physiotherapy to get her elbow working again. Throughout this time she was Tatiane Horse Ridingunable to ride which is her favourite sport.

Three weeks ago she was allowed on her pony for the first time and set her sights on completing the biggest class at a one day event run by her pony club this weekend. It was very ambitious. She put in lots of effort training and, helped by Immy (also Year 6), cleaned and plaited her pony without any adult help. Her hard work paid off and, not only did she complete the dressage, show jumping and cross country sections of the event, she was placed 4th overall and won the trophy for being the highest placed member of her branch of the pony club in the whole event.

Well done Tatiane and thank you Immy for your help.