Welcome from the Head
Bienvenue à la Jeannine Manuel School ! On behalf of the entire school community, it is my great pleasure to extend a warm welcome to your family as you embark on this exciting journey with us.
Our mission - to promote international understanding through the bilingual education of a multicultural community of students, and to foster pedagogical innovation by exploring best practices in an ever-changing global environment - is at the heart of every decision we make, guiding our curriculum, teaching methods, and community engagement. In parallel to our mission, we are also inspired by our motto: Think, Dare, Share & Care Our faculty and staff are dedicated to providing your children with a supportive learning environment where they can thrive and reach their full potential and I look forward to building on this vision with your children as they join our school.
In the meantime, I hope that you will find this guidebook useful in getting to know our school, and I look forward to welcoming your children here soon.
Kind regards,
Pauline Prévot Head of School
Our Buildings
Our school is housed in three beautiful buildings located in the heart of Bloomsbury, all within a few minutes walk from one another.
Primary School (Nursery - Year 6)
21-24 Russell Square, WC1B 5EA 020 3829 5975 primary@jmanuel.uk.net
Middle School (Year 7 - Year 10)
43-45 Bedford Square, WC1B 3DN 020 3829 5970 middleschool@jmanuel uk net
Upper School (Year 11 - Year 13)
52-53 Russell Square, WC1B 4HP 020 3687 2330 upperschool@jmanuel.uk.net
Useful Contacts
Charis Goldsmith, EA to the Head: head.ea@jmanuel.uk.net
Atifa Yaqub, EA to the CFAO: cfo.ea@jmanuel.uk.net
Victory Bardon & Angie Copas, School Nurses: infirmary@jmanuel.uk.net
Clubs: clubs@jmanuel uk net
Buses: bus@jmanuel.uk.net
Lunches: lunch@jmanuel uk net
OPENING TIMES
Our doors open at 8.15 am across all three sites. We close our doors at 8 25 am to allow learning to start at 8 30 am prompt Any students arriving after 8.25 am will be considered to be late, and they should present themselves at the school reception desk rather than the entrance door.
Students in Upper School whose lessons may start later are expected to be on time for the beginning of their first lesson.
DISMISSAL
Early Years (“EYFS”) students are dismissed at 3.10 pm while the rest of primary is dismissed at 3 15 pm if they do not have a club, and 4.25 pm if they are registered for a school club (same for EYFS).
Middle School are dismissed at 4.25 pm if they do not have a club, and 5 30 pm if they are registered for a school club Upper School students should consult their timetables for the end of day times.
Parents will be asked to confirm dismissal details, including pick-up authorisations, well before the start of the school year.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCES
Good teachers and the best curriculum are of little consequence if students do not attend school on a regular basis, and we consider that classroom attendance is an integral part of pupils’ course of study.
In case of unexpected absence, please contact the school secretary by email or telephone as soon as possible and no later than 8.30 am on the first day of absence:
Primary School: primary@jmanuel.uk.net
Middle School: middleschool@jmanuel uk net
Upper School: upperschool@jmanuel.uk.net
We do not encourage children to miss school when it is avoidable As a school with a very international population, we do understand that the travel logistics involved in attending family events can be difficult Exceptional absences can therefore be granted provided that the request has been made at least one week in advance to the relevant Head.
Please see our Attendance Policy for further information
Practical Information
Parent Access
Much of the information contained in this booklet is also available on the Parents’ Access section of the website, for which you will receive a password in a separate communication.
Parent Portal
Eduka is our student management platform. We use it to complete a range of administrative tasks, including contact information management, registration for clubs, lunches, buses and invoicing Your account is linked to the email address you provided during the admissions process, please ensure that you log in before the start of the school year.
If you wish to download the Eduka app, you will need our school code to log in: 551925
Pronote
In Secondary School, we use Pronote as a tool to communicate on homework, class content and resources, and timetables. You and your children will receive login information at the start of the year.
Communication
We love welcoming our parent community within the school and there will be many events for you throughout the year. In the first few weeks of school, there will be a class meeting led by your children’s teachers or heads which will provide you with the opportunity to meet the team and find out more about the year ahead. Dates for this will be advertised on our website during the summer
School Calendar
EYFS Parent Mornings take place several times during the year
The school calendar is available on our website, under “School Life”. Note that the calendar for the following year is usually published there in the Spring.
2026-2027 calendar
Canteen
Students in Primary and Middle School may sign up for school lunches. Our food is prepared fresh off-site and delivered to our school daily, where it is heated before being served to students.
Primary School pupils are offered a two-week rotating menu, with starter, main and dessert every day. The menu changes at the end of every period. Students in Middle School may choose from six options daily, ranging from paninis to salads and pasta dishes.
Registration to school lunches is for the full year, and you will receive an email informing you when registration for the school canteen is open.
Students who do not register for the school lunch should bring in a lunchbox. Students in Primary and Middle School unfortunately cannot heat up their lunchboxes
Upper School students can enjoy various common rooms during the lunchtime, and have access to microwaves for warming up meals. They also have the right to go out at lunchtime, provided that we have received parental authorisation.
Transport to School
We encourage active modes of transport to school where possible and are very proud to be recognised as a Gold Star School by Transport for London Unfortunately, we cannot store scooters or bicycles inside the Primary or Middle school buildings but there are bike racks available near all our premises, and Upper School students may store their bikes in the dedicated bike storage area.
Bus
We operate dedicated bus routes across London with designated stops. These routes run in the morning and at 4.30pm (after clubs for Primary School). You may sign up for a return or one-way service.
The bus service is available to students from Nursery to Year 10. Students will be dropped off / collected at the Primary or Middle School building as appropriate.
All our buses have a chaperone on board in addition to the driver. Registration typically opens in June, and you will receive an email with full details ahead of time Please note that places are limited and that a minimum number of sign-ups is required for each route to operate.
Uniform
We expect all students to follow our Dress Code, which requires them to wear official school tops bearing the school logo. Pupils are free to choose their trousers or skirts as long as they conform to the Dress Code
Bags must be our official school bags which are mandatory for all pupils.
From Year 5, all pupils are required to have a school sport uniform consisting of a school sport top and dark bottoms. The sport uniform must be worn in P.E. class only.
The School Uniform can be purchased from Lana Cotone.
Clubs
We offer a wide selection of over 60 clubs for our students. Registration is done per semester and we will email you when the club list is available to consult. Please note that our clubs tend to fill up quickly. In the past, we have been able to offer a variety of clubs ranging from Model UN to parkour, journalism to code breaking and many more!
Model United Nations
Taekwondo
Art Club
Medical Needs
If your child has specific medical needs, please ensure that you include this in the medical questionnaire completed before the beginning of the year. You may also wish to speak with the Senior Management Team to discuss how to manage any needs they may have.
If your child has medication that needs to be kept in school (ventolin inhaler, allergy medication etc.) you will need to complete a form confirming prescription information, including how and when this is to be administered. Note that medication of any kind should under no circumstance be kept in school bags. In addition, for any prescribed medication, we will require a copy of the prescription.
Staff are trained in the use of emergency medications on a regular basis, and our School Nurse Team will be on hand for any questions you might have.
Special Needs
We always endeavour to do everything we can to accommodate our students’ special needs Please contact the relevant Head or Assistant Head if there are any special needs or requirements that we should be aware of.
CARE Committee
We are very proud to have a superb CARE Committee whose aim is to reinforce our culture of respect, empathy, openness and inclusion. We have a number of student CARE Ambassadors throughout the school who help raise awareness about well-being, anti-bullying and respecting others, all of which are themes that we take extremely seriously as a school.
Mobile Phones & Smart Watches
Mobile phones and smart watches must be switched off and stored out of sight during the school day. In Middle School, we have a pouch system where students are required to store their devices in locked pouches for the duration of their time at school. All Middle School students must have a pouch. These can be purchased on Eduka and will be given out to students at the start of the academic year.
More information concerning our rules about the use of technology in school can be found in our School Rules.
Laptops
Only students in Sixth Form are authorised to use personal laptops in class, and then only if this is authorised by their teacher.
For other year groups, we have laptops and iPads available in school that their teacher will use only if it is a useful learning tool for the topic they are covering.
School Supplies
Lists of school supplies will be made available on the Parents’ Access section of our website during the summer
Language Choices
In addition to French and English, our students can study Mandarin, Latin, Spanish and German.
Mandarin is mandatory for students from Year 4 - Year 6, except for beginners in French or English. In Year 7, students may choose between continuing Mandarin or starting Latin.
In Year 8, students choose between Spanish or German.
If your child is learning another language outside of school or if you have any questions about our language provision, please contact the relevant Head or Assistant Head who will be able to help you
New! Home Languages
Starting this September, we will be offering a Home Languages Programme for students already fluent in Italian (Year 7 - Year 10), Arabic or Russian (Year 1Year 10) - look out for more information by email!
Finance
Please feel free to contact Ms Atifa Yaqub (finance@jmanuel uk net) for any questions about finance.
Parents‘ Association
We have a brilliant Parents’ Association who run fantastic activities for our community throughout the year Look out for their email about buddies for new parents, as well as the Welcome Picnic which will take place before the Back to School.
Joining is voluntary and you will be asked to confirm this upon induction.
Any questions? Contact the admissions office, we are always happy to help!
Grade Equivalency Chart
You will hear us refer to both the French and British grade names throughout your time at school, so here is a reminder of equivalencies to help you navigate this
Section
EYFS (Early Years
Foundation Stage) / Maternelle
Primary School / Primaire
Nursery
Reception
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Middle School / Collège
French Grade Name
Petite Section (PS)
Moyenne Section (MS)
Grande Section (GS)
Year 4 CE2
Year 5
Year 6 CM2
Year 7 6ème
Year 8 5ème
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Upper School / Lycée
Sixth Form
4ème
3ème
2nde
Year 12 1ère
Year 13
Terminale
Note that the information contained in this booklet is correct at time of sending We will contact you to let you know if there are any significant changes to the information included here
A bientôt !
