Parent Bulletin 21st June

On Wednesday our founding cohort completed their last GCSE exam.  We could not be prouder of how hard they have worked in the run up to their GCSEs and how much of a pleasure it has been to work with them (and their families) over the last five years.  We look forward to formally sending them off at their graduation and prom on Tuesday.  We are very grateful for any uniform donations from our parting students - please drop them into the office.

Our Y7-9 pupils completed their Summer Exams last week.  Their preparation and revision paid off and it was a pleasure to see them come out of the sports hall feeling that they had done themselves proud.  

Our Y10 pupils have started their first GCSE mock exams.  Their preparation has been exemplary and we wish them every success over their remaining exams next week.

On Friday we will welcome our 180 new Y7 pupils for their transition day.  Over 80 of these pupils are younger siblings of children already in the school and we are delighted that they are joining us.  We will also welcome 23 new teachers over the coming weeks - who will be joining us in September.

Travelling to and from school:  Hot weather and long evenings can lead to pupils engaging in high-risk behaviour at the end of the school day.  Please support us by ensuring that your child returns straight home and changes out of their school uniform if meeting with friends or participating in an activity outside of school. This is to keep them safe, avoid them getting into trouble in the local community, and to maintain the positive reputation of the school. We count on your support with this. Staff from the school will also continue to patrol the local area.

Attendance to end of term:  While we sympathise that the cost of travel during school holidays is often higher please remember that it is parents' legal obligation to ensure their children attend school on every school day including at the end of term.  Please do not book any travel before 17th July and please ensure that pupils are back in the UK ready to start on:

• 4th September (Y7)
• 7th September (Y12)
• 8th September (Y11)
• 9th September (Y8-10)

Unauthorised absence may result in enforcement action including, but not limited to, fines being imposed by your Local Authority.

Dates for your diaries: 

2nd July - Summer Fete

3rd July - School closed for INSET

9th July - Summer Concert

10th July - Early finish (2.00)

14th-16th July - School Trips and Sports Day

17th July - End of Term - Early Finish (12.45)

I wish you an enjoyable remainder of the weekend.

Kind regards,

Mr Neuberger

Congratulations to the winner's of our latest art competition! The theme was "Religion" and we received some wonderful pieces from throughout the school. Sumaya (Year 7), Malk (Year 9) and Leanne (Year 9) did an outstanding work, and the art department is happy to announce that they won 1st, 2nd and 3rd place correspondingly. You can check out their amazing work below!

The final results are in! The Year 9 Boys football team put in outstanding effort an attitude in their cup final on Sunday. The boys took the lead through Alex G and went in 1-1 at half time. They eventually lost 4-1 to FBS mainly due to their England & Arsenal player taking the game away from us. Stand outs were Alex, Minato & Platon who had stormers. Well done boys, you've made us very proud!

And we had success on the cricket field! A fantastic 23 run win for our Year 9 cricket team in their first game against Ark Acton. We won the toss and decided to bat, scoring a strong 78 runs from 10 overs. We then fielded superbly! Highlights included a brilliant 3 wicket haul in one over from Subhan, Asifi, Yunis and Abdu also picked up wickets. Shout out to Subhan who was awarded man-of-the-match for top scoring with the bat and his 3 wickets! Superstars!

Gifts to staff

We are incredibly grateful to families for their generosity and gift giving as pupils come to the end of the academic year.

If you would like to buy a gift for your child’s tutor or teachers it is hugely appreciated but neither necessary nor expected.

Please be aware that staff are unable to accept gifts with a value of more than £25.  If you would like to make a larger gift (e.g. for all staff) then please contact the office or consider donating to support our pupils through https://arksoane.org/support-us/fundraising.

End of year trips 

All Soane students go on two trips to celebrate the successes of the year, provide opportunities to build culture, and develop teamwork and perseverance. This is an important time of the year for our school community – your child must be in attendance on these days.

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)

Years 7 - 9 will be out on trips Tuesday 14th & Wednesday 15th July. They will have their annual Sports Day on Thursday 16th July at Twyford Sports Ground.

Year 10 will be out on trips Tuesday 14th & Thursday 16th July.

They will have their annual Sports Day on Weds 15th July at Twyford Sports Ground.

A letter has been emailed with full details, including costs. We require additional consent for Go Ape, West Wittering, and Gripped - please complete the form linked in the letter. Exact timings of each day and further details will be sent closer to the time. 

Please note that if we do not receive payment, your child will be unable to participate in these trips and will remain at school. 

Summer Fete - Thursday 2nd July, 2PM-4PM

On Thursday 2nd July we will be hosting our third Summer Fete. This is a wonderful celebration for our community, with stalls, food, music, and activities. We will be fundraising for Ealing Foodbank at the event. The event will run from 2PM-4PM - students will be dismissed at 2PM that day. 

A pre-paid token system will be in effect to pay for activities and food at the event. These can be purchased via iPay up to Weds 1st Jul. They will be given to your child on the day to collect. 

Parents and guardians can book free tickets for the Summer Fete here. Unaccompanied children will not be admitted: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/soane-summer-fete-thur-2nd-jul-2pm-4pm-tickets-1991309739034?aff=oddtdtcreator

Summer Concert - Thursday 9th July

We have one more big event to announce before the year is up!

Our Summer Concert will be on Thursday 9th July, 5PM-6:30PM. Musicians have been working hard perfecting their pieces in anticipation for the event. We would love to welcome you there – please book a free ticket here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ark-soane-summer-concert-thur-9th-jul-tickets-1992142634246?aff=oddtdtcreator 

Students may attend if in full uniform, with a ticket, and accompanied by a parent. Phones will be confiscated if seen on the night.

Performances will start promptly at 5:15PM; due to how the night is staged we are unable to admit latecomers, so please arrive at 5PM to avoid disappointment.

Coins for Change

If you are a parent attending the Summer Fete on the 2nd of July, you can bring any spare foreign currency you have to the Soane Parent's Association stall, where they are collecting for Coins for Change. Coins for Change is a social enterprise which provides an easy way for the school community to turn spare coins and notes into real impact, bringing money into the school community. 

For more information about Coins for Change see previous bulletins.

Uniform Donations

The Soane Parents Association are collecting donations of good quality second hand school uniform sale on the 10th July. We are collecting the following items:

• Trousers and skirts
• PE kits
• Jumpers, skirts, blazers and ties
• Backpacks and PE bags

If you are a parent, donations will be collected at the school reception. Students can hand in donations at the pupil entrance (alongside lost property). 

Thank you for helping our school community!