May
11th - Sponsored Spell Week
12th - Rubies & Sapphires Class Trip to Kingston Mosque
13th - Diamonds & Emeralds Class Trip to Kingston Mosque
13th - Y2 Burlington's Got Talent Performance 2pm Great Hall
15th - PSHE Coffee Morning 9am Infant Hall 
15th - PTA Cake Sale 3.20pm
18th - Around the World Week (more details to follow)
22nd - PTA Non-Uniform Day for Summer Fair 
22nd - Multicultural Picnic
25th - HALF TERM BREAK

June
 1st - INSET DAY - SCHOOL CLOSED 
2nd - TERM BEGINS
2nd - WWF Week (more details to follow) 
11th - PTA Quiz Night 6.30 -10pm (more details to follow)
12th - PTA Non-Uniform Day for Summer Fair 
12th - OPAL POP-IN Event for Reception Parents 12.00-1.15pm (more details to follow)
15th - Y1 Trip to RHS Wisley 
18th - Y2 Choir performance at the Rose Theatre
19th - OPAL POP-IN Event for Y1 & Y2 Parents 12.00-1.15pm (more details to follow)
24th - Meeting at the junior school for Y2 parents 2pm & 6pm 
26th - PTA Non-Uniform Day for Summer Fair
27th - Summer Fair 12-3pm
29th - Healthy Living Week (more details to follow)

July
 1st - Y1 Sports Day 9.15am Beverley Park 
 1st - Reception Sports Day 11am Great Hall (classes to be confirmed)
 1st - Y2 Sports Day 12.45pm Beverley Park
 1st - Reception Sports Day 2.40pm Great Hall (classes to be confirmed)
 1st - Meet the Teacher at the Junior school for Y2 parents 3.30pm
 3rd - Blue Nursery Sports Day 9am
 3rd - Green Nursery Sports Day 10.45am
 3rd - Yellow Nursery Sports Day 2.45pm
 7th - Year 2 Pretend Holiday (more details to follow)
 8th - Year 1 Burlington's Got Talent 2pm Great Hall 
 14th - Jupiter Class Leaver's Assembly 9.10am
 14th - Mercury Class Leaver's Assembly 2pm
 14th - Reception Pretend Holiday (more details to follow) 
 14th - Venus & Saturn Class Party Day 
 14th - Year 1 Party Day
 14th - Nursery Party Day
 15th - Year 1 Pretend Holiday (more details to follow)
 15th - Jupiter & Mercury Class Party Day
 15th - Venus Class Leaver's Assembly 9.10am
15th - Saturn Class Leaver's Assembly 2pm
16th - Reception Party Day
17th - SCHOOL CLOSES AT 1.45PM for the summer break. (NO Yellow or Purple Nursery)

With just one term remaining, we would love to see our school fund continue to grow. The fund helps provide enriching experiences for our children, including Earthsong, Healthy Living Week, the Big Breakfast, and our much-loved pretend holidays, to name just a few. It also enables us to purchase essential resources for classrooms across the school.

This year, we have been working towards replacing the smartboards in most classrooms. Our current boards are reaching the end of their lifespan, and updated smartboards like the one below are a vital resource for high-quality daily teaching and learning. Each new board costs just over £2,000, so any support towards this goal would be greatly appreciated.

Our voluntary contribution is £75 per family - if you feel you are able to contribute, this can be paid online via your School Gateway account. There is also an option to pay in instalments or to pay more if you wish!

You can read more about our School Fund by visiting the webpage: 

Voluntary Contribution web page

Sir David Attenborough is the scientist we have been learning about this half term in Science. Today is his birthday and he is celebrating being 100 years old! Each class made a birthday card for him and took part in a special online assembly about Sir David Attenborough.  We enjoyed learning about his life and lots of facts about him! 

PSHE Coffee Morning

Friday 15th May 
9am Infant Hall 

This workshop will focus on the topic 'changing me' and will explain how we teach body parts in school. This session is mostly relevant to parents of year 1 children or year 2 parents who were unable to attend last year, however anyone is welcome to join if they wish. Unfortunately due to copyright rules on the material we use to teach this part of PSHE, we are unable to share the slides from the presentation so please join us if you can.

Tea, coffee & biscuits will be served.

This week week Year 1 and Year 2 children will be taking part in the Sponsored Spell! You should have already received the list of words to practice and sponsor form in your child's book bag. You can find links to both below.

If possible, please ask family and friends to sponsor your child for taking part. All sponsorship money will be greatly appreciated and will be used to purchase new resources for teaching reading and writing. Sponsor money can be in cash or paid online via your School Gateway account. Please bring sponsorship money into school by Friday 15th May.

Certificates/stickers will be awarded for effort and participation! Thank you for your continued support and happy spelling!

Mrs Clack

Year 1 Sponsored Spell word list and sponsor form
Year 2 Sponsored Spell word list and sponsor form

Girls socks and underwear for ages 6+. 
Unisex jogging bottoms for ages 5+ in black or navy

Thank you!

The importance of Gross Motor Skills

I hope you are all enjoying our lovely, unpredictable weather and making the most of getting out and about. This leads nicely into what I am going to talk about this week and that is the importance of gross motor skills. These are all the movements that strengthen our large muscle groups, things like hopscotch, playground play, balloon tennis, bubble play, riding bikes, trikes and scooters, having a kitchen disco, making an obstacle course to practice climbing and balancing, walking, rolling down a grassy bank, plastic bottle bowling, pummelling playdough - there are so many things that you can do both inside and outside.

Nowadays, children spend too much of their time playing on phones, iPads and watching TV, they miss out on all of these crucial gross motor skills. Why is it important you may be asking yourselves? The benefits are enormous, it gives them body awareness, physical strength, they learn to balance, they learn to react and respond quickly, it boosts their independence, helps self esteem and confidence, it supports running, walking and climbing, it develops hand-eye coordination, it exercises the body and they form the basis of fine motor skills. Your children will never be able to hold a pencil properly until they have upper arm strength.

Last but not least, it releases serotonin, the feel good hormone. Give it a go, do something different this weekend that helps to support all these skills and above all, just have fun and enjoy!

Our thought of the week is:

We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.

Screens are now a big part of everyday life, making it more important than ever to ensure children are safe in the digital world. It’s also important to help them find a healthy balance and develop positive habits around screen time. Each week, we will share practical tips, useful resources, and guidance to support parents in the home. 

Dons Local Action Group will be doing another collection for the foodbank. If you have any items to donate please leave them in the designated basket in the school office by 9am on Friday 15th May.

Suggested items: 

Tins/Jars/Bottles of food e.g vegetables, baked beans, spaghetti, tinned meat, fruit, jam, pasta sauce (tin/jar/sachet), ketchup, mayonnaise, cooking oil
Dried packets e.g pasta, rice, noodles, Pot Noodles, instant mash, milk (UHT or powdered - not fresh), fruit juice or squash, custard, steamed puddings, biscuits
Coffee & Tea - all types
Toiletries (unopened) - shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, toilet paper, sanitary products, washing-up liquid, washing machine tablets/liquid, household cleaning products
 
All items should be within their expiry date and unopened. No fresh items please. 

We have just added lots of new items to our wishlist. Items are priced from as little as £4 so if you are able to help us we would really appreciate it! We have now added the areas where the resources will be going such as Opal, Nursery etc should you wish to donate towards a specific area of the school.

https://amzn.eu/983v2T9

If you are able to help, we would really appreciate it!

We would love to hear about any science related activities the children take part in at home! It can be anything from helping out in the garden, finding mini beasts, doing experiments or perhaps visiting a museum - please email your science selfie to admin@burlingtoni.org.uk and let us know if you would allow for it to be shared in the school newsletter and on our school website. We look forward to seeing your Science Selfies!

Here are some of the Science Selfies we've received!

Science Selfie Challenge Photos

Sir David Attenborough is a very kind, wise man who has travelled all over the world to see animals in their homes, like jungles and oceans, and tells us stories about them so we can learn to love and care for nature.  

He was given a special award called a knighthood by the Queen because he is so good at sharing the magic of nature.  He was also appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George by Prince Charles in June 2022.

There are insects and plants named attenboroughi because he has done so much to protect them.

Sir David Attenborough turns 100 on Friday 8th May and we will be celebrating his birthday in school in different ways including sending him a birthday card and taking part in a special 100th birthday celebration online assembly.

Take a Science Selfie and post your photo on Tapestry!  If you would like to have your photo included in our weekly school newsletter, please e-mail your photo to admin@burlingtoni.org.uk

If your child needs to use the toilet after pick-up, please walk back to your classroom door and ask for your child to go back through the classroom to use the toilet. Parents are not allowed in the toilets. This is to safeguard the other children we have on site after school in clubs and at Acorns. 

Thank you for your cooperation.

If you have not already downloaded the School Gateway App, please do this immediately. This is our communication and payment system for the school so it is really important that you have activated your account. We will use this system to send emergency text messages and all clubs, trips, Acorns, nursery fees etc can be paid using the app. If you require any assistance, please do not hesitate to ask the school office. 

How to access School Gateway instructions for new users

Just letting you know that Burlington Infant & Nursery School are now registered with easyfundraising, which means you can raise FREE donations for us every time you shop online.

Over 7,000 brands will donate to us when you use easyfundraising to shop with them – at no extra cost to yourself! These donations really mount up and make a BIG difference to us, so we’d really appreciate it if you could take a moment to sign up and support us.

It’s completely FREE and only takes a moment. You can find our easyfundraising page here.

Thank you so much!
 
All you need to do is:
 
1. Go to the fundraising page by clicking here and join for free.

2. Every time you shop online, go to easyfundraising first to find the site you want and start shopping.

3. After you’ve checked out, the brand will make a donation to Burlington Infant & Nursery School at no extra cost to you whatsoever!
 
There are no catches or hidden charges and we will be really grateful for your donations.
 
Thank you for your support.

Parentkind, a charity that supports school PTAs have teamed up with Asda, who is making millions of pounds available to donate to primary schools across the UK through their ‘Cashpot for Schools’ initiative. To support our school, all you have to do is opt-in through the Asda Rewards app, shop and scan in store or shop online at Asda.com.
 
Between 2nd September and 30th November 2024, every time you shop with Asda using your Asda Rewards app, Asda will donate 0.5% of the value of your shop to your chosen school. Also, every time somebody opts-in to support our school, Asda will give an additional £1 to the school Cashpot. Plus, it doesn’t stop there – Asda are also giving £50 to every school to get them started.

It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3
1. Download the Asda Rewards app, register and opt-in to Cashpot for Schools (make sure you have the latest version of the app installed)
2. Choose Burlington Infant & Nursery School by searching the name or postcode
3. Shop instore across Asda and George, or online at Asda.com and start filling your Cashpot as you shop
 
Asda does the rest, all money raised will be donated to schools to spend on the things they need the most.

Remember, anyone can sign up, so start spreading the news and raising funds for our school.

A reminder to all parents that the yellow zig-zag lines outside our school at both the front and back gates indicate the length of road where stopping or waiting is strictly prohibited. If you park on these clearly marked, yellow zig zag lines you are putting the safety of our children and their families at risk.

Cars should not be parked on the zig zag lines for any amount of time - even if it is just a minute or two to drop off children.

Thank you for helping us to keep our school community safe.

Please can we remind parents that children are not allowed to ride scooters on the school premises. Please use the scooter stands provided or carry your child's scooter once inside the school gates. We really appreciate your support.
Thank you

You can find all our policies on our Policies web page:

School Policies web page

We recommend parents read: 

Medical Conditions Policy
Attendance Policy
Parent & Visitor Code of Conduct
Behaviour & Anti-bullying 
Complaints policy
School Uniform

Huge congratulations to our 12 Mini Marathon runners—what an incredible achievement! It was a glorious day with a fantastic atmosphere, and the children showed such determination in running the full distance. Each and every one of them was truly amazing, and we couldn’t be prouder.

A big thank you to Miss Moore for taking part on the day, and to Mrs McEvoy for coordinating the event and dedicating so much time to training the children in running club. Finally, a huge thank you to all the parents who ran with us and came to cheer the children on - you were all brilliant!

We would like to wish Mrs McEvoy so much luck this weekend when she will take on the challenge of the Belfast City Marathon! She has trained so hard for the event and we will be cheering her on from afar. Mrs McEvoy will be running for the National Autistic Society, a charity very close to her heart. If you would like to support Mrs McEvoy and donate to this wonderful charity, please use the link below. 

https://bit.ly/4uqv0uQ

A huge thank you to everyone who attended the workshop this morning. The feedback was really positive and we are pleased you found it useful. 

If you were unable to attend, please click below to see the presentation. 

Supporting Children in the Digital Age - presentation to parents May 2026

Give a little time, make a big difference

The junior school are looking for volunteers to join their Governing Body and help them continue to make their school the very best it can be. Being a governor is a rewarding way to support children’s education and bring your skills to benefit the whole school community. Whether your background is in finance, HR, law, education, business, or community work – or you simply have enthusiasm and commitment – they would love to hear from you! Full training and support are provided. If you’re interested, please contact clerk@burlingtonjunior.org or visit their website Governor Vacancy

Dear Parents/Carers, 

Following helpful feedback from our parent survey, we shared in the newsletter and at our parent information morning that we will be phasing out the white polo t-shirts.

This term, we will be gradually replacing the white polo shirts with royal blue ones. We hope you’ll find this a more practical choice, as it shows stains less easily and keeps looking smart for longer.

To help keep costs down, the royal blue t-shirts won’t have a logo and can be easily purchased from local supermarkets.

Up until the end of the summer term, children in Reception, Year 1 & Year 2 are welcome to wear either white or blue polo t-shirts. From September 2026, we’ll be moving to the royal blue option only.

Please find attached a useful guide to the correct school uniform. 

Unform and PE Kit Guide - Updated Spring 2026

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch. 

Thank you and best wishes, Burlington Infant & Nursery School

Every year our school enters the SPARK book awards. We read the books at school and you can watch Mrs Davies read one each week - see video below. There are four books. When you have read or watched them all we will send a voting form for you to choose your favourite.

For more information you can go to the SPARK book awards website. https://www.sparkbookawards.co.uk/the-awards/early-readers

The second book is 'The Came who had the Hump'. We hope you enjoy it!

Video of Mrs Davies reading The Camel who had the Hump

Eco Council ensured that the planters were clear and that they had new compost in them before planting the plants from B&Q. The plants will attract butterflies and bees and are good for the environment. Eco Council will now make sure that the plants are watered regularly. Thank you for your hard work, Eco Council!

Click here to view the pdf with links.

The Burlington Art Gallery is open and accepting submissions for display in its ‘Hall of Creativity’!
 
This half terms exhibition has the theme 'Nature' and is open to each artist’s own unique and individual interpretation. We welcome work in all forms of media - paint, drawing, sculpture, collage, digital, printing etc.  
 
Mrs Drake will be using the artwork submitted by the children to fill a gallery wall in the school. Work will be framed and displayed for all the children to see as they pass by each day. The theme 'Nature' will run until the Summer Break.
 
Please ensure that all art work submitted has the artist’s name and class on the reverse/base of their masterpiece and to inform your child's Class Teacher that it is for the Burlington Art Gallery!

Please click here to see a programme of activities for under 5's at local children's centres.

Across the country, many schools and families are taking part in The Great Big School Clean. Please support Eco Council in collecting as many bags of litter that you can through the Easter break. Let us know how many bags you have collected and we can let the Keep Britain Tidy Team know. Eco Council will be continuing their regular litter picks to support this.

Many thanks for all of your support.

A huge well done to everyone who entered the Easter egg competition! We have loved seeing all the wonderful creations and we are so impressed with the creativity that has gone into every design. 

The winners this year are: 

Nursery 
Orange - Vedya, Mykhailo
Green - Victoria, Sofia
Yellow - Ji-Ahn, Kavi, Vivan
Blue - Imogen, Ivy, Stella

Reception
Foxes - Neil, Aoife, Damian
Hedgehogs - Akim, Jazmin, Olivia 
Rabbits - Naomi, Ronnie, Isla M
Squirrels - Finley, Miles, Theo 

Year 1 
Diamonds - Kaiden, Albert, Donovan
Emeralds - Melita, Ava, JJ
Rubies - David, Thamarai, Daisy
Sapphires - Servando, Max G, Ethan

Year 2
Jupiter - Frida, Maisie, Hazel
Mercury - Madison, Ruhi, Tanya
Saturn - Millie, Alula & Seren, Kaya
Venus - Sia, Pradhyun, Qinyue 

Below is a selection of the entries we received: 

Mystery Readers are special guests who come to our classroom at storytime (end of the day) to read a story to the children. Your child will be so excited that you participated, but remember to keep it "top secret"!  The story should be one that you choose to read. You can read one in English or in your own language. Look out for the sign up form in your child's book bag on Monday. 

A big thank you to everyone who attended the parent information morning on Thursday. We are sorry that we were unable to deliver the online safety talk and we will endeavour to rearrange this in the summer term. 

We hope you found the other updates useful and if you were unable to attend, please click below to see a copy of them.

Parent Information Morning 20 March - presentation to parents

Burlington Schools are taking part in an initiative with localkind that helps raise funds for the schools while supporting local independent businesses. After making a purchase at participating shops, families can scan the localkind QR code at the till to generate a small contribution for the schools at no extra cost.

Participating shops currently include:
• 63 High St Café
• Barnaby & Boo’s
• Suttles of Malden

Thank you for all your support with book Week! It was great to see all the children in their PJs to emphasise the importance of bedtime stories. The children enjoyed reading with classes from the Junior school and learning about the importance of vocabulary from the book ‘The Word Collector!’ Thank you for coming to the book fair and helping your child dress up today as a special word! 

The class that read and wrote the names of the most books was Rubies with 280. The runners up were Diamonds with 169. Thank you for all your entries and sponsor money. It will help us buy new books for our school. 

The HENRY Growing Up team offer an 8-week programme and one-off workshop for parents and carers of children aged between 5-12. HENRY is for everyone, and topics covered in the 8-week programme include understanding children’s behaviour, setting boundaries, parent wellbeing, healthy lifestyles, supporting children eating a wide range of foods, screen time, being active, family routines, sleep, self-esteem, and much more.
For more information please click here.

Click here to see a programme of activities during the second half of the spring term at local Children's Centres. 

This week is Children's Mental Health Week  and we have been learning about belonging. The children made beautiful maps showing all the different places that they belong. Here are some examples from Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. 

Safer Internet Day is a good reminder to check in on how our children are using technology and how we can help them stay safe online.

The internet is part of everyday life, so regular conversations at home really matter. Simple reminders like not sharing personal information, thinking before posting, and telling an adult if something feels wrong can make a big difference.

It’s also a great time to talk about kindness online. Encouraging children to be respectful and supportive helps make the internet a safer place for everyone.

Click on the links below for some useful tips, advice, guides and resources to help you keep your child safe online.

https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/parents-and-carers
https://www.internetmatters.org/
Internet Matters Age Guide

Girls underwear ages 5-6 & 7-8
Girls socks/tights ages 5-6 & 7-8
Boys Socks Ages 5-6 & 7-8
Girls black or navy jogging bottoms/leggings ages 5-6 & 7-8
Boys black or navy jogging bottoms ages 5-6 & 7-8
Boys shoes sizes 10 and above