School Newsletter : 26 April 2024

| Issue 26 | Summer 1 | Week 2 |

Run Kids Run: Donate via Just Giving!

We are so excited about the  Run Kids Run event this weekend at Battersea Park on Sunday 28th April.  We have an amazing 60 pupils running in this event and can’t wait to see you there.

Don’t forget to collect your donations via the Friends of Burdett-Coutts Just Giving page @ www.justgiving.com/campaign/runbcrun

All funds raised will be donated directly to our school:

  • Sponsorship can be made via the Friends of Burdett-Coutts Just Giving page
  • Simply go to: www.justgiving.com/campaign/runbcrun
  • We hope to have the sandpit completed in the May half term & place the orders for the play equipment & seating areas.

Community Corner

We continued our post-Easter theme this week in church, with the reading taken from Luke 24:36-48, revisiting the friends of Jesus who had met him on their walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus.

The friends had thought they had seen a ghost as they knew their friend Jesus was dead. He said to them, “Why are you frightened? Why do you doubt what you see?”

Graham asked who of us is afraid of ghosts, or watches Dr Who from behind the sofa? He told us that it’s ok to be afraid but to always remember that God journeys with us and is there even when we don’t recognise him.

Graham then read us a beautiful poem, author unknown.

One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord,
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.

For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.
After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.

I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
Especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
There was only one set of footprints.

This troubled me, so I asked the Lord,
“Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You would walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
There was only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”

He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you,
Never ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you.”

Prayer:

Father God, when I am afraid and doubt that you care for me,
I pray that I would know your presence with me.
Amen

Class Assemblies:

Fridays @ 9am. Please be seated in the First Floor Hall by 9am:

  • 3rd May: Year 2
  • 10th May: Year 1
  • 24th May: Year 4
  • 14th June: Year 6
  • 21st June: Year 3
  • 5th July: Year 5
  • 19th July: Nursery & Reception

Community Questions:

  • Have you ever been scared when you first saw something you didn’t understand? (People fainted when they first saw escalators and trains!)
  • Why were the disciples sacred when they first saw Jesus?
  • Do you think Jesus rose from the dead?

Challenge:

  • Tell someone you trust about the things that scare you
  • Comfort/encourage someone who is afraid.

Westminster Family Practitioners Information Events

Do you have concerns about ADHD in your child?

Westminster’s Family Practitioners are hosting two information events for parents, one face-to-face and another held online. These events are FREE but you must book your place by clicking on the links below:

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 next planning meeting will be on Thursday 2nd May @ 09:00 – 10:00 in the Ground Floor Hall.

All are welcome – please come along and join us, your energy & support is very much needed!

Meeting dates:

  • Thursday 2nd May

Upcoming events:

  • Thursday 2nd May @ 15:30: Cake Bake Sale
  • Friday 17th May: International Evening
  • Saturday 6th July: Summer Fair

Upcoming Events

April:

  • Sunday 29th April: Run Kids Run Event 14:00 – 16:00 at the Millennium Arena Battersea Park.

May:

  • Thursday 2nd May @ 15:30 – 16:45: PTA Cake Bake Fundraising Sale
  • Monday 6th May: School Closed (May Bank Holiday)
  • Wednesday 8th May @ 10:00 – 13:30:  Y5 participating in Young City Makers Project at the National Gallery
  • Monday 13th – Thursday 16th May KS2 SATs Week: Wishing all pupils the very best of luck this week 🙂
  • Wednesday 22nd May: Year 4 Trip to the Science Museum.
  • Monday 27th May – Friday 31st May: May Half Term Holiday (School Closed)

June:

  • Monday 3rd June – Friday 14th June: Year 4 Multiplication Test Check Window Good luck to all pupils completing this test 🙂
  • Monday 10th – Friday 14th June: Year 1 Phonics Screening Check Week. Wishing Year 1 lots of luck with this assessment 🙂

June (continued):

  • Thursday 20th June @ 14:00 – 15:00: Reception Open Afternoon for September 2024 Reception Starters
  • Thursday 27th June @ 09:00 – 10:00: EYFS Stay and Play Morning
  • Thursday 27th June @ 15:00 – 18:00: Year 5 at Young City Makers Project at City Hall
  • Friday 28th June: Staff INSET Day School Closed for pupils. 
  • Saturday 29th June: PTA Summer Fair.

July:

  • Friday 12th July @ 14:30 – 15:15: Years 6 Leavers Service in St. Stephens Church
  • Tuesday 16th July: Alms House Founders Day Service at St. Stephens Church.
  • Friday 19th July: Year 6 Trip to Rochester Cathedral
  • Wednesday 24th July @ 13:30: School ends for the Summer Holidays

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 Days:

  • Monday: Year 4
  • Tuesday: Year 2
  • Wednesday: Reception & Year 5
  • Thursday: Year 3
  • Friday: Year 6

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.

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

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 have the following availability for places in our Early Years provision from September 2024:

Reception class:

  • 2 places

Nursery Class (3-year olds):

  • 10 full-time places
  • 3 part-time places (afternoon)

 Preschool (2-year olds)

  • 2 full-time places (from September 2024)
  • 3 part-time afternoon places available NOW

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 10:30 – 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 this week, we have been continuing our adventures and explorations of our class text, ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’. We’ve been busy planning a delightful teddy bear picnic, crafting our very own binoculars for our bear hunt expeditions, and using play dough to bring our story to life. Plus, we’ve been enjoying the fresh air with plenty of outdoor playtime!

Nursery:

This week in Nursery, one of our many highlights was the creative session with clay, where the children moulded spiders, inspired by the story ‘Arghhh Spider’. Through hands-on exploration, they brought the story to life by crafting their own creepy crawlers. This engaging activity not only sparked their imagination but also enhanced their storytelling skills as they eagerly retold the story.

Reception:

The boys in Reception decided to spend part of their free flow time this week engaging in a storytelling session. They independently wrote their own stories and really enjoyed sharing them with their friends. They even positioned themselves in the story corner to make it as authentic as possible. We loved eavesdropping on their stories 🙂

Year 1:

Year 1 have been excited about their new art topic this term: 3D sculpting. We talked about what 3D means and the different ways artists create sculptures. We made our own 3D tower art and talked about what the different shapes could look like or be used for. Some of us thought the tubes could be the tall buildings all around London!

Year 2:

As Mathematicians, Year 2 have been working extremely hard to learn to tell time using an analogue clock. The week before, pupils focused on the language of ‘o’clock‘, ‘half past‘, ‘quarter-past‘ and ‘quarter-to‘. This week, they have been telling and writing the time to five-minute intervals, both past and to the hour, and drawing the hands on a clock face to show these times. They’ve also focused on using the fact that there are 60 minutes in an hour, to work out lengths of time greater than one hour, and to compare durations of times written in different ways.

Year 3:

Newton Class have been busy as geographers and artists this week! We are looking at how and why London has changed over the past 2000 years since Roman times. We went for a walk in our local area to compare older buildings and new ones. We looked for clues in what the buildings are made of; often newer building are made of metal and glass, whereas older buildings are made of bricks. We then drew pictures from the photos we took and made a display. We loved this walk and are very proud of our drawings.

Year 4:

This week, Year 4 have been busy reading their core text, The Iron Man. They have been busy exploring the vocabulary within the story, thinking about the central character Hogarth and writing diary entries as Hogarth. The children have thought carefully about their choice of vocabulary, using ambitious words to write about the events of the Iron Man story.

Year 5:

This week, we have written some fantastic character descriptions about one of the characters from our class text, Street Child, called Mr Spinks. We have used figurative language, such as noun phrases, similes and metaphors and the technique of showing, rather than telling what a person is like. Ask your child to describe Mr Spinks to you.

Year 6:

This week in English, we have been writing diary entries from the perspective of the main character Auggie in our class text, Wonder. Our focus was to describe the build up to and including his first day at school. Auggie has a condition called Treacher Collins Syndrome which has meant having 27 surgeries and been home schooled all his life. Therefore, we have tried to use emotive language to portray the significance of him starting school but also included humour, as this is how Auggie copes when faced with challenges.