Simon Balle All-through School

Friday 30th January

Co-headteachers’ welcome

There is nothing more important within our Simon Balle community than all we do to support our young people to feel safe and to belong. We know that where this is achieved – which, of course, is aspired to for 100% of our students and their families – young people have the very best of opportunities to achieve and to thrive, academically and holistically, and to be prepared as ‘tomorrow’s citizens’, ready to be successful in the next stage of their education and lives when they leave us. We invest in our positive, calm and unique culture and ethos at Simon Balle each and every day, because together – students, families, staff and leaders, governors and trustees – we are best equipped to support and challenge our young people to be the best they can be. We make no apologies for having high expectations, always supported in a multitude of ways.

An important part of this is in our ongoing work to proactively promote a culture in which bullying is never accepted, and indeed, always addressed. You will have seen a letter from Mr Pooley in the autumn term whereby this year we are using the ‘United Against Bullying School Alliance’ to underpin our analysis and actions. A huge thank you to you all, as surveys in the autumn term have had a very high return rate – this ensures that our understanding of student experiences are accurate, and that we can target our next steps – as we are never complacent – with precision. More will follow in a standalone letter, but we would like to celebrate the following headlines here:

200 responses from parents/carers, sharing that 91% of parents agree or strongly agree that their child is safe at school; 85% of parents feeling that their child truly belongs with us; 85% of parents knowing how to report any bullying concerns.
110 responses from staff (teaching and support staff), sharing that 98% of staff agree or strongly agree that students have a sense of belonging with us, 99% that students feel safe. 95% feel confident in understanding how to prevent and respond to bullying.
761 responses from students, Years 5 – 13. 86% say that they always get on well with their teachers; 87% say that there is never any physical bullying; 91% say that they are never treated meanly online.

We are always open to learning and to improving, thus we commit ourselves to:

Further and clear communication with parents in relation to how we strategically define bullying and our approach to educating and dealing with bullying.
Whole-school assemblies, Spring term 2026, to support students in fully understanding our restorative practice and communication: for example, with the defined stages in place to support both victims and perpetrators.

In particular, please do support us with our upcoming Children’s Mental Health week! We are raising vital funds for Herts Mind Network, ensuring that mental health support is available to everyone in our local community. Our theme – 12 -reminds us that we don’t need to fix everything at once. Whether it’s 12 minutes of mindfulness, 12 reps of an exercise, or checking in on a friend at 12 o’clock, small efforts added together make a huge difference. Much more to follow in terms of our specific plans!

A huge thank you for everything you all contribute to ensuring that Simon Balle is a happy and safe environment for all of our young people. Our partnership between home and school is so valued. When students belong and thrive, the world is opened to them in relation to academic, and ambitious, possibilities of every kind.

Year 9 Preferences

It was wonderful to see so many families on Wednesday for the Year 9 Preferences evening. The rooms were buzzing with excitement, there were lots of great questions being asked and the teachers were delighted to share their passion for their subjects. It was encouraging to see the year group thinking seriously about their futures, considering careers and looking ahead to the next stage of their education.

Next Steps: Please ensure you complete your forms following your guided pathway. If you have any questions regarding the process, or the pathway you are guided to, please email: y9preferences@simonballe.herts.sch.uk

You can also view the Preference Information Booklet 2025/26 and the assembly presentation slides on the Year 9 Google Classroom or click the following link to see just the information booklet: Year 9 Preference Booklet 2025/26

Submission Process To ensure all choices are entered correctly, I need to check the forms personally with each student. Therefore:

Forms must be handed directly to me (Miss J Green) in my office.
Please do not hand forms to form tutors or other staff.
I am available before school, at break, lunch, or after school.

Deadline: Monday 23rd February (This is the first day back after half term).

You are also welcome to hand your form in any time before this date. Any necessary follow-up meetings regarding preferences will be arranged in March.

Thank you,

Miss J Green

Head of Year 9

Staffing

We are writing to inform parents and carers across our all-through community that we are delighted to welcome Mrs Patrick, who will be joining us as SENCo from the start of the Summer Term 2026. Mrs Patrick is an experienced SENCo, having worked both within school settings and the Local Authority, and we are very much looking forward to her becoming part of our Simon Balle All-through team welcoming her breadth of knowledge and expertise in this important area of school life.

As many of you in our Larch community will already be aware, Mrs Raven, Primary SENCo, will be going on maternity leave at the end of this half term. She will return next academic year further reinforcing and widening the expertise in our all-through SEND team once again.

Over the course of this week, Miss Mizon, Assistant Headteacher, and Mrs Raven, Larch SENCo, will be in contact with parents of children with SEND in our Larch community to organise meeting times with Mrs Patrick. They will also share details of an upcoming coffee morning where parents will have the opportunity to meet members of our all-through SEND team, including Mrs Patrick.

We look forward to welcoming Mrs Patrick to our Simon Balle All-through community and wish Mrs Raven the very best with her forthcoming maternity leave.

Please click here for our latest Careers Opportunities blog, which includes:

Government Social Research: 2026 degree apprenticeships
Buzzacott: 2026 accountancy and business apprenticeships
Virtual work experience with Google

SEND

If you would like to speak to a member of our all-through SEND team, please schedule a virtual appointment of up to 15 minutes by using the following link: Virtual SEND Team Appointments

Big Schools’ Birdwatch

On Monday 26th January, a team of secondary school students took part in the Big Schools’ Birdwatch which is a nationwide research project that helps the RSPB to monitor how British wildlife is doing throughout the country.

We observed the wildlife on the school playground, school field and woodland. We saw a variety of common species such as the blue tit, robin, black-headed gull, carrion crow and jackdaw. We also saw some more unusual birds such as the song thrush, redwing and pied wagtail. Two grey squirrels were spotted chasing each other around a tree and we enjoyed seeing a fresh white carpet of snowdrops in the woodland.

Our results were submitted to the RSPB to be added to their national data. Well done to the birdwatching team!

Calling our Larch bakers!

The House Leaders are launching a Valentine baking competition. Please bake a Valentine treat, take a photo of it and email your photo to Ms Cannon. The winners will be announced in the House Leader assembly after half term. The deadline to enter is Monday 23rd February. Please email your photos (with your child’s name and class) to: cannonh@simonballe.herts.sch.uk. Many thanks and good luck!

Please enjoy our Musical News 8 – so much to celebrate!

Harry Potter Quiz

We have the annual Harry Potter quiz for secondary school students in the secondary library on Thursday 12th February.

Larch Wet Play Games

We always aim for the children to go outside during break and lunch, however in particularly poor weather conditions children spend time in their classrooms to play with their friends. If you have any spare games at home that you would be happy to donate for children to use during indoor play, please drop them to the Larch office. Please ensure any games dropped off have all parts, are in good condition and do not have any electrical parts requiring batteries. This could include card games such as Uno and Top Trumps, Lego and other traditional board games that can be played at tables.

Parent Staff Association

Spring Music events – bar support needed

Spring is a busy time for the secondary music community with the Concert Orchestra’s Music Prom on 13th March followed by Big Band on 14th and in April the Brass and Wind evening on 25th.

The PSA likes to support these wonderful evenings by running a licensed bar. Are you able to help? Sign up here.

Annual General Meeting advanced notice: 18th March

An AGM (Annual General Meeting) is a meeting held once a year where we come together to review what has happened over the past year, including finances, reports, and key decisions. It is also a chance to elect committee members and discuss plans for the year ahead. We plan to hold our AGM on Wednesday 18th March in the secondary library, meeting at 7pm for a 7.30pm start.

Good attendance at the AGM is important because it ensures decisions represent the wider all-through community and that we can meet our legal requirements. The more people who attend, the stronger and more democratic our organisation becomes. Please consider attending our AGM, even if you do not wish to be elected as a committee member. We need a minimum number of attendees in order for the AGM to proceed.

Dates for your diary

A full calendar of events can be viewed on the school website.

W/b 2nd Feb: Y10 assessment week
Wed 4th and Thurs 5th Feb: Y11 pathway meetings
Wed 4th Feb: Y11 performance clinic
Fri 6th Feb: Y10 ELSA careers day
Mon 16th – Fri 20th Feb: Half term holiday
Thurs 26th Feb: Y13 student consultation evening (in person)
Mon 2nd Mar: Y11 core mocks start
Wed 4th Mar: Y13 student consultation evening (in person)

Wishing you all the best for the week ahead

Mrs Rachel Kirk and Mr Michael Moss (Co-headteachers)