School Newsletter : 17 January 2025

| Issue 15 | Spring 1 | Week 2 |

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.

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 Friday Everyone!

Well another busy week has flown by in school. We had a lot of fun in the playgrounds this week, and it was really nice that it wasn’t as cold. Although I hear it will be cold again next week right through to the weekend ❄️

Ps: this is ok with me, as I love the cold frosty weather. You can clearly see from my HUGE smile on my wintery walks last weekend 🐶❄️

The children are very excited about Extended School Day Clubs starting next week. Personally I cannot wait for the 3 cooking clubs to start, as there’s possibly the chance of a treat. As a labrador, I constantly live in hope 😋

I’m also ready for football club and am hoping to see if I can join in with some games, especially Hop, Skip and Jump. I really love running under the parachute 🐶 and I promise I’m super helpful!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! See you Monday 🐶

Love Biscuit x

PE Lessons

Please note a change of day for Year 1 and Year 4  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.

Spring Term PE Lessons:

  • Monday: Year 1
  • Tuesday: Year 3
  • Wednesday:  Year 5
  • Thursday: Year 6
  • Friday: Reception, Years 4 & 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.

The next FOBC event is the Easter Fete on Wednesday 2nd April from 15:30 – 17:30.

Spring Term meeting dates:

  • Wednesday 22nd January
  • Wednesday 5th February
  • Wednesday 25th February
  • Wednesday 12th March
  • Wednesday 26th March
  • Wednesday 2nd April

All meetings are in the Ground Floor Hall @ 9 – 10am

Upcoming Events

January:

  • 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:

  1. Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
  2. Tap Content & App Privacy Restrictions. If asked, enter your passcode.
  3. Tap iTunes & App Store Purchases.
  4. 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.

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:

Preschool engaged in special group artwork activity that brought creativity and teamwork together! We created a beautiful winter scene featuring snowmen, trees, and personalised photo cutouts of the children in their winter clothing. Through this activity, the children learned to identify appropriate winter attire and understand its purpose in staying warm during the chilly season. They also expressed their creativity by adding their own touches to the shared masterpiece. It was a wonderful way to celebrate winter and foster our collaboration skills.

Nursery:

Nursery have had a wonderful time exploring shapes in creative ways. We enjoyed working on shape puzzles and using different shapes to create our own pictures, experimenting with different ideas.

Reception:

Reception have been busy crafting beautiful snow globes, each one as unique as a snowflake! Using small jars, glitter, beads, and natural materials they foraged themselves — like twigs and moss — they created enchanting frosty woodland scenes. This hands-on activity wasn’t just about creativity; it helped the children develop fine motor skills as they carefully arranged their materials and used pipettes to add water with precision. Along the way, they explored concepts of volume, weight, and even basic science as they discovered how different objects float or settle in water. Most importantly, their curiosity and independence shone through as they worked with care and focus, creating something they were truly proud of. It’s safe to say we’re off to a glittering start!

Year 1:

We have been having a fantastic time this week learning more about London and its famous landmarks! We’ve explored iconic sites like the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, and the London Eye, discovering fun facts along the way. We also had a look at a globe of London. We are excited to continue our adventure as we bring the history and culture of our great city to life in our lessons.

Year 2:

Year 2’s music lessons with Mr Carden are a fantastic opportunity for children to explore music through listening, composing and performing. As Musicians this term, we’re focusing on tempo – the different speeds at which music can be performed – and the impact that a change of speed can have on a song. Children are also discovering the vital role of a conductor, learning how conductors lead both players and singers, and control the tempo. To deepen their understanding, children watch films of orchestras to help them identify different instruments and how they work together in an ensemble. We’re also having fun with metronomes, using them to practise staying in time and keeping the beat! Through these lessons, children develop a keen ear for the differences between pieces of music, helping them to appreciate the elements needed for composing and performing their own music.

Year 3:

Year 3 has been doing a big push on Geography learning this week! We have now finished our narratives based around the book The Pebble in my Pocket, where we took on the character of the pebble and wrote a first-person narrative about our journey from lava almost 500 million years ago, to ending up in a little girl’s pocket in modern times! We have mapped out the Pacific Ring of Fire, a key volcanic zone, as well as the main earthquake zones of the world and the key mountains and rivers in the UK. We will have a lot of knowledge when we head to our trip on the 29th!

Year 4:

We’re very excited to share updates from the Year 4 classroom! Our Geography display on the Amazon rainforest has been brought to life with stunning artwork from many children who have contributed pieces made at home. In Reading, we’ve started The Firework-Maker’s Daughter by Philip Pullman, and the children are already captivated by its magical story. Our RE display on Buddhism is practical and engaging, and the class are loving learning about the Bodhi tree and the stories of Buddha. These displays reflect the fantastic learning and creativity happening in Year 4, and we’re proud of all the children’s hard work!

Year 5:

Our 2nd week has been filled with lots of opportunities to be creative. In writing, we have written poems about the sea. We have been focusing on using figurative language and rhyme scheme and have created our own rhyming poems. We have some very talented writers in Year 5 and some examples of the poems are attached. We are really looking forward to publishing these poems in the forms of waves next week for our art lesson. Have a great weekend!

Year 6:

This week as Geographers we have begun to explore our new topic of ‘Rivers’. First, we recapped previous learning by sorting human and physical features found on a beach setting. We then located key iconic buildings and bridges found across the United Kingdom onto a map and begun to explore the rivers which flow through these places. We were shocked to discover that there are over 125 different species of fish living in the River Thames.