School Newsletter : 18 September 2026

| Issue 2 | Autumn 1 | Week 3 |

Extended School Day & Booster Groups

Thank you for the wonderful response to our autumn term Extended School Day Clubs! With such a varied range on offer, even pupils who couldn’t have their first choice found an alternative they were happy with.

A reminder that clubs start in the week beginning Monday 21 September and run from 15:30–16:30. Children attending the following clubs will need PE kit and trainers:

  • Multi-Sports Club (KS1 and KS2)
  • Running Club
  • Football Club (KS1 and KS2)
  • Yoga Club (EYFS and KS1)

Pupils may wear their PE kit and trainers to school only on their usual class PE day. On other days, they should come in school uniform and bring their kit to change into before their club.

Please also ensure that all school uniform and PE kit is clearly named, so we can return any misplaced items.

Thank you for your support. We’re looking forward to a great term of activities!

2026 Pupil Outcomes

We’re delighted to share our pupils’ results from the end of the summer term, alongside national comparisons.*

A special well done to our hardworking pupils and staff, particularly those in Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 6, for these fabulous achievements. Everyone did incredibly well, and we’re so proud of you all!

*Please note that these figures are currently unvalidated. Validated data will be published in December.

Young Enterprise and Charity Work in Action

On a sunny afternoon during the summer holidays, Rayna, Penelope and Ayansh from Year 2 set up their first lemonade stand, selling homemade lemonade and lollipops to raise money for Blue Cross Animal Hospital and Burdett-Coutts.

The children spent a couple of hours chatting to passers-by outside the animal hospital and explaining the causes they were supporting, learning about running a business along the way. Their hard work raised £100 in total, and they even received US dollars from visiting tourists!

After making a donation to Blue Cross, they brought the remaining money to the school office.

On behalf of everyone at Burdett-Coutts, a huge thank you to Rayna, Penelope and Ayansh, and their grown-up support team, for their kindness, community spirit and enterprise. We’re very grateful for the donation and will talk with the children about how best to use it.

What a wonderful first lemonade stand. Well done to all three of you!

Secondary Transfer: Parent Meeting

Thank you to all those parents who joined us for the Parent Secondary Transfer meeting on Thursday.  We hope you found the information shared  by the visiting representatives from Westminster City and Pimlico Academy helpful, as well as the general information about completing your secondary transfer process from  Mrs Deary & Ms Barnett.

As mentioned in the meeting, please email the school office and Mrs Deary will be able help with queries about completing the online application and uploading supporting documents.

Please remember:

  • Apply online via www.eadmissions.org.uk.
  • The deadline for on-time applications is Saturday 31 October 2026  – please do not leave it to the last day.

Jeans for Genes Day

What a fabulous day it was! The Burdett-Coutts school community wore their denim and donated a gold coin in support of Jeans for Genes.

Together, we raised an incredible £193.80! This will help Jeans for Genes support children and families affected by genetic conditions. Every donation helped us reach this wonderful total, showing how small acts of kindness can make a difference when we all join in.

A huge thank you to our pupils, families and staff for supporting the day with such generosity and enthusiasm. We are proud to be part of such a caring school community and grateful to everyone who helped make the day a success!

School Open Morning & MacMillan Fundraising Event

We warmly invite all parents and carers to our Open Morning on Thursday 24 September.

From 08:45–09:30, you are welcome to accompany your child into their classroom, explore their learning environment and meet the teaching team. It’s a lovely opportunity to share a little of your child’s school day.

Please remember that teachers won’t be able to have detailed discussions about individual children or their learning during this session. If you would like a separate appointment, please email the school office so we can arrange this.

After visiting the classrooms, we would love you to join our Macmillan Coffee Morning, running from 09:00–10:00 in the Ground Floor Hall, hosted by our wonderful Friends of Burdett-Coutts, our Parent Staff Association (PSA).

Come along for refreshments and a catch-up with other parents and carers while supporting an important cause. All proceeds and donations from the coffee morning will go directly to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Thank you for supporting our school events. We look forward to spending the morning with you!

Biscuit’s Bytes

Woof, everyone! 🐾

This week has flown by!

With parent workshops on secondary transfer, our first Friends of Burdett-Coutts (PTA) meeting, and class trips and visits getting underway, it has been a busy week. It’s lovely to see the term in full swing!

There have been some exciting PE sessions too, with pupils learning new skills and developing the techniques and strategies needed for winter sports, including hockey, football and netball.

It may feel a little early, but pupils will be working on their Christmas card designs next week! 🎄 Their designs will come home the following week, along with order forms for cards, wrapping paper, mugs and more. Look out for further details in next week’s newsletter.

Please don’t forget our Parent Open Morning and Macmillan Coffee Morning next Thursday 24 September. We’d love to see you there, and I’m hoping there might be a little cake for me too! 🍰🐶

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy a little autumn fun! 🍁 Whether you’re heading to the park or out for a walk, there are leaves to rustle through and perhaps a few conkers to spot. I’m still enjoying chasing balls into the water, although it’s beginning to feel a little chilly on my paws! 🐶

Biscuit x 🐾

Upcoming Events

September 2026

  • Monday 21st: Extended School Day and Intervention Clubs begin.
  • Tuesday 22nd: Year 5 trip to Fulham Palace.
  • Thursday 24th: Macmillan Coffee Morning in the First Floor Hall, 09:00–10:00. Everyone is welcome!
  • Wednesday 30th: Year 3 trip to Gunnersbury Park Museum.

October 2026

  • Tuesday 6th: Annual Blessing of the Animals Service at St Stephen’s Church, 18:30–19:15. Everyone is warmly welcome, including their pets!
  • Wednesday 7th: Whole School Harvest Service. More information to follow.
  • Wednesday 7th: Flu vaccinations for all year groups. Please complete the form sent home last week, indicating ‘yes’ or ‘no’, and return it to the school office by Friday 2 October.
  • Thursday 8th: Nursery and Reception trip to Rhymes LIVE! at Smith Square Hall, 10:00–12:00.
  • Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th: Individual and sibling school photographs. More information to follow.
  • Tuesday 13th: Year 6 trip to Benjamin Franklin House, 11:00–15:00.
  • Thursday 15th: Year 4 trip to the Science Museum, 09:00–15:15.
  • Friday 23rd: INSET day. School closed to pupils.
  • Monday 26th–Friday 30th: October half term.

Harvest

Our Harvest Service will take place on Wednesday 7th 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 will be collecting donations of non-perishable food items, sanitary and toiletry products and infant care products for our Harvest Collection this year, from Monday 14th September 2026.

Please bring any contributions to school by 09:00 on Tuesday 29th September and place it on our Harvest table which is located in the annex area by the Ground Floor Hall.

Thank you in advance.

Community Corner

Week beginning 14 September 2026:

Holy Cross Day

This week in church, we explored what it means to judge others and why we should look beyond appearances and assumptions. We reflected on how everyone is different and deserves kindness, understanding and respect.

We also considered how these values help us work together as a team. By listening, supporting one another and valuing everyone’s different strengths, we can achieve more together.

Jesus’ teaching reminds us to show love, care and acceptance in our everyday lives. Vicar David encouraged pupils and teachers to put this into practice by being kind, avoiding judgement and being good team players at school, at home and in the wider community.

Bible teaching of the week:

St Paul’s letter to the Romans, 14:1–12: St Paul teaches us to welcome one another without judgement.

Community Questions:

Can we think of times when we have faced a difficult challenge?

Community Challenge:

This week remember we can put our trust in God, even when things look tricky.

School & PE Uniform:

Pupils are welcome to continue to wear their school summer uniform until the end of September. However, as the weather changes to more cooler and wetter patterns, all pupils will need to be wearing the Autumn/Winter School Uniform from the beginning of October, or sooner if they wish.

Please ensure that all pieces of school uniform are named.

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.

Our PTA: The Friends of Burdett-Coutts

If you are a parent, carer or guardian of a child at our school, you are automatically a member of Friends of Burdett-Coutts, our Parent Staff Association (PSA).

Getting involved is a lovely way to meet other families and support our school through fundraising events, volunteering and sharing ideas. Whether you can help regularly or spare a little time now and then, your contribution can make a real difference to school life for all our children.

Our meetings take place on Wednesday mornings, from 09:00–10:00 in the Ground Floor Hall, with refreshments provided. Everyone is welcome, and we would love to see you there!

Dates for your diary:

  • Macmillan Coffee Morning: Thursday 24 September, 09:00–10:00.
  • Thanksgiving Event: Thursday 26 November, 15:30–17:30.
  • School Christmas Fair: Tuesday 8 December, 15:30–18:30.
  • KS2 Winter Disco: Wednesday 16 December, 16:30–18:30.

More information about the Thanksgiving Event and Christmas Fair will follow.

Meeting dates:

  • 30th September
  • 7th October
  • 21st October
  • 11th November
  • 25th November
  • 2nd December
  • 16th December

Term Dates 2026-2027

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, and on time, every day.

You can also click on the link below to view:

Preschool, Nursery & Reception Admissions

We currently have the following Early Years places available for September 2026:

  • Nursery Class (3-year-olds): Four full-time places and three part-time afternoon places
  • Preschool (2-year-olds): Two part-time afternoon places

Reception: September 2026

We currently have a waiting list for Reception places. Families are very welcome to book a tour and submit their admissions documents to join the waiting list.

If you’re looking for a Preschool, Nursery or Reception place for your child, we’d be delighted to welcome you for a 30-minute personalised EYFS tour.

You’ll have the opportunity to explore our Early Years setting, meet key staff and ask any questions about admissions or your child starting with us at Burdett-Coutts.

Contact us to register for a tour. Tours take place every Thursday during term time, with appointments available between 9.15am and 2.30pm.

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:

Preschool continued their nursery rhyme topic this week, focusing on The Gingerbread Man. The children will explore the story through art, fine motor activities and baking. Outside, they enjoyed water and messy play, creating ‘Incy Wincy’ spiders with colanders and pipe cleaners. There were plenty of suggestions about how many legs a spider has as they carefully added the legs! For Dot Day, each child made their own dot for the classroom wall. They also read the story and discussed different ways to be creative. We have some wonderful artists in Preschool.

Nursery:

Nursery have been expressing themselves through art this week. Inspired by The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, they used their favourite colours to create their own dots, building confidence as young artists. In maths, they added spots to ladybirds and counted them. In literacy, reading Hello Friend! sparked conversations about playing with friends and different ways to say hello. The children have also begun writing their names with visual supports.

Reception:

This week, Reception began reading and writing about The Something. The children looked closely at the front cover and shared predictions about what might be hiding in the hole, showing plenty of curiosity and asking thoughtful questions.

In maths, they practised recognising numbers 1–10, counting and matching quantities. Using tweezers to pick up gems and match them to the correct number was a fun way to develop both counting and fine motor skills. Outdoors, they  enjoyed experimenting with sticks, scrapers and natural materials to create their own patterns.

Year 1:

This week in history, Year 1 became historians! As part of their History of Childhood topic, they explored toys from the past as historical sources. They carefully handled and played with the toys, examining their materials and how they worked, and comparing them with toys today. They drew the objects and recorded their observations, using clues to consider what childhood might have been like in the past. The activity sparked plenty of curiosity and discussion, showing how everyday objects can help us learn about history.

Year 2:

This week in science, Year 2 began exploring the question: Which material would make the best wellies? The children shared what they already know about materials and what they would like to discover. They explored different materials, using scientific vocabulary to describe their properties, including absorbent, waterproof, transparent, flexible, rough, smooth and stretchy. We look forward to investigating these properties further to find the best material for the job!

Year 3:

It’s been another fabulous, busy week in Year 3! Pupils have been making connections between their previous learning and the new ideas they are exploring.

In science, they investigated what our bones protect and learnt the names of some important organs. In history, they imagined life in the Stone Age and how people survived. They also began their Iron Man writing topic, and we look forward to seeing their finished work.

As part of their learning about happiness in Buddhism, the class discussed the question: “Does money really buy happiness?” They shared thoughtful responses about what happiness means and considered what they would do with a million pounds. Their ideas included buying and doing things for others, alongside a few treats for themselves, as shown in the accompanying picture.

We’d love to know what you think: does money really buy happiness?

Year 4:

Year 4 have really got into their stride this week! In maths, pupils have progressed to working with thousands, while in writing they have focused on grammar in preparation for creating their own exciting narratives next week. They have also continued to monitor their tooth decay experiment and observe the changes taking place.

In history, they thought like Roman engineers as they designed, built and tested their own aqueduct models. On Thursday, they celebrated Dot Day by creating their own masterpieces and learning that every piece of artwork is something to be proud of. It has been another busy and creative week in Year 4!

Year 5:

Year 5 have had a wonderful week of learning. In writing, pupils stepped into the mindset of Curiosity, the Mars rover, using role play to imagine its thoughts as it landed on the Red Planet. Taking on the roles of the rover and news reporters supported their first-person character descriptions.

In maths, they developed their understanding of place value, reading and writing numbers up to one million and multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1,000 using place value and Gattegno charts. In RE, they explored Puja and how Hindus make offerings to gods and goddesses as part of their worship. In PSHE, pupils discussed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and were surprised by some of the rights it protects. In history, they continued learning about the Anglo-Saxons following the Roman period. We look forward to another exciting week!

Year 6:

Year 6 began their PE lessons this term with a range of teamwork activities. In their first lesson, the pupils worked as a class to complete challenges focusing on communication, cooperation, listening, problem-solving and supporting one another. This term, they will be learning netball and hockey. In netball, they will develop their passing, receiving, footwork, movement into space, shooting, attacking and defending skills. In hockey, they will practise dribbling, ball control, passing, receiving, shooting and tackling. Both sports will help the pupils strengthen their teamwork and communication, make effective decisions and apply their skills during games.