School Newsletter : 24 July 2024
| Issue 37 | Summer 2 | Week 7 |
Happy Holidays: Have a wonderful summer break!
As we come to the end of the academic year, on behalf of our governors and trustees, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in our school community – parents & carers, pupils and staff – for your continued support.
The children have worked incredibly hard throughout the year, coming to school with a commendable positive daily attitude. They have absolutely thrived, and as a result, we have so much to celebrate and be proud of. A special well done to our hardworking Year 2 and Year 6 children on their fabulous SATs results. You all did incredibly well, and we are so very proud of you.
I’d also like to thank our amazing PTA – The Friends of Burdett-Coutts – who have worked tirelessly throughout the year realising events and raising money for our school to help enrich our children’s opportunities.
To all our staff at Burdett-Coutts, thank you for continuing to be so incredibly dedicated and hardworking, and for always putting the children first.
Our school is such a special place and that is directly because of the warm, supportive and joyous school community we have; from our children to parents & carers, to staff, governors and trustees. Thank you to all of you.
We wish you a fantastic summer. Please keep safe, and we look forward to seeing you all again in September, ready for another amazing year.
2024 Outcomes: A cause for celebration!
We are delighted to publish the following outcomes for our pupils, alongside the national comparisons.
| Reception: Good Level of Development (GLD) |
|---|
| Burdett-Coutts: 76% |
| National: 68% |
| Year 1 Phonics Check |
|---|
| Burdett-Coutts: 83% |
| National: 80% |
| KS1 Year 2 SATs Outcomes | ||||||||
| Expected Standard (EXS) | Greater Depth (GD) | |||||||
| Reading | Writing | Maths | RWM (EXS) | Reading | Writing | Maths | RWM (GD) | |
| Burdett-Coutts | 83% | 78% | 83% | 78% | 44% | 28% | 39% | 28% |
| National | 71% | 62% | 71% | 57% | 19% | 8% | 16% | 6% |
| KS2 Year 6 SATs Outcomes | ||||||||||
| Expected Standard (EXS) | Higher Standard (HS) | |||||||||
| Reading | Writing | Maths | SPAG | RWM (EXS) | Reading | Writing | Maths | SPAG | RWM (HS) | |
| Burdett-Coutts (13/15) | 87% | 80% | 87% | 87% | 80% | 47% | 33% | 33% | 73% | 13% |
| Burdett-Coutts (13/13) | 100% | 92.3% | 100% | 100% | 92.3% | 53.8% | 38.5% | 38.5% | 84.6% | 15.3% |
| National | 74% | 72% | 73% | 72% | 28% | TBC | 12% | 23% | 31% | 7% |
Summer Holiday Camp
Out and About……
Tuesday 16th July: Westminster Almshouses Foundation Founders Day Service
On Tuesday 16th July, twenty children from Year Six and the Choir Club, together with Miss Sweeney and Mr Carden, represented our school at the Founders’ Day service of the historic Westminster Almshouses Foundation, in St. Stephen’s church. The service was led by Graham Buckle, and the Deputy Lord Mayor of Westminster attended. We sang two anthems, The Lord is my shepherd by Howard Goodall, and The Lord bless you and keep you by John Rutter. Several of the congregation, and the visiting preacher The Reverend Canon Jack Noble, came to congratulate us on our singing afterwards, as did Mr Matthew Blaiden, who was playing the organ.
Wednesday 17th July: Year 1 Trip to the Sealife London Aquarium
Year 1 had a great trip to the London Aquarium last week and loved making connections with what we have been learning in class. Some favourite sea creatures were the sharks, stingrays and penguins. We even got to see the penguins having their lunch!
Thursday 17th July: Year 6 trip to the London Film Institute
Year 6 enjoyed a fabulous visit the British Film Institute to showcase the film that they made as part of the ‘Moving Away Your Dust‘ project. They also performed a song about a dustman called Ernest Boots alongside the songwriter Vincent Burke. We felt extremely proud to see our film on screen and also to see some of the people that we interviewed again. The project helped to build upon our confidence and taught us how to collaborate effectively with our peers to produce an excellent result – our very own film!
Friday 19th July: Year 6 Trip to Rochester Cathedral
On Friday 19th November twelve members of Year Six, together with Miss Sweeney, Mr Carden, Miss Fatma and Father David, the new curate at St Stephen’s, and Father David’s wife, Miss Fran visited Rochester Cathedral. We learnt a lot about the history of the second oldest cathedral in the UK. We were allowed the privilege of sitting in the choirstalls, and we sang ‘A new commandment’ to the other people in the building. We were shown the Foundation Book in which were the signatures of both Mr Carden (when he was the Head Chorister) and Father David (when he was a King’s Scholar). After a picnic lunch in brilliant sunny weather, we visited Rochester Castle which is almost 1,000 years old. It is a magnificent, ruined fortress, and is approximately 113 ft high. We finished our day with ice creams in the castle grounds before travelling back to London by train.
Screen time over the Summer Holidays
It is understandable that over the summer holidays, your children may be requesting to use screens more than they usually would. It is important that children are not spending prolonged periods of time in front of screens, as this has a negative impact on their physical and mental health. Please follow the “Screen” mnemonic below to support your children to develop healthy screen habits over the summer holidays and beyond.
Screen Free Zones:
Agree together specific times of day that will be completely screen free. For example, you could choose to go screen-free during mealtimes, for family games night, or the hour before going to bed. You may also wish to consider making specific areas of the house screen free, for example bedrooms. Remember, this rule is for everyone, including you!
Communicate
Communication is key. Talk about what you and your child(ren) enjoy doing online and sit together, whilst they are online, engaging in open dialogue about what you are doing. Encourage your child(ren) to speak to you if they see anything online that makes them uncomfortable or that they feel is wrong.
Be Realistic
Be realistic with your expectations and any rules you have set. It will not always be possible to stick to strict time boundaries for screen time. There will be times it suits everyone to have a little extra screen time and other times when less screen time will be necessary. Sometimes you may need to be flexible with your boundaries.
LEad by example
Stick to the screen free zones you have agreed to as a family and be sure to actively engage with your child during offline activities. Demonstrate the importance of a healthy online/ offline balance by engaging in a range of non-screen activities for yourself and your family. Our children watch and copy our behaviours, so try to avoid using your device as much as you can around your child to ensure they feel seen, heard and loved.
Consider their Engagement
Look at how your child is engaging with online platforms and how they are spending their time engaging with devices. Talk to your children about this. Screens can form a very valuable part of your child’s world, but it is important to ensure they are participating in age-appropriate activities
Look at how your child is engaging with online platforms and how they are spending their time engaging with devices. Talk to your children about this. Screens can form a very valuable part of your child’s world, but it is important to ensure they are participating in age-appropriate activities.
Take Notice
Take notice of any changes in your child’s behaviour or demeanour. Be aware of the warning signs of too much time on screens and be prepared to re-evaluate your family agreement as needed. Familiarise yourself with how you can identify changes in behaviour and recognise signs of screens having a negative impact on your child.
Accelerated Reader Program
We are very excited to announce that we are now part of the Accelerated Reader program, for children in Years 1 to 6.
Accelerated Reader encourages children to read regularly, while ensuring that they bring home a book appropriate to their reading level. There are three steps to the program:
1. Pupils complete a star assessment which informs us of their reading level
2. They choose a reading book from the library, appropriate to their reading level
3. After they’ve read the book, they complete an online quiz about the it. The children earn points for the quizzes that they complete.
Pupils can log into the Accelerated Reader portal @ https://global-zone61.renaissance-go.com/welcomeportal/2243804
They can also log in by clicking on the Accelerated Reader link found at the top right hand corner of our website (in between Staff Login and Sooper Books).
Please click the image below for information about Accelerated Reader, or click here for a PDF >
Upcoming Events
July:
- Wednesday 24th July @ 13:30: School ends for the Summer Holidays
September:
- Monday 2nd September: INSET Day. School open to staff only.
- Tuesday 3rd September: Pupils in Years 1 – 6 start school at 08:45.
- Tuesday 3rd September: Breakfast Club begins for registered pupils from 07:45.
- Tuesday 3rd September: After School Club (6 o’clock club) begins for registered pupils – 15:30 – 18:00.
- Wednesday 4th September: Existing pupils starting Nursery and Reception Classes begin at 08:45.
- Thursday 5th September: New Nursery and Reception Pupils begin at 08:45.
- Friday 6th September: New Nursery and Reception Pupils begin at 08:45.
- Wednesday 11th September: Year 3 Trip to Fulham Palace (Stone Age Focus).
- Thursday 12th September: Year 6 Trip to the Imperial War Museum.
- Thursday 12th September: Year 4 Trip to Fulham Palace (Romans Focus).
- Tuesday 17th September: Year 4 Trip to the British Museum.
- Monday 23rd September: Year 2 Trip to the Kings Gallery at Buckingham Palace.
- Tuesday 24th & Wednesday 25th: Individual and Sibling Photographs.
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 have the following availability for places in our Early Years provision from September 2024:
Reception class:
- 2 places
Nursery Class (3-year olds):
- 3 full-time places
- 1 part-time place (afternoon)
Preschool (2-year olds)
- 2 full-time places (1 from January 2025)
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.
- 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:
What a lovely year Preschool have had! We have dived into exploring and learning all about different animals, the sea, transport, and plants, learning new skills and information. It has been so much fun making new friends and trying various activities like painting, crafting, planting, music making and cooking. We are looking forward to our summer break!
Nursery:
This year Nursery have been on an incredible journey filled with fun and learning. The children have delighted in exploring amazing stories and engaging in many fun opportunities designed to foster their independence as learners. From re-telling stories to using their imagination to create their own stories, our little ones have blossomed in creativity and confidence. We also began our phonics journey, with the children enthusiastically identifying sounds and laying the foundation for their future reading skills. As we look back on this wonderful year, we celebrate the curiosity, joy, and growth that each child has experienced.
Reception:
This has been such a transformative year for our Reception children. Beginning as little saplings, they have grown into sturdy trees, ready for KS1 with strong community roots and lifelong friendships from their time in Burdett-Coutts EYFS. They have mastered phonics, enabling them to express their ideas in writing, and tackled abstract mathematical concepts, learning the bonds and connections of numbers. They engaged in artistic provocations, scientific experiments, and discussions on diverse topics, from culture to Bog Babies. Our children have shown remarkable character and joy in learning, setting the foundation to be lifelong learners who cherish education.
Year 1:
Year 1 have had a really great year, learning to be confident readers and writers and also how to add numbers together, counting on and back from a given number. We have enjoyed learning all about Florence Nightingale in History, the UK in Geography and finally Plants and Animals in our Science lessons. We have matured so much over the year and are ready to move into Year 2. We wish you all the best for a fantastic year and all the new challenges to come.
Year 2:
What an extraordinary and eventful year Snow Class has had! They have embarked on remarkable journeys through time and imagination, to explore the Great Fire of London in 1666, as well as venturing to Kenya with their families and the whole school on a flight with Year 2 Airways where they enjoyed an educational tour experience about the country. They also loved reading stories, especially ‘Clean up‘ and ‘The Journey Home‘ which served as a reminder of the devastating effects of plastic pollution, and what can happen to endangered animals if we don’t take care of our planet. On Odd Socks Day we had the opportunity to express ourselves and celebrate our individuality, reading ‘What Makes Me a Me‘ and ‘All the Ways to be Smart‘ as a reminder to celebrate who we are, and what makes us ‘GREAT’ and UNIQUE.
The Christmas season brought joy and togetherness as we created our display focused on Christmas in Victorian times, performed the Christmas story in front of a packed church with a brilliant audience, enjoyed a delicious Christmas lunch, the visit of the mischievous Elf on the Shelf and learnt about the true meaning of the season; opening our hearts and sharing our love with friends and family.
We also enjoyed wonderful trips to Kensington Palace where we delved into the history of Queen Victoria, exploring the Tower of London, becoming Biologists at the London Aquarium, chefs at Pizza Express, and simply having some fun time at the local parks. The children have worked incredibly hard this year and we are so happy with the progress they have made and how grown up they all are. It has been an absolute pleasure to teach them, and we wish them the very best as they move on to Year 3 with their new teacher. Have a great summer holiday!
Year 3:
Newton Class have had an amazing year and have all worked very hard. We have accomplished many new skills and lots of new knowledge throughout the topics studied across the year. We have matured and grown together as a team, working hard and acknowledging the merits of collaboration. The trips we have been on this year have been super fun, giving us opportunities to learn in and out of the classroom. Miss Mattey and Miss Corinne wish you all the best for Year 4 and beyond.
Year 4:
Year 4 have seen some teaching changes over the year but have handled these with maturity and resilience. They started the year with some brilliant trips, including to Fulham Palace to discover more about The Romans in London. After Christmas they ramped up their efforts on the Disney Lion King project with Year 5, culminating in three incredible in-school performances to delighted audiences of family, friends and staff, before wowing us in their showcase at The Lyceum Theatre in March. They continued to work their socks off in the Summer Term and performed well in the national Multiplication Test, which will stand them in good stead for their future mathematical endeavours. They also thoroughly enjoyed their block of swimming lessons. Well done Year 4! You have been a small but perfectly formed class and we wish you all the very best for a bright future in Year 5 and beyond. Have a great summer.
Year 5:
We are at the end of a very busy year, and we can’t believe that the children will be moving on to Year 6 for their final year of primary school! We have thoroughly enjoyed witnessing their growth and development. The children have particularly enjoyed their swimming lessons and are proud of their achievements, especially taking part in the Disney Musicals in Schools programme and of course, performing in The Lion King at The Lyceum Theatre. More recently, they took part in The Young City Makers Project run by Westminster Council and had the opportunity to create a model of their future vision of our school, working alongside a team of professional architects. Having tea in The Lord Mayor’s Parlour, was a particular privilege and it was fantastic to receive an award for our modelling. We have enjoyed reading a variety of texts, which inspired some great writing, particularly related to the adventure stories, such as Beowulf and Odysseus. In History, they’ve loved learning about Ancient Greek culture and were very enthusiastic about learning about Spain in Geography. We are especially pleased with their overall development in Maths, where they continue to work on increasingly challenging problem solving. Well done Year 5! We wish you all a restful, peaceful and enjoyable Summer Holiday and look forward to seeing you all again in September.
Year 6:
What a way to end the year with not one, but two trips! First a visit to Rochester Cathedral & Castle and then to the British Film Institute. We’d like to congratulate the children for all of their hard work and resilience over the course of the year, and their excellent SATS results. We wish them all the best of luck and happiness on their new journey to secondary school, and we’re sure that they will all go on to achieve wonderful things!