School Newsletter : 15 November 2024

| Issue 8 | Autumn 2 | Week 2 |

Out & About…

Monday 11th November: Year 5 Trip to The British Museum
We had an interesting time exploring the Anglo Saxon Galleries in the British museum, which helped us consolidate our learning of that time. We participated in a workshop about Ancient Greece and were able to explore replica artefacts and guess what they were used for. This was very educational experience and gave the class a great introduction to our new history topic. I am pleased to say that we received several positive comments about the children’s behaviour. Well done Year 5!

Friday 8th November Year 6 Trip to Westminster Abbey
As part of our History project, “Moving Away your Dust“, we have learnt about the stories of Private Ernest Boots and Walter Tull (footballer and Army Officer). As part of our visit, we were given the opportunity to place our own stain glass windows and a letter that we had written onto the tomb of the Unknown Solider. We then reflected on the sacrifices made not only of these two men, but of all those made by the many thousands of soldiers during both world wars. We also were given a tour of Westminster Abbey and learnt more about the people who are buried there. We even visited the memorial stone of Angela Burdett Coutts!

Thursday 14th November: Year 6 Trip to the Churchill War Rooms
This week as part of our work as Historians, we visited the Churchill War Rooms to learn more about Winston Churchill. He was the leader who led the United Kingdom (Great Britain) to victory during World War II. He was one of the greatest public speakers of his time. He was also a bold soldier and a gifted writer. This visit gave us the opportunity to walk through the top-secret corridors and glimpse what life would have been like during the tense days and nights of the Second World War.

Friday 15th November: Year 2 Trip to the Tower of London
Year 2 had an unforgettable visit to the Tower of London, where history truly came to life as they explored the story of the Great Fire of London. The adventure began as they crossed the imposing drawbridge, marvelling at the massive gates, heavy chains, and the impressive moat. During the visit, the children took part in an engaging workshop led by Penny, a silk merchant from 1666. Penny shared fascinating facts about life during the Great Fire, and she was delighted by how much knowledge Year 2 already had! The children explored the role of Samuel Pepys, discovering how his detailed diaries helped document the events of the fire in a way far more effective than simply telling the story.

They also had the chance to explore the historic White Tower and participate in a lively drama session with Penny, learning about the safe places Londoners fled to during the fire. In addition to delving into the Great Fire of London, the children made the most of their time at the Tower by speaking with a Yeoman Guard and visiting the breathtaking Crown Jewels exhibition. It was a truly enriching day, and while the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves, they were a little disappointed they couldn’t take a crown home as a souvenir!

Parent Teacher Meetings

Our Autumn term Parent Teacher Meetings will take place on Thursday 5 December.

Parents can book their meeting slots from 09:30 on Monday 11 November 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.

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.

BBC Children in Need – Fundraising Events

Due to the many exciting trips and visits taking place this and early next week, we will be holding our Children in Need Fundraising Events on Thursday 21st November so that all classes can be involved!

This will be a non-uniform day (for a gold coin donation), so please ensure that children are dressed warmly.

Cupcakes will be sold for 50p each and each key-stage will have a jar of ‘Guess the Number of Smarties’, which will also cost 50p per guess.

Thank you in advance for supporting this important national fundraising initiative!

WINTER is arriving next week!

The weather forecast for next week shows that winter is definitely arriving this weekend! The predictions are for daytime highs of around 5 – 7 degrees with overnight lows of 1 – 2 degrees.

To stay warm, all children must wear a jacket to school, and have a hat. Gloves and scarves are optional. Please ensure that pupils are now in their full winter uniform and no longer in their summer uniform options, including PE uniform.

Please also ensure all items of clothing including jumpers and sweaters are named!

Many thanks for your cooperation.

Biscuit Bytes

Woof….

Happy Friday everyone – what a busy week this has been!

We began with a reflective Remembrance Day service on Monday, where we had the opportunity to give thanks to those who make the ultimate sacrifice in periods of war and conflict, to safeguard all the freedoms we enjoy. It was wonderful to see all the beautiful poppies the pupils had created as part of their learning linked to this important day.

Thank you to Zac Saville, the wonderful young student from Westminster School who came to play The Last Post and Reveille, he was simply pawsome!

We have lots of pupils out and about in our amazing city this week, exploring museums, castles and underground bunkers! Thank you for your ongoing support with all the external learning opportunities the school provides for the children – I just wish I was allowed to go to more!🐶

I have heard that its going to get much colder next week…..brrrrrr! So please wrap up warm and remember your hats and coats! I am definitely going to have remember my winter jacket as well!

Have a wonderful weekend, keep warm and enjoy the frosty mornings!

Love Biscuit x

Collection Times

Parents and carers, please ensure that your child/ren are collected on time each day.

We are experiencing a high volume of late collection, especially with pupils in our After School Club. Kindly note that the club finishes at 6pm, so you will need to be here to collect your children prior to this time.

We appreciate that there are occasions when you may be delayed. On these occasions, please contact the school office to inform them of your expected time of arrival.

Regrettably, late fees will be issued to families who persistently collect their child/ren after their allocated finishing times.

If you are having trouble with childcare for any reason, please make an appointment to meet with a member of the Schools Leadership Team (Ms Barnett & Mrs Li Rosi) or the school Pastoral Support Manager (Mrs Deary).

Class Assembly & Collective Worship Services: Autumn 2024

All parents & carers are invited to attend the following services, unless specified differently eg: Year 6 parents & carers only etc. If you’re attending, please ensure that all mobile phones are either switched off or on silent mode.

Please also ensure that you arrive on time as you will not be able to join assemblies or services once they have begun. This is to ensure that those speaking or performing are not distracted by late arrivers.

Kindly note that we will not be able to make any exceptions, so please be aware of arrival times, traffic/travel conditions etc so as to avoid any disappointment.

A reminder that any photos taken are not permitted to be uploaded to public social media sites.

DATE  SERVICE/ASSEMBLY DETAILS & TIMINGS
Friday 22 November Year 6 Class Assembly For Year 6 parents & carers only. Please arrive and wait in the Ground Floor Hall by 09:00. A member of staff will let you know when to proceed up to the First Floor Hall to take your seats.
Friday 29 November INSET DAY SCHOOL CLOSED TO ALL STUDENTS
Friday 6 December Key Stage 2 Nativity For KS2 parents & carers only. The nativity is from 14:30 – 15:15 and will be held at St Stephen’s Church. The doors will open at 14:20 and close at 14:30.
Friday 13 December EYFS & Key Stage 1 Nativity For EYFS & KS1 parents & carers only. The nativity is from 14:30 – 15:15 and will be held at St Stephen’s Church. The doors will open at 14:20 and close at 14:30.
Friday 20 December Christingle Service For all parents & carers. The service is from 10:15 – 11:15, and will be held in school.

PE Lessons

Please note a change of day for Reception PE lessons.  Pupils will now have their PE lesson each Friday starting from Friday 15th November.

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.

Autumn Term PE Lessons:

  • Monday: Year 4
  • Tuesday: Year 3
  • Wednesday:  Year 5
  • Thursday: Year 6
  • Friday: Reception, Years 1 & 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.

Please join in our next meeting to discuss our upcoming event, the Christmas Fair on 18 December @ 15:30 – 17:30. Everyone is welcome, and your energy & support is very much needed!

Meeting dates (Wednesdays):

  • 20th November
  • 4th December
  • 11th December

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

November:

  • Monday 18th November: Year 3 Trip to The British Museum @ 09:00 – 15:00.
  • Thursday 21st November:  BBC Children in Need Fundraising Event
  • Monday 25th November: Year 4 Trip to The British Museum @ 09:00 – 15:00.
  • Tuesday 26th November: Year 1 Trip to The National Portrait Gallery (Significant People Exhibition) @ 09:00 – 15:00.
  • Thursday 28th November: Year 6 visiting The Abbey Centre, as part of the “Moving Away Your Dust Project” @ 10:00 – 12:30
  • Friday 29th November: INSET Day, school closed for pupils.

December:

  • Monday 2nd December: 9 Lessons Carol Service at St. John’s Smith Square Church @ 09:30 – 11:00. Parents are warmly invited to attend and we asked that you are seated in the church by 09:20
  • Thursday 5th December: Parents Evening
  • Friday 6th December: KS2 Christmas Nativity, starting at 14:30 in St. Stephens Church.
  • Wednesday 11th December:  Christmas Jumper Day
  • Wednesday 11th December:  KS2 (Year 3 – 6) Disco @ 17:00 – 19:00
  • Thursday 12th December:  Children’s Christmas Lunch
  • Friday 13th December: EYFS & KS1 Christmas Nativity, starting at 14:30 in St. Stephens Church.
  • Wednesday 18th December:  School Christmas Fair @ 15:30 – 17:30
  • Friday 20th December: School closes for the Christmas Holidays @ 13:30.

Term Dates 2024-2025

Please find here the agreed term dates set by our school’s Governing Body for the upcoming academic year, starting September 2024.

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:

  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:

Reception class:

  • 2 places

Nursery Class (3-year olds):

  • 2 full-time places
  • 2 part-time place (afternoon)

 Preschool (2-year olds)

  • 1 full-time place (starting now)
  • 2 part-time places (starting now)
  • 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.

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, our preschoolers have been diving into the story Owl Babies, bringing it to life through imagination and role play! The children enjoyed using puppets to act out scenes from the story, taking on the roles of the owl mother and her three babies. It’s been a joy watching them step into character, as they explored themes of family, comfort, and reassurance. By acting out the roles of the owl family, they’re building their social and emotional understanding, learning empathy, and practicing the expression of feelings like concern, love, and relief. As they role-played caring for babies in the home corner, they practiced nurturing and responsibility, working together to create their own little families. These experiences are not only enhancing their storytelling abilities but also supporting language development, creativity, and cooperative play.

Nursery:

This week’s tuff tray activity was all about creativity and imagination! Inspired by our story Leaf Man, the children explored foam, paint, and lots of sparkly glitter, mixing them together with paintbrushes to create vibrant textures and colours. They used their imaginations to think about the many colours of leaves and how each one can be so unique. It was a fantastic sensory experience that brought Leaf Man to life and allowed the children to express their creativity in a fun, hands on way!

Reception:

This week in Reception, the children were thrilled to explore their creative sides with Binca squares, plastic needles, and thread! Through this activity, they practiced fine motor skills, concentration, and hand-eye coordination while creating wonderful patterns. It was fantastic to see their confidence grow as they worked carefully and patiently. These moments of hands-on learning spark both creativity and essential skill-building in such a fun way.

Year 1:

In Science lessons this week, we have had fun continuing our learning about materials. We have been exploring materials that float, and materials that sink; and enjoyed predicting and investigating why different materials float or sink.

Year 2:

Year 2 students have been delving into the dramatic events of the Great Fire of London, which devastated the city in 1666. As Writers, children have been working towards writing their own recounts of this historic disaster. To prepare for this task, children began by comparing and analysing the key features of a recount, such as past tense, time connectives, and clear sequencing. They then became historical detectives and embarked on a time-travel adventure to 1666 to gather the facts they needed for their own retellings. Using story mapping to organise their ideas, they reconstructed the events of the Great Fire, ensuring their recounts had detail and well-structured sequencing.

Year 3:

Year 3 are working hard this term! We are loving our history topic of the Ancient Egyptians and how it intertwines with our Writing topic. We have started planning our comics about the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb by Howard Carter, Hussein Abdel Rasoul and Lord Carnarvon. We are finishing up our Maths topic about addition and subtraction and will then be moving on to multiplication and division. We are very busy learning our lines for the nativity play and some of us have even memorised them! We can’t wait to share this with you.

Year 4:

In commemoration of Remembrance Day this week, we created some amazing artwork. We started by discussing the significance of the day and why we remember those soldiers that fought in the war. Along with making poppies to wear on Remembrance Day, we created a sunset artwork. The artwork aligned perfectly with what we have been doing during art lessons and the children blended and shaded using oil pastels. They turned out beautifully and the children were able to showcase their creativity with their own unique touches.

Year 5:

We are really enjoying delving into our new Science topic which explains and explores how we change through our lives; from gestation to birth and beyond, as we journey through life. Parents & carers, we all have interesting stories to share, and it would be deeply appreciated if you could send in some photographs for an upcoming class display.

Year 6:

This week in Maths we have continued our learning of fractions. We have been focusing on adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators, using our knowledge of times tables to find a common denominator. We then applied this knowledge to converting improper fractions to mixed fractions and vice versa. This is an area which we will continue to revisit in our daily fluent in five as it has been a little tricky for us.