Dear Parent/Carer

We have reached the end of our first term at Stone Soup Academy and I wanted to catch up to outline all that has happened since we started back in September. Obviously Covid 19 has been at the forefront of our minds as we try to negotiate new rules and changing rules, but our students, with your help have been excellent in adapting to the new expectations of using hand sanitiser, having their temperature taken and social distancing. We will continue to work with the local authority and you, our parents and carers, to keep everyone safe and well as we move into winter.

We had some exciting news when we returned from the summer holiday. We found out that Stone Soup Academy had been nominated for a National TES Award. We are in the category of Alternative Provision of the Year and we are against 7 other entries from across the country. The final is on the 13th November and we are really excited. This term we also held a small graduation ceremony in the Academy for Finnley, one of our students who completed her Stone Soup Journey a few years ago. Finnley graduated with a first class honours degree. It was lovely to see one of our students in a cap and gown. We are now starting our wall of pride for students who have left us and gone on to great things, Finnley and Owen, a student who left us last year and has now signed for Mansfield Town Football Club will be the first students to take pride of place on the wall. Perhaps your child might also be up there in a few years.

We have completed our first set of mock exams and again our young people were amazing following exam regulation rules and behaving brilliantly. These were the first of the mocks which we will hold termly. The exams will help us prepare our young people for the actual exams in the Summer. The results from these mocks will be used in the first progress report which will be sent home over the holiday. We understand that exams are a stressful time for our students but we hope that with support and encouragement they will find the exams easier to deal with each time.

During October we have been celebrating Black History Month and this has culminated in a day, when we have given our students the opportunity to become involved in making food, creating crafts and music celebrating this event. At lunchtime we served all sorts of different foods giving our students the opportunity to try lots of new and different things. I am sure that you will read all about it in our next Stone Soup Newspaper.

This term we also invited in the armed services to talk to the students about careers. They also invited 13 of our students to go to Chilwell Barracks to take part in an escape and evasion day. It was a great experience and one that I know that the students really engaged in.

In November we will start sessions for students training them all about well being. These sessions will include mental health, drugs and alcohol awareness, sexual health and online safety. We are aiming to complete 2 courses a term for all students which we believe will support them to make more informed choices. We will send you more information closer to the time.

It is amazing how quickly this term has flown and how much we have jammed into it. We keep following our vision of ‘Creating Unimagined Future’ for our young people and I hope that you would agree that it has been a great term. Attendance has been fantastic and our students have been trying really hard which is excellent. We are trying to keep the website updated with information that will be useful for you and also all the letters are put on there in case you misplace one. Please have a look and of course let me know if you need any further information about anything.

As always thank you for your support and please contact myself or your child’s personal coach if you have any queries of questions.

The term will start back again on:- 

Monday 2nd November at 9 a.m. for year 10 and 11 students

Monday 2nd November at 9.30 a.m. for year 9 students 

Please encourage your child to be on time.

Thank you for your hard work in supporting us and your child.

Warm regards

Kerrie Henton

Principal