Friday 13th February
Co-headteachers’ welcome
Although this half term has been relatively short, it has certainly been packed with learning, enrichment, and opportunity. Over the past week, many of us have enjoyed the welcome distraction of the Winter Olympics, with its extraordinary range of events showcasing fitness, courage, resilience, and determination, qualities we strive to nurture in our students every day. In the midst of the grey winter weather, it has been a real tonic and a timely reminder of what can be achieved through hard work and perseverance. And, of course, for those less inclined towards the Olympics, the Six Nations has provided plenty of excitement and inspiration of its own.
These values of resilience, aspiration, and teamwork are not confined to the sporting arena; they underpin our daily work as a school community. The Simon Balle Experience continues to reflect our commitment to creating ‘tomorrow’s citizens today’.From Reception through to Sixth Form, students benefit from a carefully sequenced journey that blends academic rigour with enrichment, leadership, service, and personal development. Each year group builds upon the last, growing in independence, curiosity, and confidence, supported by a rich programme of sport, music, student leadership, trips, cultural experiences, and community engagement. Whether preparing our youngest pupils to begin their learning journey or guiding our Year 13 students towards university, apprenticeships, and employment, we remain focused on nurturing reflective, outward-looking young people who are ready to contribute positively to the wider world. If you would like to read further here is the link to the website.
A particular strength of our all-through model is the way these values are lived out across year groups. Students regularly work together, supporting and learning from one another. We see this powerfully through cross-year tutoring and mentoring, from Year 11 students supporting Year 7, to our Sixth Form working with Reception pupils. In the coming weeks, Year 12 students will begin mentoring Year 9, alongside Year 11, sharing valuable lessons learned about tackling GCSE courses and achieving strong outcomes. These experiences build aspiration and belonging, while allowing younger students to benefit from the wisdom, encouragement, and perspective of their older peers. This culture of collaboration is something we are immensely proud of and continues to strengthen our whole school community.
That same emphasis on curiosity, reflection, and personal growth is also evident in our academic enrichment programmes. I have had the real privilege of running the Mini EPQ with our Year 7 students each week, alongside Mr Truman and Mr Peters. Together, we have supported students in refining their titles, developing research skills, and thinking critically about bias, reliability, and different types of sources. They have also been guided through planning, time management, and structuring extended writing effectively. We are now turning our attention to speaking skills, exploring the traits of confident and impactful speakers, an area we are particularly passionate about nurturing through assemblies, speeches, and wider school opportunities.
It has been a joy to deliver the Mini EPQ in Year 7 while also mentoring our Year 12 students through their full EPQ. Current projects range from shark survival to the formation of political parties in the eighteenth century, highlighting the breadth of curiosity and intellectual ambition we encourage. It is a hugely rewarding part of my role and a wonderful reflection of the culture of enquiry and aspiration that runs through our school.
Sixth Form
Congratulations to Isabella on being accepted onto the Oxford University Floreat Scheme for Humanities. This is a fantastic achievement and a testament to their hard work, dedication, and academic potential. We are incredibly proud and wish them every success as they take this exciting next step.
Larch Writing
We have been incredibly proud of the high standards of writing produced by children across the Larch this half term. Recent changes to our writing curriculum, including updates to year-group texts, have encouraged pupils to be even more ambitious, making thoughtful and deliberate language choices in their work. It has been a joy to see imaginative ideas woven throughout their writing, clearly inspired by the high-quality books they are reading. From newspaper reports to balanced arguments, pupils are demonstrating growing confidence across a wide range of writing styles and we could not be more impressed with the progress they are making.
Transcription (Handwriting)
This term, following guidance from ‘The Writing Framework’ we are introducing a new handwriting scheme in the Larch. The aim is to give children a clear and consistent approach to letter formation, joins and presentation, so that handwriting becomes fluent and automatic. Learning to write is a bit like learning a musical instrument and can bring a sense of pride and satisfaction when taught in a structured, supported way that allows skills to become secure over time. When the basics are practised regularly and embedded, children are more able to focus on the composition of their ideas; expression and creativity. By teaching handwriting in small, structured steps the scheme supports all pupils, including those who find writing physically or cognitively challenging, and helps children build confidence and pride in their written work as they move through school.
Working with Middleton to receive specialist CPD about Early Writing
Recently, staff from Simon Balle attended highly engaging training at Middleton Specialist Setting, focused on the development of pre-writing skills and the crucial stepping stones to early writing. The training was designed to support our youngest students and learners who experience difficulties with writing, offering practical strategies that can be embedded into everyday classroom practice.
The session explored a wide range of fun, effective approaches to early writing development, placing a strong emphasis on building the physical, sensory and cognitive foundations children need before they are ready to write. From developing fine motor control to strengthening mark-making and early communication, the ideas shared were both accessible and immediately transferable to our own setting.
We are incredibly grateful to the team at Middleton for their expertise, guidance and support. The training was not only informative but genuinely inspiring, and staff have already enjoyed implementing many of the strategies across our Larch community. These approaches are helping us to further support our learners with confidence, creativity and enjoyment as they develop their early writing skills.
Year 8 Solve it-Resolve it Workshop- Miss Gibson
As part of our ongoing PSHE programme, on Tuesday 24th February, Year 8 students will be participating in workshops led by Herts Young Homeless on conflict resolution. The aims of the workshop are for students to be able to:
- Identify the effects of their behaviour when in conflict.
- Understand factors that can affect communication when in conflict.
- Identify a positive change they could make when in conflict
ELSA – Get Work Ready Careers Day
On Friday, 6th February, our Year 10 students enjoyed a fantastic enrichment day delivered by ELSA Next Generation. The event was designed to simulate a corporate “recruitment carousel,” comprising six distinct workshops aimed at building employability skills.
Sessions included “Tower Building” with ELSA, “Product for Innovation” with Bowmer and Kirkland, the “Balloon Chair” challenge with Lovell, “Financing your Future” with Sarah-Jane Rutt., and a “Your Community” workshop facilitated by Susannah Parry.
A special thanks goes to the Simon Balle parents and carers who supported the vital “Interview Practice” sessions. Students were incredibly grateful for this first taste of a formal interview; while many found it more daunting than anticipated, the feedback they received was invaluable for their future careers.
Overall, the day pushed students to think about their teamworking, leadership and communication skills. We are proud of the engagement Year 10 demonstrated and confident that the experience has prepared them to better present themselves and work effectively towards their future endeavours.
Library News
Harry Potter Quiz
We held our annual Harry Potter Quiz on Thursday 12th February. It was an excellent turnout with 64 participants. Well done to the runners up Noah, Jake, Holly, Riley, Mr Poley and Mr Dear and congratulations to the winners Thomas and David.
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
DSPL3 (Delivering Specialist Provision Locally) is holding a coffee morning in Ware and has asked for details to be shared.
The Spring newsletter for DSPL3 can be found here DSPL3 Newsletter for Parents – Spring 1.pdf. This includes a short survey to help the Local Authority understand the impact of the work and support of DSPL3 in your area along with details about upcoming courses.
Community Bench Competition
Learn with the Lords
The A-level Politics students recently took part in an online Learn with the Lords session –
Last Friday we got the opportunity to ask questions to Baroness Pitkeathley, a member of the House of Lords. She answered very honestly and in depth for all of our questions and this experience definitely enriched our understanding of how the House of Lords works and how it should work in future.
Science
On 28th January 2026, 36 KS5 chemistry students took part in the UK Chemistry Olympiad, a prestigious competition designed to challenge and inspire young scientists. The Olympiad encourages students to push beyond the curriculum, developing critical problem-solving skills, creative thinking, and the ability to apply their knowledge to real-world scenarios.
The students performed incredibly well, and we are now awaiting the release of their certificates.
Absences
Please use the Leave of Absence form for holidays, sporting events and medical appointments longer than 1 day.
Use the email address Admin@simonballe.herts.sch.uk for daily absences, medical appointments, general enquiries and questions.
Parent Staff Association
10th March – Annual General Meeting
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 10th 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 membership and that the organisation can meet its legal requirements. The more people who attend, the stronger and more democratic the 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.
Register your interest via the sign up link.
Larch Frozen Friday Organiser – Summer term
Each year, after the May half term, Larch families look forward to an ice cream sale after school, every Friday. We are looking for one or two people that are willing to take on the role of Frozen Friday Organiser. You will be responsible for ordering and organising stock each week. We also need a number of volunteers to manage the weekly sales both after school and at 4.45pm for after Explorers. If you are able to help, please complete the sign up sheet as soon as you can so that we can see if the sales can go ahead again this year.
Organisers and helpers will be shown what to do, if you are new to helping with this. Thank you in advance – without your help, we are unable to offer Frozen Friday.
https://volunteersignup.org/WT7KY
Dates for your diary
A full calendar of events can be viewed on the school website.
- 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: Y7 student consultation evening (in person)
- Mon 16th and Tues 17th Mar: Y10 Geography field trips
- Wed 18th Mar: PSA AGM
- Fri 20th Mar: Model United Nations Conference
Wishing you all the best for the week ahead
Mrs Rachel Kirk and Mr Michael Moss (Co-headteachers)
