Nash Mills CofE Primary School

School News

Friday 15th May 2026

Year 6 excel during SATs Week!

Year 6 have been fantastic this week, showing resilience and determination throughout their SATs. They came into school each day with big smiles and positive attitudes.

We are proud of the effort they put in, how they supported each other, and the maturity and calm focus they demonstrated, never giving up. What a fantastic week for our Year 6 role models. Well done!

Year 6 themselves said the following, "SATs sound scary but they really aren't, you get to come in early for breakfast with your friends and once they are finished we got to have fun! It felt quite relaxed." Ivy, James and Omiebi

Growing and Learning in Early Years!

The children in Nursery have been learning all about growing and change. As part of this exciting topic, they have been exploring the life cycle of a butterfly and discovering how caterpillars transform over time. The children have loved observing our caterpillars each day, carefully watching them grow bigger before forming chrysalises and beginning their amazing transformation into butterflies. Through stories, discussions and creative activities, the children have been developing their understanding of each stage of the life cycle.

To support their learning, the children have also created their very own butterfly life cycle to take home. We hope this provides a lovely opportunity for the children to talk with you about what they have learned, share new vocabulary and explain the different stages of the butterfly’s journey. Thank you for continuing these conversations at home and supporting your child’s learning.

Year 3 Art

Over the past few weeks, Year 3 have been focusing on developing their concept of repeated patterns, and beginning to make them a bit abstract. The children have spent time delicately making their shapes precisely the same to enable them to repeat and create a colourful wallpaper effect.

Well done Year 3 for your precision and patience!

Out of School Achievement

As the football season draws to a close, many of our pupils are finishing their out-of-school club commitments. It has been wonderful to hear about local teams competing in various tournaments and finals.

We are especially proud of two of our Year 6 pupils, Rosie and Sophie, who play for Hemel Aces Girls U11s. Last week, their team took part in the Hertfordshire Girls Trophy Shield Final—and we are delighted to share that they won 1–0!

Rosie scored the winning goal with a brilliant chip over the goalkeeper, while Sophie delivered a player-of-the-match performance in defence. Their achievement is something they—and we—can be incredibly proud of.

Star of the Week!

Nursery

Roman

For becoming so confident during carpet time, sharing ideas and having fantastic conversations with peers. Well Done Roman!

Reception

Alecé

For sitting and listening so much more carefully, using your fiddle toy and special chair brilliantly to help yourself learn. Well done on a calmer, more postive week.

Year 1

Leo

For trying really hard with his maths work and managing to solve some tricky sharing questions using the number beads.

Year 2

Romeesa

For coming to school with a positive attitude and giving everything a go.

Year 3

Melo

For growing in confidence and tackling all topics with optimism and determination. He is a supportive friend and makes sure everyone is well. Thank you!

Year 4

Shoshanna

For her excellent learning behaviour - always working hard and with super concentration.

Year 5

Finley

For his increasing confidence in his abilities, his willingness to try everything and seeing his successes.

Year 6

Charlie

For his hard work, perseverance and willingness to keep going, even when things felt challenging. We are proud of you, keep up the good work.

Walk to School Week is coming 18th-22nd May!

We’re excited to take part in Walk to School Week — a great chance to build healthy habits, cut congestion, and help create cleaner air around our school. Walking or wheeling to school boosts children’s physical and mental wellbeing, helps them arrive alert and ready to learn and supports a greener environment.

How you can get involved:

Encourage your child to walk or wheel to school as often as possible.
If you can’t walk the whole way, try a Park and Stride — park a short distance away and walk the rest.

Let’s step into a healthier, greener week together - your support is always appreciated!

Times Tables Rockstars and Numbots!

This week's TTRS leader board is for improvement in studio speed. Our top 3 have all improved the speed at which they answer each question knocking off significant time for each of them. Well done!

Our Numbots leader board is for minutes played, which shows how long children are playing for across the week to improve their Maths! Well done to all of our leaders this week.

Mr Shane

Leader board this week

1st - Lana (Y2)

2nd - Ivie (Y1)

3rd - Constantine (Y1)

Leader board this week

1st - Austin (Y4)

2nd - Amaya (Y4)

3rd - Isla (Y5)

Attendance

Another excellent week of attendance across the school—well done to everyone for maintaining such high standards! Year 5 led the way with a fantastic 99%, followed by Year 2 at 97.9% and Year 6 with a strong 97%. Nursery also had a very positive week, achieving 96.8%, while Year 4 and Year 3 recorded 96.3% and 96.2% respectively. Reception finished on 95%, and Year 1 ended the week at 94.9%.

Thank you to all families for your continued support—these consistently strong figures show what can be achieved when we work together to prioritise attendance.

SEN Coffee Morning – Focus: Emotional Regulation and Big Feelings

We would like to invite parents and carers to our upcoming SEN Coffee Morning on Friday 22nd May.

The focus of this session will be “Emotional Regulation and Big Feelings”. Over tea and coffee, parents will be able to work with Mrs Nicholls to explore why some children can find it difficult to manage worries, frustration, change or overwhelming feelings, and share practical strategies that may help at home and in school.

There will also be time for questions and a chance to suggest topics for future parent sessions.

Menu Change - Thursday 21st May

Each term, we have a day in which we encourage our pupils to try a hot school dinner (especially if they don't usually). To promote this further, this term's special day, which will take place next Thursday, will be a Burger Day!

Red - Breaded Chicken Burger OR Beef Burger

Green - Breaded Bean & Vegetable Burger

Blue - Jacket Potato

Yellow - Cheese Roll

Uniform Reminder

Please view this link for a reminder of our Uniform Policy. In particular, please note that for safety reasons no jewellery is allowed, except for one pair of small, plain stud earrings and an analogue watch. Make up and nail polish should not be worn.

Best Bedtime Reads!

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!

Mrs Wilson loves The Book with No Pictures by BJ Novak

We have been reading ‘The Book With No Pictures’ by BJ Novak. It is a really fun read and the children adore it! I love the fact that it looks so boring from the outside. On first read, the children were not impressed by the front cover, but as soon as the silly words started flowing, they thought it was hilarious. It is very playful and inventive – a refreshing take on what a book without pictures can look like.

Ultimately, the charm lies in its absurdity and the joyful reactions it elicits from children.

Please click here to read the latest parent newsletter from the Developing Specialist Provision Locally Team in Dacorum.

Upcoming Dates

18th May - Reception Coffee Morning

19th May - World Diversity Day - special lunch menu

19th May - Y6 Trip to Snow Centre

19th May - Y6 Residential Parent Meeting 2.45pm

20th May - Y4 trip to Hampton Court Palace

22nd May - SEN Coffee morning

25th-29th May - Half term

1st-19th June - Whole School Swimming

4th June - Y2 trip to London

8th June - Y4 Multiplication Check week

9th June - Y1 Class Worship

10th June - Y3 trip to Verulamium

10th June - Y5 Residential Parent Meeting 2.45pm

15th June - Y1 Phonics Check week

16th June - Nursery Coffee Morning

18th June - Reception to Ruislip Lido

19th June - PTA Thank you Sale

22nd - 26th June - Y6 Residential Trip

23rd & 30th June - Opera Project in school

23rd June - Y2 Class Worship

25th June - Reception Coffee Morning

30th June - Y3 Class Worship

1st-3rd July - Y5 Residential Trip

1st July - Governors Resource Meeting

6th-8th July - Sports Week

7th July - Reports sent home

7th July - Y4 Class Worship

7th July - Y4 trip to Electric Umbrella at the Cathedral

8th July - Sports Day - 11am EYFS, 12pm rest of school

9th July - New class transition day

10th July - PTA summer disco

13th July - Art week

13th July - Music Concert 2pm

13th July - Full Governing Body Meeting

14th July - Y1 RAF Trip

15th&16th July - Y5&6 Production

17th July - Y6 Leavers Party

20th July - Whole School Church Service

21st July - Leavers' Assembly and last day of term. School closes for the summer at 1.30pm

22nd &23rd July - INSET Days

Good Shepherd Booking

Good Shepherd Club—to book spaces at Breakfast or After School Club, please visit

http://www.goodshepherdclubs.co.uk/

Logging Absences

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.

Pupil Premium

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.

Clothing Bank

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!

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 about to close! 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

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.

Final Thought

Well done to all our children for their hard work this week, especially to our Year 6 pupils for their hard work during SATs. We have been so impressed by their efforts and the team spirit that they have shown. And as we think about selflessness, we can remember “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Even when we’re busy or finding things challenging, it’s important to still look out for those around us.

Over the weekend, can you find a small way to be kind or helpful to someone who needs it?

What could you do?

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