School Newsletter : 13 March 2026

| Issue 24 | Spring 2 | Week 3 |

Science Week Activities

Throughout British science week, the entire school have been enjoying a range of activities designed to to generate curiosity and excitement about science. On Thursday, we had a visit from a VR specialist, who took the children through a science learning sequence using VR headsets. The children had an amazing time, with the following feedback:

Reception: The hall was buzzing with excitement and non-stop chatter as the Reception explored the world of mini beasts through an incredible VR experience. It was a joy to hear words like “wow“, “cool” and “amazing” as they witnessed the incredible journey from caterpillar to butterfly in immersive detail.

Year 1: We experienced the coral reef, dolphins and whale sharks! The kids were so enthralled with the magic of technology and a world unexplored and unexpected.

Year 2: Today, as part of Science Week, the children took part in an exciting VR session where they explored the human body. They learnt about the important functions of blood and discovered how our skeleton supports and protects our bodies. The children were fascinated by the experience and really enjoyed learning about the body in such an interactive way!

Year 3: Year also explored the human body, and enjoyed shrinking down to see inside our circulatory system and exploring what makes up our blood. We learnt about red and white blood cells and their roles. We also connected our previous science learning about the skeleton as we looked at our bones from the inside! There were a lot of amazed and smiling faces today!

Year 4: As part of Science Week, Year 4 revisited their learning from last term with an exciting virtual reality adventure exploring the human body. The class were so thrilled to be able to have such a comprehensive exploration from the comfort of our school hall – travelling through the digestive system and ending up at the large intestine was certainly a memorable experience for all of us!

Year 5: Year 5 had a blast as they entered a spaceship and visited the planets in our solar system. They explored the features of each planet and the moon and answered questions along the way.

Year 6: As part of Science Week, Year 6 took part in a VR session titled Ocean Life. They explored an underwater environment, focusing on the Australian coral reef and the wide variety of marine life found there. During the session, they learnt about the characteristics of different sea creatures. They explored how fish are vertebrates, meaning they have a backbone, and how they breathe using gills to take oxygen from the water. They also learnt that coral and jellyfish are invertebrates and are closely related, and that jellyfish breathe through their skin. The session also explained how fish use scales and protective features to help them survive in their environment. The immersive experience helped them observe ocean life up close and develop their understanding of marine ecosystems.

Out and About…

Tuesday 10th March: School Choir Performance at The Royal Festival Hall

On Tuesday the 10th of March, all 26 members of the Choir Club travelled with Ms Barnett, Ms Li Rosi, and Mr Carden to the Royal Festival Hall at the Southbank Centre. We had been invited by Westminster School to take part in their Spring Concert. Upon entering the enormous concert hall we were ushered to seats in the front two rows in the centre of the choirstalls. All around us were maybe 100 other singers from Westminster and other local schools; and below and in front of us was the orchestra on the stage with the conductor, Mr Tim Garrard.

To stand under the bright, hot lights, and sing our line whilst four other vocal lines and all of the orchestral sound, of trumpets, drums, flutes, strings etc, were also playing at the same time was both exhilarating and bewildering! We had been rehearsing for this all term with Mr Carden, Miss Polly, and Miss Gweni (our vocal coach), and we quickly became used to it during the rehearsal. Mr Garrard was extremely encouraging, and having other singers close by made us feel more secure.

After the rehearsal we had dinner in Pizza Express close to the hall, and then it was time for the performance. There were hundreds of people in the audience all watching us. The stringed instruments played a beautiful piece by Bach to start with, and then we all sang the same composer’s Magnificat which lasted about thirty minutes. The audience applauded and cheered very loudly at the end, and it was an unforgettable experience for us all. We are so grateful to Westminster School for the invitations they give us to take part in musical events like this.

Wednesday 11th March: Year 6 – Mothering Sunday Service

At our normal worship time of Wednesday morning (11th March) the whole school gathered in St Stephen’s with Graham and David, and a good number of parents. The choir processed up the nave singing Lord have mercy on my soul led by a solo from Sab (Head Chorister).

After an introduction from Graham we sang God made my mum, and God made me. The Nursery showed us pictures they had drawn of their Mums, and then we sang the lullaby Hush little Baby don’t say a word.

Year Three gave a well researched presentation about the origins of Mothering Sunday, after which Graham gave a talk about baking a cake, whose ingredients were Love, Care, Kindness, and Joy. Following the talk we sang Let’s make a cake.

Ambra and Tahlia led us in prayers about our Mothers and our Fathers. Graham led us in singing the Gaelic Blessing, and our service finished with everyone singing The Servant King.

Wednesday 11th March: Year 6 – Go Live Theatre Experience

This week, Year 6 visited St Martin’s Theatre to watch a very special performance of a play they had written themselves during their recent Go Live Theatre workshops. Over the past few weeks, children worked collaboratively to develop characters, dialogue and stage directions, learning how to transform their ideas into a script.

Seeing their work brought to life by professional actors on stage of The Mousetrap was an exciting and memorable experience. The children watched with great pride as their characters, scenes and story unfolded in front of them, often recognising their own lines and ideas in the performance.

It was a wonderful opportunity for the children to experience the creative process from writing to performance, and a fantastic celebration of their imagination, teamwork and storytelling.

Club Reminders

End of Spring Term Finishing Dates for Wrap Around Care

Our wrap-around clubs and boosters will finish as follows:

  • Breakfast Club: Friday 27th March
  • Morning Maths Boosters: Week ending Friday 20th March
  • Extended School Day (15:30 – 16:30): Week ending Friday 20th March
  • After School Club (15:30 – 18:00): Friday 27th March

Late Collection

  • We understand that on occasions you may be running late due to circumstances outside of your control.
  • If this should occur, please email or phone the school office to inform them and of your expected arrival time.
  • This helps us ensure staff who work until 18:00 will be able to leave on time, with a member of the SLT providing cover if needed if they are unable to stay.
  • We thank you for understanding with this request.
  • A reminder that that a £5 late charge is applied to your fees for every 5 minutes that you are late.

Parents Evening

Our Spring term Parent Teacher Meetings will take place on Tuesday 24th March for all years apart from Reception.

Reception Class Parent Teacher Meeting will take place on Thursday 19th March.

Parents can book their meeting slots from 09:30 on Monday 2nd March via the Arbor App.

Each appointment slot is 15 minutes long. The first 5 mins are set aside for you to look at, discuss with and comment on your child’s work before meeting with the class teacher.

Please remember to complete the feedback slip provided, before you meet with your child’s class teacher.

If you experience any problems signing up on the Arbor App, please contact a member of the school office team, who will be happy to assist you.

Potential extension of our Preschool to include Under 2s

Dear families,

Currently our Preschool offers 12 spaces for children aged 24 – 36 months. These children then transition into our 3-year old Nursery Class the term after their third birthday. We are conducting a viability process with the view to extending to our current Preschool provision to include children (babies) under 24 months.

From September 2026, we are looking to:

  • extend our Preschool provision to include an Under-2s room, to cater for for babies from 3-months to 23-months.
  • change our annual opening hours, to enable this provision for 47-weeks per year for Nursery to Preschool (including under 2’s) children.

This change in opening hours will allow us to offer holiday wrap-around care, in the form of a Holiday Club Provision, for Reception to Year 6 pupils.

At this stage, we would like to know if any of this additional offering (eg: Under 2s, change in opening hours and Holiday Club Provision) is something that would be of interest and benefit to our families, and we therefore we are asking for your feedback.

Please email the school office indicating your interest in an Under 2s place and a short Google form will be emailed for you to complete.

Feedback from this form will help to inform any decisions we make and, should it go ahead, the overall package of wraparound care offered.

We will share further information about the shape of the Holiday Club Provision in the next issue of the school newsletter. Our aim is to confirm before the end of March if this provision is going ahead, after which time you will be able to enrol your child.

Many thanks in advance for your thoughts and feedback.

Biscuits Bytes

Woof….

Wow what a busy week it’s been for everyone! We’ve been in, out and shaking it all about in school this week

My birthday kick started this busy week and what a pawsome day I had; playing with all my special friends, enjoying new toys, receiving lots of beautiful cards and pictures (that I love) from the children and of course cupcakes for everyone!

A HUGE thank you to everyone for making my 5th birthday so special!

Our school choir had an amazing time performing at the Royal Festival Hall this week, where they made us all so proud!  They have been working so hard in rehearsals and I have know doubt that they were all stars in their own right.

An exciting week of Science experiments and learning also took place across all parts of the school, culminating in a whole day of VR experiences which were tailored to each classes Science focus this term (or next). It was very strange watching the children’s body language whilst they were completing the sessions, as I had no idea what they were seeing, and it was hard to work out watching them.

I wonder if there is a VR experience for dogs? With fields of treats, streams for splashing in and friends to play with?

Our Y6 pupils also shone this week, with a visit to St. Martins Theatre to conclude the wonderful theatre and creative writing project that they have been part of this term. A HUGE thank you to Go Live Theatre and their sponsors for this amazing and thoroughly enjoyable opportunity.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, although wrap up warm it looks like it might a bit chillier.

See you all for another exciting week next week. I’m still enjoying my birthday memories.

Biscuit x

Community Corner

This week in collective worship, we took the opportunity to invite mothers and carers to church to celebrate all the things that they do for us. Mothering Sunday in the UK falls this weekend, on the fourth Sunday of Lent.

As mothers and carers joined our service, we were treated to some art by our Nursery pupils who had painted portraits of the people in their lives who care for them.

We then had Year 3 present an eloquent history of Mothering Sunday, from the Simnel cake to exploring all the different people in our lives that this special day allows us to reflect on and celebrate.

Before we sang Let’s Make a Cake, Vicar Graham demonstrated a recipe for a special world: one with kindness, joy, love and care. When all these ingredients were mixed together, we started our song, and ended with the Lord’s Prayer and a rendition of Servant King.

Bible Teaching of the Week:

We focussed on Mothering Sunday this week in lieu of our usual collective worship Bible reading.

Community Questions:

  • How can we show kindness to people who feel left out?
  • Why is it important to include everyone, even those who are different from us?

Community Challenge:

  • This week, make a conscious effort to include someone who is usually left out!  Invite them to play, sit with you, or work together and show God’s love through your actions.

Spring Term Class Assemblies:

Class assemblies take place on Fridays, starting at 09:05. Please ensure that you are on time and that your mobile phones are turned off. Kindly note that no filming or photography is permitted at any time.

  • 20th March: Reception

Our PTA: The Friends of Burdett-Coutts

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.

Our meetings take place on  Wednesday mornings from 09:00 – 10:00 in the Ground Floor Hall, with refreshments. Everyone is welcome!

Our next event: School Easter Fete Thursday 26th March @ 15:30 – 17:30.

Spring term meeting dates:

  • Wednesday 25th March

Easter Fair

Glue guns at the ready!

Upcoming Events

March 2026:

  • Tuesday 17th: Proms Praise Concert at the Royal Albert Hall – Choir Club pupils performing, 16:00 – 20:00
  • Friday 20th: Last day for all Extended School Day and Booster Clubs for the Spring Term.
  • Wednesday 25th: Pimlico Music Foundation Concert: Disney at St. Gabriels Church. Choir Club pupils performing 18:00 – 20:00 (more information to follow).
  • Thursday 26th: School Easter Fete: 15:30 – 17:30
  • Friday 27th: Last day of school for the Spring Term. School finishes for all pupils at 13:30.

1. Pupil Medications

A polite reminder to parents and carers that we are unable to give over the counter or prescription medicines to pupils unless they have an agreed medical plan in place.

Should your child requires medication to be taken 3 times per day due to winter season illnesses, please give them their doses before school, after school and before bed time.

Alternatively, if you’re able to do so, you can pop into school during your child’s lunch break (12:30 – 13:30) to administer a midday dose if required.

Please do not put any medications, creams, ointments etc in your child’s book bag. This can be very dangerous for other pupils or adults who may have allergies or if other children access these items.

If you have any questions, please email the school office and a member of staff will get back you. Many thanks for your understanding with this important Health & Safety issue.

2. Pupil Permission Forms for Trips

Parents & carers, please ensure that when pupil trip letters are sent home requesting permission for trips or visits, that you correctly read and complete the forms attached and return them to school by the date requested.

When forms are returned late, it is a challenge to manage and accurately provide the required confirmation / information to venues – which are usually requested 48 hours in advance. Furthermore:

  • Our admin and catering teams face additional pressure to prepare lunch orders and first aid.
  • These are difficult to amend at the last minute, and it also pulls them away from other duties & responsibilities they have.
  • Teachers are also unable to assign group pupil:adult ratios to ensure a smooth trip briefing with other staff/parents supporting the trip.

Because of this, pupils will miss out on attending a trip if the correct permission slips are not returned by the designated deadline. Instead they will be assigned appropriate class work to complete in a supervised buddy class.

Many thanks for your understanding and support with this matter.

3. School & PE Uniform:

Please ensure that your children are wearing the correct school uniform to school each day. It is important that all pupils are also wearing the correct school shoes – which are black shoes, and not trainers.

The Autumn/Winter term uniform options for pupils in Nursery to Year 6 are:

Girls:

  • Dark grey trousers, skirt or skort
  • Long-sleeve white shirt (Years 3 – 6)
  • White school logo polo shirt (Nursery – Year 2)
  • Tie (Years 3 – 6)
  • V-neck navy school logo jumper (Years 3 – 6)
  • Navy logo school sweatshirt (Nursery to Year 2)
  • Blazer (Year 6 only)
  • Plain black shoes (not trainers)

Boys:

  • Dark grey shorts or trousers
  • Long-sleeve white shirt (Years 3 – 6)
  • White school logo polo shirt (Nursery – Year 2)
  • Tie (Yers 3 -6)
  • V-neck navy school logo jumper (Years 3 – 6)
  • Navy school logo sweatshirt (Nursery to Year 2)
  • Blazer (Year 6 only)
  • Plain black shoes (not trainers)

On PE days, pupils must wear the school PE kit only.

This is especially important for safety.  Having the correct shoes for physical activities, and clothing that is not restrictive, for completing physical activity are essential for helping us to ensure pupils complete all PE lessons safely.

The Autumn/Winter term PE kit for all pupils from Year Reception to Year 6 consists of:

  • A school navy logo t-shirt
  • Navy  leggings, tracksuit bottoms or skort (no logos etc)
  • Plain black trainers
  • A school logo sweatshirt (not the v-neck jerseys for KS2 pupils. Sweatshirts are available from the school office in KS2 sizes).

Please note that pupils who do not have the correct PE kit will not be able to participate in their PE lesson. They will be given alternate work to do, and a note will be sent home highlighting why they were not able to complete their lesson that day.

We thank you in advance in supporting our school’s uniform policies.

Term Dates 2025-2026

Please find here the agreed term dates set by our school’s Governing Body for the upcoming academic year, starting September 2025.

Please remember that holidays will not be authorised during the school term, and that all children should be in school (on time) every day.

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:

Preschool, Nursery & Reception Admissions

We currently have the following availability for places in our Early Years provision from January 2026:

  • Nursery Class (3-year olds): 1 part-time (afternoon) place available at present.
  • Preschool (2-year olds): From April 2026 we have 4 full-time places and 2 part-time (afternoon) places available

September 2026 Reception class vacancies will be announced in May 2026.

If you are looking for a Preschool, Nursery or Reception place for your child, please come along 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.

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.

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:

During Science Week, Preschool took part in a colourful science experiment using Skittles and warm milk. We carefully placed the sweets around a plate and poured warm milk into the middle, watching with excitement as the colours began to spread and mix, forming a beautiful rainbow effect. This experiment linked to our story Planting a Rainbow, helping the children make connections between the colours in the book and the colours they saw during the activity. Together we talked about different colours and noticed the interesting patterns that appeared as the rainbow formed. The children were curious and engaged, sharing their observations and predictions as the colours moved across the plate. It was a wonderful way to explore science while reinforcing our learning about colours and patterns.

Nursery:

This week Nursery celebrated Science Week and had a fantastic time exploring this year’s theme, Curiosity – What’s Your Question? The children were encouraged to ask questions, share their ideas and discover answers through fun, hands-on experiments. In our EYFS activities we explored questions such as how boats float and what makes the best design for a paper aeroplane. The children experimented with different materials, tested their ideas and talked about what worked best. It was lovely to see their excitement and curiosity as they explored, predicted and shared their discoveries, really embracing the idea of asking questions and learning more about the world around them.

Reception:

For Science Week, Reception became scientists and took part in a fun “mandarin experiment”. The children had to try and remove a mandarin from a bowl full of water without making the water overflow. They showed fantastic creativity, suggesting ideas such as using magnets, pens as chopsticks, large spoons and even their hands, but each attempt caused the water to spill over the sides. After lots of thinking and experimenting, we discovered that by gently twirling the water the mandarin began to spin and “dance” before rising to the surface, which caused lots of excitement in the classroom! This led to a discussion about floating and sinking. The children learnt that a mandarin floats when its skin is on, but sinks when it is peeled. We also tested other fruits and were surprised to discover that an apple floats too. It was wonderful to see the children thinking like real scientists – asking questions, testing ideas and celebrating their discoveries.

Year 1:

During Science Week, Year 1 became real scientists as we carried out a fun investigation to answer the question: Does bread always land butter-side down? The children worked together to plan their experiment, making a hypothesis, writing a simple method, and recording their observations and results like true researchers. After carefully buttering the bread, they dropped it from the table and watched closely to see which side landed on the floor. The results sparked lots of excitement and discussion, as the bread didn’t always land the way we expected! The children discovered that factors such as how the bread was dropped and the height of the table could affect the outcome. It was a fantastic way to practise thinking scientifically while having plenty of fun.

Year 2:

Year 2 had lots of fun celebrating Science Week, which had the theme of Curiosity. The children became young scientists and explored how things move through the air. They started by designing and testing paper planes, thinking carefully about how to make them fly further. Next, they created paper helicopters and observed how they spun and fell to the ground. Finally, the children made paper gliders using paper and straws. We tested them by carefully dropping them from the window and timing how long they took to glide down. The children loved comparing their results and seeing which designs worked best. It was a fantastic week full of experimenting, observing and asking lots of curious questions. Everyone really enjoyed being scientists!

Year 3:

This week is British Science Week and the theme is Curiosity. In Year 3 we have enjoyed making, testing and trialling boat designs, in an effort to learn how boats float. We spoke about buoyancy, gravity and density and learnt how large ships can stay afloat without sinking. We tested our designs with marbles. The most marbles a design could hold was 22!

Year 4:

Along with Year 5, Year 4 had a fantastic time during Science Week exploring chromatography! Using their investigation skills, the children worked to decode the suspect behind a mysterious ransom note. They carefully examined the results of their chromatography experiments, discussed what the patterns revealed, and used their scientific thinking to interpret the evidence. Through teamwork and great reasoning, they were able to reach the correct conclusions, just like forensic scientists!

Year 5:

During Science Week, Years 4 & 5 took part in a series of exciting science rotations. In our group, we carried out a fun taste experiment to investigate whether the way a carrot looks can change the way it tastes. First, we wrote a hypothesis to predict what we thought might happen. We also listed the materials we would need: a chopping board, a knife, and three different types of carrots. Working in groups of four or five, we carefully used the chopping board and knife to cut up a straight carrot, a short carrot, and a wonky carrot. We placed the pieces next to each other and tasted them one by one, discussing in our groups whether we thought they tasted the same or different.To our surprise, we found that they did taste slightly different! The straight carrot was crunchy and sweet, the short carrot was sweet but sometimes a little bitter, and the wonky carrot was quite watery with less flavour. After the tasting, we wrote a conclusion in our books to explain what we discovered. It was a tasty experiment that we all thoroughly enjoyed

Year 6:

As Theologians this week, Year 6 have continued exploring their RE unit on Islam, focusing on the enquiry question: What is the best way for a Muslim to show commitment to God? The children discussed the meaning of commitment and reflected on what people might be committed to in their own lives. They learnt about key beliefs in Islam, including the belief in one God, Allah, and explored some of the ways Muslims show their commitment through the Five Pillars of Islam, such as praying five times a day, giving to those in need, fasting during Ramadan and going on pilgrimage. Children also learnt about the importance of prayer (Salah), the different times Muslims pray throughout the day and the preparation involved, such as washing and facing the holy city of Makkah. Through discussion and reflection, the class considered why prayer is such an important part of many Muslims’ daily lives and how regular acts of worship demonstrate dedication and commitment.