Sporting success ….

All children in Key Stage 2 had the opportunity to represent the school in sporting activities during the Autumn term.

Following on from achieving gold for our School Games Mark for a third year running, we had another incredibly successful Autumn term of sports at Green Lanes.

Year 3 took part in a fun run at Stanborough School, with an impressive number of Green Lanes pupils finishing in the top 20.

Year 4 competed in indoor athletics at Stanborough School, achieving an excellent number of top 3 finishes across the events.

Year 5 participated in the fun run at Stanborough Lakes, and we were delighted to see so many of our pupils qualify for the District Finals.

Year 6 started the term brilliantly with a multi-sports event at Stanborough School, where they were a real credit to Green Lanes.

Outstanding Achievements

Congratulations to our Year 6 basketball team who won silver in the family basketball tournament and went on to represent Stanborough at the District basketball finals.

A huge congratulations goes to our Year 5 Indoor Athletics team who finished first in both the boys' and girls' events – a fantastic achievement!

We have also had success in the inter-school archery competition, with Kandinsky finishing second in the Year 6 event and Hockney finishing third in the Year 5 competition.

Additionally, children have represented Green Lanes as part of the Year 5 and Year 6 tag rugby teams, the Year 5 table tennis team, the girls' football team, and the netball team.

We are incredibly proud of all our pupils' sporting achievements and look forward to more exciting events in the Spring and Summer terms.

It was lovely to see how well the children have come back to school after the Winter break, they have settled in quite quickly and are very keen to learn.

Our new topic this term is 'Journeys', we have been looking at different maps, for example maps of the world, the country, our town or our house. We have been making our own maps within topic 20 and have been on an adventure to find golden coins! 

We are so proud of Year 1 and the way they have settled back to school these last two weeks.

In Phonics we are completing a grow the code week where we concentrate on all of the alternative sounds we have learnt so far. We will move onto another unit of phonics in two weeks time and begin to learn even more sounds. 

In Maths we have introduced 2D and 3D shapes and this week explored weight, length and capacity. 

In History we have started our new unit on the Lives of Significant Others. We will spend two weeks learning about Mary Anning and David Attenborough. We will finish next week's lessons with a fossil day where we will continue our learning but where we will make our own fossils, hunt for dinosaur bones and take a virtual trip to the Natural History Museum. 

Just to remind you our new PE days are Monday and Thursday - we have just begun our unit on gymnastics and the children have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the apparatus. 

We've had a brilliant start to 2026 in Year 2!

The children have been working incredibly hard and showing great enthusiasm for their learning.

In English, we've been exploring the traditional tale of Rapunzel, discovering different versions of this classic story and comparing how the tale changes across different retellings.

In Maths, we've been building on our number skills by using multiples of 10 to add numbers, and the children are becoming more confident with their mental maths strategies and understanding how place value helps them add more efficiently.

Our Science learning has focused on everyday materials, where the children have been investigating different materials, exploring their properties, and thinking about why certain materials are used for specific purposes.

We're so proud of how hard all the children have been working – keep up the fantastic effort, Year 2!

In year 4, the children have had an amazing start to 2026.

In English, they have used all of their creative ideas to plan, draft and publish their own animal adventure story. They based their ideas around Zeraffa the Giraffa and Starbird, which we have been exploring in class. 

In Maths, we have been multiplying and dividing by 10 and 100. The children have been using base-10 and place value charts to multiply and divide decimal numbers and integers. We have also been linking decimals with their equivalent fraction. 

In PE, year 4 have been enjoying sequencing dances with a space theme and having a go at linking bridges with a partner, in gymnastics. 

Finally, in Art we have been painting flowers using watercolours and the wet-on-wet technique to allow colours to bleed and blend into each other. 

Well done for all of your hard work so far!

It has been a great start back at school for our Year 5s, and the children have been working hard and enjoying all the lessons.

In English, the children have started studying the features of a persuasive letter and learning the skills needed to write one. Their final task at the end of the unit will be to write a letter based on topics that they think are interesting, focusing on what will help to make our school even better! They will need to persuasively convince our Headteacher how beneficial their argument is to the needs of the school.

In Maths lessons, they have been practising and consolidating their column addition, subtraction and multiplication skills – we have seen a great improvement in their understanding, working out and presentation! 

In our topic lessons (Science), pupils have been learning about forces. They have all taken a keen interest in this topic and have been working scientifically through our various practical investigations connected to our hypotheses. The children have been exploring friction, air resistance, water resistance, gravity and mechanisms. At home, you can further support learning by talking about where forces are used in everyday life (e.g., bikes, doors, playground equipment), encouraging children to explain what they have learnt using scientific vocabulary and watching short educational videos or reading books about forces together.

We look forward to learning even more exciting topics this half-term.

Thank you for your continued support.

What a brilliant start to the Spring Term! Year 6 has come in super ready to learn. We have been continuing our learning of percentages in Maths.

In English, we are exploring mythical creatures in the aim to create our own mythical creature and write a non-chronological report about it.

In the afternoons, we have been doing Biology and learning all about the kidneys, what they're for, and how they work. 

This week, each child will have brought home a beige A4 lined book. This is their new homework book. After a successful trial in another year group, Year 6 are now using homework books and paper homework instead of online homework. This is in the hopes that the number of children engaging with homework will increase.

A major part of Year 6 is preparation for Secondary School, so we also want to prepare children for the volume of homework they will receive next academic year.

The rules are on a sticker on the front of the book and are as follows:

10 minutes per day
Mon - Maths
Tues - Writing
Wed - Maths
Thur - Spelling

Bring the book in EVERY DAY for us to mark as a class. 

Please contact us if you have any questions.

Our New Partnership

From this month, we will be working in partnership with the Welwyn and Hatfield Mental Health Support Team. This collaboration represents a significant enhancement to our existing support systems and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the holistic wellbeing of every child in our care.

What This Means for Our School Community

This partnership will provide us with:

Direct Access to NHS Mental Health Professionals

• We will have access to qualified NHS mental health workers who specialise in supporting children and young people
• These professionals bring expert knowledge and evidence-based approaches to supporting pupil wellbeing

Regular In-School Presence

• A dedicated member of the Mental Health Support Team will be spending time with us in school on a regular basis
• This means children can access specialist support within the familiar and safe environment of their school
• The team member will work closely with our existing pastoral and safeguarding staff to ensure a coordinated approach

Enhanced Support Systems

• We will be able to identify and support children who may be experiencing mental health difficulties more effectively
• Early intervention support will be available for pupils who need it
• Staff will receive guidance and training to help them better understand and respond to mental health needs

Strengthened Whole-School Approach

• This partnership complements our existing work on promoting positive mental health and wellbeing across the school
• It aligns with our commitment to creating a culture where children feel safe, supported, and able to discuss their feelings

What Happens Next

Please see the attached information which provides further details about:

• How the Mental Health Support Team operates
• The types of support available
• How referrals are made
• What to expect if your child receives support from the team
• How you can support your child's mental health at home
• Contact information should you have any questions

We recognise that mental health is just as important as physical health, and that supporting our pupils' emotional wellbeing is fundamental to their ability to learn, develop positive relationships, and thrive both in school and beyond.

If you have any questions about this new partnership or about mental health support more generally, please do not hesitate to contact the school office, and we will be happy to discuss this with you.

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Family Lives are delivering the below 5 online parenting groups, funded by Herts County Council, in the Spring term for parents/carers who live in Hertfordshire.

 All of the programmes provide support, information and resources to parents/carers and adult family members so they can help their child reach their full potential as well as access to the wraparound support provided by the helpline, live chat and website.

Less shouting More Co-operation

Tuesday 20 January to 3 March, 7pm to 9pm

Or 9 February to 23 March 2026, 9.45am to 11.45am

Bringing Up Confident ADHD/ASD Children

Friday 23 January to 6 March, 9.45am to 11.45am

Getting on with Your Pre-Teen/Teenager

Tuesday 3 February to 17 March 2026, 7pm to 9pm

Dads Together

Wednesday 4 February to 18 March 2026, 7pm to 9pm 

To book a place please click here for our online referral form or scan the QR code on the attached flyer.

You can also email services@familylives.org.uk or call 020 4522 8701 / 0204 522 8700 for more information.