30th January 2026

Dear Parents/Carers,

Finally, January is coming to an end… it has been a long month!

The children in Years 5 and 6 have had a busy week, as both year groups have been on local trips in and around the area—more details to follow later.

Mrs Withers

Mrs Withers has had her baby! Little Polly was born safe and sound last week, and all is well with her new family—if a little sleep-deprived! I’m sure you join us in sending them many congratulations. We are all eagerly awaiting the first cuddle when Polly is old enough to come into school.

Dermot our Wonderful Caretaker

Dermot has been weaving his magic again. He has built the children a really sturdy and long lasting place for the lunch boxes to be stored during lunchtime so they don't lie on the floor or get lost around the playground. He has also put coat hooks on the sides so the children have places to hang their coat rather than the floor or benches. Dermot is a marvel and we are so lucky to have him working in our school. Thank you, Dermot!

Trip to Oval

Year 6 historians enjoyed a wonderful morning at The Oval in Harpenden, exploring the original buildings to learn more about what life was like for children who lived at the National Children's Home at the start of the 20th century. They especially loved discovering the various skills that children were taught, which are represented in the stained glass window—from embroidery to engineering—to prepare them for their future jobs. We also enjoyed walking around the beautiful oval grounds, reflecting on how important outdoor learning was in these children's lives. To finish, we held a tag rugby PE lesson, where the children put into practice all the skills they’ve learnt this half term. It was lots of fun—and quite muddy!

Trip to the War Memorial 

Year 5 have been learning about World War Two in their history lessons and, on Tuesday, took part in a local walk to the Harpenden War Memorial. This visit supported their learning about the impact of the war on people in the local community. During the visit, the children recorded the names of individuals listed on the memorial and, back at school, used an online resource to research and learn more about the lives of the soldiers.

Pupil Voice - The Dining Experience at School

This week, we took the opportunity to discuss lunchtime behaviour with the children. Instead of their usual family groups, the children split into their classes to talk about how we can make lunchtimes a better experience for both children and adults. This was a great chance for the children to practise their oracy skills and share their ideas with a specific audience. Hopefully we will have some big news regarding lunchtimes soon.

National Storytelling Week 

Next week is National Storytelling Week, and Mrs Watson, along with the other teachers, has planned a variety of exciting activities. On Thursday the 5th February, we will welcome back Professor Pango Mango, whom the children absolutely adore. He will be leading an assembly and visiting all the classes, sharing stories, traditional tales, and narrative poetry.

If any parents would like to come in and share stories or traditional tales from your family heritage and culture, please contact the teachers directly via Class Dojo. They would be delighted to invite you into their classes.

Parents' Evening, 3rd and 5th February 2026

Just a reminder we have our school Parents’ Evenings in the hall on 3rd and 5th February.  If you have missed the deadline for booking an appointment please contact the school office. 

A reminder there will be no Teacher or Contractor clubs running after school on the Tuesday or the Thursday. 

INSET day - Reminder

This term we will be holding an Inset day on Wednesday, 4^th February. School will be closed to children on this date.

'Wear What You Love' day, 13th February 2026

A reminder that on Friday, 13th February, FoHA is hosting a 'Wear What You Love' day! Children are invited to come to school dressed in their favourite clothes instead of their uniform. A £2.00 donation is kindly requested to support this event. Our finance department has set up the payment on MCAS, allowing parents to make the donation easily.  Thank you to those parents who have already paid their £2.00.

As we are now a cashless school, please ensure your donation is made through MCAS. 

Thank you for your support!

Phones and Smartwatches

Last week,Bridget Phillipson Secretary of State for Education, published clear guidance stating that smartphones should not be used in primary school classrooms.

Last term, we informed all parents that, as a school community and part of the wider community, we are supporting a smartphone-free approach. This initiative aligns with the policies of all primary schools in Harpenden and the surrounding villages. We understand that some older children may have existing phone contracts, and parents wish to continue these. For those children, if their phones are kept in the school office, as previously, there is no issue with that. However, from September 2026, smartphones will no longer be allowed in school. If children are lone walkers and need a phone, we ask parents to please purchase a mobile device that does not have smartphone features.

For clarity, we have also noticed smartwatches making their way back into school. These devices are unnecessary for school activities. We have already experienced incidents where parents message children through their watches during class, which cannot continue. If your child has a smartwatch—even if it can be switched to school mode—please do not allow them to bring it into school. Fitbits, analogue watches, and similar devices are perfectly acceptable, but smartwatches are not.

Booking is now open for February Half Term Holiday Workshops!!

Quiz & Chips tickets are now on sale

Please buy your tickets if you know you’re coming along.

Join us at Harpenden Academy on Saturday 7th February 2026 for what promises to be a fantastic evening of quizzery, prizes, raffle, fully stocked bar and a Godfreys meal of your choice (ordering food is optional).

We are delighted to announce that our Quizmaster will once again be the wonderful Neil Fuller, who runs several very popular local quiz nights including the always packed Thursday night quiz at Harpenden Arms. The bar will be operated by Platform Wines.

Sign up as an individual, a pair or a whole team (6-10 people).

Tickets are £12, or £18 with a Godfreys meal. The options are small cod, 7 piece scampi, battered halloumi or 2 sausages - all served with chips.

Quiz and Chips Night February 2026 — Friends of Harpenden Academy

Whether or not you can join us on the evening, our raffle is open to everyone.

£2 a ticket all straight to Friends of Harpenden Academy.

A host of fabulous prizes up for grabs, from meals at local popular restaurants, beauty treatments, and kids’ activities.

A full list of prizes will be confirmed nearer to the event.

Quiz and Chips Night Raffle Ticket — Friends of Harpenden Academy

Tickets will be available soon.

Volunteering

We will be setting up a volunteering WhatsApp group (with more details shared via your Class Reps), and we would love you to consider joining. Whether you can spare the odd hour here and there or get involved more regularly, we’d be delighted to have you on board.

Happy birthday this week to:- Izaan W (R), Kaspar F (Yr3), Alexander G (Yr3), Harry S (Yr6) 

Please click here to view our Harpenden Academy vacancies

Please click here to view our Scholars' Education Trust vacancies