Share This Page

26th September 2025

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are fully in the swing of the Autumn Term now and it has been lovely to see how engaged the children are in their learning and how positively they are behaving in lessons. School has felt a tad quiet this week with several trips taking place, including the Year 5 residential trip to Fellowship Afloat – more on this below!

Fellowship Afloat Year 5 school residential trip

It has been a very exciting, action-packed week for Dahl Class! The children have had an unforgettable stay at Fellowship Afloat in Tollesbury. We are so proud of how they embraced every challenge during this trip, from conquering the high ropes, to learning how to sail. Throughout the week, they also enjoyed some archery, team-building games, kayaking and more. Huge thanks to the parents for trusting us with your children, thank you children for being a great group to take away, however the biggest thanks must go to my staff who gave up time with their families and delayed activities to accompany me and the children. Thank you so much Miss Copas, Miss Keir and Mr Marshall for your time and support of our children.

Fellowship pic 1

Year 6 International Day of Peace

On Thursday, Year 6 went to the High Street Church to participate in their annual celebration of the International Day of Peace. There were many other Harpenden schools there and lots of musical talents exhibited. The afternoon culminated in a group rendition of ‘Song for Peace’, and the key takeaway was that we are never too small to make a difference.

We are super proud of Luca and Ben for rehearsing and performing a piece for the event.

Peace

Year 6 Dickens and Foundling Museums Trip, Tuesday 23rd September

Year 6 historians had a wonderful day in London this week exploring the rapid period of change that took place in the Georgian and Victorian era due to the Industrial Revolution. We spent the morning at the Foundling Hospital finding out about how the philanthropist, Thomas Coram, petitioned for 17 years to gain permission for a children’s home to be built to improve the lives of poor Georgian children; we loved exploring the original staircase and rooms from the hospital and imagining life as a Foundling. In the afternoon, we participated in a ‘Curating Charles Dickens’ workshop where we handled artefacts and deduced what life was like in the Victorian era, especially for the middle class.

Dickens

Year 2 Local Walk

On Monday, Moomin Class went on a History Walk to learn all about how the High Street has changed since the 1950s. We were very lucky that it was such a beautiful day! The children demonstrated super listening skills to our tour guide and were able to recall lots of information once back at school. We seemed to have two favourite facts - Harpenden Academy used to be the local library, and some of the common used to be a pond for the horses to drink from!

History walk

EYFS Phonics Workshop, Monday 29^th September, 9.00-10.00am

Mrs Withers and Mrs Watson will be holding a meeting for parents of our new Reception cohort to introduce our approach to phonics and how you can support your child with reading at home. This is a valuable opportunity to understand how we teach early reading and how you can help lay the foundations for your child’s reading journey. We warmly encourage all parents and carers to attend.

Assess Plan Do Review Meetings, Monday 29^th September

These meetings are via invitation only and Mrs Moss has already sent out these letters to individual parents. If you have not received one, then do not worry.

Parents' Evening, 14^th & 16^th October

The booking window is now open for parents' evening. Please book your child's appointment using MCAS and click on the 'parent evening' function to access your child's appointments.

On parent’s evening we finish school at 2.30pm with the choice of options regarding childcare between 2.30-3.20pm. If you need to sign up to childcare between 2.30pm-3.20pm then please complete this e-form by 3rd October 2025. You must sign up your child for the childcare - this will not automatically happen.

Parent EDI group

Mrs Withers is hosting a meeting for anyone interested in supporting our work on Equality, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI) and belonging. The meeting will take place on Thursday 16th October at 2:00pm. If you would like to attend, please contact the school office to let them know.

Exciting News - Mrs Withers

It is with great joy that I announce Mrs. Withers is expecting her first baby. She is currently halfway through her pregnancy and will remain with us a little longer, with her maternity leave scheduled to begin in mid-January 2026.

We will be starting the process to find her replacement immediately. In advance of this newsletter, I have informed Ladybird parents of the upcoming change. Mrs. Haines has kindly offered to increase her hours, working two days per week instead of one, to ensure continuity for both children and families.

Please join me in congratulating Mr. and Mrs. Withers on this wonderful news!

Change of Address

We kindly ask all parents to notify the school office of any address changes as soon as possible. Keeping our records up to date ensures that we can communicate effectively and send important information and updates without delay. Thank you for your cooperation in helping us maintain accurate contact details for all families.

Should I keep my child off school?

We understand that you may sometimes wonder whether your child should stay home from school due to illness. For guidance, we encourage you to refer to the NHS poster below, which provides helpful advice on when to keep your child at home and when they are well enough to return to school. Your cooperation helps us create a safe and healthy environment for all students and staff.

UKHSA should I keep my child off school guidance A3 poster

Headlice

We have had several cases of headlice in school this week across both EYFS/Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. We have notified the classes by email where headlice has been an issue.

Please see the NHS advice on head lice and nits. Please do take the time to look at this guidance.

We may ask you to come and collect your child from school to start treatment and to reduce the risk of head-to-head contact. You can return your child back to school once this first treatment has been given. It may also help for your child to have short hair that will not touch another child's head easily or to ensure that long hair is securely fastened or tied back.

Please do regularly check your child's hair.

Thank you so much for your help with our little unwanted friends!

HEAD LICE

Flu Vaccinations

Only half our parents have responded.

An email went to ALL parents regarding the flu vaccinations. The school nurse team will be visiting us on the morning of 7th October 2025. Please do not ignore the flu letter as ALL parents need to either give consent or decline via the NHS flu vaccination link.

The NHS school nurse team will contact you on the day if you have not responded so to avoid any confusion please can ALL parents complete this admin task.

Protecting your child against flu leaflet primary school

Change in Menu, Jungle Fest Nachos, Census Day, Thursday 2nd October

Our Autumn term census is on Thursday, 2nd October and the school receives funding from the DfE based on our school dinner uptake. SwiftKitchen has changed the menu to a Jungle Fest Nachos theme on this date. Please can parents select/reselect their child's menu option for this day.

If your child normally has a packed lunch and would like the option of the Nachos then parents need to log on to SwiftKitchen and access their child's account to order. If you need help with logging into SwiftKitchen then please contact the school office.

Jungle Fest Local Printing & Sending to Clients

Traffic Lights Workshop

Traffic Light Arts - New Diary Dates

Family Festive Fun!

Sunday November 30th - In conjunction with Friends of Harpenden Academy (FOHA), we are pleased to announce a festive afternoon of

Family Christmas Wreath Making. This event will be opening shortly for bookings via the FOHA website. Flyer with full details coming soon!

Christmas Holiday Entertainment!

Monday 22nd & Tuesday 23rd December - Christmas Crafty Party Workshop Days. Two days of festive Arts & Crafts projects plus Christmas Party Games & Activities. A fun-filled start to the Christmas holidays! Age: 5-11 years (Half days available for 4 year olds). Harpenden Academy, 8.45am-5pm. £37 per day. Booking open!

A "K-Pop Demon Hunters” themed Workshop Special!

Saturday 3rd January - 'It’s Gonna Be Golden!’ We’re teaming up with Tiger Cheer to present a one-day Workshop Special inspired by the movie “K-Pop Demon Hunters!” Get ready to ‘Takedown’ the morning learning a Dance & Pom routine to music from the movie soundtrack and create some of your own Choreography too! The ‘Huntr/x’ fun will continue into the afternoon with K-Pop themed T-shirt Design & Printing and creating matching accessories. At the end of the day, you’ll get to take home your Golden Glitter Poms along with the T-shirt & Accessories you’ve made, so you can continue being a K-Pop Star! Age: 5-11 years. Harpenden Academy, 9.30am-3.30pm. £30 for the day. Booking open!

For all enquires and bookings please email admin@trafficlightarts.co.uk

Copy of SET Notice

Halloween

Spooktacular Halloween Disco!

Broomsticks at the ready… Harpenden Academy is hosting its annual Halloween Disco on Thursday 23rd October in the School Hall!

Timings:

Reception to Year 3: 5:00 – 5:50pm
Year 4 to Year 6: 6:00 – 7:00pm
(Siblings are welcome to attend either session.)

Tickets: £5 per child (must be purchased in advance)
Preschool children attend free

The ticket price includes squash, popcorn, a Halloween craft gift, music, dancing, and entry into the fancy-dress competition with prizes to be won!

Adults must stay during the event — refreshments for grown-ups and a tuck shop for children will be available (card payment only).

Get your costumes ready – it’s going to be fang-tastic!

For more information and tickets, please visit Halloween Disco — Friends of Harpenden Academy

FoHA Fireworks

Fireworks Night - Sunday 2nd November

Harpenden Rugby Football Club’s spectacular Fireworks Night is back on *Sunday 2nd November* – bigger and better than ever! Expect dazzling fireworks, a fun fairground, delicious food & drinks, plus a shuttle service from town.

Early Bird discount available until midday 31st October

Even better – if you buy your tickets through our unique link https://buytickets.at/hrfc/1843837/r/academy, 25% of every ticket goes straight back to FoHA, helping to enrich our children’s experience at Harpenden Academy.

Please share this far and wide – with friends, family, your street WhatsApp, and any parent groups you’re part of. The more tickets sold through our link, the more money we raise for our children!

Friends of Harpenden Academy – Annual General Meeting

Tuesday 7th October, 7pm at The George, Harpenden
The evening will begin with the AGM, followed by informal drinks.

Why come along?

Hear what we’ve achieved over the past year
Join the discussion about events and fundraising for the year ahead
Vote on key issues and help shape our PTA’s future
Elect (or stand for!) committee positions – all posts are open

Get involved – big or small!
There’s a role for everyone, whatever your schedule:

Committee roles: Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Sub-Treasurer, Secretary, Sub-Secretary, Event Managers
Flexible support: Website & digital help, Communications, One-off events, Uniform shop

We need YOU!
No experience needed – just enthusiasm and a willingness to get involved.
Not sure what’s involved? We’re happy to have an informal chat first – no strings attached.

To put your name forward, email Gwendoline at friendsofharpendenacademy@gmail.com before the AGM.

Last year was a fantastic year for FOHA - together we raised vital funds that enriched our children's school experiences both in and out of the classroom. From exciting events to a visit from a Gladiator, it was all thanks to the energy and support of our amazing parent community.

Take a look below to see what we achieved - and imagine what more we can do this year with your help!

FoHA