Latest News | Bishops Waltham Infant School

BREAK THE RULES DAY

Wed 16 Jul 2025

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!

BREAK THE RULES DAY

When?

Tuesday 22nd July

(Last day of term)

Here's how it works

Pay 50p for every rule you would like to break This can be paid directly on ARBOR under 'DONATIONS' or in cash directly to teachers on the day. Please note no change can be given, so exact money only

Rules to be broken include:

School uniform must be worn
Hair must be natural hair colours and tied back
Games from home must not be brought into school
Telling jokes in class is never permitted
Children are not allowed squash or juice in their water bottles
There shall be no body/hair glitter anywhere
Children are not allowed to choose music played in class
Football kits and other sportswear are not permitted
No sweets or chocolate bars allowed in lunchboxes/brought in for snack
Tattoos (temporary) must be hidden under clothing

We will see you there (Remember teachers are not allowed to break the rules either!)

https://sway.cloud.microsoft/FrArhC37v3flWsKV?ref=Link

Weekly Update Friday 11th July

Fri 11 Jul 2025

🌞 Summer Sunshine and Super Stars! 🌞

What a glorious week we've had! The sun has been shining, and the children have been reminded to take regular sips of water, enjoy some shade time, and practise their sun safety skills. It's been lovely to see hats, sun cream and big smiles all around the playground!

🌟 Open Afternoon Success 🌟

Tuesday’s Open Afternoon was such a special event. The children proudly shared their learning with you and took home their FANTASTIC Records of Achievement. We are so proud of all our children's accomplishments and the progress they've made this year.

A huge thank you to everyone who came – it was a joyful afternoon enjoyed by all. And a big thank you to Mrs Palmer for running the café in the hall – a few lucky children enjoyed a well-earned cake after showing off their super learning!

💬 Share Your Views
If you’d like to fill in your thoughts about the school on the OFSTED Parent View site, we’d be very grateful. This is a great way for new families to find out what you think about our school – and your feedback really matters. Please click the link below:

https://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/parent-view-results/survey/result/11670/15

🎨 Creative Classrooms

Year R have amazed us with their fabulous papier-mâché animals – they’ll be heading home soon and you’re in for a treat!
Year 1's corridor display of lighthouses is simply stunning – what creative ideas!
Year 2 are putting the finishing touches on their Leavers’ Performance and amazing pirate creations. We even heard they sang the pirate songs around the campfire at Beaver Camp – what a memory!

🎭 Upcoming Events!

Year R will be visiting our new starters at home next week – how exciting!
Year 2's Leavers’ Performance is on Thursday 17th July at 1.45pm – don’t forget your tissues!
That evening, they’ll return to school from 5–6.30pm for their Leavers' Disco – a free treat from our lovely PTA.

👩‍🏫 School & Governors Update
This week we held our final Full Governing Body meeting of the year. Governors were extremely impressed with the consistent high standard of learning and commented on how strongly our BADGER values shine through in school life. They also recognised the dedication and teamwork it takes from all our staff to maintain such high standards – thank you to our brilliant team!

🎉 PTA Thank You & Call for Help
At our PTA meeting this week, we celebrated an incredible year of fundraising – thank you all! A special thank you to Andy (Vice-Chair), who is moving on. We’re now looking for new volunteers – if you’re a forms whizz, like to organise or a social media expert, we’d love to hear from you! We’re also looking for Class Reps for September – more information coming soon.

☀️ Have Fun in the Sun!
Wishing you all a sunny and safe weekend filled with fun and laughter!

Warmest wishes

Mrs Riches

Headteacher

Weekly Update Friday 4th July

Mon 07 Jul 2025

What an amazing Sports Day we had today! Year R started the day, followed by Year 1 and rounding off with Year 2 and their last Sports day with us. In their colour teams, the children demonstrated our BADGER values throughout. They showed BELONGING, not only to their team, but also to all children in their class and year group. They ASPIRED to try their best in the activities they did. They were DETERMINED when they missed a goal, or were pipped at the post, to continue to do better. Throughout they showed GOODNESS and kindness to their fellow classmates. A lot of children became EXCELLENT and more confident as they shared their skills. Lastly, they all showed RESPECT and sportsmanship to the fellow competitors. What a super day!

Thank you to all the children, staff and spectators for making such a magical memory for our children. It was a lovely day to remember.

On Monday 7th July, our PTA are having a Treat sale straight after school in the turning circle. Please bring your pennies to spend on all the lovely goodies.

Our Open Afternoon for current students in on Tuesday 8th July. It runs from 2pm-5pm. All the children's learning will be out to see, and children can take their Record of Achievement home then too. There will also be a cafe running in the hall for cake/teas/coffees cold drinks (cash only), so come along, sit in our beautiful grounds, share your children's learning and have a cake too!

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend

Best wishes

Mrs Riches

Headteacher

Weekly Update Friday 27th June

Fri 27 Jun 2025

🌟 We hope you are all keeping well. It's been another joyful and productive few weeks at school. The children have been working incredibly hard in class, and we are so proud of them all!

We’re very much looking forward to welcoming you to our Open Afternoon in a few weeks' time. The children are buzzing with excitement to share all their fantastic learning with you — there’s so much to be proud of.

✨ Classroom Highlights

📚 Reception
Our Reception children have been making brilliant progress with their key words and are growing in confidence every day with their reading – well done! They've also been working hard on their writing skills. A big well done to Felix, who read us his lovely story in assembly today!

🎨 Year 1
Year 1 have created stunning seaside portholes as part of their topic work — they truly are little works of art, showing the key features of the seaside in such creative ways!

💃 Year 2
Year 2 had a fantastic time Ceilidh dancing with other local schools in the palace ruins today. It was a joyful, energetic day full of smiles and teamwork. Thank you so much to all staff and parents helpers who made this special day possible — what a memorable experience for our children!

🎉 Transition Morning – Thursday 3rd July

We’re getting ready for our Transition Morning next Thursday, when our Reception and Year 1 children will find out their new class and teacher for September. We know this can be a time of mixed emotions, but please rest assured — we’ve supported many successful transitions over the years. Children often come home smiling and excited to tell you all about their new class!

You’ll also receive an email that day confirming your child’s teacher. If any children need extra support, we will provide this, which may include a social story or additional visits. This support also extends to our Year 2 children moving to Year 3.

🧸 Stay and Play & All About Me Books

Thank you to all the families who attended our second Stay and Play session this week. It was so lovely to see you all! You should now have your child’s ‘All About Me’ book to complete over the summer – we look forward to learning all about your child in September.

🏅 Sports Day – Friday 4th July

We are excited to announce that Sports Day will take place next Friday morning (4th July)! Each year group will enjoy an hour of sport with 2–3 fun activities (weather permitting).

Reception: 9.15am
Year 1: 10.45am
Year 2: 1.45pm

There will be refreshments and cakes available on the day – cash donations only, please. We’re keeping a close eye on the weather and will make adjustments if needed, but fingers crossed the sunshine stays with us! 🌞

💛 A Huge Thank You!

A big thank you to our incredible PTA, who ran a brilliant stall at the junior school last Friday. You’ve been absolute stars all year, and we are so grateful for all your hard work and support!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend,

With warmest regards,

Mrs Riches

Headteacher

Weekly Update Friday 20th June

Fri 20 Jun 2025

☀️What a lovely week we’re having in the sunshine!

We've had a fabulous week filled with sunshine, smiles and super learning! The children have loved being outside, and our staff are reminding everyone to drink plenty of water and take shade time during hot playtimes.

🧢 Thank you to all our parents and carers for helping keep our children safe in the sun by applying lotion at home and making sure they have their sun hats!

✍️ Records of Achievement

Our teachers and children have been working hard to finish their Records of Achievement, ready to share with you during our Open Afternoon on Tuesday 8th July from 2pm–5pm. We are so proud of all the children’s progress this year!

🧸 Welcome New Year R Children!

This week we had our first ‘Stay and Play’ sessions for our new Year R children. They had a lovely time getting to know the classrooms and making new friends with our current Year R children.

We’re looking forward to the second session next week, and don’t forget our Transition Day is on Thursday 3rd July, where everyone will meet their new teacher and spend the morning in their new class.

🏊 Year 2 Cooling Off!

Year 2 were very lucky this week – they got to cool down in the school swimming pool! The children are growing in confidence each week and will build on these swimming skills as they move into Year 3.

🏴‍☠️ Learning Spotlight!

Year 2: We’ve seen some brilliant pirate writing this week—creative stories and sea shanties! They’re really enjoying this project and looking forward to their Leavers’ Assembly.
Year 1: Children have made beautiful portholes, showing what they’ve learned about physical and human features at the seaside. Their descriptive poetry has blown their teachers away!
Year R: Our youngest learners have been learning all about animals, practising their writing and number skills. They are so proud of their work—and so are we!

🎉 PTA News & Community Help Needed

Our PTA are kindly helping the Junior School run their summer event tonight—please pop along and support them! They’ve also planned the much-loved Leavers’ Disco for Year 2 at the end of term.

They are always looking for volunteers—if you have some spare time, please get in touch!

🌿 Can You Help Our School?

We’re lucky to have a wonderful school community, and we need a little extra help with the following:

🐸 Pond Maintenance – Mr Howell and his amazing family have been looking after our beautiful pond. We’d love more volunteers to join our Pond Group—even if just once or twice!
🐝 Bee Problem – Bees have taken up residence in our outdoor classroom, and they haven’t moved on! If you have bee expertise, we’d really appreciate your help making the space safe again.
⛺ Teepee Repairs – The wood under our Year R teepee is rotten. If you’re practical, strong or handy, we’d be so grateful for help in taking it away.

📞 If you can help with any of the above, please let the school office know.

Our budget is very stretched, so any support from our wonderful school community means so much.

🌞 Wishing You a Lovely Weekend in the Sunshine!

Thank you for your continued support, and we hope you enjoy a sunny, safe and restful weekend.

Best Wishes

Mrs Riches

Headteacher

Weekly Update Friday 6th June

Fri 06 Jun 2025

🌟Welcome Back!

We hope everyone had a restful and fun-filled half term break – it’s been wonderful to welcome the children back this week. They’ve returned full of energy and ready to learn!

🌊 Year 1’s Seaside Adventure
Year 1 had a fabulous visit to Southsea and Portsmouth this week as part of their geography learning. The children explored human and physical features of the seaside and compared what they saw to our lovely Bishops Waltham. Back in school, they’ve already been using what they discovered as inspiration for some brilliant art and writing. Well done, Year 1 – what fantastic geographers you are!

🔢✏️ Reception Superstars
Year R have been amazing us this week with their growing independence. They’ve been working hard on their numbers and letter sounds and have impressed their teachers with how confidently they’re solving problems and having a go at writing.

📚 Year 2 Shining Bright
Year 2 have been focusing on their literacy and numeracy skills and have produced some super work. We were so proud to see some of their learning shared in our celebration assembly today. Keep it up, Year 2 – you’re doing brilliantly!

👋 Welcome Evening for New Starters
This week we also hosted our Welcome Evening for our new September intake. It was a lovely evening where families met some of our staff and found out what life will be like when they join us. We can’t wait to welcome our newest learners into the school community!

🛍️ 'Bags for Life' Success
A big thank you to everyone who donated towards our 'Bags for Life' initiative. We raised £28 which will go towards valuable learning resources for the children. Every little helps and we are so grateful for your support!

🌧️ A Little Reminder...
As I write this, the heavens have opened – again! With the changeable weather, please do remember to pop a raincoat in your child’s bag just in case we get a surprise downpour at home time.

🌼 Wishing You a Lovely Weekend
Thank you as always for your continued support. We’re so proud of all of our fantastic learners – have a wonderful, restful weekend!

(PS Remember Monday 9th June is a School INSET day)

Best wishes

Mrs Riches

Headteacher

Kids Treat - Sunday 6th July 12:00pm until 4:30pm - High Street, Bishops Waltham

Wed 04 Jun 2025

Weekly Update Friday 23rd May

Fri 23 May 2025

🌞 We can’t believe how quickly this half term has flown by!
The summer sunshine has brought smiles and lots of outdoor learning opportunities. It’s been wonderful to see the children enjoying our beautiful school grounds while learning and exploring together.

🎉 Farewell and Welcome – Chair of Governors
We’d like to say a huge thank you to Mr Brownlie, who has served as a governor at BWIS for the past 8 years. His dedication and guidance have been truly appreciated by the whole school community.
We’re also excited to welcome Mr Denman, who has been unanimously voted as our new Chair of Governors. We look forward to working with him in the months ahead!

🧁 A Sweet Thank You
A big thank you to our amazing PTA for organising this week’s cake sale and for all their hard work throughout this busy half term of events. We really appreciate your support!

👚 Uniform Donations Available
Looking for a spare summer dress or cardigan? We have several pre-loved uniform items available for a small donation. Please pop by the school office if you'd like to have a look.

📅 Upcoming Dates to Remember

Welcome to New Entrants Evening – Thursday 5th June
Please contact the school office to book your slot.
Year 1 Trip to Southsea & Year 2 Swimming
These exciting activities begin the week after half term. Don’t forget to send in any outstanding donations to support these events.

INSET Days 2025-2026

Please find our INSET days for staff training and statutory updates for the next academic year. We have tried to match the junior school, with only one day differing due to training needs of each school.

Wednesday 3rd September 2025

Monday 24th November 2025

Monday 23rd February 2026

Friday 22nd May 2026

Monday 8th June 2026

☀️ Wishing You a Wonderful Whitsun Break!
We hope everyone has a restful and sunny half term holiday. See you all back soon, refreshed and ready for a brilliant second half of the summer term!

Best wishes

Mrs Riches

Headteacher

Weekly Update-Week ending 16th May

Tue 20 May 2025

Please find our update a little later than usual this week. I really want to shine the spotlight on our amazing PTA. They have been truly remarkable in organising 2 fantastic fundraising events for our school, a week apart. Both events required a lot of planning and organising prior to the event itself, and both deserve to be celebrated.

❓Quiznight 2025

What a great evening. In the end we had some last minute entries, and our hall was packed. Quizmaster Andy, kept us all busy with rounds about general knowledge, emojis, pictures, music-you name it, we had it all. The bar kept flowing and there were a lot of corks popping! The food was catered for by Cleverchefs, and nobody went hungry. I never found out if our band of merry parents worked out where they were continuing the party afterwards, and apart from a slight mixup, where we locked the PTA in the car park (oops!), the night was a fantastic success. Thank you to all the PTA and staff who helped to clean up afterwards too-the mucky job that nobody likes!

The winners of the quiz were 'Quizzy Whizzy, let's get Busy', who had a very impressive lead-huge congratulations to them and to everyone who took part too. Remember to book your tickets early next year-it is one to put on the calendar!

🎪Summer Fayre 2025

What a glorious day we had for our summer fayre this year. Everyone had the biggest smiles, whether they were having their face/hair done, crafting something, shooting for goal or hooking a duck. Some of our Year 2 children performed their ceilidh dance and we also had some dance performances from our after school club. We raised a very impressive £2200 towards our learning suite, and we cannot wait for it to be installed. Again, so much work went into the organising of this event. Extra parents, staff, governors, pre-school and sports groups supported on the day, too. It was a fantastic community event , primarily led by Claire, Kath, Baz and Andy. We are so grateful and lucky to have you on board, making memorable experiences for our children and parents. We would like to say a HUGE THANKYOU, for everything you do, and know that the majority of our parents and grandparents who attend the events feel the same way as us too.

🍰After School Cake Sale

On Wednesday 21st May, we will be having a cake sale in the turning circle, to sell all left over goodies from the Fayre. Please see the PTA email about what else will be on sale, and our selaed bids for three fantastic trip experiences

Below, are a few snaps of the event. Let's hope the sunshine stays out for half term too.

Best wishes

Mrs Riches

Headteacher