Parent Bulletin 25 January

Unbelievably we have already reached the middle of this short half-term and I have been hugely impressed by the effort the pupils are putting in - both in class and at home.  Thank you for your ongoing support.

Teaching documentary:  Ark Soane features in a new four part documentary which showcases excellent teaching practice.  It was a privilege to be selected and reflects so well on our polite and hard-working pupils.  I recommend that all parents take the opportunity to watch this as it provides an opportunity to hear from many of our pupils and to see what goes on in our classrooms: www.steplab.co/watch

Clothing:  We are expecting a wet week ahead.  Pupils will be outside at break and lunch time unless there is exceptionally heavy rain.  Please ensure that they have an unbranded navy or black coat with a hood or an umbrella.  Please ensure that all clothing is labelled and that pupils visit lost property at the start or end of the school day to reclaim missing items.

Travel to and from school:   We are grateful for your support in reminding all students to go straight home after school and not linger in the local area to ensure that all pupils return home safely.

I hope you enjoy the remainder of the weekend,

Kind regards,

Mr Neuberger

This week saw the return of our after-school clubs. Highlights include a packed-out architecture club, our budding chess players honing their skills, and our basketball players preparing for our upcoming first home fixture in Ark Soane history!

There was also some excellent work in the art rooms this week. The year 10s were busy producing some incredible painting boards, and 8 Cleopatra had a fabulous lesson sewing with Ms Slade. 

The year 9s also had fun in science this week, carrying out experiments in pairs in the labs! 

We will be offering two vaccinations to all Year 9s on Wednesday 26th February 2025.

The 3-in-1 teenage booster (Td/IPV vaccine) is given to boost protection against 3 separate diseases: tetanus, diphtheria and polio. The 3-in-1 teenage booster is free on the NHS for all teenagers as part of the national immunisation programme.

It is routinely given at the same time as the MenACWY vaccine. In total, you need 5 doses of the Tetanus, Diphtheria and Polio vaccines through your childhood. This will build up and maintain your body's own immunity against these infections and protect you against the diseases.

If you are not sure if your child has had the original vaccine, you will find this information in your child’s medical red book, or you can contact your GP and they will hold this information in their records.

75% of teenagers are vaccinated. There is concern that this is not enough to provide "herd immunity" and we strongly encourage everybody to take the vaccines offered to keep them safe now and later in life.

There is a lot of misinformation spread about the effects vaccines can have.  This misinformation is potentially dangerous as it has stopped many from consenting to life-saving vaccines. It is also misleading as there is no evidence to back up the theories that are continually repeated.

Please see the NHS letter to parents sent home with your child and either consent or decline the vaccine for your child using this link:

https://nwl.schoolvaccination.uk/dtp/2024/ealing 

The deadline for consent is 24th February 2025.

As part of our ongoing maintenance of students’ Chromebooks, we are required to ask students to bring their laptop into school for a day so that they can log in and connect to the school Wi-Fi network. Each year group will need to bring their laptops to school on the following days:

Year 7: Thursday 6th February

Year 8: Tuesday 4th February

Year 9: Monday 3rd February

Year 10: Wednesday 5th February

All students must bring their laptops in on these days – if they do not do so, the laptop will deactivate and become unusable. Laptops must be charged before being brought in and should be carried in backpacks and not in a separate bag.

In the coming weeks Year 10 will be completing work on their aspirations for post-16 study. We know that students who have a clear aspiration for their future are more likely to be successful. Please support your child by discussing their ambitions with them for their career and future study and encourage them to research their options. A reminder that all Soane students have access to the Unifrog platform (unifrog.org) where they can research careers and pathways, in addition to reading optional guides and completing online courses on the platform to further their knowledge for their futures. Please explore the website with your child and discuss this research with them.

The clubs’ timetable is below – you will have received a text with the clubs your child has a place in. Our clubs are very popular; remind your child they must attend each week – if they do not, they risk their place being removed. Some of our clubs are invite only – these are indicated on the timetable.  If your child wishes to join a club, please email the office via info@arksoane.org to be added to the waiting list.