School Newsletter : 10 July 2026

A HUGE thank you to all the parents, friends and extended family members who joined us for Sports Day on Thursday. We had a fantastic morning filled with sporting fun, friendly competition and plenty of laughter.

It has been wonderful to hear so much positive feedback from families, both in person and by email. Sports Day is always such a joyful way to come together as a school community and celebrate the end of another successful year.

The weather was kind to us ☀️ and all events were completed safely and successfully, including the much-anticipated parents’ and teachers’ races.

A huge well done to all our pupils, who demonstrated excellent sportsmanship, determination and enthusiasm throughout the morning. It was wonderful to see – and hear – the excitement, encouragement and pride as they took part in such a wide range of events, cheered on their friends and celebrated one another’s achievements.

The teachers’ race provided a particularly memorable finale! The warm weather certainly did not deter staff from donning inflatable costumes and adding an extra level of entertainment. Thank you to the following for being such great sports:

• Sumo Wrestler: Miss Fatma
• Dinosaur: Miss Gemma
• Duck: Miss Jorquera
• Shark: Miss K
• Ostrich: Miss Probert

Year Reception Trip to London Zoo:
Reception had an incredible adventure at London Zoo, where their classroom learning came to life through a day of excitement and discovery. Despite the heat and a long day of walking, they showed fantastic resilience, curiosity and enthusiasm as they explored the zoo. The children were delighted to see tigers, lions, camels, birds, monkeys, penguins and many other animals they had been learning about. They also enjoyed ZooTown, an immersive role-play area where they became vets, zookeepers, scientists and conservationists, developing their teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills. After a busy day, we shared a lovely picnic together before reflecting on everything we had seen. It was a wonderful and memorable experience for everyone.

Key Stage 1

STEM Club: This term, KS1 STEM Club has been full of curiosity, creativity and hands-on learning. The children have enjoyed a wide range of experiments, exploring scientific ideas through fun, practical activities. By making predictions, testing ideas and discussing results, they have developed strong problem-solving and teamwork skills.

Key Stage 2

Spanish Club: This term, children continued learning everyday Spanish through a range of games, songs and practical activities. They learnt to understand and follow simple classroom instructions, name different parts of the body, use action words and build on their knowledge of colours. Children also explored vocabulary for clothes and accessories, learning how to describe what they were wearing and discovering that Spanish nouns can be masculine or feminine. They enjoyed practising new words and phrases through pair work and simple conversations. To finish the term, children learnt to sing and dance La Macarena, working together in groups to perform one of Spain’s best-known songs. It has been lovely to see both new and returning club members enjoying Spanish together throughout the year. ¡Muy bien hecho a todos!

STEM Club: This term, Key Stage 2 students tackled an exciting challenge: Who could build the strongest bridge? After exploring iconic bridge designs and how triangles create strong foundations, the children worked in teams to engineer their own prototypes. Bridges had to be under 50cm long and made only from lolly sticks, paper clips, straws, toothpicks, cardboard and string. The results were impressive, with many designs supporting heavy tins of food without collapsing. The project developed critical thinking, creative problem-solving and resilience through trial and error, with every group producing a strong and imaginative final design.

Racquet Games: KS2 Racquet Games Club has been a great success this term, with students showing enthusiasm, determination and teamwork in every session.Through a range of games and activities, they developed key racquet skills, including grip control, hand-eye coordination, serving, rallying and accurate shot placement. Team challenges and mini matches also helped build confidence, communication, resilience and good sportsmanship. It has been wonderful to see students of all abilities challenge themselves, support one another and grow in confidence each week.

BC Running Club: Running Club has continued to thrive this term, with more than 50 students regularly attending weekly training sessions. As they prepare for upcoming events, the children have been developing their pacing, stamina and endurance, alongside learning how to warm up and cool down correctly. They have also shown great perseverance, teamwork and encouragement. It has been wonderful to see runners of all abilities supporting one another and celebrating their progress. We are extremely proud of their commitment and look forward to welcoming even more children next term.

BC School Choir: Following a busy March, the School Choir has enjoyed another full and exciting term. During St Stephen’s Week, the choir performed in a joint concert with Grey Coat Hospital, with both schools singing The Lord Bless You and Keep You together. On the same day, the choir recorded two songs for the Church of England’s online service, broadcast on Facebook and YouTube on 5 July. This was their third recording for the service in the past 18 months.

The choir also learnt five songs from Matilda for a Pimlico Music Foundation concert. Although the event was cancelled because of the hot weather, the songs were still performed to the school. They will sing John Rutter’s For the Beauty of the Earth at the Year 6 Leavers’ Ceremony on Monday 13 July and again at the Westminster Almshouses Founders’ Day service on Tuesday 14 July, where they will also perform Viva la Vida in the presence of the Lord Mayor of Westminster.

Throughout the year, the choir has benefited greatly from singing tuition through the Pimlico Music Foundation from Ms Gwenllian Hunter-Morris, alongside the support of Miss Polly Cameron, whose focused rehearsals help pupils make the most of every session.

Year 6 Campanology Club: The Campanology Club has met regularly in the Bell Room at St Saviour’s Church, Pimlico, with all six children making excellent progress. We are fortunate to have a skilled team of teachers and a high level of individual support due to the careful management required when working with ropes and bells. A huge thank you to:

• Ms Stephanie Pattenden
• Ms Louise Booth
• Ms Ines Picchioni
• Ms Persephonae Murphy (Bubs)

The club will ring the St Stephen’s handbells, presented to the church by Baroness Burdett-Coutts in the 1850s, during the Year 6 Leavers’ Ceremony on Monday 13 July.

July 2026:

• Monday 13th July: Y6 Leavers Service,  11:30 -12:30, St. Stephens Church.
• Tuesday 14th: Almshouses Founders Day Service, 13:30 – 13:30 – Year 6 and School Choir.
• Wednesday 15th: Year 3 and Year 6 KEIR site visit, 09:15 – 12:00
• Thursday 16th: Y6 Trip to Rochester Cathedral
• Friday 17th: Last day of school for the summer term. School finishes at 13:30 for all pupils

Please find here the agreed term dates set by our school’s Governing Body for the upcoming academic year, starting September 2026.

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 link below:

• Burdett-Coutts & Townshend Foundation CE Primary School Term Dates 2026-2027 >

This week, Preschool have been exploring summer and beach themes through JoJo and Gran Gran Go to the Beach. The story sparked conversations about seaside adventures, holidays and the things we might see and do at the beach. The children also enjoyed imaginative play in a beach-themed tuff tray with sand. Adding dinosaurs linked the activity to their current interests and led us to read JoJo and Gran Gran Go to the Museum, where they discovered dinosaur fossils and prehistoric creatures.Through these experiences, the children developed their imagination, language skills, and curiosity while engaging in collaborative play and storytelling.

Nursery have had a lovely week, with plenty of fun and learning. One of our favourite activities was our minibeast investigation, where the children enjoyed exploring, looking closely and sharing what they noticed. They showed great curiosity and asked lots of thoughtful questions. We also had a fantastic time at Sports Day. The children gave every activity their best effort, showed great determination and cheered on their friends throughout. We were so proud of how well they joined in and had a go.

Reception put on a fantastic class assembly, taking everyone on an adventure through London Zoo to explore different animal habitats. Through confident speaking and acting, they shared their learning about predators, camouflage and animals living in jungles, oceans and deserts. The children also impressed the audience with a lively dance routine, showing excellent teamwork, coordination and enthusiasm. The performance was made even more special by their long-awaited visit to London Zoo, where they saw many of the animals they had learned about and featured in the assembly. We are incredibly proud of every child for their confidence, creativity and wonderful performance.

Our Year 1 children became true authors this week, showcasing everything they have learnt during our animal topic. They impressed us with a wonderful range of creative work, including imaginative stories, fascinating fact files, songs, limericks and handmade puppets that brought their ideas to life. Through this project, the children combined their growing scientific knowledge with their writing skills, producing work they were very proud to share with the class. We were so impressed by their creativity, confidence and enthusiasm.

As Year 6 prepare for their final week at Burdett-Coutts, they have been reflecting on the memories and experiences they have shared throughout their primary school journey. It has been wonderful to see them practising their memories, poem and song together. When one member of the class had missed learning the song, their classmates took turns teaching him the words and actions, encouraging him throughout and celebrating each success. It was a lovely example of the kindness, teamwork and maturity they have developed over the years.

The class have also continued their swimming lessons, building on the confidence and skills gained during their first session. They have approached each challenge with determination and resilience. In Science, they continued learning about evolution and inheritance, exploring how fossils provide evidence of life millions of years ago before researching an extinct species. They also learned about Charles Darwin’s life, his voyage aboard The Beagle and how his discoveries transformed our understanding of evolution.