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.

• Fire evacuation and lockdown drills

  Tue 11 Feb 2025

  As part of our commitment to keeping all children safe, we would like to inform you that, as usual, we will be conducting both fire evacuation and lockdown drills in school. These drills are important in ensuring that students and staff are familiar with the procedures in the unlikely event of an emergency.

  It is essential that all children understand the importance of these drills, as they help to ensure their safety and well-being. We encourage you to have a conversation with your child about the drills and reassure them that these exercises are just a precautionary measure to keep everyone safe.

  Thank you for your continued support as we work together to provide a safe and secure environment for all our students.

• School attendance

  Tue 11 Feb 2025

  We would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the importance of regular school attendance. Consistent attendance is key to helping your child succeed, as it allows them to fully engage with their learning and build positive habits for the future.

  We understand that sometimes life can present challenges, and we are here to support you if you are facing any difficulties that may affect your child's attendance. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need assistance or if there is anything we can do to help.

  Together, we can ensure that your child gets the most out of their education. Thank you for your continued support.

• VE Day

  Tue 11 Feb 2025 Headteacher

  On May 8th, we will be commemorating VE Day, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. This historic day is a moment to remember the sacrifices made and celebrate the peace that followed the conflict.

  We are currently working on plans to celebrate this significant occasion in our school. More detailed information will be shared with you closer to the time, but our initial ideas include a special lunch or afternoon tea for the children, and we’d love to invite them to wear red, white, and blue to help mark this special day.

  We look forward to celebrating this important milestone together!

• Safer Internet Day

  Tue 11 Feb 2025 Miss Croft
  This week, Burnside will join schools and organisations nationwide in celebrating Safer Internet Day on Tuesday 11th February.

   

  This year's theme is: ‘Too good to be true? Protecting yourself and others from scams online,’ focusing on teaching our children and young people how to identify and avoid scams, and highlighting available support.

   

  Scams can take many forms and target anyone, including young people. They are incredibly convincing and hard to spot. They often involve fake profiles and identities to target people. You may have heard this referred to as ‘catfishing.’ 

   

  To mark Safer Internet Day, children will participate in age appropriate activities in their classes to help support them in identifying and spotting scams, and we encourage you to continue the conversation at home. 

   

  Further support and information is available at: https://saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2025/tips-for-parents-and-carers

   

  Kind regards,

  Miss Croft

  Computing Lead

  UKS2 Lead

   

• Children’s Mental Health Week 2025

  Fri 07 Feb 2025

  We have had a fantastic time this week celebrating ‘Children’s Mental Health Week 2025!’
  The theme this year is Know yourself, Grow Yourself. At Burnside, we aim to equip and empower our pupils to become more self-aware, enabling them to express their emotions with more confidence. We hope that this will encourage our pupils to build resilience, grow and develop.

   

  There have been a range of interesting assemblies and exciting lessons that pupils have been taking part in this week focusing on this theme. Pupils learning was supported by looking at the characters of Walt Disney’s Pixar’s Inside Out 2.

  
  As you know, mental health remains to be a priority for our whole school community and we continue to have open discussions about mental health between our staff, children and parents every day. There are lots of things that you could do at home to support mental health. You can find information, suggestions and support by reading through the following link:
  www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk
  Mrs Akram
  Year 2 Teacher
  Mental Health Lead

• Pupil Premium Funding - Supermarket Vouchers Available

  Fri 07 Feb 2025

  Dear Parents and Carers,

  As we rapidly approach the end of this term, I would like to take the opportunity to remind you about an important funding opportunity available to families: the Pupil Premium Grant.

  The Pupil Premium Grant is additional funding provided by the government to support schools in helping students from a range of backgrounds. This funding is used to enhance the educational experience of eligible pupils, with additional support such as extra learning resources, access to enrichment activities, access to free childcare in our out of school and holiday club.

  One of the key benefits of being eligible for the Pupil Premium Grant in some cases is the provision of supermarket vouchers during school holidays. These vouchers are designed to assist with food costs during the break and ensure that all of our pupils are well-supported during times when they may not have access to school meals.

  To find out if your child is eligible for the Pupil Premium Grant, please take a moment to check your eligibility. You may qualify if you are in receipt of certain benefits or meet other criteria. If you’re unsure, we encourage you to get in touch with our school office, where we can assist you in finding out if you are eligible.

  If you have already registered, please ensure that your details are up-to-date to ensure your child continues to benefit from the funding and supermarket vouchers available.

  We want to make sure that every child has the support they need to succeed, and the Pupil Premium Grant is an important part of this.

  If you have any questions or need assistance with the application process, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office.

  Thank you for your continued support.

• Well Done Children

  Fri 07 Feb 2025

  Dear Parents and Carers,

  This week, I had the absolute pleasure of conducting several learning walks and spending time with the children in their classrooms. I wanted to take a moment to share some of my findings with you.

  I am thrilled to report that the children’s behaviour throughout the school is truly outstanding. They are not only polite and respectful, but they also exhibit a strong eagerness to learn and take great pride in their work. During lessons, I observed the children fully engaged in their learning, showing enthusiasm to embrace new and exciting challenges—even when faced with difficulties.

  What stood out most to me was the children's pride in their work. Every child was eager to show me their exercise books and share what they had been learning. It was clear that they take immense pride in their progress, and their dedication is truly commendable.

  I also had the joy of spending time with our Buddying Explorers ( 2 year old provision ), who were an absolute delight. It has been amazing to witness the rapid progress they’ve made since joining us. Their enthusiasm and growth have been truly impressive, and sharing a snack of toast and jam with them was certainly a highlight of my week!

  A huge congratulations to all of our students for their continued hard work, positive attitude, and commitment to learning. Well done, children!

  I hope you all enjoy the upcoming weekend and have a well-earned rest.

• Lost Property Reminder

  Fri 07 Feb 2025

  Lost Property Reminder

  We have noticed an increasing volume of unnamed lost property accumulating at the school entrance. If your child has recently misplaced any clothing, we encourage you to stop by and check for any missing items.

  Please note that all unclaimed items will be donated or repurposed for our in-house uniform recycling initiative by the end of the half term.

  Thank you for your attention to this matter!

• Parent / Carers Annual Survey

  Fri 24 Jan 2025

  Each year we carry out an annual survey to find out parents' views.  Your views are important to us.  We would like to know your thoughts on what we do well and what we could do better. The Governing Board and Senior Leaders will add your views to our own evaluation enabling us to identify our strengths and areas for improvement.  

   

  The survey should take around a few minutes to complete, please complete one per child. Click on the link below to get started. The survey will close on 31st January at 12 noon

   

  Parent / Carer Survey

• Forgotten items delivered during the school day

  Mon 13 Jan 2025

  There has been an increase in the number of forgotten items being delivered to the school office during the school day.

  
  We would like to ask you to encourage your child to be more independent and responsible for their own belongings and to ensure they have everything that is required for their school day. Younger children will need some help with this at home.
  
  Here are a few helpful tips to make it easier:
  
  Check the school calendar on our website: Your child may need to bring in or come dressed differently for special days

  Create a Checklist: You could create a checklist with your child for the things they need each day. E.g. water bottle, lunch/snack box, reading records and books, gloves

  Pack the Night Before: Encourage your child to pack their bag the evening before, so everything is ready to go in the morning.

   

  Please note, non-emergency items should not be brought in to school. 
  If you are dropping off emergency we will provide a slip for you to complete so the item is  marked with your child’s name and class. 
  
  The protocol for items delivered during the school day is for the school office place the items in an accessible place for teachers to collect during morning break or during lunchtime. Teachers are only available during these times and the office staff are required to remain in the school office to perform their duties.