Dear Parent/Carer, 

First and foremost, I want to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to work alongside the wonderful students of our school each day. It’s truly a pleasure to be part of their educational journey and to foster an environment where learning is both enriching and enjoyable. At Stone Soup, our mission is to approach education differently, always striving to show our students the respect and support they deserve.

As we find ourselves past the halfway point of the academic year, it’s a moment of reflection and realisation for many reasons. Whether it’s our Year 11 students diligently preparing for exams and college placements, our Year 10 students gearing up for their final year, or our KS3 students contemplating their next steps and timetables, there’s a palpable sense of transition in the air.

I want to take this opportunity to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone for their unwavering support throughout the past year in nurturing our young learners. Your dedication and engagement have been greatly appreciated.

As we keeping going on the second half of the year, I’d like to remind everyone of our school’s expectations on a couple of things: 

• Vapes and E-cigarettes: These have been a concern at many schools nationwide, and we remain steadfast in our stance against them. Vaping is strictly prohibited on school premises and whilst on activities that take our young people and staff off site for sport and enrichment activities. If caught vaping they will be suspended and repeat occasions may endanger their place at the academy.
• Crop Tops and inappropriate clothing: With the weather warming up, it’s understandable that students may prefer lighter clothing. However some items of clothing are not permitted. These include items that show underwear or are too short or too low cut. As an academy we are passionate about preparing our young people for the world of work and as such, although we do not have a school uniform, we still have expectations of dress. As such crop tops are not permitted. We have school-provided T-shirts available if needed, but it’s preferable if students refrain from wearing crop tops to school. If a student refuses to wear a school provided t-shirt or they are inappropriately dressed they will be refused entry to the academy and asked to return home to change. Please ensure that shorts and skirts are loose and mid length or longer.

Your cooperation in upholding these expectations is greatly appreciated, as it helps prevent situations that may lead to student suspensions, which is always our last resort.

Additionally, we continue to offer incentives within the school, such as our Class Dojo money incentive:

Students have the opportunity to earn £5 per day at Stone Soup Academy, based on the following criteria:

• £3 for being on time and earning 20 dojo points
• £4 for being on time and earning 30 dojo points
• £5 for being on time and earning 40 dojo points

(Note: KS3 students will earn £1 less than KS4 students.)

To qualify for this at the end of year 11 we need students to have:

• 90% attendance
• 90% punctuality
• 95% on Class Dojo
• A behaviour score of 7.0 or above

We have exciting reward trips planned for the latter part of the year, and we encourage all students to continue to work hard to maximise their chances of participating.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership in shaping the educational journey of our students.

Warm regards,

Oli Sillito 

Assistant Principal – Personal Development Behaviour and Welfare