Latest News | Bishops Waltham Infant School

Weekly Update Friday 6th March

Fri 06 Mar 2026

🌼What a wonderfully busy and joyful week it has been in school! With the sunshine finally joining us and our spring flowers dancing in the playground, the children have been able to enjoy so much outdoor learning and play. Long may it continue! 🌞🌷

👩‍🏫 Parents’ Evenings – Thank You!

A huge thank you to everyone who attended our two Parents’ Evening sessions this week. We were absolutely thrilled with the fantastic attendance — the vast majority of parents came into school to look through children’s learning and discuss their next-step targets with class teachers.

Your engagement and support make such a difference, and we are so proud of the home–school partnership we continue to build.

Our third meeting opportunity will take place during our Open Afternoon in July, but please remember:
👉 Our door is always open for any questions or concerns at any time.

📚 World Book Day Magic!

World Book Day was a truly magical celebration of reading!
Children (and staff!) arrived in their cosy pyjamas, ready to share their favourite bedtime stories. The whole school was filled with calm, warm reading moments that showed just how special books can be.

In the afternoon we held a Giant Book Swap, where children voted for which storytime and adult they wanted to visit. 📖✨
The smiles, excitement, and gentle buzz of storytelling made it a day we will all remember. We hope it inspires a lifelong love of reading well beyond their time with us. 💛

📚 Special Visitor

Year 2 had a special visit this week from Mr Martin, Miss Martin's father, who shared what life is like in the Royal Navy now. The children were relieved to know that times had changed since Nelson's time! What a special treat this was for the children-thank you Mr Martin!

🍫 PTA Thank You – Chocolate Bars & More!

A big shout-out to our amazing PTA for their wonderful chocolate bar initiative! 🍫
The children absolutely loved this small but very special treat. Thank you to everyone who supported it.

And don’t forget:

🧠 Quiz Night – 20th March → tickets still on sale!
🐣 Easter Egg Hunt tickets are also available now!

🥚 Annual Easter Competition

For those who love to plan ahead…
This year’s annual Easter competition is to decorate and make an egg!
🎨🐣 Get creative — glitter, paint, googly eyes… we love to see it all!

Eggs will be judged in year groups
We kindly welcome any donations of chocolate Easter eggs for our prize table
Please bring all entries and donations into school on Friday 27th March

We can’t wait to see your egg-cellent creations! 🥚✨

🌞Cleverchefs

We had a catering meeting yesterday, where we discussed our current menus, the new menus coming up. The new menus will be coming with photographs, which we have asked for since the company started. They are also making the descriptions easier to understand for young children.

Cleverchefs have also brought out online food magazines for teachers and parents. Please follow the link below for more information

Cleverchefs magazine

🌞Tenant Partnership Team, Winchester City Council

We have been contacted by Annie Hall the Tenant partnership Officer for Winchester City Council, she has asked for family's who are tenants to come along to a meeting to be held soon, to give their opinions and discuss improvements. Please find the details below:

Housing Improvement Workshop, at The Jubilee Hall, Little Shore Lane, Bishops Waltham, Southampton, SO32 1ED on Saturday 14^th March at 11am – 12:30pm. The Topic we will be discussing is ‘Complaints & Learning’.

🌞 Spring Sunshine

We have welcomed some glorious sunny days this week, and the children have loved every moment of playing and learning outdoors. With the flowers blooming and the brighter weather lifting everyone’s spirits, it has truly felt like spring has arrived. 🌻🌼

Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support and for being such a wonderful part of our school community. We are incredibly proud of everything our children achieve each week.

Warmest wishes,
Mrs Riches
Headteacher

Table Top Sale

Wed 04 Mar 2026

Bishop’s Waltham Parish Council will be having a Tabletop Sale in the Jubilee Hall on Sunday 15^th March.

All money raised will be going towards the Priory Park building project.

Weekly Update Friday 27th February

Thu 26 Feb 2026

What a wonderful week it’s been in school! Year 2 had an absolutely brilliant day on their trip to the Historic Dockyard. They returned buzzing with excitement and bursting with new historical facts – they were like little encyclopedias! Both our helpers and the dockyard staff commented on how delightful, polite and eager to learn our children were. They really were a credit to their families, and we are so proud of them.

We’ve also enjoyed a few sunny days this week which have brought a lovely “back to school” feeling. The children have come in with huge smiles and couldn’t wait to tell their teachers all about their adventures over the break. It has been such a joy to see.

Celebration Assembly today saw lots of children sharing their excellent multiplication learning, using exciting vocabulary to engage the reader as well as handwriting improvements. The children are so proud to share their achievements and it is always a pleasure to lead the assembly to celebrate their success with their peers.

Looking ahead to next week, we have two parent–teacher evenings. If you haven’t done so already, please do sign up for your appointment. A quick reminder that our crèche will only be running until 6pm this time due to staffing, so please keep this in mind when booking one of the later slots.

We had a great PTA meeting last night where we discussed our upcoming events:

Quiz Night – Friday 20th March
Easter Egg Hunt – Thursday 26th March
Wonderful Chocolate Bars

Both events are shaping up to be lots of fun, so please don’t leave it too late to book your place. Early bookings really help our PTA plan and cater for the correct numbers. Well done to Claire and her team for their continued enthusiastic fundraising ideas. Our next project is to create a sensory play and learning area in the Courtyard of our school. Exciting times ahead!

Another exciting date for your diaries is World Book Day on Thursday 5th March. This year we’ll be celebrating with bedtime stories and pyjamas! Children are invited to come to school in their PJs, and every child will receive a book token to spend on a special World Book Day book. Our PTA are also helping us celebrate World Book Day this year with their 'Wonderful Chocolate Bars'. They will be on sale next week. Will you be luck enough to win a golden ticket? Please see the poster sent out today to tell you more!

Some of you may also have seen the government White Paper in the news this week. As this has not yet been finalised, we encourage parents who wish to share their views to do so via the government’s consultation process. You can read the White Paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, and understand the proposed reforms here:
🔗 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving

Thank you, as always, for your support and involvement in school life.

Wishing everyone a lovely, restful weekend!

Best wishes

Mrs Riches

Headteacher

Weekly Update Friday 13th February

Fri 13 Feb 2026

We hope you are all looking forward to a well‑deserved half‑term break! Before we finish for the week, here are a few important updates and some wonderful celebrations from across the school.

👩‍🏫 Parents’ Evening – Monday 2nd & Thursday 5th March

Appointments for Parents’ Evening are now available to book via Arbor.

A crèche will be available on both evenings until 5:50pm.
To book a crèche slot, please email the school office with your child’s name and age. Spaces are limited.

💃🕺 Bounce and Boogie – Total Raised: £4,057!

A huge thank you to everyone who supported our Bounce and Boogie event.
Together, we raised an amazing £4,057 – a fantastic achievement that will greatly benefit our school community.

🍬 Thank You to Our Wonderful PTA

A big thank you to our brilliant PTA for organising yet another successful Sweet Sale.
The Valentine roses were especially popular and went down a treat with the children!

Don’t forget – the PTA is hosting another Quiz Night on Friday 20th March.
Get your teams together, sign up, and let’s get Quizzical! 🧠✨

🐖 Year 1 Visit to Manor Farm

Year 1 enjoyed a fantastic day at Manor Farm, learning about what life was like for Victorian children. The staff at the farm were full of praise, telling us what a lovely and polite group our children were.

A special well‑done goes to Molly from Robin Class, who impressed everyone with the best guinea pig impression the staff had ever heard!

We are incredibly proud of all our Year 1 children for representing our school so wonderfully.

📅 Important Dates After Half Term

Monday 23rd February – INSET Day (school closed to pupils)
Tuesday 24th February – School reopens for all children
Thursday 5th March – World Book Day
This year’s theme is Bedtime Stories.
Children are invited to wear their pyjamas and bring along their favourite bedtime story to share with their class. We’re looking forward to a cosy day of reading together.

Wishing all our families a lovely, restful half term.
We look forward to seeing everyone back on Tuesday 24th February.

With warm wishes

Mrs Riches

Headteacher

Weekly Update Friday 6th February

Sun 08 Feb 2026

With another week full of rain, our children have remained cheerful and excited about their learning in school. During our assemblies we have been revisiting our BADGER values this term. These are BELONGING, ASPIRATION, DETERMINATION, GOODNESS,EXCELLENCE and RESPECT. Our children have been brilliant at remembering the values and teachers have been giving out lots of value stickers when they see the values in action.

Learning

Year 1 are getting very excited about their visit to Manor Farm on Tuesday. There will be an opportunity for them to step back in time, and really explore how Victorians lived , many years ago. Please make sure your children have waterproof coats with hoods and suitable footwear for the trip (see Year Group email for more details).

Year 2 have really enjoyed their 'eggcellent' Wacky Wheels project. They have worked interdependently on their designs and showed determination and resilience when things didn't quite work out. True learning happens when we look at ways to overcome problems, when things don't go to plan! Their designs have been creative, and the teachers have been amazed at all they have achieved.

Year R have also had a fantastic time using Traditional Tales as a cornerstone for their learning. Every day I walk in to a myriad of learning activities within Year R, mirrored outside too. For example, their teachers are creatively looking at ways where pencil grip can be improved and had a 'pecking worms' activity set up with peg birds and wriggly worm pipe cleaners. We know children will practise a skill if they enjoy doing it, and they have all wanted to peck the worms!

Car Safety

The Hampshire Road Safety Team has asked all schools to share a leaflet to inform parents on car safety. We have put it on our 'Keeping Safe' Page withing the children's page on our website, and there is link too:

Car Safety

Please give this a read, especially if you are unclear of the law regarding travelling with your children in the car.

Keeping Well

We have had a lot of viruses around the school, and both children and their teachers have been unwell. We seem to be coming out of this now, but understand that chicken pox is now doing the rounds as well. We continue to keep a high level of cleaning in school, and are wiping 'touch points' frequently, to try to reduce spread. If your child is running a temperature, please keep them home, until their temperature has come down. If it is a sniffle, with no temperature, then they are well enough to be in school. If unclear, please see the NHS guidance here:

NHS Is my child too ill for school?

Bounce and Boogie

We cannot wait for our sponsored 'Bounce and Boogie' Day on Thursday. Forms need to be in, so that we know who is taking part, and donations can either be sent in in sealed envelope/bag, or electronically on ARBOR. PE kits will be sent home on Wednesday, so that they can be worn on the day. If your child is taking part remember they wear PE kit instead of school uniform that day.

Love is in the Air

Our fantastic PTA have been busy making sweet treats to buy with a Valentine theme. Their stall will be in the turning circle on Wednesday after school. Last year they sold out quickly. They will be there before and after pick up, so remember your pennies on the day!

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend. Only 'one more week of get ups' I was reminded by a Year 2 child this week!

Best wishes

Mrs Riches

Headteacher

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