School Newsletter : 08 March 2024

| Issue 22 | Spring 2 | Week 8 |

World Book Day

A HUGE thank you to everyone who came along to share their favourite books, authors and characters with their class and friends today. We had such an amazing range of authors, book genres and characters represented across all classes.

Here are some lovely quotes from Year 3 sharing their views of World Book Day:

  • What I like about World Book Day is that you get to dress up like your favourtie book character. Mine is James from James and the Giant Peach‘ – Teddy
  • I like sharing and listening to other people’s favourite books’ – Andrew
  • I like that we can dress up as characters from the book. I choose the monkey from Monkey Puzzle by Julia Donaldson‘  – Lawand
  • I liked bringing in my favourite book to share‘ – Amara

Lion King Performances: Years 4 & 5

After nearly 16 weeks of commitment, dedication and teamwork, our Year 4 & 5 pupils are ready to take to the stage with their production of Disney’s Lion King!

All the hard work and many hours of practice are nearly over, and they’re ready to WOW everyone with a truly outstanding performance of music, dance and drama.

There will be 3 showings at school:

  • Wednesday 13th March from 2pm- 3pm
  • Thursday 14th March from 6pm – 7pm
  • Friday 15th March from 2pm – 3pm

Tickets will go on sale (£3 per adult and £2 per child under 16 years) via the school office on Monday 4th March.

Please note:

  • Seating is unreserved, so please arrive early.
  • Doors will open 15 minutes before each performance; any latecomers will not be admitted
  • Filming will not be permitted at these performances
  • A full recording of the performance will be shared later via the school website.

Update: Victoria BID Easter Egg Competition

Over the February Half Term, pupils were invited to decorate an Easter Egg for the Victoria BID competition.

We are absolutely delighted to announce that Nina (Year 2) and Taha (Year 5) have been shortlisted and won a £50 voucher each for their achievement. Well done Nina and Taha!

Their designs will be two of six giant easter eggs situated in Eccleston Yards, which will be on display from Tuesday 26th March to Monday 1st April. Visitors can vote for their favourite and the winning egg will receive £500 worth of Amazon vouchers to put towards school or club equipment.

So head over to Eccleston Yards over the Easter weekend, where you can vote for your favourite design via the OR code at the exhibition. Winners will be decided after the Easter break.

To find out more, goto https://www.victoriabid.co.uk/event/cracking-community-eggs/

Run Kids Run: Ready, Set, Go!

Run Kids Run is a registered charity helping connect primary school communities with long term corporate benefactors.

We’ve been selected as 1 of 10 schools to take part in their next event at Battersea Park on Sunday 28th April 2024.

We’re utterly thrilled at this amazing opportunity to participate in what promises to be a fun, fitness fundraising event!

Who can run?

Everyone! All pupils from Nursery to Year 6 can register to compete in this fundraising event. Nursery & Reception will complete a 1 mile run, and Years 1 – 6 will complete a 2 mile run.

All you need to do is register your child via this Google Form: https://forms.gle/V3rbcVRERWsmVeck8 

You can register up to 4 runners on one form and older siblings can also take part (please select the 2 mile Y5 & Y6 option).

Then get training! While you’re training, don’t forget to get as many people as possible to sponsor your child/ren’s sporting challenge.

You can seek sponsorship from as many friends, family & neighbours as possible, as every donation will go towards raising funds for our school.

On Sunday 28 April, bring your child/ren to Battersea Park from 2 – 4pm. The children will run their races and on completion, will receive a medal and snack at this fun family day out.

Fundraising goals:

Our school’s PSA, The Friends of Burdett-Coutts (Charity #1167707) are working with us to realise our School Council Playground Pledges of improvments to our playgrounds.

The total amount required is £16,000 to fund:

  • Project 1: Through discussions with our youngest pupils, it was identified that a REALLY BIG sandpit (one you can get into) and sand-play equipment would be a huge asset to the EYFS & KS1 playground provision.
  • Project 2: KS2 requested further resources, including a dedicated comfortable seating area (similar to the one in the KS1 playground) and age-appropriate construction & imaginative play resources.

So far, we have raised £3,000 from the FoBC PSA and £5,000 from the initial sponsorship from Run Kids Run.

With a remaining £8,000 still to be raised, this is where you can help out, by having as many family members, friends and neighbours sponsor your child/ren to compete in the Run Kids Run event.

School-based training for Run Kids Run:

Starting on Friday 15th March, our PE coach, Mr Raheem will be leading in-school training sessions for all pupils who have registered for the Run Kids Run event.

All pupils will need to wear their full PE kit and trainers to participate in these training sessions (see side panel for dates).

There will also be lunch-time training sessions for these pupils on their normal PE days (as they’re wearing their PE kits).

Parents, in order for your children to be able to take part, you must register your children via the Run Kids Run Google Form AND inform the school office by email before the start of any session.

Thank you for your support in this whole-school fun, fitness fundraising event.

We hope to see many children signed up, ready to train and be sponsored for their run at Battersea Park on Sunday 28th April.

Since 2020, Run Kids Run have:

  • Raised over £500k to enrich the education provision
  • Rallied 6,700 children & their families to run
  • Supported 44 schools across 7 London boroughs
  • Mobilised 350 volunteers

All funds raised will be donated directly to our school:

  • Sponsorship can be made via the Friends of Burdett-Coutts Just Giving page, which will go live shortly.
  • We hope to have the sandpit completed in the May half term and to place the orders for the play equipment & seating areas.

Other school/FoBC fundraising events this year:

  • Mon 25th – Thurs 28th March: 1st Floor Hall Art Gallery & Exhibition selling works of art made by the children
  • April date TBC: Spring Fete
  • May date TBC: International Evening
  • June or July date TBC: Summer Fair

In-School Training Sessions @ 15:30 – 16:30:

  • Friday 15th March
  • Monday 18th March
  • Monday 25th March
  • Monday 15th April
  • Friday 19th April
  • Monday 22nd April
  • Friday 26th April

Parent-Teacher Meetings

  • Our Spring Term parent-teacher meetings will take place on Thursday 21st March.
  • You can now sign up for these via the Arbor App until the midday on the 21st March.
  • Kindly ensure that you arrive 10 minutes before your meeting time so that you can sit with your child and discuss the work they have selected together.

Friends of Burdett-Coutts Meeting

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 next meeting will be on Thursday 14th March from 09:00 – 10:00 in the Ground Floor Hall. Please do come along and join us, your energy & support is very much needed!

Items of discussion at our next meeting will be around:

  • New date & plans for the Spring Fete
  • Run Kids Run fundraising event
  • Art Gallery & Exhibition

Time for Tea

This week, we held our first Afternoon Tea to acknowledge and celebrate a range of attributes and achievements of selected pupils. The children shared their invitations with the group, to explain why they were selected.

There was much conversation whilst enjoying our afternoon tea including how our sustainable art day projects were going, ideas for playground improvements and planned Easter Bonnet designs.

Time was also spent looking carefully at and discovering all about the lovely Royal Doulton tea set we were using.

It felt very special using a proper tea set at a beautifully laid table for our afternoon tea. On top of the celebrations and conversations, we really enjoyed the Victoria Sponge Cake, Chocolate Eclairs, fruit and crisps alongside some yummy hot chocolate!

Congratulations to all those selected – please keep up your positive attitudes!

  • Angelina (Y1): For being an all-round amazing Year 1 pupil!
  • Robyn (Y2): For a positive attitude towards all her learning.
  • Nathaniel (Y3): For an enormous improvement in his behaviour – well done:)
  • Nuraa (Y3): For always being a good role model and trying hard with her learning.
  • Tomas (Y4): For being an amazing role model in Year 4 and always demonstrating impeccable manners.
  • Fenet (Y5): For being consistently polite and respectful, showing great manners and being a fantastic role model for others.
  • Emily (Y6): For effort and focus in class.

Did you know?

  • Royal Doulton is an important &well respected name in English fine china.
  • It was established in London in 1815 but forced to move when new London regulations prohibited salt glaze production
  • This led to the closure of the Lambeth factory and the transfer of all production to ‘The Potteries’ in Stoke-on-Trent

Out & About Exploring Our Great City

Friday 30th March – Year 6 Trip to Stamford Bridge:
Last week as part of our PSHE topic Healthy Me, Year 6 visited Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea Football Club, to meet English former professional footballer, Paul Canoville. This was the second part of a workshop run by the historian Peter Daniel called ‘Black and Blue‘. A few weeks before, we’d learnt about Paul’s experiences as Chelsea’s first black football player. We were shocked to discover the racism he experienced from home fans, his subsequent battle with drugs and overcoming cancer three times. It was a very inspiring and thought provoking day. We learnt about the devastating impact that drugs can have on your life but also the positive changes that Paul has made since his rehabilitation, including setting up his own foundation to support young people.

Easter Holiday Camp

Easter Bonnet Competition

We are so egg-cited to be launching our Easter Bonnet competition again as the entries last year were truly egg-ceptional! 🙂

Time to dig out your glue guns, decorative material, feathers and other crafty pieces to start hatching your egg-citing bonnet designs! Parents & carers, please note that all entries should be designed and made by the children (with adult support only when needed).

But fear not, this year we’re going the egg-tra mile with a special parent category, so all you creative yolks can get in on the competition and design alongside your children at home.

Bonnets will be available to buy from the school office for £1 each on Monday 4th March. All competition entries must be submitted to school by 5pm on Wednesday 20th March.

The bonnets will be judged by externally, with winners announced & prizes awarded on Monday 25th March. All the bonnets will then be displayed as part of our Art Gallery installation from Monday 25th to Thursday 28th March in the First Floor Hall.

Happy crafting with this egg-tremely fun project 🙂

PE Lessons

Please ensure that your child is wearing the correct PE kit to school each week.

Pupils who are 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.

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).
  • Pupils in KS2 (Years 3 – 6) must wear a school navy sweatshirt for PE and NOT their school jumper.
  • Plain black trainers (velcro if your child struggles with shoe laces)
  • Please ensure all items of uniform are clearly labelled (with a permanent pen or label)

PE lessons are on:

  • Monday: Year 1, Year 4 (session 1)
  • Tuesday: Year 5
  • Wednesday: Year 4 (session 2) & Year 6
  • Thursday: Year 3
  • Friday:  Early Years, Year 2

Cashless Payments: Parent Portal on Arbor

On Monday 8th January, parents were sent a welcome email from Arbor via the school office email account. Please read this carefully, as it contains vital information of the steps required to download the Arbor app, which is now live and ready to use for our school.

Once you have downloaded the app and followed the setup steps, you will be able to pay online for the following:

  • Breakfast Club
  • After School Club (6 o’clock club)
  • School Trips and Visits
  • Nursery Extended Day Fees
  • Preschool Fees

You will also be able to view your child’s details held by the school, such as their attendance record  and the named adults allowed to collect them from school.  After the Easter Break, you will also be able to sign up and pay for Extended School Day (Enrichment) Clubs.

We understand that while paying online is the preferred option for many of our families, those wishing to continue paying by cash will still be able to do via the school office.

  • If you’re unable to download or log into the Arbor App, please contact the school office.
  • We hope that this will be a smooth transition, but as is often the case with new technology, there may be some disruptions so please bear with us during this process.

School Meals

If you would like your child to move from bringing a packed lunch to having a school meal, you must inform the office at least a week in advance of this change being made. Kindly note pupils are not allowed to alternate between having packed lunches and/or school meals on a daily or weekly basis. If you have any questions, please see a member of the school admin staff at the school office.

You can find the current school lunch menu here >

If you require a printed copy, please ask at the school office. Should you have any questions about the menu, kindly make an appointment to speak with Miss Barnett.

February 2024 half term vouchers for pupils eligible for FSM are available for collection from the school office.

Are you getting to school on time?

We have noticed several pupils are consistently late to school each day. It is essential that every child arrives at school by 08:45 so that they are in class and ready to learn at 09:00. If your punctuality has slipped recently, please ensure that you take steps to arrive in school on time after the February half term break.

Why good school attendance matters: Missing a few days of school here and there may not seem a big deal, but research shows that it can have a significant impact on children’s learning.

Children who miss a substantial amount of school fall behind their peers, and struggle to catch up. Most of the work they miss is never made up, which can lead to big gaps in their learning.

  • Poor attendance often starts at primary school and children who fall into this pattern are likely to under-achieve at secondary school.
  • Pupils who miss between 10 and 20% of school (that’s 19 – 38 days per year) stand only a 35% chance of achieving five or more good GCSEs, compared to 73% of those who miss fewer than 5% of school days.
  • An attendance rate of 95% is generally considered good; this allows for children to miss 9.5 days across the school year.
  • Persistent absence (PA) is defined as an attendance rate of 90% or below.
  • All pupils are expected to have an attendance rate of 95% or higher.

Attendance class of the week: Each week we will be celebrating the class with the highest attendance levels.

Did you know?!

  • 10 minutes late every day = 33 hours lost learning each year!
  • Lateness and absence has a significant impact not only on your child’s learning, but also others, as teachers may have to re-teach late arrivals to ensure they can participate in the lesson.
  • Remember pupils need to be in school by 08:55.
  • The pupil entrance gates open at 08:40.

Upcoming Events

March:

  • Tuesday 12th March: Proms Praise Concert at the Royal Albert Hall for Year 6 and the School Choir. Separate information with times etc has been sent to all pupils attending.
  • Friday 15th March: Red Nose Day: See next weeks newsletter for more details.
  • Wednesday 20th March: Last Day of Extended School Day Clubs @ 15:30 – 16:30.
  • Wednesday 20th March: Year 1 Trip to Hyde Park Lookout Centre (2/2 sessions)
  • Thursday 21st March: Spring Term Parent/Pupil Information Evening. Information on how you can sign up for these via the Arbor App will be sent out after the February half term break.
  • Friday 22nd March: INSET Day (school closed for all pupils)

March/April:

  • Monday 25th March: Year 4 & 5 showcase performance of the Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre!
  • Thursday 28th March: Early school finish @ 13:30 for the Easter Holidays
  • Friday 29th March – Friday 12th April: Easter Holidays

Term Dates 2023-2024

Please find here the agreed term dates set by our school’s Governing Body for the upcoming academic year, starting September 2023.

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 2023

Start of Term (for Years 1-6)

Tuesday

05 September 2023

To

Friday

20 October 2023

Half Term

Monday

23 October 2023

 

Friday

27 October 2023

Return on

Monday

30 October 2023

End of Term

Friday

22 December 2023

 

SPRING TERM 2024

Start of Term

Tuesday

09 January 2024

To

Friday

09 February 2024

Half Term

Monday

12 February 2024

 

Friday

16 February 2024

Return on

Monday

19 February 2024

End of Term

Thursday

28 March 2024

 

SUMMER TERM 2024

Start of Term

Monday

15 April 2024

To

Friday

24 May 2024

Half Term

Monday

27 May 2024

 

Friday

31 May 2024

Return on

Monday

03 June 2024

End of Term

Friday

24 July 2024

 

INSET DAYS
Teaching & Learning: Curriculum & Safeguarding

Monday

04 September 2023

Assessment & Pupil Progress

Friday

01 December 2023

Teaching & Learning TBC

Monday

08 January 2024

Teaching & Learning: Curriculum Map Autumn/Spring

Friday

22 March 2024

Teaching & Learning: Curriculum, Assessment & Pupil Progress

Friday

28 June 2024

BANK HOLIDAYS (school closed)
May Bank Holiday

Monday

06 May 2024

Community Corner

This week we are thinking about our mums!

We had a fantastic Mothering Sunday service in church on Wednesday, joined by a lovely audience of mums, grandmas and a sprinkling of dads.

Thank you so much to Mr Carden for preparing the children so well with the songs, and to the EYFS, Year 1 and 2 teachers and children for taking the lead in this wonderful service.

As we celebrate the mothers in our lives this weekend, we might be feeling a sense of loss for those no longer with us, or perhaps mums who live a long way away.

It is also important to acknowledge the people in our lives who ‘mother‘ us without being our parents and feel grateful for all those around us who guide and support us.

Class Assemblies:

  • 15th March: Year 3

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 only have a few places remaining in our early years provision for this academic year. Currently we have:

  • 1 full-time Preschool and 1 part-time afternoon places available (2-year olds)
  • 2 full-time Nursery (3-year olds) place available, and 1 part-time place (afternoon)
  • 4 Reception class places

If you are looking for a Preschool, Nursery or Reception place for your child from January 2024 or September 2024, 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 09:30 – 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:

In Preschool, we have been continuing learning all about colours in our world and have been learning to make our own colours too. We’ve had fun mixing our own paints and creating our own artwork from the colours we created. We went to the library to look at lots of different books displaying works by famous artist to inspire us. It’s been a fun week!

Nursery:

The Nursery children have delved into the world of 2D shapes, through hands-on exploration and activities. They’ve learnt to recognise, name, and distinguish between various 2D shapes such as circles, squares, triangles and rectangles. They’ve also enthusiastically crafted various farm animals using shapes, whilst at the same time igniting their creativity and mathematical understanding.

Reception:

Reception pupils were exploring process art this week. They listened to music by Benjamin Britten’s Four Sea Interludes and drew what they heard. This whimsical activity strengthened their core muscles through tummy drawing. It also engaged their expressive freedom, without the pressure on the final process but instead focussing on the act of creating something.

Year 1:

Year 1 have been busy in PSHE lessons learning all about ‘Keeping Healthy’. We learnt there are many different ways we can keep healthy, including the types of food we eat, how much sleep we need, our hygiene practices, exercise etc. Last week we looked at different foods and what we should be eating lots of every day, and those we should be eating less of.

Year 2:

Year 2 have been learning about how Mother’s Day is celebrated across the world annually and that it is a chance to celebrate and thank the special people that care for us. We discussed that for some, this is a mother or a grandmother, but others may celebrate their foster parents, grandparents, siblings or other people who love and support them. The pupils then got creative and showed their gratitude to their mothers by creating cards and writing down what makes them special. They shared their favourite ‘mum’ memories, for example going for a walk in the park, having a picnic, watching a movie, playing together, baking cupcakes, making art & crafts etc. We realised how important it is to have someone who values and views you as precious, who loves you no matter what and will always be there for you.

Year 3:

In Year 3, we have been learning about sustainability and what it means to look after the planet for future generations. We thought about how we could recycle at home and at school and how to conserve electricity by turning off appliances and lights when we are not using them. For our Sustainability display, we made origami boats from newspapers that Miss Mattey picked up on the way to school and recycled printed paper box lids. We used scraps of blue paper to collage the sea. We had a fun morning and Miss Mattey and Miss Corinne were proud of us. You are warmly invited to come and see our finished pieces hanging on display in our School Art Gallery, which will be running during the last week of this term (Monday 25th – Thursday 28th March).

Year 4:

It’s been another very busy week in Year 4. In Art lessons we have been drawing different animals; looking carefully at the details and tried to recreate them using pencil. There are many budding artists in Year 4! In English lessons, we have been continuing to read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, looking in detail at the exciting vocabulary Roald Dahl used in his writing.

Year 5:

This week, Year 5 have been learning to recognise the percent symbol (%) and understand that percent relates to ‘number of parts per hundred‘. They applied their understanding to writing percentages as a fraction with denominators of 10 and 100, and as a decimal. When they were ready, they were asked to solve more challenging problems involving questions with percentage and decimal equivalents of halves, quarters and fifths.

Year 6:

As Scientists this week, Year 6 have been learning all about the components in blood and their many different functions. Blood is made up of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma. We learnt that blood has a vital role in that it transports materials around the body and protects us against diseases. The different components that are found in blood have the following important functions:

  • Red blood cells: transport oxygen
  • White blood cells: protect against disease
  • Blood platelets: help the blood to clot and repair i.e. a wound
  • Plasma: a liquid that carries these cells, and which also transports important nutrients.

We also fun making our own ‘blood’ to represent each of these components to help us become more familiar with each part.