13th February 2026

Dear Parents

Half term is upon us, and I hope that you all have some fun plans to have some time together away from the restrictions of the school day.

Safer Internet day

This year’s Safer Internet Day focused on the safe use of AI, helping pupils understand how technology can be exciting, useful and used responsibly. Our Digital Leaders kicked off the day with an engaging assembly introducing the theme and highlighting why online safety matters more than ever. Throughout the day, each class took part in an activity exploring what AI is, how it works, and how to use it safely and thoughtfully. It was a fantastic opportunity for the children to have discussions about AI and general discussions about online safety.

Year 5 & 6 Boys Football Team – Back-to-Back Wins!

We are delighted to share that our Year 5 and 6 Boys Football Team have won two matches in a row in the local schools football league! The boys are showing real improvement each week — not just in their skills on the pitch, but in their teamwork, communication, and sportsmanship.

Every player has contributed with great effort and enthusiasm, and it’s been fantastic to see them grow in confidence as the season progresses. Their commitment to training and to one another is truly paying off, and they are a credit to the school.

Well done to the whole squad and to all the parents who have supported them along the way — keep up the great work!

Wear What You Love Day

Today was a riot of colour with FoHAs “Wear What You Love Day” I did think I would have quite a few children turn up in PJs but that wasn't the case. Thank you for supporting this event and raising funds for FoHA as they valiantly march towards their target of £10,000….again more of that later with the funds raised on Quiz and Chip night on Saturday 7th February. 

If you would still like to contiribute your £2.00 towards this day then you can make the payment via MCAS. you will find the payment item in the 'store' function of your app which is found at the bottom of your child's profile on mobile devices. We have currently raised £319 to put towards organising workshops and visitors for the children. We are very grateful for all the contributions - thank you. 

Exciting events coming up at Harpenden Academy

We have a raft of exciting events coming up during the second half of the Spring term:

• We have a visit from author, Eric Huang, on the first day back who is going to entertain the children with his stories based on the Chinese Lunar Year.- funded by FoHA.
• Friday, 27^th Feb - We have a Chinese Lunar New Year workshop to herald the Lunar New Year. Watch out for the Festival foyer being transformed again.
• Thursday, 5^th March - World Book Day - Watch out for further information from Mrs Watson about this day.
• Friday, 6^th March to launch the start of National Science week the children will be having a workshop called “Dognapped” where they will be taught about the science behind forensics and crime solving.
• Monday 9^th March - Year 6 will be working with STEM club during the school day on various activities involving IT and science experiments.
• Wednesday 11^th March KS1 children are off to the Royal Philharmonic for the afternoon.
• Monday, 16^th March KS1 will have an Orchestra workshop in school- funded by FoHA.
• Wednesday, 18^th March – the return of Mark the Science man- running various activities throughout the day from Rocket making to heart dissection.
• Thursday, 19^th March KS2 will have an Orchestra workshop in school- funded by FoHA.
• Friday 20^th March – Red Nose Day – Miss Copas will be sending out information closer to the day.
• Tuesday 24^th March Easter Church Service 2.00pm at St Nicholas' Church

As you can see the children are so fortunate to have such a wealth of experiences at our school and I am very grateful that FoHA are able to fund so much for us.

We hope that you have a lovely half term week and we will see you back on Monday 23^rd February.

Half Term holiday Club

Quiz & Chips

A very big THANK YOU to everyone who came along to our Quiz and Chips Night on Saturday, purchased a raffle ticket or generously donated a prize – we all had a wonderful evening. 

Thank you to Neil, our quiz master, Platform Wines for keeping our drinks topped up and The Sparkle Shed (@thesparkleshed1, www.thesparkleshed.co.uk) for kindly gifting us the wonderful light wall, which helped make the atmosphere extra special.

We are still finalising the exact amount raised, but we expect the total to be around £1,000.

Harpenden Easter Egg Hunt - Good Friday, 3rd April 2026, from 11am,  Harpenden Common, £6 per child (£8 per child on the day)

Harpenden Easter Egg Hunt tickets are now live - please visit Harpenden Easter Egg Hunt — Friends of Harpenden Academy to book your ticket!

Join us for some Easter family fun!

Hop along to Harpenden Common and follow our Easter Egg Trail, cracking the clues as you go. Once you’ve completed the trail, head over the road to Lourdes Hall to collect your Easter egg from the Easter Bunny himself

We’re delighted to welcome Traffic Light Arts, who’ll be running a range of creative activities for older children. There’ll also be glitter tattoos, face painting, and the return of our ever-popular bouncy castle for all the keen jumping bunnies!

Why not stop by our Lego-themed bar, hosted by the fantastic Platform Wines, where grown-ups can enjoy a drink while younger guests get creative with Lego nearby?

Too many eggs? Not to worry — we’ll have plenty of savoury and sweet treats available, including delicious food from Emilio's Lebanese Street Food.

It’s sure to be a great day out for the entire family!

Volunteering Community

We have now set up a Parent Volunteer WhatsApp group to help support school events and activities throughout the year.

There's no formal commitment required - it's simply a way to share volunteering opportunities as and when they arise. If you're available and interested in helping on an ad hoc basis (whether that's at an event, with preparations, or behind the scenes), you can put your hand up when something suits you.

The link has been shared via Class Reps and will be communicated via email.

Happy birthday this week to:-  Edison R (R), Remi R (Yr1), Rylee R (Yr1),  Ruby-Jayne F (Yr1), Harry G (Yr2), YoYo Y (Yr2), Zachary C (Yr3), Ella A (Yr4), Duru Y (Yr4)

Please click here to view our Harpenden Academy vacancies

Please click here to view our Scholars' Education Trust vacancies