School News
Friday 13th March 2026
Unbeleafable Learning for Science Week!
What a fantastic Science Week we have had at school!
Throughout the week, the children showed dedication, teamwork and enthusiasm in everything they did. It has been wonderful to see the whole school coming together to learn, create and care for our environment.
One of the highlights of the week was transforming our outdoor areas. The children kept active by digging soil into their plots and planting a wide range of flowers and plants. It was especially lovely to see Upper Key Stage 2 supporting and encouraging the younger children in Key Stage 1. In Early Years, the children planted their own hanging baskets, which have already added lots of colour to our school grounds.
A huge thank you to our parents for donating so many beautiful plants. Your generosity and support helped make this project possible, and we are incredibly grateful.
The area is already looking fantastic and, once everything is complete and has had time to begin growing, it will become a wonderful space for our school community to nurture and enjoy.
George said, “We worked very hard and tried our best.”
Jasmine said, “We hope not only insects visit, but our grown-ups too!”
Our final showcase proved that Science Week was about much more than planting. There were links across all areas of the curriculum, with every class deepening their understanding of biodiversity and ecosystems in exciting and creative ways.
Year 5 and Year 6 took part in litter picks and created artwork linked to their learning. Year 5 also made terrific terrariums, while Year 6 produced creative collages. Year 3 designed scenery inspired by their English work on Don’t Trust Fish, and Year 4 made eco-friendly plant holders for seeds. Year 2 explored microhabitats and used their maths and computing skills to collect tally data about the minibeasts found around school. Year 1 got messy making bird feeders, and Early Years created seed bombs.
Each class was also set an engineering challenge: to make a plant using only four sheets of paper. We were so impressed by the creativity, effort and problem-solving shown in every entry. Although there were many fantastic designs, the winner by popular vote was Year 5. Well done!
Thank you to everyone for making Science Week such a success. We are so proud of all the children for their fantastic effort, creativity and teamwork.
Check out our Bluesky account for more updates and photos from the week!
Year 3 trip to Hudnall Park
On Thursday, Year 3 travelled to Hudnall Park for a fun-filled day! We started the morning looking at different rocks and their properties - the team at Hudnall Park were thoroughly impressed by the children's knowledge (as were the teachers!) The day continued looking at different soils, and a small sieving experiment, before heading off on a flint hunt in the woods.
After lunch, the children engaged in a plethora of team-building activities. They worked amazingly in their teams, and showed great listening as well as communicating to get the tasks completed.
Despite the slight rain and strong winds, the children had an amazing day!
We have loved seeing the children begin their work on the Chapter Challenge this week and have been listening to all of the chat about the different stories.
In your child's reading record will be list for their year group. When they have read the story, using school books, those from home or the library, ask them to let their teacher know so it can be recorded.
Much of this work is based on growing research about the importance of relational reading; how it is sometimes better to share a book with someone rather than reading alone. Some of the books in the lists are great independent readers, but others are much better suited to being read to your child by an adult. We hope that you enjoy them as much as we have!
Nursery
Mustafa
For doing a wonderful job in following class instructions and joining in with our learning! Well Done.
Reception
Sadie
For showing improved focus in phonics and for consistently making thoughtful, positive choices during active learning. Your growing independence is great to see - keep it up!
Year 1
Sadie
For always trying his best, showing creativity in his learning, and working hard in all areas of the classroom. Keep it up!
Year 2
Hope
For listening carefully to adults and positively engaging with strategies to support her when she feels upset.
Year 3
Alex
For pushing himself consistently in all lessons and
building maturity.
Year 4
Harper
For showing fantastic resilience in her learning, especially
when things were really tricky.
Year 5
Oliver
For his positive attitude and enthusiasm
for everything he does.
Year 6
Ivy
For being a co-operative and enthusiastic learner, taking great care in her work, particularly in English!
Keep it up!
This week's TTRS leader board is improvement in accuracy when answering questions over the last week. Well done to our top 3!
Our Numbots leader board reflects the number of games completed in the last 7 days. Well done to our top 3!
Well done to all of our leaders this week.
Mr Shane
Leader board this week
1st - Lily (Y1)
2nd - Clay (Y2)
3rd - Eren (Y1)
Leader board this week
1st - William (Y4)
2nd - Enoch (Y5)
3rd - Bella (Y3)
We are pleased to share that this has been another great week for attendance across the school, with several classes achieving excellent results once again. A huge congratulations to Year 4, who achieved a perfect 100% attendance this week—an outstanding accomplishment and a fantastic reflection of their commitment.
Close behind, Year 1 recorded an impressive 98.3%, while Year 5 achieved 97.3% and Reception followed closely with 97.1%. Year 2 also had a strong week with 96.2%, and Year 3 reached 95.8%. Year 6 recorded 94%, and Nursery finished the week with 93.2%.
It’s wonderful to see such consistently strong attendance across the school. Thank you to all families for your continued efforts—every day in school really does count, and it’s great to see this reflected week after week.
Nursery Admissions - September 2026
Please share with friends and family that applications to come and join our wonderful Nursery for the next academic year are now open! Our Nursery pupils love coming into school each day to enjoy all of our fantastic facilities and benefit from the care of our dedicated Nursery staff who create a friendly, safe and stimulating learning environment.
In September 2026, we shall be admitting children born between 1st September 2022 and 31st August 2023 and are pleased to share that we offer either:
15-hour morning provision from 8.50am-11.50am
or
For working families in receipt of 30-hours government funding, daily provision from 8.50am-2.50pm, with the option to extend the day to 3.15pm for an additional cost of £12.50 per week.
Please do encourage family and friends with Nursery-aged pupils to come and see us - Click here for upcoming tour dates.
As you know, reading regularly at home with your children is incredibly important. A good bedtime story is not only helpful in maintaining a strong routine in the evening, it also helps children to develop their imagination and vocabulary.
Each week, we will ask our staff what their current recommendations are for the best bedtime reads. We hope that it provides you with some ideas!
The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
Nobody, Nobody Owens or Bod for short is growing up fast. But unlike most children, he is being raised by a group of residents. Those residents aren't your usual crowd because Bod is being raised in a graveyard, by its inhabitants. Bod is there for his own protection and was allowed to stay to keep him safe, and while he is there he is being raised by a colourful collection of people who teach him lots of lessons along the way. Aimed at Year 5 & 6, my son has frequently complained when I have stopped reading with him as he just wants to know what will happen next.
16th March - Nursery Coffee Morning
17th March - Reception class Worship
17th March - Y6 trip to Bletchley Park
18th March - Y4 River Study Trip
19th March - Reception & Nursery Trip - Hertfordshire Zoo
19th March - Last clubs of term
20th March - Red Nose Day Non-uniform
23rd March - Art Week - Sculpture
24th&25th March - Y3&4 Production
25th March - Y5 Trip to Kew Gardens
25th March - Y2 trip to Frogmore Paper Mill
26th March - Whole School Church Service
27th March - End of the Spring Term 1.30pm
Good Shepherd Club—to book spaces at Breakfast or After School Club, please visit
http://www.goodshepherdclubs.co.uk/
Thank you to those who have now managed to log child absences on Arbor. It has really helped the office, meaning that we know where all of the children are more quickly in the morning. If The instructions on how to do this are set out below.
If your child is unwell, Hertfordshire Attendance team require that the nature of the illness is recorded, so please include this in your message (cough, cold, temperature, vomiting etc.). Please note that any absence requests for future dates will still need to made through the school office. In line with our attendance and safeguarding policies, a reminder to report your child's absence every morning, by 8.30am, until your child is well enough to return to school.
Step 1 -Click on Quick Actions button and then click Attendance followed by the green Log Absence button (top right).
Step 2 - Enter the absence details. If your child will be absent all day, there is no need to edit the start and end times that will automatically appear. If your child is ill, please ensure that you enter the nature of the illness and then press the green Log Absence button.
Step 3 - Once you have logged the absence, the school office will 'accept' it. Approved absences then appear in the Attendance tab of the Arbor App. It is not possible to edit an absence once it has been approved, so if you have any queries, please email the school office who will be able to help.
Did you know that your child may be able to receive additional support in school in addition to free school meals, if you qualify for certain benefits?
If you receive any of the following, your child may well be eligible for the Pupil Premium. This provides them with free school meals throughout their time at school, but also a range of additional things in school to help with their learning and engagement. If your child might be eligible, please visit the following site (https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/ufs/HCWH.eb?ebd=0&ebz=1_1717745705707) or speak to the school office who will be happy to help.
Income Support
Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
Child Tax Credit (as long as you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and you don't get more than £16,190 a year)
Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
Universal Credit (with annual earned income of no more than £7,400 after tax and not including any benefits you get).
The application process only takes a few minutes and we are more than happy to provide support if it is needed.
Thank you for your donations towards our clothing bank. If you have any old clothes following clear-outs, please drop things in. The clothing bank is emptied regularly so should be ready for more donations.
The school carpark is open between 7am and 6pm on weekdays. Members of the local community are more than welcome to use it too so please spread the word!
“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” — Japanese proverb
This week we were joined in worship by Reverend Dave, who shared the story of Peter denying Jesus. This story reminded us of an important truth: bravery isn’t about never being scared or getting everything right—it’s about what we do after things go wrong. Peter’s courage didn’t shine in the moment he denied Jesus; it appeared when he faced his mistake, learned from it, and chose to try again.
In school, this message is incredibly valuable. Children learn best not by avoiding errors, but by understanding that mistakes are a natural—and important—part of growing. Whether it’s tackling a tricky maths problem, navigating friendships, or trying something new, real bravery is shown when pupils keep moving forward. I always tell the children what a wonderful thing it is to get something wrong; it means we are going to learn something new!