School News
Friday 30th January 2026
A big week of music!
This week has been an exceptional one for music at Nash Mills, perfectly reflecting our ongoing commitment to giving children rich opportunities within the arts. We were thrilled to welcome a local ukulele band who filled the hall with a brilliant mix of pop favourites and traditional tunes. The performance was particularly inspiring for our Year 4 pupils, all of whom are currently learning the ukulele—it was a wonderful chance for them to see how their hard work and enthusiasm could lead to exciting opportunities in the future. The whole school joined in with singing, clapping, and smiling throughout. Don’t forget to check out the video on our BlueSky feed!
Yesterday, we were also delighted to be visited by the ever-amazing Electric Umbrella team. They treated the whole school to an uplifting performance before leading a series of workshops for our Key Stage 2 pupils. Their focus on inclusivity and celebrating our differences aligns so well with our school values, and it was heart-warming to see every child fully engaged. Electric Umbrella—a fantastic local charity dedicated to bringing people of all ages and abilities together through music—created an atmosphere where every pupil could shine. The joy in the room was unmistakable, and every session ended with children leaving absolutely beaming!
Amazing writing
Following on from Year 3's fantastic writing in last week's newsletters, this week Year 4 have shared some brilliant work. This follows on from an English topic all about solving a mystery, culminating in a newspaper report to share what they found out! We definitely have some budding reporters!
Feeling Good Week
As we get to the end of a very dreary January, we would like to share that next week is 'Feeling Good Week'. As part of this, the children will spend some time exploring strategies that they can use to feel centered and calm, especially when things go wrong. The national theme for Feeling Good Week this year is 'belonging' and so each pupil will also spend some time thinking about what makes them special and unique.
Slam Jam!
On Tuesday, eight Y6 pupils took part in a SlamJam competition at Longdean School. This included a number of fast-paced basketball matches against lots of other schools. The children involved did so well, coming a very commendable 3rd place!!! They showed great sportsmanship and team work and it was great to see them competing so well.
MVP - Phoebe, for running the length of the court and scoring multiple times - well done Phoebe!
Mrs Lewis
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.
Nursery
Nelly
For coming into school this week happy, calm, and ready to learn! You've walked in with a big smile, settled quickly, and tried your best. We are so proud of you.
Reception
Juliette
For consistent focus during lessons, kindness shown to friends and your positive, sunny attitude. You set a wonderful example to others.
Year 1
Bella
For being such a kind, caring, and lovely girl who is always happy to help others.
Year 2
Hamdan
For showing fantastic progress in school. You have worked hard to join in with class learning, follow instructions, and play and learn alongside your peers. We are so proud of the effort you are making every day.
Year 3
Ottilie
For her incredible imagination and determination to create high quality, descriptive work. She is consistently hardworking and forever a supportive friend. Well done!
Year 4
Freya
For her outstanding effort, focus and commitment to excellence in every lesson! Well done for all your hard work.
Year 5
Ffion
For her enthusiasm for everything she does. There is nothing Ffion doesn't put her very best effort into having a go at!
Year 6
Ollie
For his positive attitude towards his learning, his growing independence and the greater confidence and maturity he now shows.
This week's TTRS leader board is improvement in studio speed, the faster children are answering questions then the more confident and fluent they are becoming - well done.
Our Numbots leader board reflects the subitising scores in challenge mode, this shows how confident children are at recognising amounts without the need to count within a minute. Well done to all of our leaders
Mr Shane
Leader board this week
1st - Fraser (Y1)
2nd - Ralph (Y1)
3rd - Francis (Y2)
Leader board this week
1st - Edward (Y5)
2nd - Felix (Y3)
3rd - Amaya (Y4)
Thank you to everyone for another positive week of attendance across the school. Year 2 led the way with a 97.2%, closely followed by Year 5 at 97%. Reception also performed strongly with 96.3%, and Year 1 achieved a solid 95%. Further down the list, Year 3 recorded 94.3%, while both Year 4 and Year 6 finished the week at 93%. Nursery ended the week on 91.6%.
We really appreciate the ongoing support from families—every day in school helps pupils build confidence, skills and strong learning habits.
Please click here to see the latest Parent Newsletter which has been shared by the Delivering Specialist Provision Locally Team. This provides links and suggestions for supporting pupils who have additional needs.
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!
...and is really enjoying it! The story follows August “Auggie” Pullman as he starts school for the first time with a facial difference, and it quickly becomes a book about far more than appearances. It’s about friendship, belonging, and the everyday choices children make that can either include someone—or leave them out.
As our school SENCO, I particularly valued Wonder because it offers such an accessible, child-friendly way to think and talk about inclusion. The book is told through a range of viewpoints, which helps readers understand that people experience school and relationships differently, even when it isn’t obvious. It’s a gentle but powerful reminder that kindness, patience and empathy can make a huge difference to how safe and welcome someone feels.
I would highly recommend Wonder to KS2 children and families—especially Years 5–6 (and many confident Year 4 readers too). It’s a warm, thought-provoking read that encourages children to reflect on friendship, respect and what it means to be a truly welcoming community.
2nd February - Feeling Good Week
3rd February - Y2 Class Worship
3rd February - Young Voices trip to Wembley
6th February - PTA Disco
9th February - Reception Coffee Morning
10th February - Y1 Class Worship
10th February - Safer Internet Day
16th-20th Feb - Half Term
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!
Our focus on kindness this week explored how showing kindness sometimes means being willing to compromise and recognising that everyone has different beliefs and comes from different backgrounds.
This linked beautifully with our visit from Electric Umbrella, especially their song “No Such Thing as Normal”, which includes the lyric:
If you meet me where I am,
We will meet you where you are.
We discussed how Christians believe that God is kind and meets us wherever we are — without expecting us to change who we are or to do anything special to earn favour.
So we ask ourselves: Can we be more like this with others? Can we offer kindness and care not because of what we might receive in return, but simply because meeting people where they are is the right and compassionate thing to do? Wouldn't the world be a wonderful place if everyone did this...