School Newsletter : 26 September 2025

| Issue 4 | Autumn 1 | Week 4 |

MacMillan Fundraising Event & School Open Morning

A HUGE thank you to all parents, carers and extended family members who came along to our Open Morning and MacMillan Coffee Morning on Thursday this week. What a wonderful start to the day!

The classes and corridors were buzzing with laughter, discussions and energetic energy as pupils made the most of the opportunity to share their learning environments and classwork with their families.

School staff also really enjoyed the chance to meet new family members, as well as catch up with others and informally chat about the learning happening within the classroom and in school.

It was wonderful to see so many parents & carers stop after in the First Floor Hall to meet and mingle with other parents, and to sample the wonderful array of tea, coffee and cake!

We raised £260.00 which will be donated to MacMillan Cancer Research. Thank you once again for your generous support with national fund-raising events.

We look forward to seeing you at our next school event 🙂

Harvest

Our Harvest Service will be on Wednesday 8th October at 10:00 in St. Stephens Church.

Parents & carers, if you’re attending, please be seated by 09:55. A kind remember to please switch your phones off during the service.

We are still collecting items of non-perishable food items, sanitary and toiletry products and infant care products for our Harvest Collection this year.

Please bring any contributions to school by 09:00 on Tuesday 7th October and place it on our Harvest table just by the Ground Floor Hall doors (internal doors).

Thank you in advance.

Reminders:

  • All donations will be given to a local charity to assist those requiring additional support at this time.

Animal Blessing Service

Annual Blessing of the Animals Service at St. Stephens Church: Tuesday 6th October @ 18:30 – 19:15

Reminders:

  • All families and pets are warmly welcomed to attend this wonderful service
  • Biscuit looks forward to seeing you there 🐶

Google Classroom and IXL Access

Nursery to Year 6 parents & carers will have all received their child(ren)’s Reading Record Book, which contains their login details for Google Classroom. This can be found on the inside of the front cover.

Your child(ren)’s Google Classroom are where all updates are posted, where homework is published, and where weekly floor book updates (for the Early Years) are shared.

Additionally for pupils in Years 1 – 6, also stuck inside the cover of their Reading Record Book, are their IXL login details which they will require to access their Maths and SPAG homework tasks.

When logging in to your child’s Google Classroom, please ensure any other Gmail accounts are signed out of. Alternatively please open in a new browser.

Reminders:

  • Please ensure you have logged in so you can receive this information.
  • Please email or contact the school office if you have any issues.

School & PE Uniform:

Please ensure that your children are wearing the correct school uniform to school each day. It is important that all pupils are also wearing the correct school shoes – which are black shoes, and not trainers.

The Autumn/Winter term uniform options for pupils in Nursery to Year 6 are:

Girls:

  • Dark grey trousers, skirt or skort
  • Long-sleeve white shirt (Years 3 – 6)
  • White school logo polo shirt (Nursery – Year 2)
  • Tie (Years 3 – 6)
  • V-neck navy school logo jumper (Years 3 – 6)
  • Navy logo school sweatshirt (Nursery to Year 2)
  • Blazer (Year 6 only)
  • Plain black shoes (not trainers)

Boys:

  • Dark grey shorts or trousers
  • Long-sleeve white shirt (Years 3 – 6)
  • White school logo polo shirt (Nursery – Year 2)
  • Tie (Yers 3 -6)
  • V-neck navy school logo jumper (Years 3 – 6)
  • Navy school logo sweatshirt (Nursery to Year 2)
  • Blazer (Year 6 only)
  • Plain black shoes (not trainers)

On PE days, pupils must wear the school PE kit only.

This is especially important for safety.  Having the correct shoes for physical activities, and clothing that is not restrictive, for completing physical activity are essential for helping us to ensure pupils complete all PE lessons safely.

The Autumn/Winter term PE kit for all pupils from Year Reception to Year 6 consists of:

  • A school navy logo t-shirt
  • Navy  leggings, tracksuit bottoms or skort (no logos etc)
  • Plain black trainers
  • A school logo sweatshirt (not the v-neck jerseys for KS2 pupils. Sweatshirts are available from the school office in KS2 sizes).

Please note that pupils who do not have the correct PE kit will not be able to participate in their PE lesson. They will be given alternate work to do, and a note will be sent home highlighting why they were not able to complete their lesson that day.

We thank you in advance in supporting our school’s uniform policies.

Reading Books & Book Bags

Thank you to all pupils and parents who have ensured that they have book bags organised for the school year.

Looking after our school books:

1. Please do not put water bottles, clothing etc in your child’s book bag.

  • The purpose of the book bag is to protect the book from damage, keeping it flat and not allowing the pages to become damaged (ripped/torn or bent)
  • This ensures the book has a long life and is in good condition for all users across the years.

2. Please note that book bags need to come to school everyday.

  • The books taken home to read are also those used in either their daily reading or writing lessons (or both) in school.
  • If they do not bring their book bag (and book) into school each day, pupils will struggle in their daily lesson as there is only one book per pupil with no additional copies.

When do books come home?

1. Library Books: 

  • Monday 15th September: All classes will begin their class library sessions, so pupils will begin bringing home a library book each week.
  • These books are selected by the pupils and for younger pupils these are books to be shared and read with an adult.

2. Class Reading Books:

  • Monday 15th September: Pupils in Years 3 – 6 will bring home a reading book. This will be linked to the first of their writing genres this term.
  • Monday 22nd September: Pupils in KS1 will begin to bring their reading (Read Write Inc) books home
  • Reception pupils will bring home books linked to their reading programme (Read Write Inc), once they have met their assessment targets. This is usually after the October Half Term, and a letter will accompany this.

Reminders:

  • Thursday 9th October: An Early Reading Workshop for Reception parents & carers will be held from 09:00 – 10:00, ahead of Reception pupils starting their home reading.
  • Please note that books will not be sent home if your child does not have their book bag.
  • Please only use book bags for books and newsletters.

Winter Wonderland Art Competition

Winter Wonderland School Competition Canvas A4 (PDF) >

Our PTA: The 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 first meeting for the new school year will take place on Wednesday 17th September from 09:00 – 10:00 in the Ground Floor Hall, with refreshments. Everyone is welcome!

Upcoming Events:

  • Thanks Giving Celebration: Wednesday 26th November 16:30 – 18:00 (more information to follow)
  • KS2 (Years 3 – 6) School Disco: 10th December 17:00 – 19:00(more information to follow)
  • Christmas Fair: Wednesday 17th December 15:30 – 18:00 (more information to follow)

Meeting dates:

  • Wednesday 01st October
  • Wednesday 15th October
  • Wednesday 12th November
  • Wednesday 26th November
  • Wednesday 03rd December
  • Wednesday 17th December

Upcoming Events

September:

  • Monday 29th Sept: Children’s Christmas Card designs sent home.

October:

  • Friday 3rd Oct: Midday (12:00) deadline for children’s Christmas Card orders to be returned to school.
  • Tuesday 7th Oct: Blessing of the Animals Service at St. Stephens Church from 18;30 – 19:15, all families and pets warmly welcomed to attend their wonderful service.
  • Friday 10th Oct: Pupils Flu Vaccinations @ 09:30 – 10:30.
  • Friday 24th Oct: INSET Day. School CLOSED to pupils.
  • Monday 27th – Friday 31st Oct: Half Term holidays

Term Dates 2025-2026

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

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:

Preschool, Nursery & Reception Admissions

We currently have the following availability for places in our Early Years provision from September 2025:

  • Reception class: We have 2 places available.
  • Nursery Class (3-year olds): 4 full-time places and 2 part-time (afternoon) places available
  • Preschool (2-year olds): 2 full-time places and 2 part-time (afternoon) places available

If you are looking for a Preschool, Nursery or Reception place for your child, please come along 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.

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.

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 we explored our first core text of the year, Handa’s Surprise. The children enjoyed bringing the story to life through small world play, extending their vocabulary by naming the animals and using descriptive language to talk about how they look. We also had lots of fun exploring body movement and sounds, moving like the animals from the story.

Nursery:

This week Nursery enjoyed exploring pumpkins as part of their Autumn themed tuff tray activity. They had lots of fun scooping out the insides and picking out the seeds. The children had ample opportunity to explore different textures, use tools to support their fine motor skills, and talk about what they found. It was a great hands-on experience that encouraged curiosity and plenty of messy fun!

Reception:

For the last couple of weeks, our mystery text has been Elmer by David McKee – a beloved story that immediately captured the children’s attention, with many exclaiming how excited they were to see the patchwork elephant. Through this familiar tale, the children have been developing key reading skills such as prediction, inference, and making personal connections. The story has also sparked thoughtful discussions about what makes each of us unique. It continues to be a joyful and meaningful way to combine literacy with personal and social learning.

Year 1:

Year 1 have been stepping back in time as historians to explore the history of childhood. Our focus has been on children’s most treasured possessions – toys! We carefully examined what materials these toys were made from and thought about how they might have been played with in the past. To our surprise, we discovered that even the simplest of toys, many of which could be handmade, brought hours of enjoyment. The children loved playing with them and realised that sometimes, the most fun can be found in the simplest things. Who needs electricity when imagination and creativity can bring toys to life?

Year 2:

Year 2 have been developing their speaking, listening and performing skills by exploring Traction Man. After reading the whole story, the children studied the final page closely, looking at the last picture and text to make predictions about what might happen next. They then stepped into the characters’ shoes through role play and drama, acting out their imaginative ideas. This gave them the chance to practice clear expression, teamwork and confidence in performing while also strengthening their comprehension skills by using evidence from the book to support their predictions. It was wonderful to see their creativity and enthusiasm shine through!

Year 3:

It’s been another great week in Year 3, and we have enjoyed showcasing our artistic talents through our History unit, and looked at prehistoric paintings and drawings to use as inspiration for our own. We have completed our first writing unit about The Great Storm Cat, and the children have been learning to use ambitious vocabulary and similes to make their writing interesting. In Maths, we are finishing our place value unit, and will begin addition and subtraction next week.

Year 4:

Year 4 has had a creative and curious week full of exciting learning. In Writing, we’ve been putting our persuasive powers to the test as we begin crafting leaflets to advertise a thrilling circus attraction, just like Professor Tapscrew’s leaflet in I Was a Rat! We’ve been using expanded noun phrases to describe all things weird and wonderful and we even had a go at reading them out loud with plenty of expression!

In PSHE, our focus has been on what it means to be part of a community. To celebrate our own school community, we created a self-portrait to be proudly displayed as part of a whole-school community art wall: coming soon to a Burdett-Coutts corridor near you!

Science has us all on the edge of our seats this week, as we eagerly await the results of our egg experiment. Will sugary drinks cause tooth decay? We’re about to find out. And finally, our History topic is taking us deep into the world of Roman Britain and we can’t wait to uncover more about what life was like at Hadrian’s Wall.

Year 5:

Year 5 have completed their maths unit on place value! We’re now a lot more competent at reading and ordering numbers up to 1 million. We also have learnt how to round numbers to the nearly hundred thousand and million. In Writing, we are exploring the beginnings of writing our own adventure story using knowledge we have gained from Beowulf. We have described our own hero and villain to support us in writing our story next week. We have explored the village life of Anglo Saxons and looked at how they lived differently to the Romans. We completed a Venn diagram to show the similarities and differences between Anglo Saxon life and modern day life. This unit has been very enjoyable and interesting.

Year 6:

As historians, Year 6 have continued their study of WWI focusing on life on the Western Front and the technological advancements that shaped the conflict. After exploring the key events that led to the outbreak of war, the pupils researched trench warfare – learning about the layout of trenches, conditions soldiers faced and the challenges of life on the front line. Using historical photos and first-hand accounts, they wrote thoughtful letters home from the perspective of a WWI soldier, capturing the hardship and bravery of those who served.

Building on this, they explored how WWI marked a turning point in warfare, with new weapons and tactics developed on an unprecedented scale. From machine guns and tanks to zeppelins and chemical warfare, they investigated the impact of these innovations and the ethical issues raised. Each pupil chose one weapon to research, finding out when and why it was created, how it was used in battle, and how the enemy responded. Through this work, Year 6 have developed a deeper understanding of both the human experience and technological change during the Great War.