Parent Bulletin 12th July

Welcome to the final Parent Bulletin of the Year and thank you for all the support you have given to your children and their teachers since September.  It has been a truly incredible year.

Results from Y7-Y9 have been released across the network with pupils at Soane making the highest progress of all 23 Ark Secondary Schools in each year group.  Indications are that pupils in all years at Soane will average around 1.5 grades higher per GCSE entry (Progress 8) than they would in a typical school.  This would put Soane students amongst the highest performing in the country and is testament to their hard work and the support of their families.

On Thursday we celebrated the summer with our End of Year Concert.  The pupils did us proud and I was particularly pleased to see so many first-time performers as well as the Year 9 and 10 bands and ensembles taking the place of the departing Year 11s.

We are now going in to our final week.  Please remember that every child is legally required to attend through to the end of term.  School finishes at 2pm tomorrow to allow for trip preparation.  Please read the information below carefully to ensure your child knows their start and finish times for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  On Friday we will return in full school uniform for final celebrations - with an 8.25 start and a 12.45 finish.

For 2026/27 term will start on Friday 4th September for incoming Y7s, Monday 7th September for Y12, Tuesday 8th September for Y11s (Academic Review Day) and Wednesday 9th September for Y8-10.  Please ensure that your child is ready and prepared for the start of term.

We look forward to seeing our Y11 pupils on Thursday 20th August for GCSE results and A-level enrolment.  There are a small number of places becoming available in Years 9 and 10 due to pupils departing overseas.  If you know of any pupils looking to join Soane then please encourage their parents to complete the application form on the website during August.

Studies have shown that pupils can regress in their learning by between 1 and 3 months over the summer holidays - you can read more about this here.  Please encourage your child to read frequently and engage their brain in other ways over the break.  Pupils going in to Y10 and into Y11 have been issued with a summer workpack that must be completed before your child returns in September as they prepare for their GCSE exams.  

I hope you enjoy the remainder of the weekend and the holidays when they come.

Kind regards,

Mr Neuberger

Year 7 are getting excited for their first Ark Soane sports day! The team spirit is strong in each form, making posters, writing chants and preparing for their next week's events.

Year 10 were lucky enough to be visited this week by professionals as part of their Work Experience Encounters. A variety of organisations including Barclays, Sky News, and the NHS (and even our very own Ark Soane teachers) came to talk to our students and give insight into their future careers. Our students did themselves proud and we definitely have some future teachers, medics, engineers (and many more) in the mix!

Finally, congratulations to our Year 10s in the Oxford and Cambridge programme, who each researched and submitted a video essay on their chosen subject for the Ark-wide Oxplore competition. Well done Mahad, Malik, Mel, and Alisa for their highly commended entries. And huge congratulations to Belsam for achieving first place across the network!

End of year trips 

End of year trips will begin this Tuesday. To ensure students and staff are well rested before trips, school will finish early on Monday 13th Jul at 2PM.

The list of trips and classes attending each day is below – please check your child knows which trip they are on each day:

Year 7 - Go Ape & West London Tour

Year 8 - West Wittering Beach & River Walk

Year 9 - Thorpe Lakes Watersports & East London Tour

Year 10 - Gripped London & Whitstable (Geography students) / Khalsa Jatha Gurdwara (Non-Geography students)

There will be a staggered start to school day each day. Please see below gate opening and line-up times for each trip – ensure your child knows the time they must arrive for. Students must be onsite by the line-up time shown; if they are late they will receive a reflection and risk being unable to attend their trip. The estimated end of day dismissal time is shown – the office will send texts if trips are delayed returning. For Sports Day, students should arrive at Twyford Sports Ground at the time indicated.

Please ensure your child brings at least two filled water bottles, sun cream, and a sun hat. Umbrellas to cover from the sun can be brought if desired.  

 Tue 14th Jul

A reminder that the Year 10 Geography trip is a compulsory part of their GCSE and is assessed in their exams. 

Weds 15th Jul

Thur 16th Jul

Usual school timings will resume on Fri 17th Jul; the last day of term

The Big Future survey - Children’s Commissioner for England

For the first time, hundreds of thousands of children will be eligible to vote in the next general election at age 16, the biggest change to the franchise in half a century – yet just one in five children say politicians listen to them.

That’s why the Children's Commissioner for England is doing a survey, The Big Future, to talk to a million children, to listen to them. And to find out about what it’s like to be a child today.

"I am asking children about the changes they want to see in their communities, their biggest concerns, and their hopes for the future. More than anything, I want to know what they think a good childhood should look like, now and in the future." - Dame Rachel de Souza

If you would like your child to complete the survey, and share their experiences, views and aspirations, the link is below.

https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/thebigfuture.

Summer HAF - Community Sparks Change

Community Sparks Change is a community organisation that supports children, young people, and families through positive activities, learning, and wellbeing programmes.

They are delighted to be one of Ealing's new Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) providers, delivering a free summer programme in collaboration with the Department for Education and Ealing Council.

Programme Details:
27th July – 7th August 2026
Acton Vale Community Centre
Free for service users

The programme will provide fun activities, healthy meals, and a safe space for children to enjoy during the school holidays.

This is the booking link to register interest -

https://eequ.org/book/sparks-club-summer-camp-with-community-sparks-change-29359 

Please see the poster below for more information.