Nash Mills CofE Primary School

School News

Friday 22nd May 2026

We hope that you have a good half term break!

We look forward to seeing the children back to school on Monday 1st June.

Year 6 hit the slopes!

Year 6 had a fantastic time at the Ski Centre on Tuesday, showing maturity, focus and a strong willingness to challenge themselves. They approached both skiing and snowboarding with enthusiasm and confidence, developing new skills with courage. Throughout the day, they demonstrated determination and a consistently positive attitude, supporting one another and representing the school with pride. The experience strengthened their resilience, teamwork, and personal growth, making it a memorable part of their Year 6 journey.

"The skiing activity was a fun experience. I enjoyed going down the slope as it wasn't too steep. " Adam

"I enjoyed snowboarding with my friends and going on the ringos. I liked racing on the ringos and going down the slopes really quick." Harley

Thank you to the PTA for funding this amazing opportunity!

Year 4 get a taste of Tudor life

On Wednesday, Year 4 headed for Hampton Court where we began our day exploring the Great Hall, the Watching Room, the Council Chamber, the royal chapel and the Tudor kitchens! We remembered Mrs Jakeman's advice to look up and spotted some amazing ceilings and clues up high! Next, we met Chris who told us all about explorers from Elizabethan times. We discovered that the Tudors sailed all over the world to trade things like fur, potatoes, gold, tobacco and spices! In the afternoon, we had a great picnic and there was even time to visit the playground too! Noah, Austin and Mrs Barrett

"Fun fact: Most people in the court didn't actually get to see the king!" Lily-Roma

"Did you know there were lots of different spices from Asia?" Emine

"We learnt that it was hard to be a Tudor servant because they had to sleep on a cold, stone floor!" Amelia

"Did you know that the tapestry cost the same amount as a Tudor war ship?" Amaya

Fire! Fire! Fire! in Year 2

Year 2 have been bringing history to life by recreating the Great Fire of London, which took place in 1666. The children made fantastic model buildings inspired by those from the time, carefully thinking about how close together the houses would have been.

A special thank you goes to Mr Gower and his team from the fire brigade, who supported the reenactment safely. They set fire to the children’s model buildings in a controlled way and then put the fire out safely, allowing the children to see first-hand how quickly the flames could spread. The conditions were perfect for showing how the wind helped the fire move rapidly between the closely packed buildings.

It was a memorable and exciting way for the children to deepen their understanding of this important historical event.

Cricket Sessions

On Thursday, Tom from Hertfordshire's "Chance to Shine" cricket came in to run sessions with each year group. The focus was batting and scoring runs in a "rapid fire" game and it was fantastic to see all the children participating and having fun. There are many cricket clubs in Hemel and the local area so if your child is interested, why not get in contact.

All the houses competed against each other to get the most runs and fielders had to run to collect the balls, then put them back on the tees. It was very fun, but exhausting! Jonny, Pyper and Abdul.

Garden Gang

Year 5 have been busy in the Anniversary Garden this week, planting potatoes as part of Science, and weeding and tidying. Some have been selflessly giving up their lunch time to do this - special thanks to to Fred, Ethan, Edward, EJ, Finn and Archie. The beds do look beautiful.

Amazing writing in Reception

It is always fantastic when we get to this part of the school year, seeing the amazing progress in writing for our Reception pupils.

This is brilliant, considering the fact that the children have learnt so many skills this year; letter shapes, phonics, pencil grip, etc, etc, etc!

Well done Reception!

Talking Teeth in Early Years and Key Stage 1

Early Years and Key Stage 1 were delighted to welcome a visit this week from the dental charity BrightBites. Supported by Denplan, BrightBites delivers fun and engaging oral health education sessions for primary-aged children. A volunteer visited the school to lead interactive workshops covering effective toothbrushing, sugar awareness, and the importance of attending regular dental appointments.

The children were enthusiastic, knowledgeable and confident when discussing toothbrushing and tooth decay with the volunteer. At the end of the session, each child received a toothbrush, toothpaste and a booklet about healthy teeth to take home.

A huge thank you to Dentaid for supporting us in helping to keep our children’s teeth and mouths healthy.

To ensure your child spends the correct time brushing every day, here is a fun two minute song from CBBC's Hey Duggee series that might encourage a longer brushing session.

Hey Duggee - Top of the Pups: The Toothbrush Song - BBC iPlayer

Whole School Swimming Lessons after Half term

Just a reminder that swimming lessons commence after half term (they will take place between Monday 1st June and Friday 19th June). We will once again have a visiting swimming pool on our school playground, with lessons provided for pupils in every class. Swimming is part of the National Curriculum and, given how close we are to local bodies of water (including the canal), it is an essential life skill. While we know that some children already attend lessons outside of school, we want to ensure that all pupils develop at least a basic level of confidence and competence in the water. Please click here for a reminder of the letter and class timetable sent out earlier in May.

Children will need to bring swimwear and a towel to school. We would also encourage them to bring goggles and a swim hat if possible, along with some sliders or crocs for making their way to and from the pool.

Payment: For those parents/carers still to pay, Arbor will be open until 18th June.

Star of the Week!

Nursery

Myla

For trying so hard during phonics. Myla is able to recognise and sound out all our new sounds! Well done Myla.

Reception

Reeva

For growing in confidence each day, talking more happily with adults and sharing your ideas. We love to see you so engaged with your learning. Keep believing in yourself.

Year 1

Rosy

For always being so keen to do well in your learning, your energy is boundless and so is the joy you bring to others around you.

Year 2

Clay

For his continued effort across all subjects. We are so impressed with his fantastic ideas in English!

Year 3

Bella

For her continued determination and resilience. She is never afraid to take on a challenge, and she is very supportive to her classmates. Thank you!

Year 4

Amelia

For her brilliant history knowledge and interest shown at Hampton Court this week! Also, for her enthusiasm for learning and the way she cheerfully contributes to our class.

Year 5

Enoch

For working hard and having confidence to answer questions in class.

Year 6

Omiebi

For consistently listening carefully to suggestions to improve her work and trying new strategies with confidence.

Staffing Update

Over the past few months, we have been busy beginning our preparations for the next school year. As part of this, we design and approve our new school budget, considering the needs of our school over the coming years (from a curriculum, pupil and building perspective) and how we can best support and develop our staff to meet this need.

Each year, we try to share our plans for staffing with you as early as possible as we know that some pupils (and parents) appreciate knowing about any upcoming changes as early as possible. Over the next half term, the children will begin meeting their new classroom staff and spending time with them to build relationships prior to the summer holiday.

Please note that the information shared below is still subject to change. Staff plans can change and we do occasionally have a little staff movement as the year comes to an end. We will, of course, let you know if this happens.

At the current time, our plans for staffing our classes from September are:

Nursery: Miss Webb and Mrs Wilson, supported by Mrs Armitage and Mrs Levy

Reception: Miss Bentley, supported by Mrs Stephens and Mrs Phillips

Year 1: Miss Brewer, supported by Mrs Parsell and Miss Williams

Year 2: Mrs Barrett and Mrs Nicholls, supported by Mrs Cambridge

Year 3: Miss Lyden, supported by Miss Fraser, Mrs Gamage and Mr Fancourt

Year 4: Mrs Lewis, supported by Miss Finnis and Mrs Holmes

Year 5: Mrs Ofosu, supported by Mrs Jakeman

Year 6: Miss Jones and Mr Shane, supported by Miss Hollis

Various other members of staff will continue to work with each class across the week, including Mrs Nicholls (who will be taking on our full SENCo role), Mrs Jessop (who will be coordinating emotional wellbeing support) and Miss Powell (who will be supporting reading and phonics).

We hope that your child will be as excited as we are for the upcoming school year!

Attendance

We’ve seen another week of strong attendance across the school—well done to everyone for your continued efforts. Year 5 led the way with an outstanding 99.67%, closely followed by Year 2 at an excellent 99.3%. Year 4 achieved a solid 96.7%, while Year 1 recorded 95.6%. Reception finished the week on 93.4%, with Nursery close behind at 93.1%. Year 3 achieved 92.4%, and Year 6 had a more challenging week at 88.3%, where we will be looking for improvement after half term.

Thank you to all families for your ongoing support—these strong figures show the positive impact of prioritising attendance across the school.

Times Tables Rockstars and Numbots!

This week's leader board shows coins collected over the last 7 days, our top 3 amassed a total of 10,002 coins in a week! Well done to our top 3.

Our Numbots leader board is for coins earned over the last 7 days, our top 3 collected a total of 8,925 coins!

Well done to all of our leaders.

Mr Shane

Leader board this week

1st - Eren (Y1)

2nd - Constantine (Y1)

3rd - Elizabeth (Y2)

Leader board this week

1st - Fred (Y5)

2nd - Áine (2)

3rd - Emine (Y4)

Donations please!

If you have any old cooking equipment at home which could be used for play in our outdoor mud kitchen, it would be greatly appreciated. We are looking for any old pots, pans, wooden spoons or utensils.

Thank you, in advance, for your help!

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 Lewis loves The Hairy Maclary stories!

I used to read this with my children when they were little and we loved this series, but especially this one as the bad cat - Scarface Claw - causes all sorts of trouble for Hairy Maclary. We love the rhyming style, the onomatopoeia and all the different characters and we loved making up different voices to suit each one.

There is a word in it - cacophony - which we loved to say as it sounds so nice!

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

Upcoming Dates

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

As we come to the end of this half term, I have thoroughly enjoyed looking back on just how much has taken place—the number of items in this week’s newsletter is a great example! From events and experiences to quieter moments of care, so much has happened because of people giving their time, energy and kindness to others.

Our focus on selflessness really comes to life when we notice these contributions. Whether it’s the pupils who gave up their time to help care for the school garden, staff going the extra mile to plan for and look after our children, or parents supporting our school—each act, big or small, helps our community to grow. Thank you to everyone who has played a part.

As we look ahead to the second half of the summer term, with the sun shining and lots on the horizon, there is plenty to be excited about!

Hemel BIDS ESD event Saturday 30th May

Our Emergency Services Day is back due to popular demand. Join us to celebrate our fantastic services that keep us safe every day.

Take a look around the vehicles, and chat to the service men/women from the Police, Fire and Ambulance services and take part in some emergency services themed colouring in.

This FREE family-friendly event is your chance to get up close with real emergency vehicles and enjoy a whole host of activities, including: Fire engine, Police car, Ambulance, Arts & crafts, Face painting, Dress-up zone along with kids ride on vehicles.

Saturday 30 May 2026

11:00 15:00
Hemel Town Centre

Page updated

Report abuse