Friday 10th July
Co-headteachers’ welcome
It has been wonderful to welcome our students and families back to Simon Balle All-through School. There is always a real sense of excitement and optimism in the first few days of September as our classrooms and corridors come back to life. Seeing friends reconnect, hearing stories from the summer and watching students settle quickly back into school life reminds us just how important that sense of belonging and community is.
It has been particularly pleasing to see our students return looking so smart, positive and eager to learn. Across our all-through school, from our youngest children in the Larch through to our Sixth Form, there has been a real sense of purpose. Expectations are high, routines have quickly been re-established and learning is already well underway. A fantastic start to the new academic year!
A particularly warm welcome goes to all those joining our community for the first time. Our new Reception children, Year 7 students and Year 12 students have settled remarkably well. This follows an extensive programme of transition work before the summer, and we are delighted to see the confidence with which they are beginning this next stage. Starting a new school or phase of education is a significant milestone, and we wish every one of them the very best as their journey with us continues.
Of course, the beginning of a new academic year is important for staff too. Before students returned, our September INSET days provided valuable time for colleagues from across our all-through school to learn together, share best practice and reflect on how we can continue to provide the very best education and experience for every child.
A central theme across our two INSET days was the idea of ‘Making School Unmissable’, inspired by the new book by Rachel Macfarlane and Paul Jenkins. It prompted us to think deeply about what makes children and young people genuinely want to be at school: a strong sense of belonging, experiencing success, having agency and knowing that what they are learning and experiencing has real purpose.
These ideas resonate strongly with our culture at Simon Balle. We want every child to feel known and valued, to experience success and to understand that school is about far more than simply attending lessons. Academic achievement matters enormously, but so too do friendships, enrichment, music, sport, leadership, character and contributing to the community around us. Together, these experiences help create a school where children want to be and where they can flourish.
Safeguarding and PSHE were also significant areas of focus. The world our children are growing up in continues to change rapidly, and our responsibility is to prepare them to navigate it safely and confidently. Staff explored some of the challenges young people increasingly encounter online and in wider society, including misogyny, looksmaxxing and AI-generated deepfakes. Developing our own understanding enables us to have informed and age-appropriate conversations with students, helping them to question what they encounter online, think critically and make safe and responsible choices.
Our work on SEND was equally important. We spent time strengthening our approach to identifying need, putting the right provision in place, monitoring its impact and using what we learn to inform the next steps. Effective provision is not simply about having plans in place; it is about ensuring that those plans make a tangible difference to a child’s experience and progress.
Within the Larch, colleagues also focused specifically on Maths and Spelling. Our Maths work continues through our partnership with the local Maths Hub and the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics, with staff developing their understanding of the five big ideas of mastery. In Spelling, our implementation of Spelling Shed is helping us move beyond simply testing lists of words towards explicitly teaching children the phonics, patterns, morphology and etymology that help them become confident spellers. Both are examples of our commitment to ensuring classroom practice is informed by educational research and implemented consistently.
As we begin 2026/27, our three Cs – Culture, Collaborate and Celebrate remain at the heart of our work. We build a culture of belonging, compassion, respect and high expectations. We collaborate as staff, students, families and a wider community because the very best education is achieved when we work together. And we celebrate achievement in all its forms: academic success, personal growth, kindness, resilience, leadership, creativity, music, sport and service to others.
The first week of a school year always brings renewed energy and optimism. Seeing our students return so positively has reinforced why the work we do together matters. Our ambition is for Simon Balle to be a place where children want to be, where they know they belong, where they believe they can succeed and where they understand the importance of their education.
Ultimately, this is what we mean by ‘creating tomorrow’s citizens today’: equipping our young people with the knowledge, character and confidence to flourish and make a positive contribution in an ever-changing world.
Thank you, as always, to our families for your continued support. It has been a fantastic first full week back, and we look forward with great excitement to everything that 2026/27 will bring.
Open Day Saturday 26th September
We are pleased to announce our upcoming open events:
- Saturday 26th September 0830-1230: All-through Open Morning
- Wednesday 14th October 1730-1930 – Sixth Form Open Evening
- Wednesday 18th November 0900-1045- Primary Open Morning
Saturday 26th September is our main open event. The whole school site will be open and you will have the opportunity to visit classrooms and speak to staff and students. The school will be open from 0830 to 1230, but please be aware that the last tours will be leaving at 1130. Speeches will take place throughout the morning at the following times:
- 0900 Secondary speech (secondary hall)
- 0945 Primary speech (Larch hall)
- 1030 Secondary speech (secondary hall)
- 1115 Secondary speech (secondary hall)
There are a set number of tickets available for each speech: these need to be booked online (speech booking link). Please book a ticket for each person attending the speech – remember that you are booking a speech slot, but are welcome to turn up and view the school whenever you like in the morning (those attending the 1115 speech will need to view the school before the speech, as this is the final event of the day and there will be no tours departing afterwards). You are advised to allow yourself plenty of time to get to your chosen speech as we often experience large numbers of visitors, particularly in the earlier part of the day.
We encourage families to walk to the school site, but there will be parking available on the field for those who need to drive on the day.
We have a limited number of spaces available for those families who wish to take a tour of the school during the school day. Dates and times of these tours will be announced after the open day. Please note that we are only able to offer tours to students in year 6.
SEND
If you would like to speak to a member of the SEND team, a virtual appointment of up to 15 minutes can be made using the following link: Virtual SEND Team Appointments
Community Arts Bench and Trail Signs
You may already be familiar with the River Lea Art Trail, a wonderful community project run by East Herts Council and Jade Dawn Designs that has transformed local riverside benches into vibrant works of public art. We are delighted to share that our school’s bench has now taken its permanent place in Little Hartham as one of the final additions to the trail.
Our journey began in February with a house competition, where students submitted their own unique bench designs. House leaders selected six standout entries to present to East Herts Council, who ultimately chose to combine three of them into a single, collaborative piece. Over the summer term, two of our Year 7 students and one Year 12 student brought this combined vision to life, creating a beautiful piece of art for the entire community to enjoy.
Additionally, three of our Year 8 students painted the official trail signs. These signs mark the art trail, with one positioned at Little Hartham and the other at Stanstead Abbots. We are incredibly proud of our students’ creativity and their lasting contribution to the local area.
Welcome Back from the PE Department!
Welcome back to a new year of SPORT FOR ALL at Simon Balle!
PE is a huge part of the Simon Balle journey, and this year we want to make sure every student has the opportunity to get involved, try something new, develop their skills and experience the sense of belonging that sport can bring.
Whether it’s discovering a new sport, joining an extracurricular club, representing the school in a fixture or competition, supporting your House, or simply challenging yourself to try something different, there is an opportunity for everyone.
For those who want to take their performance further, we also offer opportunities to compete at district, county and national level. We are incredibly proud of the students who represent Simon Balle at every level, and we want to continue developing pathways that allow talented and committed students to challenge themselves, develop their performance and reach their potential.
We also want to celebrate the many different ways students contribute to our sporting community. Every student has something to offer.
Keep up to date with all things Simon Balle Sport by following our Instagram – @SimonBalleSport and check out the Secondary PE Extracurricular Timetable to see what you can get involved in this term.
Get involved. Try something new. Represent your school. Challenge yourself. Create your sporting journey.
What’s in the secondary school library
Free Courses and Workshops for Parents
We value our strong partnership with you and look forward to offering a range of parent and carer support sessions throughout the year. Keep an eye out for details on upcoming in-person and online events, which we’ll share soon. In the meantime, feel free to explore the helpful sessions available now from Supporting Links below.
https://www.supportinglinks.co.uk/whatson.html
Travel to school
Can we once again remind parents to respect the signage relating to parking both on the school site and in the surrounding roads. East Herts District council are happy for students to be dropped at the London Road car park (next to the fire station), and have a free permit system in place for parents/carers of younger students who could not walk unaccompanied. Dropping and collecting from London Road is faster for parents/carers as you avoid the congestion in Mangrove Road, and by reducing the volume of traffic you are making it safer for students walking to and from the school. If you would be interested in applying for one of these permits, please speak to Mrs Harding in the Larch office.
There are several roads and estates in the immediate area (such as Balls Park) which are private and enforce residents-only restrictions. The yellow lines, zigzags and no entry signs on the White Lodge entrance are in place to make the roads and pavements safe for all users. We would expect parents and carers to exhibit the same Simon Balle values that we ask of the students when interacting with our neighbours.
If you are one of the small number of parents/carers with a legitimate reason to use the car park we ask that you drive and park on our site with care and consideration for all members of our school community. There have been several cases of dangerous and obstructive parking recently.
Privacy notices
Please take the time to read our privacy notices for parents/carers and students.
Parent Staff Association
Joules Outlet Sale – 7th November
On Friday 20th November, the Joules Outlet team will return, setting up a pop up shop in the Larch Hall. This is a fantastic Christmas shopping opportunity where you will find something for everyone all at bargain prices. Save up to 70% off high street prices. Sale preview tickets are £8 and will allow early entry at 6pm into the sale room. General sale tickets are just £6, doors open at 6.30pm.
Tickets available on our website. Please share with friends and family, we need to sell 150 tickets in order for this event to be successful.
We are also looking for volunteers for this event. Free entry and early access to all of our helpers! Volunteer here.
My Nametags
Lost property increases as the term progresses. Items that are named are more likely to be returned to their owner. When you order name labels via My Nametags and enter our school ID (37273), My Nametags will pay the PSA commission at no extra cost to you. This is a great way to minimise lost property while fundraising at the same time!
My Nametags flyer
Dates for your diary
A full calendar of events can be viewed on the school website.
- w/b 14th Sep: secondary interhouse sport
- Mon 14th Sep: Football tour information evening 1800-1900
- Wed 16th Sep: Silver DofE departs
- Thurs 17th Sep: Curriculum evening for Y1, Y3 and Y5)
- Wed 23rd Sep: Y10 expectations evening 1800-1900
- Thurs 24th Sep: Y7 welcome evening 1800-1900
- Friday 25th Sep: Early finish for secondary 1310, those not able to help on Saturday will remain on site to help prepare the school
- Saturday 26th Sep: Open morning
- Tues 29th Sep: Sixth form colour run
Wishing you all the best for the week ahead
Mrs Rachel Kirk and Mr Michael Moss (Co-headteachers)