Share This Page

3rd July 2026

Dear Parents

This week we were treated to a STEM assembly by Zeeshan who runs our STEM and Coding holiday camps – the flyer for which is attached. The children loved the assembly, and I do hope that they would like to spend some time with him learning more about science and technology in the holidays. If you wish your child to attend one of the camps either STEM or Coding, there is a discount code (HA26) which will entitle you to a 10% discount. Below are some photos and quotes for the children about the assembly.

Stem Buddy Flyer 1

District Sports

On Tuesday evening, our Year 3 to Year 6 pupils proudly represented the school at the annual District Sports competition. Competing alongside children from schools across the district, our athletes took part in a range of exciting track and field events, demonstrating determination, resilience and teamwork throughout the evening.

We are incredibly proud of every child who took part. They showed excellent sportsmanship by encouraging one another, celebrating each other's achievements, and giving their very best in every event. Whether they were competing on the track, taking part in the field events, or cheering on their teammates, they were fantastic ambassadors for our school. Well done to everyone involved for making it such a memorable evening!

What our pupils said...

"All the other competitors were really friendly."

"I enjoyed running on the track."

"I liked everyone cheering when we finished."

"Everyone had fun and participated, even if they didn't win."

"It was so fun – it made us feel really active!"

"I enjoyed running and taking part. It was really fun."

"It was really fun running in the relay. I liked trying my best."

"It was exciting taking part in such a big event."

"It was fun being part of a race with lots of other schools."

"I enjoyed watching all of the events."

DS1 collage DS 2 collage

Harpenden Academy’s Got Talent

On Friday we saw the happy return of Harpenden Academy’s got Talent. Mrs Haines and the children worked so hard to make this a great event for the children and the parents who attended. I am so sorry to have missed the event but the feedback and the photos I received were fantastic. Below is a little write up from the events and some photos. We are so very fortunate to have Mrs Haines who champions this event and I am so glad to see it return to our school diary. Thank you, Mrs Haines.

"The atmosphere was fantastic." Justin

"I really enjoyed using the microphone." Sam

"My favourite thing was all the dancing." Noah

"The choir were brilliant." Ophelia

"The singers were so good and brave." Valentina

"I loved everything!" Anna

"There is clearly a culture of kindness that helps the children feel safe and promotes creativity in performance. What a joyful talent show! Congratulations to everyone involved." Mrs Goldsmith

TS collage

Governor Parent Elections

Monday is the final deadline for voting for our Parent Governor. You should have received an email from 'Choice Voting' inviting you to participate and vote in our parent governor election. Thank you to those parents who have already cast their vote.

As you are aware, we have ONE vacancy for a Parent Governor on our school’s Governing Body. We have received nominations from the following:

Gwendoline Manley
Heather Smart

The candidates have prepared personal statements which you can view via your Choice Voting email.

The vote will close on Monday 6th July 2026 at 1.00pm. The count will be electronic and the results of the election will be announced to the wider school once nominees have been notified of the results.

Matilda Year 5 - A Mile A Day

She did it! 31 miles, four counties, SATs, a heatwave and half term later, Matilda in Year 6 has completed a mile a day for the month of May. She has raised £384 for Kids for Kids, a charity set up after the founder, Patricia Parker, met a nine-year-old boy walking seven hours to reach clean water in Sudan. The charity now specifically supports children in remote villages in Northern Darfur, Sudan.

It was tough going at times, especially towards the end when she (and her mum!) just wanted to rest in the heat and enjoy a break during half term.

Thank you to those who have sponsored her. If anyone would like to support or learn more about this unique charity please use these links.

https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/fundraising/matilda-miles-in-may

https://kidsforkids.org.uk/

Matilda pic

Move Up Day and Open Day

On Thursday 9^th July all schools in Hertfordshire will be holding their transition day or 'Move Up' day. This means that our Year 6 will be visiting their secondary schools for the day and our new Reception children will be coming to see us in the afternoon for their Teddy Bears' picnic.

All other classes will be moving to their new teachers or their new rooms if they are staying with their existing teacher.

In the evening, 5.30pm-7.00pm, there is the opportunity for parents and children to come back to school so the children can show you their new room, meet their new teacher and see on display some of the activities that happen.

Below are the Teaching Teams for Academic Year 2026-2027

Current Class	New Class	Teacher	Teaching Assistant
New Ladybird class	Reception	Miss Fielding (5 days)	Mrs Welch
Ladybirds move to Elmer	Year 1 Elmer class	Mrs Lang (3 days) Mrs Haines (2 days)	Miss Rymill
Elmer moves to Paddington	Year 2 Paddington class (new name)	Mrs Stanger (3 days) Mrs Elderton (2 days)	Mrs. Dobbin
Moomin moves to Potter	Year 3 Potter class	Mrs Sanderson (4 days) Mrs.Wong (1 day) In January 2027 Mrs Withers will return from maternity leave to do 4 days per week instead of Mrs Sanderson.	Mrs Bowyer
Potter moves to Milne class	Year 4 Milne class	Miss Pratchett (5 days)	Mrs Ross
Milne class moves to Dahl class	Year 5 Dahl class	Mrs Lloyd (5 days) In November, Mrs Curnow will return from mat leave. Mrs Lloyd will drop to 3 days per week and Mrs Curnow to 2 days	Mrs Fraser
Dahl class moves to Shakespeare class	Year 6 Shakespeare class	Miss Copas will take the children up into Year 6	Mrs Duncan

Miss Bainbridge, Mrs Sui, Mr Marshall, Miss V and Miss Boothe will continue their TA roles on a 1:1 basis

Mrs Sanderson is a maternity leave teacher who will teach for 1 term before Mrs Withers returns to school. She is a knowledgeable and experienced teacher whom I am sure the children will enjoy being with and learning from. She will be attending the Open Day on Thursday 9^th for parents to meet.

It is lovely to welcome back Mrs Elderton as a part time teacher at the school following on from her time as a cover teacher. It’s good to have you back.

Up and Coming Events

As we get closer to the end of the term the events keep coming…

Monday, 6th July	Break the Rules Day- FoHA event.
Tuesday, 7th July	Irock concert
Wednesday, 8th July	Year 6 Leavers event, 4-6pm (Year 6 children and parents only)
Thursday, 9th July	Move Up day and Open Evening, 5.30pm-7.00pm
Friday, 10th July	Year 6 final assembly to school Reports out to parents
Tuesday, 14th July	Sports day @ SJL
Friday, 17th July	School ends 12 noon

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 via 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!

Break the rules day

Sports Day, Tuesday 14th July 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. 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.

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

Movie

SchoolGrid

We have hit a bit of a snag with SchoolGrid. School finishes at 12 noon on Friday, 17th July however to close the ordering on SchoolGrid for that day we have had to mark it as a holiday. Please be reassured school is open and children ar expected to attend although we will finish at 12 noon and there will be no lunch that day.

It will look like this but school is open:

Caterign screenshot