Parent Bulletin 21st February

I hope you have had a wonderful half-term.  We are very much looking forward to seeing all pupils return on Monday to start the second half of the academic year with longer, brighter and warmer days.  This half-term runs straight through to Friday 4th April when we will finish at 12.45.

Parent survey:  Thank you to all parents who took the time to complete the parent survey.  There were huge numbers of positive comments as well as several suggestions for improvements.  I will review all the responses over the coming weeks and share changes with you through this bulletin.

Ramadan:  Ramadan is expected to start next Friday evening and we wish "Ramadan Mubarak" to all those in our community who are celebrating. If your child will be marking Ramadan then please support them to plan ahead to ensure that they remain well-rested, that they eat well before and after the fast and that they sustain 100% school attendance and punctuality during this time.

If your child is intending to fast during Ramadan then please complete this form by Wednesday 26th February so we can ensure that you are not charged for meals during the fast.

All of our families are invited - whether celebrating Ramadan or not - to join for our communal multi-faith Iftar on Thursday 13th March. Please hold the date.

SEND Team coffee morning: On Wednesday 21st March from 8:50-10:00, Mr Tse (SENCO) and the SEND team will be hosting a coffee morning where you will get the chance to hear more about how we are supporting our pupils with SEND, see some lessons and speak to the SEND team. If you would like to attend, please register here by the 14th March.

I hope you enjoy the weekend and I look forward to seeing all the pupils on Monday.

Kind regards,

Mr Neuberger

Both the students and the staff have been working extremely hard for the final week of the half term. Last Saturday saw the return of the History network event hosted by Soane, and there were an incredible number of pupil volunteers who came together to make sure the day ran like clockwork for the visitors. 

There was a lot of impressive art produced in the art rooms this week. 8 Augustus and Rameses finished the felt toys they had been working on with Ms Back, with a special shoutout going to Saad who produced a cuddly falafel wrap! The year 10 were also busy finishing off their final workshop on colour, producing some outstanding pencil drawings! 

There was also some fantastic work being produced in Enrichment this week. Having finished their course on Environmentalism with Mr Hanna, 7 Alexander took to the front of their classroom to give presentations on what they had learnt. There was passion and confidence in abundance from the students, which is such a testimony to their hard work all term! 

Finally, it was bleep tests in PE this week for 7 Cicero, who produced some truly impressive results. Well done to the top four superstars! 

As a part of your child’s education at Ark Soane, we promote personal wellbeing and development through a comprehensive Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education programme. PSHE education is the curriculum subject that gives young people the knowledge to live safe, healthy lives. As part of this, schools have a statutory obligation to teach students relationships and sex education. This is to prepare students for relationships of all kinds in the modern world. As a school community, we are committed to working in partnership with parents and are required to consult on the curriculum. We will be hosting a meeting in-school as part of this consultation from 17:00 – 17:30 on Monday  3rd March. If you would be interested in attending this meeting, please complete the MS Form here no later than Thursday 27th Feb, 7PM: https://forms.office.com/e/GtRDP6387i

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.

Spotting the signs for knife crime and signposting support: Please see below some leaflets in relation to knife crime, county lines and CCE (child criminal exploitation) and CSE (child sexual exploitation) which explain what they are and how to spot the signs.

Understanding Knife Crime: Information and Resources | Crimestoppers

Understanding County Lines: Resources and Information | Crimestoppers

Understanding Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE): Information and Resources | Crimestoppers

The-Ben-Kinsella-Trust-A-guide-to-knife-harm-for-parents-and-carers.pdf

If you have any concerns please email info@arksoane.org and ask to speak to the Head of Year or Safeguarding team.

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