Keep up to date with all the news happening in the school at the moment. Articles are added during the week. Parents are encouraged to check regularly. Our weekly newsletter, emailed directly to parents, summarises content for the week.

• WOW! What an incredible Book Fair week!

  Mon 16 Mar 2026 Jane Ramsay

  We are absolutely blown away by the support from our amazing families. Because of your generosity, we reached a total of £1,816.72 in sales!

   

  The best part? This has earned our school a staggering £1,090.03 in commission to spend on brand-new books for our classrooms and library. 

   

  A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by, browsed the shelves, and helped foster a love of reading in our students. We are truly grateful for making this year’s fair such a record-breaking success! 

  

• Exciting times in our EYFS garden!

  Thu 12 Mar 2026 head

  Exciting times in our EYFS garden! 

  The transformation is well underway, and we couldn’t wait to share a little sneak peek with you all. Our brand-new climbing structure is officially up and ready for some serious physical play in the near future. The team is currently busy crafting our wooden canopy to ensure we have a beautiful, shaded spot for outdoor learning and quiet moments.

  The children have been watching out the window with huge smiles and lots of "wow" moments—they are absolutely buzzing to get out there and explore!

  

• Safer Internet Day

  Fri 13 Feb 2026

  On Tuesday, we celebrated Safer Internet Day, focusing on this year’s theme: Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI. Our fantastic Digital Leaders took the helm, delivering engaging assemblies for Years 1–6 and sharing vital online safety messages. Across the school, students participated in interactive activities throughout the day. It was an inspiring event that truly embodied our core values: Be Safe, Be Smart, and Be Kind. 

• Chinese New Year Celebration

  Mon 09 Feb 2026 Jane Ramsay

  We have some sensational news to share, Burnside family!

   

  We are absolutely honoured to announce that, once again, the wonderful Tong Family have agreed to partner with us to bring the magic, colour, and tradition of the Chinese New Year Celebrations to our school!

   

  The Tong family have become a cherished part of our school traditions and we are so incredibly grateful for their generosity in sharing their vibrant culture with our pupils. From the rhythmic beats to the stunning displays, this is an experience that stays with our children long after the day is over.

   

  What to Expect?

  While we want to keep some surprises under wraps, you can expect a spectacular celebration of heritage, community spirit, and - of course - a fantastic start to the Year of the Fire Horse!

  At Burnside, we don’t just learn about the world from books; we experience it through the people who make our community so special.

   

  Keep your eyes peeled on our page for more details and photos of the festivities!

   

  A huge thank you again to the Tong family. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

   

  #BurnsideCommunity #ChineseNew Year #YearOfTheHorse #CulturalEnrichment

  

• Expanding Horizons: A Celebration of Faith & Worldviews

  Thu 05 Feb 2026 Jane Ramsay

   

  At Burnside we believe that understanding the diverse tapestry of our world is key to raising compassionate, global citizens. We are thrilled to announce that from March 23rd - 27th, our students will be participating in an immersive celebration of Faith and Worldviews Week!

   

  Education is about more than just textbooks; it’s about lived experiences. To bring our curriculum to life, we’ve curated a bespoke week of guest speakers and regional trips that align perfectly with what our students are currently studying in the classroom.

   

  What’s Happening?

   

  We have a packed itinerary designed to spark curiosity and foster respect:

   

  • Early Years: Exploring the traditions and stories of Easter.

  • Year 1: A special visit from our local Methodist Minister to discuss the Christian faith.

  • Year 2: Engaging, hands-on Islamic Diversity Workshops right here in school.

  • Year 3: An exciting trip to the Newcastle Central Mosque.

  • Year 4: A local visit to the historic St. Nicholas Church in Cramlington.

  • Year 5: A journey to the United Reform Synagogue in Newcastle (April 1st).

  • Year 6: Deep-diving into ethics and philosophy with Humanist guest speakers.

   

   A Community Connection

   

  To wrap up the week’s themes, we are honoured to welcome the Methodist Minister for a special assembly on Thursday, focusing on the significance of Easter.

   

  We are so proud to offer our pupils the chance to engage directly with representatives from different faith and belief communities. It’s these moments that build understanding, empathy, and a lifelong love for learning.

   

  Stay tuned! We’ll be sharing photos of our adventures and workshops throughout the week. 

   

  #SchoolCommunity #FaithAndWorldviews #GlobalCitizens #PrimaryEducation #CramlingtonLearning #DiversityAndInclusion

• Investing in Excellence: Mrs McCaw Achieves National Leadership Qualification

  Fri 30 Jan 2026 Jane Ramsay

  We are delighted to announce that Mrs McCaw has successfully completed her National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL).

   

  This prestigious certification is awarded only to those who demonstrate a deep understanding of school improvement, team dynamics and successful student outcomes. While Mrs McCaw is already a vital part of our Senior Leadership Team, this qualification further sharpens our ability to deliver excellent education.

   

  "Our goal is to provide our students with the best possible guidance, and that starts with ensuring our leaders are at the forefront of educational innovation." - Miss Ramsay

   

  Congratulations Mrs McCaw! We look forward to seeing the positive impact of your hard work across the school.

  

• Anti-Bullying Week at Burnside

  Fri 14 Nov 2025 Nasrin Akram

  This week at Burnside Primary, our focus has been on kindness, inclusion, respect and taking positive action together — all in support of this year’s Anti-Bullying Week theme, “Power for Good”.

  
  We began with a whole-school assembly exploring how every one of us has the power to be kind, to speak up and to support others.

   

  Pupils and staff also enjoyed Odd Socks Day, a fun celebration of individuality and difference, reminding us that everyone is unique and valued.

   

  Throughout the week, each class explored what bullying is — and what it isn’t — through age-appropriate discussions and scenarios. This helped children recognise unkind behaviour and learn what they can do if they ever feel worried.

  
  To mark World Kindness Day (Thursday 13th November), we placed a special spotlight on kindness. A Kindness Club was open to pupils all week, offering stories, discussions
  and examples of how even the smallest positive actions can have a big impact. Children also created kindness notes for friends and classmates to encourage gratitude and support.

   

  In classrooms, pupils reflected on what it means to be an up-stander — someone who steps in or seeks help when they notice someone being treated unkindly. Many of our
  lessons highlighted how daily acts of kindness and respect help create a safer, happier school for everyone.

   

  Some classes took part in role-play and group activities, practising safe and effective ways to respond to unkind behaviour and exploring how they can support others.

   

  We ended the week by taking part in Children in Need. Pupils came to school in spotty clothes, themed outfits or non-uniform, helping to raise money for an important cause while celebrating community and caring for others.

   

  How You Can Support at Home

  
  You can help keep these important messages going by talking with your child about the
  week.

   

  Try asking:
  - What kind act did you do today?
  - What pledge did you make?
  - How did it feel to help or support someone else?

   

  Together, we can encourage children to continue using their Power for Good every day. Thank you for your continued support.

• Keeping your children happy and safe

  Fri 26 Sep 2025 Jill Williams

  At Burnside, the safety and well-being of our children are the cornerstones of our ethos.

   

  We continuously strive to empower our children with the understanding that their happiness and safety are their inherent rights. We encourage them to recognise that any concern, no matter the size, is valid and deserves to be heard by a trusted adult.

   

  In our ongoing efforts to fortify our commitment to safeguarding and well-being, we will be continuing our bookmark initiative. This week, children from Year 1 to Year 6 have been be asked to identify two adults within the school whom they feel comfortable approaching should they need to discuss any concerns. They have made a bookmark which will provide a constant reminder they have someone to talk to.

   

  This exercise is crucial in ensuring that every child knows they have a support system within our school community.

   

  Should any child find difficulty in selecting two adults, please rest assured that we will provide them with the necessary support to make these important choices.

   

  Your continuous support and involvement are invaluable to us, and together, we can maintain a secure and nurturing environment for our children to thrive.

   

  Thank you for your unwavering trust and cooperation.

• The European Day of Languages

  Wed 24 Sep 2025

  The European Day of Languages’ takes place on Friday 26th September. This day provides an excellent opportunity to celebrate languages and learn about other European countries. Language learning brings lots of benefits! Even if you only know a few words of the language of the country
  that you visit (for example on holiday), this enables you to make new friends and contacts.

   

  At Burnside, we have planned lots of fun activities for your child to take part in to celebrate ‘The European Day of Languages.

   

  •  EYFS - taster session in French
  •  KS1 - taster session in Spanish
  •  Lower KS2 - taster session in Polish
  •  Year 5 - taster session in Italian
  •  Year 6 – taster session in Portuguese
  •  Interactive Quizzes
  •  Learn how to say ‘Hello’ in ten different languages

   

  We hope that your child enjoys learning about ‘The European Day of Languages’ and can tell you all about the languages they have learnt on this day.

• Invacuation and Evacuation Drill

  Tue 23 Sep 2025 Jill Williams

  Today, staff and pupils rehearsed our invacuation and evacuation drills. Each term we drill both our invacuation and our evacuation procedures. So that everyone knows what to do, we plan for and rehearse procedures even for events that are very unlikely to occur.

  An invacuation is a standard safety procedure, similar to an emergency evacuation/fire drill. This procedure would be used if there is a threat to the safety of pupils, staff and others in school, and when it’s safer for everyone to remain in the school building rather than evacuate. Situations where our invacuation procedure may be used include:

  • a potentially dangerous animal on the school site
  • an alert from the police about a disturbance or dangerous situation in the local community that could affect the school
  • a nearby chemical incident or other risk of air pollution
  • a dangerous person or intruder on the school site

  When we initiate the invacuation procedure, everyone in school will be alerted by the sounding of a specific alarm. Staff have been trained to follow procedures and ensure that, as in the case of a fire evacuation, everyone is safe. During a drill/event pupils will either stay in their classroom, or if outside make their way into the nearest classroom, and wait quietly until the event or drill is given the 'all clear'.

  We also rehearsed evacuation to leave the building, for example, in the event of a fire to ensure the children recognised the different alarms and what they each meant.