BC Newsletter Template (Yvonne)

Tuesday 24th June | St. Stephens Lunchtime Concert:
As part of the celebrations of St. Stephen’s week, we gave a 40-minute lunchtime concert in the church. Among the programme items were our school bellringers ringing rounds, changes, and favourite tunes on the Burdett-Coutts handbell. We also included ‘Happy Birthday’ as the church is celebrating its 175th anniversary. There were poems read by Joshua (Year 5) and Ren (Year 3). There were piano solos given by Arman (Year 4), Tamer (Year 4), and Jun (Year 5). The school choir sang a chorus from Henry Purcell’s ‘King Arthur‘, and also ‘The Lord is my shepherd‘ by Howard Goodall. The Disney project (Years 3 & 4) sang ‘Look for the bare necessities‘, ‘I wan’na be like you‘, and ‘That’s what friends are for‘ from their show.

Thursday 26th June | Two Cities Ordination, including our curate David Jones, by the Bishop of London: 
Our school choir attended the Ordination Service held at St Stephen’s Church in the presence of the Bishop of London, The Right Honourable and Right Reverend Dame Sarah Mullally. The choir sang the opening anthem of the service as the Bishop entered the church together with the ordinands, one of whom was the curate, David Jones.

Tuesday 1st July | Year 6 Trip to Rochester Cathedral:
Year 6excitedly crowded into Victoria Station to take the 10.10 am train to Rochester. 40 minutes later the cathedral and castle were spotted from the windows as we approached the city in Kent. We had done our research, and the many questions from our guide were answered correctly as we learnt about the 2nd oldest in the UK, 1,400 year old Christian site. We were given the special privilege of access to the cathedral choirstalls where we sang ‘A new commandment‘, and we tried to calculate Mr Carden’s age from the date of his signature in the cathedral’s ledger, written all those years ago when he was Head Chorister there.

Tuesday 1st July | Almshouse Founders Day Service:
Our school choir attended the Westminster Almshouses’ Founder’s Day Service in St Stephen’s Rochester Row, and annual service that was also attended by the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg. Representing the school at a ‘grown-ups’ service‘ like this is unusual for our choir, as most of the services we sing at are specially designed for a children’s congregation. The choir sang the anthem ‘The Lord is my Shepherd‘ by Howard Goodall, and also the Gaelic Blessing led by Graham Buckle, the Vicar. After the service they were congratulated on their singing by several members of the congregation.

Wednesday 2nd July | Saatchi Gallery Trip:
A group of pupils from Years 4, 5 & 6 had the exciting opportunity to visit the Saatchi Gallery to explore FLOWERS – a stunning exhibition showcasing over 500 artworks inspired by the beauty, symbolism and diversity of flowers in art and culture. Our guided tour, led by Karl, took us through a range of immersive gallery spaces, including large-scale installations, fashion pieces, photography and interactive digital artwork. The children were captivated by the creative variety on display, from vibrant floral paintings to a room filled with over 100,000 dried flowers by artist Rebecca Louise Law. One highlight was the Powered by Nature installation, where pupils experienced the world through the eyes of bees using ultraviolet light and sound. Throughout the tour, the children asked thoughtful questions, shared personal reflections and made links between the art and their own experiences. The gallery staff were incredibly impressed with their curiosity, creativity and the way they connected their learning across subjects – from science and nature to emotion and storytelling. After the tour, pupils took part in a creative workshop where they designed their own stained-glass window artwork inspired by the themes of the exhibition. We were also lucky enough to enjoy lunch together in the gallery’s creative setting.

Thursday 3rd July | Year 5 Trip to the Science Museum – Space Exhibition
We had a great trip to the Science Museum this week. We participated in the new ‘Could there be life on Mars?‘ exhibition and thoroughly enjoyed learning all about the solar system. We touched the moon and Mars; and smelt what it could smell like on Saturn’s moon Titan and Mars (one was like sausages!). It was a fantastic experience and great to connect our space knowledge to. In the afternoon, we explored more of the museum and exhibitions related to life over time on Earth, gems and crystals, and living things. A huge day of learning!

Thursday 3rd July | Year 1 Trip to Chicken Shed Theatre – Hyde Park
Year 1 had a fantastic day out on Thursday to Hyde Park! We were lucky enough to go to the Rainbow Theatre to watch a very fun show. There was lots of dancing and singing all morning. We got to meet some puppets and to ‘show off’ our amazing dance moves in the sunshine. We all enjoyed a picnic lunch and a play in Hyde Park. It was a great day out!

Pupils from Years 3 & 4 had the incredible opportunity to take part in the Go Live Music Workshop over the past six weeks, working closely with facilitators from the Go Live Theatre Production Company. Together, they wrote, rehearsed, and performed an original piece all about Kindness—a theme that means a great deal to them and to our school community.

Through drama, music, and teamwork, the children explored what kindness looks like in everyday life and used their creativity to bring that message to life on stage. They showcased their final performance to their peers, and it was nothing short of brilliant—thoughtful, engaging, and full of heart.

Projects like this are so valuable for developing confidence, communication skills, empathy, and a true sense of collaboration. We are incredibly proud of our young performers and the powerful message they shared so beautifully with the rest of the school and there parents.

Our younger pupils made great use of the paddling pools during the peak heat days this week! This activity helped us to help them to regulate their body temperatures, which younger pupils can find more difficult to do – all whilst having lots of fun with their friends

• Preschool loved exploring the water together this week. We splashed, laughed and played. It was so much fun!
• Nursery made the most of the sunny weather by having lots of fun in the paddling pool. The children loved putting on their swimming costumes and cooling off in the water. There were big splashes, lots of laughter, and plenty of happy faces as they played together in the sunshine. It was a wonderful way to enjoy the summer heat while staying cool and having fun!
• Reception have been making the most of the glorious summer sunshine! We were so lucky to have little paddling pools set up for us – thanks to the wonderful Ms Barnett – and the children had the best time splashing, pouring, and giggling their way through the water play. For those who preferred to stay dry, the sandpit was just as popular, with children digging, building, and creating imaginative worlds together.
• Year 1 have had a great time swimming in the paddling pools, which helped them to keep cool in the amazing summer sunshine, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

These kinds of sensory, outdoor experiences are incredibly valuable in the Early Years. They support physical development, coordination, communication, and social skills, all while building confidence and independence. It’s been a joyful week of learning through play, and we’ve loved every minute of it!

We have received an overwhelming number of applications for school places for September 2025, across all year groups from Preschool to Year 6. This such wonderful news and we’d like to wish the warmest of Burdett-Coutts welcome to our new families joining us.

While we’re doing our very best to accommodate all our new applications, we are nearly full in several year groups, with only one or two spaces left. Due to our structure, we are unable to exceed above 30 pupils per year group.

However, as our Preschool has been full for most of this term, and with an ever growing waiting list, the governors and school leaders have taken the decision to extend our preschool full-time places from 10 to 15.

This will be effective from September 2025 and will enable us, once all our families on the waiting list have been allocated their places, to have on offer, three full-time and two afternoon places.

If you – or anyone you know – would like to enquire about a pre-school place, or places in other year groups, please contact the school office so a school tour and admission meeting can be arranged. We will do our best to accomodate all enquiries.

With an increase in school admissions for September 2025, there is also an increase in demand for wrap-around care including for Breakfast Club and After School Club (18:00 finish).

On Monday 7th July, an email will be sent out to all families currently enrolled in either Breakfast Club or After School Club (or both) requesting confirmation of your requirements for September 2025.

Please respond by the deadline of Friday 11th July, so that we can ensure that those already making use of our wrap-around care provision do not miss out.

All new applications will be confirmed on Monday 14th July, and any remaining spaces for wrap-around care will be allocated them.

Kindly note that we will not be able to extend the number of wrap-around care places we have available, due to stringent pupil to staff ratios.

A reminder to all parents and pupils that all Extended School Day and Booster/Intervention Clubs (15:30 – 16:30) will finish on Friday 11th July.

Please ensure that you have made arrangements for your child’s earlier collection time of 15:30 from Monday the 14th to Tuesday 22nd July.

A reminder also that school finishes for all pupils at 13:30 on Tuesday 22nd July.

If your child/ren are dropped off and collected from school by car, please ensure that you find a legal parking place to park in to facilitate this.

Please do not park/stop or idle on the zig-zag lines outside the school gates, or double park on the road curb opposite (also a school entrance).  This dangerous and illegal.

This is especially important at the moment, as there are three sets of separate street, water or phone line works also taking place along the street. These works already pose an additional hazard to pedestrians who are crossing the roads, and have had an impact on the amount of close parking to school entrance.

Therefore, please ensure that you leave enough time to find a park at the start and end of the school day. This will enable you to drop off & collect your child/ren safely and ensure the safety of all other pedestrians at these busy times.

Many thanks for your co-operation in keeping our school and wider community members safe 🙂

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No… it’s SUPER ME!

We’re excited to invite our Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils at Burdett-Coutts to take part in the Young Writers’ “Super Me” Drawing Competition. It’s fun and imaginative way to celebrate what makes every child a hero! The children can:

• Draw themselves as superheroes
• Invent a brand new hero (human, animal, robot or alien!)
• Celebrate everyday heroes like nurses, firefighters or police officers
• Add labels or a few words about their creation

Amazing Prizes!

• For schools: £1,000 for the school with the best set of drawings PLUS a free copy of the book our children feature in
  For children: Every entrant receives a bookmark and sticker for taking part. Pupils chosen for publication also receive a certificate and Young Writers’ favourite 5 artists will each win an amazing kit to make their own den

How to enter:

1. Complete your artwork on the entry form below
2. Bring your artwork to Miss Jorquera or the school office by Friday 18 July 2025, and we will submit it for you

• Super Me Drawing Competition: Entry Form (PDF: Click to download & print) >

Class Photos for all pupils will be taken on Tuesday 8th July.  

Please ensure your child comes to school in their full PE uniform including the correct shoes, and ties for juniors. Year 6 pupils will need wear their blazer for their class photo.

If your child is in Preschool or Nursery and has an afternoon session, they will need to be in school from 09:15 – 09:30 if you would like them to be in their class photo.

We are delighted to announce that swimming lessons will begin again this term, for pupils in Years 3 to 6. They will take place Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week.

• Year 6: Weeks beginning 7th and 14th July

These lessons are an important (and statutory) part of the national curriculum and provide an opportunity for pupils to develop key skills and knowledge about water safety and learning basic swimming skills and strokes.

All swimming lessons will take part at the Queen Mother’s Sports Centre. Classes will complete their lessons in blocks (6 consecutive lessons over two weeks), instead of one lesson per week (over 6 weeks).

This arrangement ensures pupils have the best chance to consolidate and make the most of their lessons, with the opportunity to build on learning over sequential days, as opposed to having a week between each lesson.

On the weeks that your child’s class is swimming, they will need to wear their bathing costume to school with their PE kit over the top. They also need to bring in a bag; a towel, underwear and goggles, plus a cap (if they choose to use one).

Children will change into their PE kit after each lesson and put their towel and bathing suit in their bag to return to school.

Pupils will swim on Monday, Wednesday & Fridays of each week. They will walk to and from the pools with their class teacher and Mr Raheem.

If you have any questions or queries about your child’s swimming lesson, please contact the office to arrange a time to meet with a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

Our next school fundraising event will be the Summer Fair, which will take place on Saturday 12th July from 12:00 until 4:00 pm.

There’ll be an exciting range of stalls including games, bouncy castle plus food and refreshments available to purchase on the day, and we’re very much looking forward to welcoming everyone!

If you would like to provide a food plate (similar to what we did at our recent International Evening), please inform the office via email or please come in person to speak to Ms Ilhan.

All donations and provision of food items will be passed onto our school’s PTA The Friends of Burdett-Coutts.

As Mathematicians, Year 2 have been diving into the world of data. Pupils began by learning how to use tally charts to record and organise information efficiently – making sure to group in fives using the familiar “gate” mark. Once confident, they moved on to reading and creating simple tables to compare data and spot patterns. Next, they explored block diagrams, discovering how to represent information visually with each block showing one item. They asked and answered questions using vocabulary like most, least and altogether. Finally, they were introduced to pictograms, where they used symbols to represent quantities and practised reading and drawing their own, paying close attention to the key.