Friday 25th September

Co-headteachers’ welcome

Moving towards our Open Day is always an incredibly exciting time of the academic and calendar year. This is because it is with great pride that we open our doors to the community of Hertford: we are delighted to share with all our unique fourteen-year educational journey from Reception to Year 13. Thank you to all parents and students for the way that you show such a commitment to sharing our community with those keen to join. With 900+ already signed up to attend speeches, and even more, I am sure, engaging in tours, it promises to be an exciting day once again. Please do thank your children in anticipation, for showing  uniform worn with pride; an incredible sense of achievement and belonging demonstrated through student tours throughout the morning; and subject specialisms shared through sport, music, science, art and every department. Our students are the most important part of the day, explaining just what it means to achieve, belong and thrive at Simon Balle All-through School. 

The beginning of the academic year is an exciting time. In this newsletter I’d like to welcome and highlight our new Year 12 students, those graduating to the Sixth Form and those joining us from many other settings. We are delighted to welcome you and to shape your journey over the next two years. This week, our vision of ‘More than just great A levels’ came alive once again, with an expanded range of opportunities available including: 

• Mock Law and Model United Nations, giving students the opportunity to explore new areas of interest and develop skills beyond their academic courses. 
• Personal Finance has also been built into the school day, helping students develop valuable knowledge and practical skills for life beyond Sixth Form.
• Our Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) programme continues to grow, with two groups this year and 37 students keen to take part in this challenging and rewarding independent research project.
• We are also delighted to see the return of Business Enterprise, led by Mrs Ahmet, alongside a range of other opportunities including Senior Sport, Music Scholars and a Get Active gym session at Hartham Leisure Centre.
• One of the most encouraging aspects of this year’s programme has been the number of students who have volunteered to support others. A huge number of Year 12 students have chosen to take part in our Larch Outreach and Teachers of Tomorrow programmes, supporting learning across the school and making a real contribution to our wider school community.
• Finally, this year sees the introduction of our new Language Café with Mr Penny, providing students with another opportunity to develop their communication skills and engage with languages in a more informal setting.

Thank you to everyone who is giving their time, expertise and enthusiasm to make these opportunities possible. The breadth of this year’s programme is a real reflection of the commitment of staff across the school to providing our students with experiences that go beyond their academic courses. We cannot wait to see the impact of this exciting programme for all. 

Finally in this newsletter introduction, please can we ask you to be vigilant to an important Provision Map launch within the next fortnight? We are excited about this because of our commitment to transparency and partnership with you all as parents. Individual emails will follow, including for example, to all students on our Special Educational Needs (SEND) register. As a result, parents will be able to see ‘live’ our commitment to targets, strategies, aims and all actions, bringing our partnership to support every young person closer than ever before. Our aim is that for every student there is no ceiling, yet also the highest quality of adaptive provision in place. We look forward to strengthening our partnership through this platform. 

The next fortnight is full of exciting trip opportunities at Simon Balle, as we prepare for our Sports Tour to Porto (Years 8-9), Battlefields history trips for Year 9, reflecting too on our Phasels Wood residential for Year 5 and our Silver Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition, Year 11 poets to Ware, and much more … 

Thank you for all you do as parents / carers to support your children and partner with us. Just as we are talking about in our Open Day Speech, there is so much more to come this year as we are proud to support your children to understand their purpose, develop their sense of belonging, support their achievements, celebrate their successes, empower them as leaders and enjoy adventures at Simon Balle All-through School.

Larch – Phase One

A Wonderful Start to the New School Year

What a fantastic start we have had to the new school year! It has been wonderful to see our children settling into their new year groups, developing confidence and independence, and embracing all the opportunities that come with a new beginning.

Reception have made a brilliant start to their school journey. They have been busy building new relationships, getting to know their teachers and classmates, and settling into their new routines. They have begun their all-important phonics journey with enthusiasm and curiosity, while exploring their new environment and discovering all that school has to offer. It has been lovely to see their confidence grow as they become increasingly familiar with the routines, expectations and opportunities within their new setting.

Year 1 have also had a fantastic start as they have made the important transition into the National Curriculum. They have been developing their resilience, independence and learning stamina, and they have coped brilliantly with the increased expectations and new challenges. Alongside their focused learning, they have enjoyed a wonderful mix of continuous provision and curriculum experiences, allowing them to follow their interests, apply their learning and continue developing their independence.

It has also been a lovely time for Year 1 to reconnect with old friendships, make new connections and get to know their new routines. They have particularly enjoyed becoming role models for our younger Reception children, showing kindness, responsibility and our school values in action.

We are incredibly proud of the way both year groups have approached this first phase. They have shown enthusiasm, resilience, curiosity and kindness, and we are excited to see how they continue to grow and flourish throughout the year.

Year 13 BTEC Sport Students Showcase Their Leadership Skills

As part of their BTEC Sport qualification, our Year 13 students recently completed their Planning and Leading a Sports Event unit by organising and delivering a series of sporting activities for our Year 12 students. This unit challenges students to independently plan, promote and lead an event for a suitable audience, while working with staff to ensure that every activity is safe, inclusive and enjoyable. It provided an excellent opportunity for our students to put their classroom learning into practice by developing valuable leadership, communication and organisational skills.

The event was promoted in assemblies then it allowed the Year 12 students to choose to take part in a range of activities, including Dodgeball, Football, Volleyfest and Multisports, all of which were planned and led by our Year 13 students. From organising equipment and explaining the rules to encouraging participation and adapting activities for different abilities, our student leaders demonstrated confidence, professionalism and enthusiasm throughout the morning.

The atmosphere was fantastic, with plenty of teamwork, encouragement and friendly competition on display. At one point, the rain threatened to disrupt the proceedings, but it failed to dampen the occasion. We are incredibly proud of our Year 13 students for the commitment and maturity they showed in delivering such a successful event, and we would also like to thank our Year 12 students for embracing the opportunity with such enthusiasm. It was a wonderful example of students supporting one another across year groups and showcasing the many skills that BTEC Sport helps to develop beyond the classroom.

Music

Musical News 2 introduces and explains our Music Scholars Programme, celebrates Alumni Success and directs you to all of the Autumn Concert Dates! Click the image below – enjoy!

SEND

If you would like to speak to a member of the SEND team, a virtual appointment of up to 15 minutes can be made using the following link: Virtual SEND Team Appointments

Developing Special Provision Locally (DSPL)3

The DSPL Team, aims to provide you with information on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities for education settings and families within the DSPL3 area. Area 3 covers: Hertford, Ware, Watton-at-Stone, Bunntingford, Sawbridgeworth and Bishops Stortford.

DSPL3 Autumn 1 Parent Newsletter

Library news

Year 5 – Phasels Wood trip

As many of you may have seen last week on our social media platforms, Year 5 visited Phasels Wood for three days and two nights. Some of our wonderful Year 5 cohort were keen to share with you all their thoughts and feelings about their time away. Please find George, Jasmine, Kai and Idil’s write up of their time in Phasels Wood below!

Year 5 had an amazing time at Phasels Wood last week. We were placed into groups to take part in some wonderful activities. We pursued archery, tobogganing, knife skills, carving wood from a hazel tree into pencils (that weirdly smelt like watermelon!), abseiling and rock climbing. We built art sculptures out of natural materials and houses for magical animals. We had the opportunity to build buggies out of large wooden poles, drums and ropes. Nightline was a favourite of many where we had to navigate our way through an obstacle course with goggles on to replicate being in an arctic storm and needing to find your way safely back to your living quarters. When dinner time arrived, everyone was extremely happy as the food was mouth-wateringly de-li-cious! Staying in the pods with our friends was delightful, fun but sometimes excitable! We would like to thank all of the staff that took us to Phasels Wood and gave us the opportunity. We would also like to thank all of the staff at Phasels Wood for helping us become braver, more confident and we all feel that our classes now work better as a team.

Travel to school

Trains

The Rye House – Hertford East train line will be closed Mon 19th  – Fri 23rd Oct and buses will replace trains.  Info on Greater Anglia website

Walking

We are putting in place some changes (see below) to make the car park safer for all users. Pedestrians can do their part by using the designated crossings and footpaths when moving through the car park. When crossing Mangrove Road, please do so at the dipped crossing points where drivers will be expecting it, and where there are clear lines of sight in both directions.

Driving

From Monday there will be new barriers installed preventing access to our car park from the White Lodge entrance. Although the White Lodge entrance is signposted as no entry, we are aware that drivers have been ignoring the signage and using this as a means to enter the car park, putting members of our community at unnecessary risk. Unless you have been given permission to use the car park, we must insist that you do not drive onto the site until the gates are open at 3.45pm. The London Road car park is an excellent place for picking up and dropping off and is only an 11 minute walk from the school gates. Please see the attached photos and captions.

PSA

Joules Outlet Sale – 7th November

On Friday 20th November, the Joules Outlet team will return, setting up a pop up shop in the Larch Hall.  This is a fantastic Christmas shopping opportunity where you will find something for everyone all at bargain prices.  Save up to 70% off high street prices. Sale preview tickets are £8 and will allow early entry at 6pm into the sale room.  General sale tickets are just £6, doors open at 6.30pm.

Tickets available on our website.  Please share with friends and family, we need to sell 150 tickets in order for this event to be successful.

We are also looking for volunteers for this event.  Free entry and early access to all of our helpers!  Volunteer here.

Dates for your diary

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

• Saturday 26th Sep: Open morning (Y5, 7, 8, 10, 12 and selected others on site)
• Mon 28th Sep: Y13 Physics trip to Cambridge
• Tues 29th Sep: Sixth form colour run
• Mon 5th Oct: Larch Harvest Festival at All Saints Church
• Mon 5th – Tues 6th Oct: Y13 English trip to Stratford upon Avon
• Wednesday 7th Oct: Senior maths challenge
• Wed 7th Oct: Y13 Geography trip information evening
• Thurs 8th – Fri 9th Oct: Y9 Battlefields trip 1 (forms ABL)
• Fri 9th Oct: Y11 poetry trip
• Wed 14th Oct: Sixth form open evening (Y12 and Y13 expected on site to help)
• Thurs 15th – 16th Oct: Y9 Battlefields trip 2 (forms MNR)