Parent Bulletin 6th September

I hope you have had a fantastic summer holiday and are looking forward to the full return to school this week.

We are hugely proud to have recruited 25 exceptional new staff to join our community this year.  They have been preparing for the pupils' return and are exceptionally excited to meet the new and returning pupils.  We are also overjoyed to be starting our brand new Sixth Form and are looking forward to welcoming our cohort of returning and new Year 12s to begin their A-levels with us.

On August 20th we shared our GCSE results with our Year 11 pupils.  Results were extraordinary: pupils achieved more than 1.5 grades higher per subject at Soane than they would have done in an average-performing school.  While 2026 results have not yet been formally published by the Government - our results suggest that Soane is 5th in the country when compared to last year's results.  I am so proud of our hard working pupils and grateful to teachers and parents for their unwavering support as these exceptionally results are replicated in all year groups.  Please see some of our results-day highlights below.

A reminder that we will have a staggered start this week:

Monday (by 8.25): Y7 and Y12 induction

Tuesday (by 8.25):  Y7 and Y12 induction.

Tuesday (all day - by appointment): Y11 Academic Review Day

Tuesday (8.25 at Visitors' Entrance): New starters Y8-10

Wednesday (by 8.25): All pupils return

There is lots of information for the start of the year below.  Please don't hesitate to get in touch with the school if you have any questions.

Important dates for your diaries:

16/9: Y10 GCSE Information Evening

17/9: Y7 Meet the Tutor Evening

18/9: School closed for INSET

1/10: Y11 Guidance Evening

8/10: Y9 Meet the Tutor Evening

16/10: School closed for INSET

22/10: Sixth Form Information Evening

23/10: Last Day of Half Term  

I look forward to seeing all pupils refreshed and ready to start the year this week.

Mr Neuberger

Arriving and departing from school

A reminder that all pupils must arrive before 8:25 each day. When travelling to and from the academy, pupils are representatives of the academy and must maintain professional appearance wearing full school uniform. The pupil entrance on Woodlands Avenue is open from 8.10-8.40.  Pupils who arrive after 8:25 are marked as late and receive a 15-minute late reflection. Pupils who arrive after 8.40 must enter through the visitors’ reception on Gunnersbury Lane and will receive a 45 minute reflection. Dismissal from 3.30-3.45 is through the pupil entrance: any pupil with a reflection or staying for an after-school activity will leave through the Gunnersbury Lane entrance.

Attendance

The curriculum at Soane is incredibly challenging and missed days make it very hard for children to keep up academically with their peers.  Additionally, children who are absent find it more difficult to build relationships with their peers and enjoy school less than those who are here every day. The first weeks of the school year are hugely important in setting routines for your child so please ensure that they are in school every day even if they feel “under the weather”.  We would always prefer you to send your child in and contact us so that we can monitor them through the day – sending them home if necessary. If you are having difficulty getting your child into school then please contact us on info@arksoane.org and we will support you.

Preparation for the start of the school year - equipment

Please work with your child to ensure that their pencil case is fully re-stocked with the necessary items (30cm ruler, rubber, black or blue pens (x2), green pen, pencil (x2), whiteboard pen, whiteboard rubber, Scientific calculator (Casio Fx-83 or Fx-85)) before they return to school.  If your child needs to purchase any items from the school shop, then please ensure there is money on their Ipay account and they arrive promptly at 8.10.  Please ensure that your child’s bag is cleared out of any unnecessary items.

Preparation for the start of the school year - uniform

Please ensure that uniform still fits and follows the uniform policy – please remember that shoes must be formal black leather (or leather-like) and must not cover the ankle. Shoe and coats must be unbranded black or navy, socks must be black or navy and trousers should be formal school trousers rather than flares. Hair below the neck should be tied up with a simple navy or black hair-tie and a simple stud in both earlobes is the only jewellery allowed. Please label all items of clothing to avoid them getting lost.

If you require any replacement items of uniform, then please go to our new uniform provider https://www.juniperuniform.com/juniper-west-london-uniform-shop/.

Updates to policies

Please note that all school policies have been updated for the start of the school year.  They are available here https://arksoane.org/about/policies-reports.  If you would like a hard copy of any policies then please request them from reception.

Term dates

Please see the link here to term dates: https://arksoane.org/calendar/term-dates. 

Preparation for the start of the year – summer work

All pupils going in to Year 10 and Year 11 have been set summer work to complete.  This should be brought with them on Tuesday.  This is accessible here https://arksoane.org/students.  Pupils starting in other year groups should also review their 100% books from last year (saved in the same link) as preparation for the year ahead.

Sixth Form Induction 

We are extremely excited to welcome many of our founding cohort back as our first ever sixth form students. Year 12 will have their induction on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th, culminating with a round of mini golf in Gunnersbury Park. Students will be dismissed from Ark Soane on Monday at 2.10pm and from Gunnersbury Park on Tuesday at 4pm. To support your child, please ask them to show you their sixth form checklist and go through this with them this weekend. Students will be expected to bring their bridging work from Wednesday, when lessons begin. We look forward to seeing them next week!

Year 11 Academic Review Day

A reminder that Y11 Academic Review Day is on Tuesday 8th September.  You should attend with your Y11 child.  If you have not yet booked an appointment please email info@arksoane.org and we will be able to get you booked in.

Homework

We will begin setting homework for all year groups from Monday 14th September. Please see attached the homework timetable, which outlines what days homework will be set and collected for all year groups. This will be shared with students when they return.

PE Kit

Pupils will be starting PE lessons from Thursday. This means that students must bring the following kit for their first timetabled lesson of PE:

• Navy drawstring PE bag (Ark Soane branded bags are optional).
• PE t-shirt: Ark Soane branded. 
• Shorts : Plain unbranded navy.
• Trainers: Must be appropriate for sports. No converse trainers or school shoes to be worn.
• Plain Socks.
• Plain unbranded navy fleece/tracksuit for colder weather without a logo. Hoodies are not permitted. 

The day your child has PE is indicated below:     

GCSE results

Over the summer we received our first set of GCSE results. 90% of students in our founding cohort achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and Maths. 54% of all grades were a grade 7 or above - a grade A under the old grading system. We are hugely proud of these results, which place us amongst the highest performing schools in the country, and are testament to the hard work of our staff, students and parents over the last five years.  

Year 10 GCSE information evening

We will be hosting a GCSE information evening for parents of students in Year 10 on Wednesday 16th September. During this meeting we will lay out the key events of Years 10 and 11s, share details on their mock exams over the next two years, and also outline the most important ways that you can support your child through their GCSEs. It is important that all parents attend. Your child will receive a letter that they must return to their tutor to confirm your attendance next week.

Clubs' Timetable

Each term we offer a number of clubs to provide additional opportunities for pupils' wider development. We know that pupils who take part in such opportunities become more articulate, confident, and well-rounded, as well as developing interests and talent in art, music, sport, and more. 

The provisional clubs' timetable is below - please note that club days and the offer may change based on staff availability. Clubs shown in italics are invite only. 

After-School Clubs (3:40PM-4:30PM)

Mondays: Y8 Boys' Football, Illustration, Y10 GCSE Art, School Production, Guitar Ensemble, German Club, Charity Committee

Tuesdays: Kung Fu, Senior Jazz

Wednesdays: Netball, Strength & Conditioning, Y11 GCSE Art, GCSE Music, Y9-10 Debating, Eco Club, Y10 Triple Science, Y9-10 Axiom Maths, Chess Club

Thursdays: Y7 Boys' Football, Y10 Sports Leaders, Architecture, Y9-10 Music Tech, String Ensemble, Junior Jazz, STEM Club, Japanese Club

Fridays: School Production, Y7-8 Axiom Maths, Y11 Triple Science, Y9 Boys' Football, Y7-9 Girls' Football 

Before-School Clubs (7:30AM-8:10AM)

Tuesdays: Y8-9 Boys' Basketball

Wednesdays: Y10-11 Boys' Basketball

Thursdays: Y7-10 Girls' Basketball

Fridays: Y7 Boys' Basketball

On Friday 11th Sep, pupils will give preferences for the clubs they would like to participate in - this will be completed in-school. We will confirm places the following week. Please not that not all pupils will get their first preference of club, but we will be in touch if we can offer them a place at a later stage. 

Participation in extra-curricular activities is a huge part of life at Soane. Please discuss which clubs your child is interested in joining. 

Musical Instrument Lessons

All students at Soane have the opportunity to take up musical instrument lessons. During their induction, your child will be able to select their preferred instrument, choosing from Guitar, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, Violin, Piano, and Drums. Your child will then receive a letter from their music teacher containing further information about these lessons.

Learning a musical instrument is a great way to boost confidence, improve memory and creativity, and give them a pastime for life. Nearly all of our top achievers at GCSE played a musical instrument. Encourage your child to take up an instrument and if they have any questions, they can speak to their music teacher or form tutor.