BC Newsletter Template (Yvonne)
| Issue 18 | Spring 1 | Week 4 |
Mental Health Week

This week we embraced Children’s Mental Health Week at Burdett-Coutts, with a whole-school focus on emotional well-being, resilience, and self-awareness. Across all key stages, our pupils engaged in meaningful activities designed to help them explore their feelings, develop strategies for self-regulation, and build a stronger sense of self all within the framework of our PSHE curriculum and the Place2Be guidance.
In Early Years, our youngest learners used The Colour Monster to name and identify their emotions, helping them build the vocabulary and confidence to express how they feel. Through storytelling, play, and discussion, they began to understand that all emotions are valid and that it’s okay to feel differently at different times.
In Key Stage 1, the focus shifted to self-awareness and acceptance. Children explored how we all experience a full spectrum of emotions by creating self-portraits filled with the colours of their feelings. This powerful activity helped them realise that emotions come and go, that everyone experiences them, and that they are an important part of who we are. By making space for all emotions; joy, sadness, excitement, frustration, they developed a deeper understanding of themselves and their peers.
Meanwhile, in Key Stage 2, our older pupils engaged in rich discussions around growth mindset, learning how challenges, mistakes, and perseverance help us grow. Through activities that encouraged reflection and goal-setting, they explored how their brains are constantly learning, how setbacks are opportunities rather than failures, and how self-talk can shape their confidence and resilience. These sessions empowered them with practical strategies to navigate both their academic learning and personal challenges with a positive, determined mindset.
Across the school, this week has been a testament to how much we value and prioritise mental health at Burdett-Coutts. Through engaging discussions, creative activities, and teacher-led reflection, our pupils have taken important steps in understanding their emotions, developing self-confidence, and learning ways to support themselves and others. As a school, we are committed to ensuring that mental health and well-being remain at the heart of our approach this week and every week.
Out & About…

This week, Reception had a fantastic surprise trip to the Postal Museum in a perfect way to bring our learning about the postal system to life! After writing letters to Santa last term, the children have been curious about how letters travel from place to place, and what better way to find out than by stepping into the world of the postal service?
Our journey began with an exciting bus ride, but the real adventure began once we arrived. The highlight of the trip was riding the museum’s underground Mail Rail train, just like the letters and parcels once did beneath London’s streets. The children were fascinated to learn how the post is sorted using postcodes and cities, helping them understand the real-world importance of writing addresses correctly. In the interactive play zone, they had the chance to take on the role of postal workers; sorting, stamping, and delivering letters in their own mini post office.
This hands-on experience deepened their understanding of how communication and transport connect us all. Most importantly, their enthusiasm, curiosity, and imaginative play made the day a truly special one, first-class learning all around!

Upcoming school events!
Monday 10th – Friday 14th February | Random Acts of Kindness Week:
We’re spreading kindness far and wide with Random Acts of Kindness Week!
The children will be encouraged to complete small, thoughtful acts for their friends, peers, and teachers, and we’d love for families to join in at home too. Whether it’s writing a kind note, helping with chores, or simply offering a big smile, it’s a great opportunity to celebrate the power of kindness. We can’t wait to see how our school community comes together to create a ripple effect of positivity!
Book Fair Reading Competition
Get Snapped Reading & WIN a £5 Book Fair voucher!
Our annual book fair will take place from Friday 28th March to Friday 4th April. To create a buzz around it there will be a competition from Nursery to Year 6 to promote our children’s love of reading and the vast number of reading opportunities that we all have in our daily lives.
To enter the competition, all pupils need to do is to send in a photograph of themselves reading anything – a favourite book, comic, recipe, menu, instructions, signs etc – and anywhere, at home, at play, or even out and about.
All photographs will be displayed in classrooms and reading areas around school and all submissions will be put into a draw to win a £5 Book Fair voucher! There are 5 vouchers to be won, and the lucky winners will be announced in assembly on Monday 24th March.
Due to the large numbers of photos we hope to receive, we would really appreciate it if photographs could be printed off and brought into class. If this is not possible, photos can be emailed to office@burdettcoutts.co.uk
We look forward to seeing all your lovely photos, and thank you for your support.
Biscuits Bytes

Woof woof everyone!
This week, I joined Year 2 for their PE lesson, and let me tell you – I had so much fun. I stretched my paws during the warm-ups and then dashed onto the pitch for some rugby. I may not have mastered the rules, but I gave it my best tail-wagging effort!
The children were brilliant teammates, and I loved being part of the action. I can’t wait to see what my next school adventure will be. Maybe I’ll try my paw at singing next?

Speaking of singing, I also attended the Disney Jungle Book rehearsals this week. Oh it was so exciting! With all these animals in the story, I was certain I’d be given a role. Surely anyone can see that I’d make a great Baloo or maybe even Bagheera?
But sadly there was script for me – yet! I loved watching the children bring the story to life with their lines and songs. Maybe I’ll sneak into the show as an extra-special guest star?

Biscuit x
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.
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 25th February
- Wednesday 12th March
- Wednesday 26th March
- Wednesday 2nd April
All meetings are in the Ground Floor Hall @ 9 – 10am
Upcoming Events

February:
- Monday 10th – Friday 14th: World Kindness Week. More information in next week’s newsletter.
- Wednesday 11th: Parent Coffee Morning and Workshop on Internet Safety and Prevent.
- Monday 17th – Friday 21st February: Half Term Break
March:
- Tuesday 4th March: Year 6 Trip to the London Transport Museum (as part of the Westminster Junior Citizenship Scheme) 12:00 – 15:30
- Tuesday 4th March: Parent Workshop/Coffee Morning – with Julie from Prevent Education
- Thursday 6th March: World Book Day – see the main body of the newsletter for more information on this event.
- Wednesday 12th March: Choir Performing at the Royal Festival Hall Concert with Westminster School – 16:00 – 20:00.
- Wednesday 12th March: Nursery Class Trip to Vauxhall City Farm – 09:00 – 14:30
- Thursday 20th March: Reception Class Trip to Vauxhall City Farm – 09:00 – 14:30
- Friday 21st March – Red Nose Day – More information to follow.
- Monday 31st March – Thursday 03rd April – Scholastic Book Fair in the Ground Floor Hall from 15:00 – 16:00 each day.
Term Dates 2024-2025

Please remember that holidays will not be authorised during the school term, and that all children should be in school (on time) every day.
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):
- 4 afternoon part-time places
- 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 Preschool have been diving into their new core text, Car, Car, Truck, Jeep by Katrina Charman. To bring the story to life, we set up an exciting, hands-on activity where the children used toy cars to drive through paint and create colourful tracks on paper! This fun and messy experience helped develop their creativity, fine motor skills, and early mark-making abilities. As they rolled their cars through different colours, they explored patterns, textures, and cause-and-effect, all while linking their play to the rhythm and rhyme of the story.
Nursery:

This week, we explored Mental Health Week by focusing on our feelings. We used the Colour Monsters to help express different emotions, and the children loved talking about how they feel and what makes them feel that way. They also enjoyed colouring their own Colour Monster, using different colours to show their emotions. It was lovely to see them express themselves so openly and take pride in their artwork!
Reception:

This week, Reception have embraced Children’s Mental Health Week with thoughtfulness and care. Our Colour Monster toys and books have taken pride of place in the Calm Corner, where children have been exploring emotions through storytelling, reflecting on the characters, and making personal connections to their own feelings. It has been wonderful to see them engage with the stories, using the Colour Monsters to express and articulate their emotions with growing confidence. At the start of their journey, the children created “Positivity Pebbles”, a reminder of their strengths and kindness. These special pebbles have found a home in our Calm Corner, offering a sense of comfort and encouragement as the children take mindful moments throughout the day. Alongside this, we have been practicing mindfulness techniques like Butterfly Hugs, helping the children develop simple strategies to feel calm, safe, and self-assured. It has been a week filled with reflection, emotional growth, and, most importantly, the understanding that their feelings matter.
Year 1:

Year 1 have had a great time practicing their addition skills using computers! They’ve been engaging with fun, interactive games that help them solve addition problems and improve their number sense. It’s fantastic to see them building confidence in both their ICT and Maths abilities, as they learn with the use of technology.
Year 2:

Year 2 have been exploring the theme of Know Yourself, Grow Yourself as part of Children’s Mental Health Week. We have been learning about what makes us unique, celebrating our skills, qualities and talents. We also discussed emotions – how we all experience and manage them in different ways. As part of our learning, we read Feelings by Libby Walden, The Invisible String by Patrice Karst and When Sadness Comes to Call by Eva Eland. These stories helped us explore different emotions, understand that it’s okay to feel a range of feelings and recognise how we are all connected to the people and things that matter most to us. To bring our learning to life, we completed a special art activity where each child created a swirl filled with drawings, words, and pictures representing what matters most to them. This was a wonderful way for the children to reflect on their feelings, express themselves creatively and appreciate what makes them special.
Year 3:

This week in Year 3, we have been so excited to start practicing for our production of Disney’s The Jungle Book! We have allocated the roles and started learning our lines and our songs – we are really good at singing The Bare Necessities and I Wan’na Be Like You. In Writing, we have been completing our brochures all about volcanoes, with the audience of visitors of the Natural History Museum. We have learnt all about imperative verbs and included these in our writing.
Year 4:

What an amazing Mental Health Week Year 4 has had! We dove into the world of empathy, exploring the characters from Inside Out and discussing how different people might feel in different situations. They really got into the idea of understanding others’ emotions and perspectives. Everyone embraced the concept of facing tough emotions with compassion, linking it beautifully with their learning about the Buddha’s teachings on kindness and understanding. We also started using Blob Trees, which is a fantastic way to encourage daily reflection and self-awareness. It’s been an incredibly effective week, full of growth and insight, and the students have shown such a strong commitment to learning how to care for their own mental health and support others too!
Year 5:

In Year 5 we have been developing our scientific skills and learning to be scientists. In our current topic we have explored properties of materials and tested them for their transparency, hardness and magnetism. Last lesson we tested fabric, bubble wrap, tissue paper and foil to see what material would make the best insulator to keep our water warm. It’s been lots of fun completing science experiments, and we have also been learning about our brains and how to have a growth mindset. Ask your child all about their neurons and how to grow your brain!
Year 6:

This week in PSHE we have been learning about the differences between physical and mental health. We discussed how everyone experiences small and big feelings, and the strategies that we can put into place to help us manage those big feelings when we find them challenging to navigate. We were able to recognise the importance of different ways to help keep our brains healthy, such as exercise, talking through our feelings with a trusted individual, finding ways to relax, and the importance of sleep to help our brains replenish.