Parent Bulletin 10th November

It has been a hugely impressive week for all pupils on their return from the half-term break and they have really hit the ground running.

We hosted two large visits from other schools this week (The River School in Reading and St Luke's School in Exeter).  Feedback from visitors was overwhelmingly positive commenting on just how polite and welcoming Soane pupils are, how hard they are working in class and how confident they are.  This feedback is extremely well-deserved for our pupils.

Remembrance Assemblies:  We will be holding pupil-led Remembrance Assemblies for each year group tomorrow morning.  If your child does not yet have a poppy but would like one they will be able to buy one in tutor time tomorrow.

Year 7 Exams Information Evening:  We are looking forward to welcoming Y7 parents tomorrow at 4.45 to give an overview of the upcoming Christmas Exams which start on 28th November.

Soane Parents' Association AGM:  As the school grows we are keen to develop an increasingly active Parents' Association.  If you would like to hear more or volunteer for a role on the committee please join us on Tuesday 12th November at 6pm.

Vaccinations:  Thank you to all parents who consented to flu vaccinations.  As we go into the flu season it is so important that we continue to achieve high levels of attendance - choosing to vaccinate your child protects both them and the wider school and home community.

Homework:  Please check homework set on MCAS and support your child in completing their homework.  Please encourage pupils to complete their homework on the day that it is set to avoid last minute concerns about completion.

Winter coats:  As we start getting into colder weather please ensure your child brings a navy or black winter coat with them to school.  Coats should not have any visible brand names or logos on them to avoid peer pressure amongst pupils to buy expensive labels.  Pupils should only have hoods up when it is raining so they may choose to wear a navy or black hat on cold days to keep warm.

Thank you for all your support.  We are looking forward to seeing pupils tomorrow.

Mr Neuberger

It's been a hugely successful first week back for the pupils at Soane! Despite still shaking off the cobwebs from the break, the students have been showing up to each lesson full of enthusiasm, focus, and professionalism. 

As remembrance weekend is coming up, the pupils have been practicing our culture of respect by wearing poppies ahead of the remembrance assemblies on Monday. They have also been hugely keen to help each other out in the Yard, once again displaying their kindness! 

The holiday also gave many of the pupils an opportunity to produce some excellent extension work! Mr Norris was extremely impressed with Tabita and Yasmin (10 Ramesses), who produced pages of half term revision, well done! Naya (10 Augustus) also impressed the art department this week with her huge piece of art extension, and Mayar (7 Cleopatra) stood out for producing a short picture book inspired by Oliver Twist! 

Mr Chippendale and the PE department also got off to a flying start this week with the Year 8 boys winning on penalties against Cardinal Wiseman on Thursday. Massive shoutout to Platon and Daniel for each scoring fantastic goals, and for the team in general for their perseverance! 

We have a large number of new clubs starting this week. You will receive an email if your child has secured a place in one of these clubs, or in something new they wished to start.

The clubs timetable is below. You can see which clubs your child is signed up to via MCAS. Regular attendance is vital to develop in these activities; particularly with fixtures, performances, and various opportunities upcoming. A reminder that students receiving reflections of any length may not attend clubs and must go straight home. 

Please find the link to the club timetable below: 

Students in all year groups will sit their Autumn exams between Thursday 28th November and Tuesday 3rd December. These exams are an important chance for pupils and parents to see how much progress pupils are making in learning the curriculum at Soane, and to give students practice at completing exams.

We know that one of the biggest factors in students’ success is the amount of work that they do at home. To support students in building excellent study habits, we will be encouraging students to revise at home in addition to their normal homework. Form tutors will be working with their tutor groups to plan out the revision work that they should complete each night in the run up to exams, to ensure that students feel they are well prepared.

You can support your child in preparing for these exams by asking them what topics they will be revising each night and encouraging them to complete additional revision in addition to their homework. Please see attached an exam content list that sets out what topics students should study for each subject.  100% books are available for download in the student section of the website.

Pupils who have piano lessons at school or who are studying GCSE music are now able to hire a piano keyboard from school. Keyboards must be picked up from school by an adult and there is a charge of £10 per term which will be added to your ipay account. There is no charge for pupils who receive Free School Meals. If you would like to hire a keyboard or have any further questions please email info@arksoane.org.

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