Latest News | Bishops Waltham Infant School

Weekly Update Friday 30th January

Fri 30 Jan 2026

Another week of wind and rain have not dampened our children's enthusiasm for learning. Have a look at what we have been up to, and news about our school

🐷 Year R-Traditional Days Fun

This week, our wonderful Year R children have carried on exploring the magical world of Traditional Tales. Stories that begin with “Once upon a time…” always bring so much excitement, with wizards, wolves and all sorts of characters who don’t always behave quite as they should!

These tales are brilliant for sharing at home. Try pausing to ask questions like:

“What do you think this character will do next?”
“How might they react?”
“What could happen now?”

We’ve absolutely loved seeing all the three little pigs popping up around the classrooms, along with some fantastic house‑building from the children!

🧳 Year 1 – Life as a Victorian Child

Year 1 have now begun their exciting new topic: Victorian Childhoods. The children have already been amazed at how very different life was in those times.

In two weeks, they’ll be travelling back in time during our visit to Manor Farm, where they’ll experience real Victorian activities. Over the coming weeks, the focus will be on learning how to compare the past with the present and describe what we discover, using a range of real Victorian artefacts.

🚗 Year 2 – Wacky Wheels Creations

Year 2 have had an amazing time designing their own Wacky Wheels vehicles. Their teamwork has been fantastic, and their learning walls are bursting with creative ideas. The children are almost ready to test their vehicles—keep an eye on our media page for video clips of the big moment!

💙 Blue Peter Book Badge – How to Apply

Every year, we like to remind parents about the wonderful opportunity for children to apply for a Blue Peter Badge—and this time, we’re focusing on the Sir Quentin Blake Book Badge!

To apply, children must:

Be aged 5–15 years old
Apply online through My Blue Peter, or download the Book Badge postal application form
Have parent/guardian permission (and read the Privacy Notice together)
Fill in the form with an adult’s help
Tell Blue Peter all about a book they’ve read and what they thought about it
Upload an illustration of a character or scene (drawing, painting, or digital art)
Share other books and authors they enjoy and why

🔗 Apply here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/findoutmore/blue-peter-apply-for-a-book-badge

And don’t forget—Blue Peter Badge holders can visit over 200 attractions across the UK for free!
Details here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/attractions

Happy Badge Applying, everyone! 💙📚

🎉 Reminder: Sponsored ‘Bounce & Boogie’ Event

Our sponsored Bounce and Boogie will take place on Thursday 12th February.
Sponsor forms went home this week—please check your child’s bookbag for all the information.

It promises to be such a fun day for the children!

❓ PTA Quiz Night – Save the Date!

Our lovely PTA are hosting another Quiz Night on Friday 20th March.
Tickets are available via the QR code on their poster.

The quiz at the start of the year was a huge hit, and lots of parents asked for another—so we’re delighted it’s back!

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend

Warm wishes

Mrs Riches

Headteacher

Potty Training Guidance

Wed 28 Jan 2026

Did you know 1 in 4 children are now not potty trained before coming to school, compared to the 70s and 80s where 83% of children were out of nappies by 18 months old?

Please click the government backed guidance on potty training for children starting in reception classes.

Potty Training Guidance

Year 1 trip - change of date

Mon 26 Jan 2026

Please note the Year 1 Southsea trip will now be on the 10th June

Weekly Update Friday 23rd January

Fri 23 Jan 2026

🔥Thank you to all our Year 1 parents who came to our oracy led outcome for our 'Dragons' project this week. The children have enjoyed rehearsing their poems and learning how to present them in clear voices, both live and on film. Their oracy skills went from strength to strength as the weeks progressed and confidence grew as they practised. We hope you enjoyed it as much as Year 1 did!

🔥Year 2 have had a fantastic time experimenting with suitable materials for waterproofing and making their tests fair. We cannot wait to see their finished vehicles and are all asking the question, 'Will the egg make it down the ramp safely?'

🔥Year R have also been very busy learning their phonics this week and there are great discussions about which book they are going to choose to bring home to read and practise their skills.

📚Our Reading Helpers have dramatically decreased this term, and with only 30% of our school now reading the minimum of three times per week at home, we are very concerned that reading is not being practised outside of school. In the past, this has never been a problem for our school, but with more children having access to electronic devices at a younger age, it is one that is now affecting children attending here. Anyone can be a helper reader-some of our volunteers have no connection to the school but wanted a fullfilling role within the community. Background checks are done prior to starting, and we give a familiarisation talk prior to starting. If you, or somebody you know, can give some of their time helping children to practise reading in order to improve, please contact the school office as soon as possible. To develop reading skills, there are no shortcuts, especially with young children. It is a case of Practise, Practise, Practise.

🌺We have had a lot of staff absent since the start of this term, especially through lunchtime. To cover, all teachers and some LSAs have been covering extra time. We have also moved Year R to the big playground earlier than anticipated for lunchtime play. I would like to thank all the staff for the support they have given to me and the school to help it run so smoothly. It has meant that Year 2 lunchtime clubs have been unable to start back this term (which teachers and myself lead), and we will start these as soon as staffing is at full strength.

🎉Next Tuesday (27th January), the MHST team are running an 'Emotional Regulation' workshop at our school at 9am. Parents have had the invite to the workshop, which they need to sign up to. It is open to all parents who have children at BWIS and BWJS.V

🔥Our PTA have released a new Quiz Night date on Friday 20th March. Please look and book using the QR code that was sent out today! Let the best team win!!!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend-our staff are keenly waiting for the finale of a certain TV show tonight-will it be the Traitors or the Faithful who will triumph???

With warm wishes

Mrs Riches

Headteacher

Weekly Update Friday 16th January

Fri 16 Jan 2026

What a wonderfully busy week it has been in school! Despite the grey, rainy weather, the children have brought so much sunshine into our days with their enthusiasm, curiosity, and cheerful attitudes. It has been lovely to see them embracing every learning opportunity across the curriculum.

A particular highlight was Celebration Assembly, where we were treated to some fantastic maths work. The children showcased their growing confidence in bridging through ten, and it was an absolute delight to see how proud they were of their progress. We also enjoyed reading the impressive persuasive writing from across Year 2, with children applying for imaginary jobs in different rescue services—firefighters, police officers, lifeguards and more! Their creativity, passion, and sense of purpose really shone through.

Year R have had an especially exciting week, enjoying our brand new sandpit, funded through the brilliant efforts of our wonderful PTA. Thank you again to everyone who contributed through fundraising—it’s already proving to be a huge hit!

This week also marked the closing date for Year R 2026 applications, and we are pleased to share that our numbers are looking healthy for next year. Thank you for continuing to spread the word about our lovely school community.

A few reminders as we head into another week:

Parking: Wet weather often means more cars around the school. Please avoid parking on the safety zigzags or double yellow lines, and continue to park considerately around the estate. This helps keep all our children safe.
Punctual pick‑up: Please ensure you arrive in good time for the 3.10pm pick‑up. Parents should be at school ready to collect, rather than walking up the path after this time. This allows teachers to attend meetings and training promptly. We do not have staff available to supervise children beyond this time, so from next week, late collections will result in children being booked into after‑school club, which will incur a charge to parents.
Club pick‑ups: If you are running late collecting from a club, please contact the club provider directly, as the school phone is not always staffed at that time.

Our PTA meeting on Monday and the upcoming Quiz Night have been postponed. We will share the new dates with you as soon as they are confirmed.

As always, we are so proud of the children—their resilience in the drizzle, their kindness to one another, and the joy they bring to our school each day. Our assembly around the theme of 'our BADGER value of 'Belonging' this week, sparked lots of conversations and thoughts about how many different groups we belong to in school and outside of school. We always say how special it is in our school for children and staff to be in. Thank you for your continued support and for being such an important part of our community.

We hope everyone has a restful and happy weekend. Stay warm, stay dry, and enjoy a little extra time together.

Warmest wishes,

Mrs Riches

Headteacher

Mental Health support workshop

Thu 15 Jan 2026

Weekly Update Friday 9th January

Mon 12 Jan 2026

Welcome back after the Christmas break! We hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and a joyful New Year. It’s been wonderful to see the children return with big smiles and lots of energy.

We had a chilly start back to school, and the children were thrilled by the small flurries of snow we experienced. They had great fun trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues and enjoyed playing outside, all wrapped up warm in their coats, hats, and scarves. It was a magical way to begin the new term!

A Magical Pantomime Experience:
This week, we were treated to an amazing pantomime performance of Sleeping Beauty by M&M Productions. The children were absolutely transfixed by the awe and wonder of seeing a live performance by professional actors.
Maleficent was a fantastic ‘baddie’, and the children loved joining in with the traditional pantomime fun—booing her loudly and cheering for the heroes!
A huge thank you to BWIS PTA for their relentless fundraising efforts, which enabled us to provide this incredible experience at no extra cost to families. Your support makes these magical moments possible!

Around the School

It has been amazing to walk around the school and see BWIS Learning Values reflected in every classroom. The children have had a fabulous start back and are already deeply engaged in their new projects: designing Wacky Vehicles, f inding Dragon Eggs and reading the traditional tale of The Three Little Pigs.

They’ve told us more than once this week that they “don’t want to go home”—a wonderful sign that our learning has been lots of fun!

📅 Important Dates

Sponsored Bounce Day:
We’re excited to announce that our Sponsored Disco Bounce Day will be happening again in February! We would love everyone to take part, and all funds raised will go towards resources for the curriculum. More details will follow soon—thank you in advance for your support!