School Newsletter : 10 January 2025
| Issue 14 | Spring 1 | Week 1 |
Welcome Back & Happy New Year
Welcome back to all our Burdett-Coutts families, and a warm welcome to our new families joining us across the school this term.
We hope you’ve all had an enjoyable festive break, with the opportunity to spend time with friends and family, as well as finding time for yourselves as well. Our warmest wishes for a very Happy New Year and we hope that your 2025 has begun well.
In school, we have started the new year with much excitement and enthusiasm! Classes are buzzing with energy and plenty of wonderful learning has already taken place throughout, which you can find out more about in the class sections below.
Class newsletters were sent home yesterday, and these will give you an overview of the learning in your child’s class this half term, along with key information about PE days, library sessions and book bag changing days, homework plus your child’s class project.
A wintery start to our term has ensured lovely blue skies and opportunities for play each day. However, we do ask that you ensure your child has a warm jacket, hat, scarf and gloves so that they are appropriately warm for the outdoor weather. Please ensure that these are all named.
We are looking forward to a fun and exciting term of learning and sharing our weekly updates with you.
Spring Term: Wrap Around Care Provision
Breakfast Club @ 07:45 – 08:45: This provision has started and will operate everyday until Friday 4th April.
After School Club @ 15:30 – 18:00: This provision has started and will operate everyday until Friday 4th April.
Extended School Day Clubs @ 15:30 -16:30
- Monday 13th January: Extended School Day Menus will be sent home.
- Tuesday 14th January: Please sign up for the 08:00 – 10:30 and the 15:30 – 16:00 clubs
- Wednesday 15th January: Please sign up for the 08:00 – 10:30 and the 15:30 – 16:00 clubs
- Monday 20th January: Extended School Day Clubs (15:30 – 16:30) will start.
Booster and Intervention Clubs:
Pupils selected for Booster and Intervention Clubs this term will be given letters to take home on Monday 13th January. Please complete the acknowledgement slips and return these to the school office by Wednesday 15th January.
Kindly note:
- Morning and Afternoon Booster and Intervention lessons will start the week beginning 20th January.
- Extended School Day Clubs and Booster and Intervention Lessons will run from Monday 2oth January until Thursday 3rd April.
Royal Academy of Arts: Young Artists’ Summer Show
Important links:
WINTER IS HERE!
Please ensure that all children wear a jacket to school, and have a hat. Gloves and scarves are optional, but are highly recommended as it starts to get much colder.
All pupils should now be wearing their full winter uniform and no longer in their summer uniform options, including PE uniform.
Please ensure all items of clothing including jumpers and sweaters are named!
Many thanks for your continued support.
Biscuit Bytes
Woof….
Happy New Year everyone!
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I certainly made the most of sleeping in and the chance to indulge in lots of yummy treats. Who knew Christmas time meant so many doggie treats? And I even made some of my own… with a little help of course 🐶😋
It has been great to be back at school this week. I was so excited to see everyone, I have missed you all very much. I have been busy visiting in classes and have joining in with play sessions during the day and after school. Ooh I do love school 🐶
It has been chilly though especially in the mornings, with my paws slipping on the ground as I am running around. So please be careful when you are walking to school in the mornings, and take care not to slip.
Wishing you all a fun weekend. Please keep warm as you enjoy the frosty mornings ❄️ I, for one, am definitely looking forward to running about in the frozen parks this weekend!
Love Biscuit x
PE Lessons
Please note a change of day for Year 1 and Year 5 PE lessons for the Spring Term, effective from week beginning 13th January 2025.
Please ensure that your child is wearing the correct PE kit to school each week on their allocated PE day.
Pupils not wearing their full PE kit will not be able to participate in lessons, and a note will be sent home indicating why they were not able to participate.
Please ensure that all items of school uniform are clearly labelled with either a permanent pen or label.
The full PE Kit for the Autumn/Winter Term is as follows:
- Plain navy blue leggings or tracksuit bottoms
- School navy blue PE t-shirt
- School navy blue sweatshirt (all year groups)*
- Plain black trainers (velcro or slip on if they can not do their laces).
* Kindly note: Pupils in KS2 (Years 3-6) must wear a school sweatshirt for PE lessons and not the v-neck jumper from their main school uniform.
Autumn Term PE Lessons:
- Monday: Year 1
- Tuesday: Year 3
- Wednesday: Year 4
- Thursday: Year 6
- Friday: Reception, Years 5 & 2
Our PTA: The Friends of Burdett-Coutts
Welcome back to the new school year and a warm welcome to all our new families who have joined our school’s community this term.
If you are a parent, carer or a guardian of a child that attends our school, then you are automatically a member of our Parent Staff Association, Friends of Burdett-Coutts.
Being part of our PSA offers an exciting opportunity for you to meet other parents, whilst supporting our school, through organising fundraising events, volunteering and much more.
Even if you can only give a small amount of time, you will be making a difference to the school experience for your child and other pupils in our school.
- Meeting dates for 2025 will follow in the 17th January newsletter.
Upcoming Events
January:
- Wednesday 15th: Year 6 Planetarium Trip @ 13:45 – 15:15.
- Tuesday 28th: Itsu’s Community Kitchen Project for Year 4. In school from 13:30 – 15:30.
- Thursday 30th: LDBS Annual Service at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
February:
- Tuesday 4th: Year 6 at the Westminster Junior Citizenship Scheme at the London Transport Museum.
- Thursday 6th: Reception Trip to the Postal Museum.
- Monday 17th – Friday 21st February: Half Term Break
Term Dates 2024-2025
Please find here the agreed term dates set by our school’s Governing Body for the upcoming academic year, starting September 2024.
Please remember that holidays will not be authorised during the school term, and that all children should be in school (on time) every day.
Please refer to the table below for the term dates, including INSET days and Bank Holidays when the school will be closed to pupils.
Alternatively, you can click on the image thumbnail on the right to view the PDF (please note this will open in a new window) or you can click on the link below:
AUTUMN TERM 2024 |
||
Start of Term (for Years 1-6) |
Tuesday |
03 September 2024 |
To |
Thursay |
24 October 2024 |
Half Term |
Monday |
28 October 2024 |
|
Friday |
01 November 2024 |
Return on |
Monday |
04 November 2024 |
End of Term |
Friday |
20 December 2024 |
SPRING TERM 2025 |
||
Start of Term |
Tuesday |
07 January 2025 |
To |
Friday |
14 February 2025 |
Half Term |
Monday |
17 February 2025 |
|
Friday |
21 February 2025 |
Return on |
Monday |
24 February 2025 |
End of Term |
Thursday |
04 April 2025 |
SUMMER TERM 2025 |
||
Start of Term |
Monday |
22 April 2025 |
To |
Friday |
23 May 2025 |
Half Term |
Monday |
26 May 2025 |
|
Friday |
30 May 2025 |
Return on |
Monday |
02 June 2025 |
End of Term |
Friday |
22 July 2025 |
INSET DAYS | ||
Teaching & Learning: Curriculum & Safeguarding |
Monday |
02 September 2024 |
Teaching & Learning TBC |
Friday |
25 October 2024 |
Teaching & Learning: Wellbeing |
Friday |
29 November 2024 |
Assessment & Pupil Progress |
Monday |
06 January 2025 |
Teaching & Learning: Curriculum, Assessment & Pupil Progress |
Friday |
27 June 2025 |
|
|
|
BANK HOLIDAYS (school closed) | ||
May Bank Holiday |
Monday |
05 May 2025 |
Online Safety
Did you know that not all apps are safe for children, with many popular ones having certain age restrictions. For example, WhatsApp, Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook operate a minimum age of 13+ years, and therefore primary school children should not have their own, nor access to, such apps or accounts.
As parents, you can help safeguard your children online by researching these apps and their purposes, as well as their age restrictions, BEFORE agreeing to download them. If you do choose to download them, remember that parental controls such as password protection, can be set up so that in-app downloads or purchases, cannot be completed by the children themselves.
For example, to prevent iTunes, Apple App Store purchases or downloads, all you need to do is:
- Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
- Tap Content & App Privacy Restrictions. If asked, enter your passcode.
- Tap iTunes & App Store Purchases.
- Select a setting and set to Don’t Allow.
Tips on how to install parental controls on other apps and devices (Android or Apple) can easily be found online, or even from the app developers themselves.
Preschool, Nursery & Reception Admissions
We currently have the following availability for places in our Early Years provision:
Reception class:
- 3 places (from January 2025)
Nursery Class (3-year olds):
- 1 full-time place from March 2025
- A waiting list is now in place for full-time places. Please contact the office for information on how to join the waiting list.
- You can also enquire at the school office with regards to any upcoming vacancies. Although we are currently full, we are in the process of extending our intake numbers, so please keep in touch.
Preschool (2-year olds)
- 2 full-time places from April 2025.
- You can also enquire at the school office with regards to any upcoming vacancies. Although we are currently full, we are in the process of extending our intake numbers, so please keep in touch.
If you are looking for a Preschool, Nursery or Reception place for your child we’d love to have you join us for a 30-minute bespoke EYFS tour. Here, you’ll have the chance explore our Early Years setting, speak to key staff and ask any questions regarding admissions and your child starting with us at Burdett-Coutts.
Contact us to register for our tours which take place every Thursday, with times available from 09:15 – 14:30 during term time.
- To book your tour place, please call 0207 828 6790
- For further information about starting Reception at Burdett-Coutts, please click here >
Funding eligibility letter for Pupil Premium, Early Years Funding & Free School Meals
Due to changes in the eligibility criteria for Pupil Premium, Free School Meals and qualifying for 30 hours of funding for Nursery provision, many pupils currently enrolled at our school may now be entitled to one of these funding allocations.
We will be issuing letters to families who are currently not in receipt of the above, asking you to complete the registration for the identified funding option your child/ren maybe eligible for. Thank you so much in advance for your help in completing this.
This funding allows us to increase additional staffing hours to run booster groups, and an exciting range of extended day activities, that benefit our school and your child, and your cooperation is greatly appreciated at this difficult time for school budgets.
- If you should have any queries with regards to the letter sent to you, please contact Mrs Deary or the school office.
Preschool:
This week we kicked off our new core text, Winter by Ailie Busby and explored the magic of the season through our senses! The children had so much fun making “snow” out of cloud dough, dressing baby dolls for chilly weather, playing with ice trays, and creating beautiful ice colour paintings. Winter has never felt so creative and hands-on.
Nursery:
Our first week back has been fantastic as we began exploring our new topic, ‘Winter‘. The children were full of excitement as they engaged in activities involving ice. They had so much fun playing with it, observing what happens when it melts, and discussing the changes they noticed. Through hands-on exploration, they also learned about how ice is created in cold temperatures. It was a great opportunity to spark their curiosity and deepen their understanding of the winter season.
Reception:
Reception have had a wonderful first week back, diving straight into our new topic, Antarctica! They’ve been fascinated by the icy landscapes and wildlife, especially the penguins. In class, the children have been fully immersed in their small-world play, using loose parts and miniature penguins, igloos, and other props to build their own Antarctic scenes. It’s been incredible to see their creativity and imagination flourish as they role-played life on the ice and learned about the unique animals that call it home. These playful learning moments are already helping them form lasting memories and build essential skills, while having a lot of fun together!
Year 1:
Year 1 has returned from the holidays with a fantastic attitude, showing excellent behaviour and a readiness to learn. We’ve already dived into our new topic, exploring the different seasons and how the weather and nature change throughout the year. The children have been engaged and excited, and we’re looking forward to all the fun and learning ahead!
Year 2:
This week, Year 2 have been busy Scientists, exploring materials and their properties through two exciting investigations. They explored how the shapes of objects made from different materials can be changed by squashing, bending, twisting and stretching. By testing a variety of objects, they observed how materials behaved, identified patterns, and discussed why some were easier to manipulate than others. Next, they took on the challenge of helping Teddy find the perfect material for a pair of wellies! They tested materials such as plastic, fabric, rubber, and tissue to determine which would keep Teddy’s feet dry and comfortable. Children then recorded predictions, results and conclusions, explaining why some materials were better suited for the job than others.
Year 3:
Welcome back and what an excellent start to our new term we have had this week! We have loved jumping into our Geography topic Extreme Earth – Volcanoes and Earthquakes, and have made a great start on our learning about continents with the Continent Song. We have also started our Science unit about Forces, and experimented with push or pull motions on a paper ball. We thought about how much strength we needed to push or pull on our ball, then tried using different materials to move the ball to see if we needed to change how much force we applied. We have had a great time in Writing, refreshing our learning about prepositions by playing a board game where we had to make a sentence using the preposition we landed on. We can’t wait to get stuck back into it next week!
Year 4:
Welcome to the Spring term! Year 4 has jumped right into their Science topic, and had a great time acting as the different particles of solids, liquids, and gases. It was a fun and interactive way to bring science to life as they experienced how particles move and change in each state. Stay tuned for more updates on all the wonderful things happening in Year 4 this Spring term!
Year 5:
We’ve had a great first week back and I’ve loved getting to know the children. I’m so excited to be Jemison’s class teacher and am looking forward to the learning opportunities we have this term! This week we have started to explore our topics for the term. In Writing, we are currently working hard on learning different types of figurative language (similes, metaphors, personification and alliteration) to put into our poems about the sea, which is linked to our class novel “A Boy and a Bear in a Boat“. These will be published next week and put on display in our class. We have also started our own dream clouds filled with our dreams and goals for the future. Have a great weekend! Miss K.
Year 6:
This week in Reading, Year 6 have begun to read a new class text, ‘The Boy At The Back Of The Classroom‘. Before delving into the book, we explored some key vocabulary which will help us to understand the journey of the main character, Ahmet. These include the words asylum, immigration, refugee and emigrate. Our understanding of this new terminology led us to have a reflective and meaningful conversations about the lives of our own family’s journey to England, and some of the reasons why they were forced to flee. We have also begun to explore the roles and responsibilities of The Home Office and consider how this might relate to our book.