Parent Bulletin 29th October

Thank you for all of your support over the first half-term of the year.  It feels like only moments ago that the founding families joined a small school of 180 pupils and yet now we are a firmly established school of 720 pupils, already larger than some full size schools, and with three years of expansion still to come.

It has been a deeply impressive half-term:

- Our year 7s have thoroughly impressed me and their teachers by the speed with which they have adapted to secondary school life: already, at the end of October, they are showing a level of independence far beyond when they arrived.  This is particularly evident in the quality and quantity of homework and extension work they are producing.

- Our year 8s have come back with a new sense of maturity - no longer being the youngest group in the school.  I was particularly impressed when talking to the 12 Year 8 representatives that every one of them said that they feel that they are making greater progress in secondary school than they did in primary - really demonstrating their embrace of the opportunities available to them.

- Our year 9s are leading the way in their gratitude and appreciation for the support they receive from home and school.  They have demonstrated a really special culture meaning that pupils feel safe at school and are always willing to contribute and make mistakes in front of their peers.

- And our founding cohort have truly embraced the new depth and rigour coming from having made their GCSE choices and are already making exceptional progress in mastering their GCSE syllabuses.

The first half-term of the year is always one of settling in, setting expectations and establishing norms - and I am delighted by the standards our pupils have set and am grateful for your support.

Next half-term we look forward to welcoming visitors - both from the UK and abroad - who want to learn from Soane's successes and help us make the school stronger.  We also look forward to commemorating Remembrance Day together as a community on 11th November.  Exams will take place at the end of the month - from 28th Nov to 4th Dec - and we look forward to finishing the term with our Exhibition Evening (of concerts and performances) on 12th Dec and our Exploration Day (cultural visits) on 19th Dec.  Please note that the school will be closed for INSET on Monday 25th November and we will finish the term on 20th December at 12.45.

I hope you enjoy the half-term break and we are looking forward to welcoming pupils back on Tuesday 5th November.

Kind regards,

Mr Neuberger

As usual, the standard of extension work has been second to none this week, despite it being the final week of the half term. 

Sophia in 9 Augustus has been entitled the 'Homework and Extension Queen' of the form for her consistent high standards across all subjects, well done Sophia! 

Daimonas and Hamza from 7 Ramesses were an academic duo in English on Monday, standing out for the high quality of their routines and participation. 

Jena, Anas, Maria, Amin, Adam and Adrianna were the standouts in 10 Cicero's English quiz this week, scoring a flawless 10/10! 

Samia also impressed Ms Fairchild by brining in extension work on the last day! 

Ten of our top musicians attended the Ark Music Inspiring Excellence residential at Mill Hill School last week. Students performed in elite ensembles for violin, saxophone, and singing in preparation for a performance at the Barbican next summer. A huge shout out to Kenzo (10 Cleopatra) and Olivia (10 Augustus) for receiving a commendation from the lead musicians for their effort and commitment throughout the residential.

It's been a huge week for sport at Soane. The year 7 boys achieved a 1-0 victory over Twyford on Monday, qualifying them for the next round of the cup. Special shoutouts go to Adnan for his excellent goalkeeping and Micah for the great goal. 

The Year 8 boys had a similarly successful week, with a 5-3 win over Greenford. Ayman (8 Ramesses) gets a particular shoutout, winning man of the match and scoring two goals. 

It was also a great evening for the Year 10 boys on Thursday as they came away with a 2-0 win at Featherstone in the Ealing cup. Shoutouts go to the goal scorers Kirubel and Michael for two excellent goals and Darko who got Man of the Match for his brilliant performance in goal! 

The students were also having a great time in Enrichment this week. 7 Ramesses were practicing being villains with Mr Rosser on Wednesday, working on performing Melodrama. 

This term in 7 Cicero, the pupils completed their enrichment course on environmental awareness, focusing on the Anthropocene. The students studied the effects of climate change, deforestation, and plastic waste issues. Working in pairs, they prepared presentations aimed at inspiring their audience to take action and help rescue our planet, which they delivered in the final session. Students demonstrated strong projection while persuading their peers to walk or cycle more, reduce plastic use, and switch to sustainable fuels instead of relying on fossil fuels. Notably, William and Samuel captured our attention with their memorable slogan: "The solution is no pollution!" 

In 7-Augustus and 8-Ramesses, the students recently completed an enriching electronics project where they built moving buggies. Students learned to use craft knives safely and gained hands-on experience with programmable devices to create circuits. They utilised an online program called 'MakeCode' to program the motors, enabling their buggies to move. Additionally, they had the exciting opportunity to program lights and sound, enhancing the functionality of their creations. This project not only developed their technical skills but also fostered teamwork and creativity.

We have been so impressed by the quality of applications from Year 10 students to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. Students will be informed if they have been successful on Weds 6th Nov, and next steps will be emailed to parents/guardians.

From Monday 11th November 

Clubs will continue as normal upon students return on Tue 5th Nov. Students who attended clubs before half term should continue doing so.

We are pleased to announce a number of new clubs will launch from the second week back after half term. These include debating, basketball, and chess. If your child would like to take part in one of these clubs, please complete this form no later than Thurs 7th Nov, 7PM: https://forms.office.com/e/9zbXLLgS5t.

Completion of the form does not guarantee a place. We will be in touch Fri 8th Nov if your child has secured a place in one of these clubs.

From Mon 11th Nov, we will be launching Mathletes – our extra-curricular advanced maths clubs. This club is for students with a deep interest in maths, who are keen to develop their problem solving and mathematical thinking further.

Year 7 & 8 Mathletes takes place on Thursdays.
Year 9 & 10 Mathletes takes place on Wednesdays.

Students interested in participating will need to attend on these days during the first week back after half term. On this date, they will sit a test to assess their suitability for the club. We will be in touch on Mon 11th Nov if your child has secured a place. Please speak about this opportunity with your child, and encourage them to attend the try-outs.

We are collecting donations for the RBL poppy appeal on the 5th- 11th November to fundraise for veterans. If you wish to donate, please send your child/ward in with a minimum donation of 20p to receive a poppy. 

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 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.

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