Nancealverne School Parent Portal - Newsletter 18/09/2026

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Dear parents, carers and families,

A Brilliant Start to the New School Year!

What a fantastic start we have had to the new school year and term at Nancealverne! It has been wonderful to see our students settling so well into their new classes, getting to know new staff, establishing routines and expectations, and, of course, making new friends along the way.

This first week has been all about getting to grips with new timetables and exploring our enriched curriculum. Already, we have seen some fantastic learning taking place across the school, with exciting new topics being introduced and explored. From discovering the human body and learning all about ourselves, to getting creative with some magical Harry Potter spells, our classrooms have been full of curiosity, creativity and enthusiasm!

It has also been fantastic to see so many of the wonderful projects completed over the summer now being put to great use. The Upper School playground has been transformed with an amazing new climbing wall, swings and an outdoor fitness suite. Our students have been making the most of these new facilities every day, enjoying being active, challenging themselves and having fun with their friends.

The new interactive playground equipment on the main school site is also being used to its full potential, providing even more opportunities for our students to play, explore, develop their physical skills and enjoy time together outdoors.

As the weather begins to feel a little more autumnal, we are looking forward to an exciting few weeks ahead, with lots more learning, creativity, enrichment and fun planned as we work towards the half-term break.

What a brilliant beginning — we can't wait to see what the rest of the term brings!

Upper School playground:

The students have been loving the new equipment, using the gym equipment for friendly competitions of how long can you go, swinging each other and chatting the break away or using the climbing wall to aid in colour and coordination.

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Over the summer, the site team worked on more than just the upper playground. They also carried out improvements across the main site, including the addition of two new climbing areas, which have been a fantastic addition!

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Apples Class:

Apples class have made a great start to the new academic year. They have made new staff and a new pupil very welcome. This 1/2 term we will be focussing on settling into our school routines and learning to co-operate and share with each other. Music therapy, Zumba and Movement to Learn continue to be the highlights of our week, but we are also enjoying exploring the sensory trays and learning new songs.

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Sycamore Class:

Sycamore class have had a fantastic start to the new term, and a big welcome to our new students who have joined Sycamore class.

As part of our activities we went to Penzance gymnastics club, which was a fantastic experience.

Everyone really enjoyed using the equipment and exploring the gym.

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Willows Class:

This half term, our class has stepped into the magical world of Harry Potter! We have been sorted into our Hogwarts houses, explored a range of characters and considered whether we can really tell if someone is good or bad simply by how they look. Alongside lots of reading and comprehension work, we have also been busy measuring, mixing and creating our own magical potions!

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Cedar Class:

This week Cedar class have been settling back into school! we have been accessing fun and engaging activities such as cooking, Zumba, Movement for learning and water exploration. Our learners have made a great start and are having lots of fun!

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Palm Class:

Everyone in Palm Class has made a brilliant start to the new term, settling straight back into school life and getting into their daily routines.

We have jumped straight into learning about the human body, focusing on the skeletal system. The children have been getting hands-on by building their own model skeletons and drawing different parts of the skeleton to see how our bones work together.

We have also been outside trying our hand at boules, practising our aim, control, and turn-taking. Next week, we will be building on those target skills as we learn how to play boccia. Have a look at our photos to see our skeleton models and boules games in action!

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Oaks Class:

We have been learning all about the events of 9/11 and the incredible story of Rick Rescorla.

As part of our learning, we visited Rick Rescorla’s memorial in Hayle, where we placed the stones we had painted in his memory. It was a very special and meaningful moment for us all.

We then continued our visit by walking along King George’s Walk to view the beautiful display of poppies. It was a lovely way to reflect, remember, and pay our respects.

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School Photos:

We are excited to announce that our school photos will be taking place next week! We are looking forward to capturing some lovely memories of our pupils. Please see the information below for details of when your child’s photograph will be taken. We kindly ask that children come to school prepared and ready for their special photo day!

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Wednesday 23rd September: School photos – Primary

Thursday 24th September: School photos – Secondary

Monday 19th October: Half term (two weeks)

Monday 2nd of November: Students return to school.

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If your child is absent from school without authorisation, you will be committing an offence under the Education Act 1996. We may submit a request to Cornwall Council for a Penalty Notice to be issued, in accordance with Sections 444A and 444B of the said Act. Penalty Notices are issued per liable parent, per child and each carry a fine of £80 if paid within 21 days or £160 if paid after this but within 28 days.

If your child is further absent from school without authorisation within any 3-year period, you will be committing a further offence under the Education Act 1996. We may submit a request to Cornwall Council for a Penalty Notice to be issued, in accordance with Sections 444A and 444B of the said Act. Penalty Notices for a second offence are issued per liable parent, per child and each carry a fine of £160, payable within 28 days.

Importantly, fines per parent will be capped to two fines within any three-year period. Once this limit has been reached, other action such as a parenting order or prosecution will be considered.

Failure to pay the Penalty Notice may also result in legal action. If you are prosecuted and attend court because your child has not been attending school, you could get a fine of up to £2,500. Cornwall Council may also apply for the costs incurred in taking the matter to Court, including legal costs.

Absence not authorised by the school may also result in a prosecution in the Magistrates’ Court under Section 444(1) or Section 444(1A) of the Education Act 1996, leading to a fine of up to £2,500 and/or a custodial sentence. Again, Cornwall Council may also apply for the costs incurred in taking the matter to Court, including legal costs.

Money raised from fines is only used by the local authority to cover the costs of administering the system, and to fund attendance support. Any extra money is returned to the government.

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