Parent Bulletin 20th October

It has been such a pleasure to meet with our Student Leaders over the course of the past week.  Two representatives from each tutor group have been elected to form the Student Council and discuss with the school's leadership what is working well and what we can do to make pupils' experience at Soane even better.

Without exception pupils felt that: they were making exceptional progress at Soane; that they were valued, respected and well-treated by teachers who care deeply about them and work hard for them; that they are exceptionally safe at school; and that their school day is well planned with no wasted time.

Pupils main concern was their safety when travelling to and from school.  They appreciate staff presence in the area at the start and end of the school day but many felt uncomfortable about behaviour on public transport and suspicious behaviour from others in the local area.  We are grateful for your support in reminding all students to go straight home after school and not linger around the town or park. It’s also vital that as students travel home, they remain vigilant of their surroundings and are not focused on their phones. This is even more important as we enter the winter months and the evenings get darker, so we’d greatly appreciate your support in encouraging students to be safe as they travel to and from school.  

The older pupils in particular were also keen to discuss plans for the opening of Ark Soane's Sixth Form.  We will be launching a consultation on Admissions and Course Choices after half-term and will be working with pupils to help us design our Sixth Form offering.  We very much look forward to working with you on this too.

We look forward to seeing your child tomorrow morning for the final week of a very successful half-term.  A reminder that half-term is the week of 28th October and pupils will return to school on Tuesday 5th November.

Kind regards,

Mr Neuberger

Despite being the penultimate week of term, our pupils are still displaying a exemplary level of effort both in and out of the classroom. 

The standard of extension work has been excellent once again this week. A particular highlight was the school poem 'Invictus' being written out in French, shoutout to Maisa (7 Cleopatra)! Also a huge well done to all the students across the school for their tenacity and organisation to have their homework usually due on Friday completed before the INSET. 

The Soane values were also being displayed in full force in the Yard this week, with multiple students showing kindness to each other. From helping Miss Kutyla set up for P.E., to helping perfect uniform and get water, the students were making the school proud. 

It was also another big week for sport at Soane! The Year 10 boys undertook a competitive match at Brentside on Wednesday, and made Mr Chippendale immensely proud in their effort. 8 Augustus also had a notably impressive netball lesson this week, where Younis and Al Saedi were standout performers! 

Please find attached below the E-consent letter for your child's upcoming flu vaccination this winter. 

You have the option to consent to either the flu nasal spray or the non-gelatin intramuscular flu vaccine. We kindly ask that you complete the online form at your earliest convenience, as the portal will close 48 hours prior to the flu session.

It is important to note that influenza can be quite uncomfortable for children and may lead to serious complications, such as pneumonia. Additionally, children can easily catch and transmit the virus, so vaccinating them not only protects their health but also safeguards those at higher risk, including infants and the elderly.

All Soane students are provided with a laptop upon entry to the school. This is to facilitate students completing their school work, and ensure that all students are able to access any online programmes or websites that we use for homework. There are protections on these devices to keep students safe: inappropriate content is blocked and devices are monitored for safeguarding concerns which are reported to the school.

Please be aware that not all non-educational content can be blocked on these devices (for example YouTube is accessible) and parents/carers should still monitor usage. Just because they are on their school laptop does not mean that they must be doing productive schoolwork! If you have concerns that sites are accessible which should be blocked then please flag this up to info@arksoane.org so that we can address with our providers. 

As you may be aware from the news, attendance at school is the predominant focus of all professionals. We know that for your child(ren) to have the education and character to go on to live happy, fulfilled lives as the drivers of their own destinies they MUST be in school. It is widely evidenced that students who frequently miss days at school significantly underperform and achieve lower grades than those pupils who attend every day.

Additionally, a change in guidance from the government means that any students that are late to school after the registers have closed will impact their attendance percentage. This could be coded as unauthorised and could result in local authority action.

Please see reminders of actions you can take to support your child(ren)’s attendance and progress at school, we really appreciate your support and are dedicated in working together to achieve the best outcomes for your child(ren):

• Support with an evening/morning routine to ensure they are prepared and organised for school the next day – this is a message we narrate in school.
• If your child needs/has a medical appointment please try and arrange these outside of school hours (we appreciate this is challenging). If you are not able to do this, please inform school in advance of the appointment and provide evidence (appointment cards/letters/emails).
• If you are not sure whether your child is well enough to attend school, send them in anyway as they often perk up on arrival. We will contact you if they are too ill to continue.
• If your child is ill, please telephone the school before 8.25am each day of your child’s absence.
• Have a backup plan for if your child misses transport, call on a family member, neighbour or friend.
• If you and your child are experiencing difficulties with school attendance then talk to us as a first step so we can help!

If you have any questions or concerns please email info@arksoane.org.

All pupils have access to the Unifrog platform to support in researching future careers and recording their growing aspirations. We encourage you to explore the website together with your child to research careers and future study options of interest to them.

We are always on the lookout for volunteers to give inspirational careers talks to our pupils. If you or someone you know would be interested in speaking to our pupils, please complete this form.

A reminder that pupils should bring their PE kit to school in a navy Ark Soane branded PE bag. They are available from our uniform supplier here. 

The lost property box in the reception area of the school is full of unclaimed items. Please ask your child to go to reception to check the box if necessary, and you are also welcome to pop into reception to check it yourself if you would like. Please may we also remind you to label your child's school uniform and belongings with their name.

Please note that chewing gum is prohibited at Soane. Please reiterate this with your child as possession of chewing gum will result in behaviour sanctions.

If you would like to get involved then please email soanepta@gmail.com.

If you need face-to-face assistance then the school office is open during term-time from 8am-4pm. So that we can deal with email enquiries promptly please see the school email addresses below:

• General Enquiries – info@arksoane.org
• Attendance - absence@arksoane.org
• Free School Meals - fsm@arksoane.org