2nd May 2025David Ayres

Friday 2nd May

Co-headteachers’ welcome

Welcome back to the summer term at Simon Balle All-Through School. We hope you all had a restful, sunny and enjoyable break. Whether your child is continuing their journey with us in Reception, preparing for their final steps in Sixth Form, or any year in between, we are excited to begin this new term together. As ever, a new term brings fresh opportunities, renewed energy, and the chance to continue building on the brilliant progress we’ve made so far this year, academically and holistically. And what a first fortnight we have had!

The Elm Sports Centre at Simon Balle All-through School 

We are thrilled to announce the official opening of our brand-new sports hall—a milestone that has been decades in the making! This incredible facility reflects the ambition, patience, and dedication of our entire school community. 

At our official opening ceremony for Simon Balle on Wednesday, we extended heartfelt thanks to everyone involved: from the leadership of our CFO Haydn Walsh to our site and finance teams, our Edutech and marketing staff, our professional partners – architects and builders – and of course our dedicated staff and wonderful students. More than just a building, this space represents our belief in young people and our commitment to investing in their future: here, we are truly creating tomorrow’s citizens today. 

Our ribbon-cutting ceremony was both moving and motivating as excited students gathered both outside our new building and in classrooms across the all-through school – with a live-stream ensuring that 1600 students and 200 staff could take part. The atmosphere was magical as everyone joined, both for the speeches and for the symbolic moment of the opening itself. As students saw the sports hall itself for the very first time, staff were struck by their incredible awe and wonder. 

At the time of writing we cannot wait to share this space with you all – parents/carers, interested hirers, people of Hertford and more – at our community open evening. Exciting times ahead for certain! 

Please do keep an eye our social media channels for updates and information a-plenty, as well the dedicated pages on our Simon Balle website. 

However, for now, we’d like to leave you with a summary of speeches made in our opening ceremony by our wonderful PE leaders, Miss Newman and Mrs Riddle, who, together with their teams, have such an inspirational vision for the Elm Sports Centre and our students across the all-through at Simon Balle. 

Speaking as Head of PE- this space is more than just a new building. This is an exciting opportunity to enhance the school’s PE curriculum, develop our extra-curricular provision, raise the standard of sports at Simon Balle as well as providing the opportunity for student personal growth. The Elm Sports Centre will be a place where students will try new sports, build confidence, and maybe discover a talent or passion they didn’t even know they had. Whether it’s handball, badminton, basketball, or something completely new – this sports hall opens up so many more opportunities for everyone. We want all our students to enjoy being active, to challenge themselves, and to have fun doing it. We also want to raise the profile of sport – to push performance, build strong teams and individuals, and show the district, county and national leagues what Simon Balle can do in sport. My vision is that sport and physical activity will be the heartbeat of Simon Balle. From lessons to clubs to fixtures, this sports hall will be buzzing with energy, ambition, and team spirit. I can not wait to see what we can achieve. 

This space is for all of you, whether you’re here to try something new, make new friends, or simply enjoy moving your body. We’ve designed it to be a place where everyone feels included, where every child can thrive no matter their ability or background. Sport teaches us so many important lessons, teamwork, perseverance, and the joy of achieving something together. We hope that this sports hall will inspire you to keep pushing your limits, supporting each other, and having fun. In the Larch we also believe the Elm Sports Centre will be a place for inspiration. Perhaps one day, a future Olympian will say it all began right here in our sports hall. Or maybe, more quietly, but just as powerfully, one of you will discover the joy of being part of a team, the thrill of doing something you never thought you could do, or the quiet pride in setting a goal and reaching it. Let’s celebrate this wonderful new chapter, and remember, this is your space. Make it your own and enjoy every moment!

A spotlight on learning

It seems important to begin any new term with a simple focus on the joy of learning in the classroom. After all, it is this way that our 1600 students spend 5 hours a day, 25 hours a week. It is always hard as a parent/carer to imagine just how this looks, so we will try to provide a window into just a few examples here … 

  • Reception are enjoying their important outdoor learning in this wonderful weather. At the time of my visit, the trim trail was providing the perfect vehicle for children to practise and perfect their gross motor skills – from balancing to strengthening their core muscles on the monkey bars. We know that refined gross motor skills lead to controlled fine motor skills so all of this feeds into writing and drawing back in the classroom, as well as the great fun being had!
  • In Year 2, the quality of art work, with a focus on Henri Rousseau’s tiger, is off the scale! With no two pieces the same, creativity and expression in abundance and developed skills shown in sketching and work with colour, Year 2 are rightly proud of their outcomes. 
  • Year 4 are rapidly approaching their statutory multiplication tables check. When I visited the ethos of high expectations and pride from the students was tangible. The data will, we have no doubt, speak for itself as each child’s progress is just so evident. Talking to our mathematics colleagues across the all-through, there is no underestimating the importance of rapid recall for number facts – our students are building a firm foundation from which they can spring forward. Thank you for your continued parental support, not just in Year 4 but in year groups across the Larch, with TTRS, numbots, arithmetic practice and more!
  • Whilst Year 6 are, of course, very busy preparing for their important SATs, at the time of my visit I was greeted with energy and enthusiasm for their computing curriculum where they are currently learning how to code using micro:bits. The students’ technical proficiency is impressive, and we are delighted that the breadth and enjoyment of our curriculum continues – it is, quite deliberately, never narrowed. 
  • I visited Year 8 lessons, ready with my ‘good news’ notes to celebrate both dedication to revision – including within PRE for their Hinduism Dharma unit – and ongoing ambition in reading within Accelerated Reader. I was struck by the way that all students were taking such responsibility for their learning, developing metacognitive skills and using time effectively and productively.
  • It is always a privilege to visit students of all ages within lessons within our art rotation. Whether in textiles, photography, art or Design Technology, what is striking is the calm ethos where each individual is pleased to share their learning journey. During this visit, a number of Year 12 students took their time to take me through their thinking, explaining their vision and plans for current projects with excitement. I am always in awe of their creativity and dedication. 
  • And finally, Year 11 are, of course, at the beginning of their important public exams. When I visited them in science, they were having great fun with bingo – recalling important vocabulary linked to electrical circuits, checking on definitions, showing discipline in their studies yet in an active and engaging way. We wish all of our students the very best as they navigate this exam season – we continue to be here to support them all, every step of the way.

SEND

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

The Hertfordshire SEND Local Offer provides information about services and support that are available within Hertfordshire.

Simon Balle’s Got Talent 2025

Over 40 students from the Secondary phase took part in our second ever talent show. We had the pleasure of seeing dance, drama, different musical acts and comedy. It was a pleasure and a joy to see students stepping out of their comfort zones and performing. It took much deliberation from our judges to decide on who would win!

  • 1st place – The Y9 singing trio – Orla, Erin and Lola
  • 2nd place – Y12 rock band – Lucy, Luca, Ben, Lewis and Merry
  • 3rd place – Y10 drama – Martina, Sylvie, Elizabeth and Aidan
  • Prize for courage and originality – Kieran (Y9, comedy) and Lottie (Y9 singer/pianist)
  • Audience vote – Y9 rock band ‘The Fishmongers’ – Jude, Alfie, Tymon, Josh and Lachlan

Congratulations to all of the winners and for all of the entrants!

Please click here for our latest Careers Opportunities blog

Science

The Science department is pleased to announce that Bors from Y11 has been selected as a finalist in the prestigious Big Bang Competition for his exceptional project on Bloom AI. We are extremely proud of his achievement and we wish him every success in the upcoming finals.

Walk to School Week 19th – 23rd May 2025

We are excited to be taking part in Walk to School Week this May.

We all know the health benefits of walking so please help us this week to reduce congestion by supporting children in being more active and help reduce lower carbon emissions during this Walk to School Week.

We would like to encourage all our pupils to try and walk, cycle or scoot to school during this week. If it’s not possible to walk all the way, then it would be great if you could park 10 minutes away from school and walk or scoot the last part of your journey.

Each class will have a poster of featuring a map of Hertfordshire and aim take a‘virtual’ walk around Hertfordshire. Every time a pupil travels sustainably, adot can be coloured in.

Following on from Walk to School Week, we will be supporting Clean Air Day on Thursday 19th June 2025, more information closer to the date.

This #WakeUpWednesday safety-on-the-road guide contains some excellent advice and reminders for students, and is particularly relevant to the those younger ones getting to ready to start walking on their own.

Car Park and entrance to the school

With the work on the sports hall and car park now complete, we will be reinstating the barriers at the entrance to the school site. As with the majority of schools in the country, we have restricted vehicle access to our car park in order to keep students safe.

The barriers will close at 0810 and remain closed until 1545. Parents are welcome to drive through and drop students before 0810, but please remember that this is on a no-waiting basis. Between 0810 and 1545 only those with special access passes will be permitted to enter the car park.

Unless a special access pass has been granted, students should not be driven to or from the school site. To avoid accidents, congestion and inconvenience to our neighbours, we ask that parents do not drop students outside the gates, on Mangrove Road itself or in neighbouring streets. The Old London Road car park beside the fire station is an 11 minute walk and is a far more appropriate location for dropping and collecting.

If you are visiting the school for any reason, please note that the secondary reception is moving to the sports hall.

Parent Staff Association

Larch Frozen Friday

We’re excited to announce that Frozen Fridays will be returning to Larch soon. To make sure the sales can go ahead each week, we’ll need 4 volunteers each Friday.  While the sale is open to all of Larch, we kindly ask that families help out when it’s their year group’s turn to run the sale. Of course, if you’re happy to volunteer for other year groups as well, that would be wonderful too!  Here’s the list of dates and which year group will be running each sale:

https://volunteersignup.org/WT7KY

  • 6th June – Year 6
  • 13th June – Year 5
  • 20th June – Year 4
  • 27th June – Year 3
  • 4th July – Year 2
  • 11th July – Year 1
  • 18th July – Reception @ 12pm, last day of school year

Thank you so much for your support — we can’t wait for a summer of Frozen Fridays!

Slice of Summer – Saturday 12th July, 12-4pm – Volunteers Needed!

Calling all Larch families. We need just 4 volunteers per year group to run games this year. Can you help? Our VolunteerSignUp link is now open!

  • Reception Game, Hook-a-duck – (FULL)
  • Year 1 Game, Captain Hook’s Rings – (1 of 3 filled)
  • Year 2 Game, Buried Treasure – (2 of 3 filled)
  • Year 3 Game, Teddy Tombola – (FULL)
  • Year 4 Game, Splat-the-rat – (1 of 4 filled)
  • Year 5 Game, Human Fruit Machine (1 of 4 filled)
  • Year 6 Game, Nerf Fruit Splat (0 of 4 filled)

Secondary families, we need you too! Can you help run the bar, candy floss, admissions desk?

Secondary students, can you help to serve ice cream or run the Boba Bar or inflatable archery?

Sign up to a volunteer slot BEFORE Friday 2nd May to benefit from FREE entry and FREE tokens to redeem anywhere at the fair, on PSA operated areas. 1 token per volunteer, per slot.

This offer is open to all staff, parents, carers and students of the all-through community.

Inflatables offer

This year, we are offering £10 wristbands that give the user unlimited use of the inflatables during the Slice of Summer.  We have a limited number of wristbands available.  To purchase, or find out more, please visit the PSA website.

Dates for your diary

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

  • Mon 5th May: Bank Holiday
  • Tues 6th May: Y8 assessments start
  • Wed 7th May: Public exams start
  • Mon 19th May: Walk to School Week
  • Mon 2nd June: Y5 BMX day
  • Thurs 5th June: Reception trip to Hertfordshire Zoo

Wishing you all the best for the week ahead

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