19th June 2026

Dear Parent 

We have had another fabulous week at school with lots of activities for the children to throw themselves in and enjoy.

July

Friday, 3rd July	Harpenden's Got Talent event, 9.30am
Tuesday, 7th July	I-rock concert
Wednesday, 8th July	Year 6 Leavers event
Thursday, 9th July	Move Up day and Open day event. 5.30pm-7.00pm
Friday, 10th July	Year 6 final assembly to school Reports out to parents
Tuesday, 14th July	Sports day @ SJL 1.30pm-3.20pm
Friday, 17th July	School ends 12 noon

Year 6 Trip City Farms

Year 6 had a wonderful week in Pembrokeshire at Michael Morpurgo's Treginnis Farm: the most westerly farm in Wales, offering incredible panoramic horizon views of the land and ocean and an opportunity to connect to nature, animals, each other and themselves.

The children played a vital role in helping the farm to run and in connecting to the natural world: from coastal walks to bird watching to farm tasks (feeding, grooming and cleaning out the animals) to gardening and cooking sessions, not to mention working alongside Aled, a local sheep farmer. 

The children all showed amazing dedication, resilience and care towards each task and towards each other and we are very proud of the impact they had on the farm - taking care of all the animals and planting and picking crops.

Freddie the Runner

On Tuesday runner and motivator, Fred Afrifa, came in to school to do some fitness HIT sessions with the children and then held a motivational assembly based on his personal experiences and resilience. The children had a great time in the physical HIT sessions but also listened well to his story of how he came to be an athlete.

There is still time to complete the sponsorship forms and donate the sponsor money either by visiting this link or by bringing in your cash to the school office. The deadline for sponsorship cash or online transfers is Wednesday 24th June 2026. After this date, we will send all the collected funds to Great Athletes, who will then distribute gifts to the children in recognition of their efforts. The children will receive their gifts by the end of the term.

The funds raised will help our school purchase new sports equipment and support Great Athletes in inspiring the next generation of athletes. We have currently raised £1300 which is a huge achievement.

Year 6 Fun Run

On Wednesday, we held our annual Fun Run, organised by the Year 6 children. The whole school took part, completing between one and five laps of a 400m track at Rothamsted Park.

It was a fantastic morning, with the children showing great enthusiasm, determination and resilience throughout. A delicious snack, provided by the Year 6 children, was warmly welcomed by everyone when we returned to school!

Gypsy Roma Assembly

Thank you to Mr Sayers for visiting our school to deliver a whole-school assembly on Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. The children gained a valuable insight into the history, culture and experiences of these communities, and it helped to promote understanding, respect and inclusion across our school. We are very grateful for the time and effort Mr Sayers took to share his knowledge with us and to support our commitment to celebrating diversity.

New Reception Parents' Meeting

This week we held the first of our parent information meetings for our new Reception families joining us in September 2026. It was lovely to see so many existing families there and quite a few new families to our school.  We discussed all aspects of school life including our pre-loved school uniform. If any parents have old school uniform that is still in a good condition, please consider donating to FoHA's Pre-Loved school uniform. This is especially important for our youngest children- children ages 4-6. If you can help in any way, please bring donations to the office and we will pass them on to FoHA. 

Anti Bullying Ambassadors

This past week our Anti-Bullying Ambassadors organised a range of summer activities focused on kindness, respect and compassion. The children took part in exciting initiatives such as, creating the longest Kindness Chain, completing Secret Kindness Missions, and selecting challenges from the Pinch of Kindness message bucket. The activities were enjoyed by all and encouraged students to spread positivity throughout the school community.  It was heartwarming to read the thoughtful and kind messages written by our children, demonstrating the caring values that make Harpenden Academy such a special place.

Reminder: Parent Summer Survey

Please take a few minutes to complete our Parent Summer term survey.

The deadline for completion is today - Friday, 19th June 2026 at 8.00pm.  

Well-being Week, 22^nd June to 26^th June 2026

Next week we will be using the “5 ways to Wellbeing” to guide our activities across the school:

Monday-Active

We will be having various cooking activities for the children in Key Stage 2 to undertake with Chef, Patti Sloley and also the new catering company, Innovate, will be working to broaden the KS1/EYFS children’s horizons with different foods across the week. As we are a nut and sesame free school the recipes will not contain these. 

Monday's "Tasting at 10" granola type bar. The kitchen will work within the allergy and food intolerances on file. 

KS2 will do a Kelewele recipe with Patti Sloley from her book, 'Patti's Yum Yums for Kids' Tum Tums'. We have sent an email to KS2 with a list of ingredients so parents can opt out if their child has any allergies to the ingredients. 

Tuesday – Connect

As a Trust we will be holding a Trust Conference across all primary and secondary schools so school will be closed for the day. FoHA have organised a special activity to promote connectedness by visiting Legoland.

Thanks to everyone who ordered Legoland tickets - all tickets have been sent out via email on Thursday (18th June). Please can you check that you have received them (they could be in Junk folders) and let your class rep know if you have any issues. 

We hope everyone going has a great day!

Traffic Light Arts

Mrs Marchment is running an all day Traffic Light Arts session on Tuesday 23rd June 2026, when it is the Trust INSET Day.

The day will have a summer/seaside theme and include a range of Arts & Crafts projects and free time activities.

Time & Costs:

• Short day - 8.45am-3.15pm - £30
• Long day - 8.45am-5.15pm - £35

Places are limited so if you would like to sign your child up, please email Mrs Marchment directly on admin@trafficlightarts.co.uk.

https://www.foha.co.uk/fohashop/p/legoland

Wednesday- Learning

Years 3 and 5 will be going to see and hear the Royal Philharmonic at Festival Hall in London. This is always such a delight for the children who have never experienced orchestras live before.

Wednesday's "Tasting at 10" will be  "Tasting the Rainbow" with various fruits.

Thursday- Notice

Year 1 and 2 are off to Kew Gardens for the day while the older children take part in District Sports in the afternoon and early evening. This is a firm favourite of the children and the staff. The children taking part have already been notified and all details have been sent to parents.

Thursday "Tasting at 10" will be "Which fruits are hidden in the smoothie?"

Friday- Give

Children from Reception – Year 6 will be having a special taster day of Pickle Ball in the school hall/outside area. This I’m sure will be a great day with children discovering skills they didn’t know they had.

Friday's "Tasting at 10" will be "Brownies with a twist!"

We will be celebrating birthdays on Friday afternoon and we have moved our assembly to 2.30pm. There will be no assembly on Friday morning due to Pickle Ball in the hall. Parents are welcome to the 2.30pm assembly. 

Harpenden Academy’s Got Talent - Friday 3rd July 2026

​Get ready to be amazed by the incredible talents of our pupils from Reception through to Year 6. From singing and dancing to a variety of unique performances, this year’s show promises something for everyone.

Come along to support and cheer on our talented performers, including a special performance from our school choir as part of this fantastic line-up.

We look forward to seeing you there for a brilliant morning of entertainment!​

• Doors open at 9:20am for a 9:30am start
• Everyone welcome – no tickets required!

Sports Day, Tuesday 14th July, 1.30pm-3.20pm at Sir John Lawes (SJL)

Our Sports Day will be held once again in the sports fields at SJL in Harpenden. Our After School Club will remain open for the children and those children booked in will be escorted back to school by staff. Please note that Co-curricular clubs will have finished by this date so there will be no Irock, Game On or Teacher clubs. 

Parents are invited but please can we ask you to be quiet as you walk past SJL's sports hall as there are exams on and please arrive no earlier than 13.15pm.  You will need to access the field via the tennis courts. Parents can sit on the grassy bank to watch the Sports Day.  The children will have lunch before they go and they will need a water bottle and a hat - no need to bring in a school bag. Please apply suncream in the morning.  Please speak to your class rep or teacher if you are DBS checked and can help walk the children to SJL. 

Please complete this e-form to let the school know pick up arrangements. This form needs to be completed by Monday, 6th July 2026. Whatever is on this e-form will be final and we will not be accepting any phone calls to change anything after this form has been submitted. 

As many parents are aware, we introduced a new PE kit this year. As a result, we needed an alternative way to identify the different family groups during Sports Day. We kindly ask that children wear socks in their allocated family group colour to help us do this.

Autumn Term Clubs

Thank you to parents who completed the Cultural Experience online survey. We are working to review the clubs that we offer as a school and we will publish the timetable shortly so that you can plan ahead. Parents will be able to book on to clubs during the first week when we return to school in September 2026. Further details will be sent to parents once arrangements have been finalised. 

Piano Lessons

We are sad to inform you that Simon Gargrave, who has been our piano teacher at Harpenden Academy for many years, will be leaving. Starting from September 2026, we are pleased to introduce two new teachers, Fabiana and Jade, who will be taking over piano lessons. They will be continuing with Simon's current students, so if your child is currently receiving piano lessons at school, their lessons will transfer to the new teachers.

Please let us know by Friday, 25th June 2026, if you prefer us not to share your contact details with Fabiana and Jade. After this date, the new teachers will contact you directly to confirm lesson arrangements bookings, and payments.

If you are on the waiting list and would like to begin lessons, please contact Fabiana directly via email at fabianasolanomusic@hotmail.com or on WhatsApp at 07896 754757.

Fabiana and Jade are working together so there is just one contact for parents - as above. 

Fabiana's biog

Hello! I’m Fabiana, a local music educator born and bred in Harpenden. I attended Roundwood Primary and Roundwood Park School before going on to study at the prestigious Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, where I developed both the technical excellence and creative breadth that now define my teaching.

For over 15 years I have run a private music studio, offering high-quality, individually tailored music tuition. My passion is helping children discover and nurture their own musical path!

My musical world spans classical, pop, musical theatre, jazz & many more, so lessons are always shaped around what inspires and excites each individual student.

Jade's biog - flute/clarinet/saxophone/piano

Jade Bultitude is a flautist and music educator with nearly 20 years of teaching experience. Originally from Hertfordshire, she studied at the Junior Guildhall School of Music, the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, where she graduated with a distinction in her Master of Music degree.

A recipient of several awards and scholarships, including the Sir James Galway Rising Star Award and the Michael Hirst Award, Jade has performed at prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall and St Martin in the Fields.

Passionate about inspiring young musicians, Jade has helped many students gain places at leading conservatoires, including the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the Royal Academy of Music, as well as national children’s and youth orchestras.

Woodwind Lessons at Harpenden Academy

Break the Rules Day is Coming - Monday 6th July!

Get ready to have some fun as we turn the rules upside down!

For one day only, children can choose from a range of exciting rule-breaking activities, including crazy hair and accessories, wearing their own clothes, sporting a football kit, wearing a hat indoors, bringing a small toy or teddy, and much more.

There’s no need to break every rule—children can choose their favourites! We suggest a donation of £1 per rule broken or £5 to take part in all the activities, with all proceeds to FoHA. You will be able to make these donations from next week once our Finance team has set up the event on MCAS. You can access them via the 'store' function on MCAS. 

We can’t wait to see everyone’s creativity and enthusiasm as we enjoy a day of fun while raising money for a great cause. Thank you for your support!

Reception & Key Stage 1 Movie Night

Grab Your Popcorn - It’s FoHA Summer Movie Night!

Join us for a fun-filled evening with a family-friendly movie, snacks, and great company.

Monday 13th July - Reception and KS1

Time: 3.20-5.15pm

Venue: School hall, Harpenden Academy

£3.50 per child including a drink and snack

Don’t miss this chance to relax, have fun, and enjoy a night at the movies - FoHA-style!

For more information and tickets, please visit

https://www.foha.co.uk/fohashop/p/summer-movie-night

 

 

Traffic Lights Summer Classes

New Summer Football Camp at Harpenden Academy

Parents and children from the school have first priority to book places on the football camp. First priority for our school will be up until 19th June 2026. 

Happy Birthday to:- Hazel E (Yr1), Jos R (Yr4)

 

Please click here to view our Harpenden Academy vacancies

Sports Coach/Specialist P.E Teaching Assistant, Part Time – Up to 32.5 hours - Term-Time only

Fixed term for 1 year with potential to be made permanent

Please click here to view our Scholars' Education Trust vacancies