Latest News

Keep up to date with all the news happening in school

• Weekly Update Friday 14th March

  Fri 14 Mar 2025

  Our Year 1 children had a bit of a surprise on Wednesday to find their classrooms set up quite differently! Their teachers were ready to teach, and some of us didn't recognise them! Of course  it was Victorian day, and the children enjoyed being in role in class. They all looked fantastic as Victorians, and some told me they had been up the chimney before coming to school. What a memorable day of learning it was for all.

   

  Year R also made special memories in the arboretum in Romsey. They learned about pollination and explored plants of all shapes and sizes. The children have been able to recount the whole day, back in the classroom, and have applied some of their learning in our school grounds. Thank you to all the parents who helped on the trip. We value the time you give to us to help make our learning successful.

   

  Year 2's historical knowledge and skills have been amazing this week. They are very proud of their success and are keen to show all visitors to their class. Their classrooms are developing into an exciting exhibition all about Lord Nelson, and how he lead the men on HMS Victory.

   

  We have noticed an increased amount of children bringing in drinks other than water recently. We have a water only policy throughout the day. If you would like your child to bring a sealed carton of juice/squash as part of their lunch, then they are able to do so. Please only send water in their water bottles and they can fill these through the day as many times as they would like to. 

   

  Mrs Moth's Parent Consultations will be via Teams on Monday 17th March. Please sign up to book your slot, if you haven't already done so.

   

  We have received a residential complaint about bad language being shouted outside their house near the school at drop off and pick up, by some of the parents and carers coming to our school. This is not a nice thing for anyone to hear, especially our young children. Please be mindful of the age of our children at pick up and drop times in school and the surrounding walking routes. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter and advise anyone affected to also report any anti-social behaviour to the PCSO.

   

  Mrs Moth and Mr Coker, our Choir Masters, would like to invite parents to the Mothering Sunday Church Service at St Peter's Church on Sunday 30th March. Our Year 1 and 2 choir will be singing at the service, and we hope you can join them.

   

  Our PTA  is putting out a last call for teams to sign up for our Quiz next Friday. Past parents/grandparents and friends are also welcome, so please make a team and come along. It is always a fun event in the BWIS calendar, so let's get QUIZZICAL!

   

  Lastly, next Friday is Red Nose Day. It is non uniform, and out theme is wear something red. It can be as silly as you would like it to be, with hair and glitter etc. Donations are online for this event-please see the newsletter for the link. 

   

  Wishing everyone a lovely weekend.

   

  Best wishes

   

  Mrs Riches

  Headteacher

  

• Easter Egg Hunt

  Thu 13 Mar 2025
  

• Weekly Update Friday 7th March

  Tue 04 Mar 2025

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  It has been another wonderful week at school, and it has been so lovely to see so many of you at our Parent-Teacher meetings this week. Thank you for taking the time to come in and discuss your child’s progress. If you were unable to attend, please do reach out to your child’s class teacher to arrange an appointment at a time that suits you.

   

  Our Book Fayre was a great success, and the children had so much fun exploring the books on offer. They also enjoyed the fantastic book character costumes worn on World Book Day – it was wonderful to see so much creativity! The bookmaking activities throughout the day were a big hit, and it was a joy to see all the children so engaged in them.

   

  Please be sure to check your inbox for details of the Cyber Awareness Training taking place at the Junior School on 12th March. All infant parents are warmly invited to attend, and we highly recommend this valuable session.

   

  In Year R, we are looking forward to their exciting trip to the Arboretum on Wednesday, 12th March, as part of their “Growing” theme. This is sure to be an enriching experience for them.

   

  As always, please check your child’s class emails for updates from each Year Group this week.

   

  The children have been making the most of the spring sunshine and enjoying outdoor learning. The school grounds look absolutely glorious with all the flowers in bloom, and it’s a pleasure to see the children so happy and engaged.

   

  Here’s a quick snapshot of what the children have been learning this week:

  • Year R: Exploring how plants grow
  • Year 1: Continuing their journey as historians and enjoying their exhibition of historical artefacts
  • Year 2: Learning about the life and legacy of Horatio Nelson, including his timeline and fascinating facts about one of Britain’s most famous admirals

   

  It has been a wonderful week of learning, and we look forward to more fun and exciting experiences ahead.

   

  Wishing you all a lovely weekend – and let’s hope the sunshine continues!

   

  Kind regards

   

  Mrs Riches

  Headteacher

  

• PTA QUIZ NIGHT FRIDAY 21st MARCH

  Fri 28 Feb 2025
  

• Weekly Update Friday 28th February

  Fri 28 Feb 2025

  Welcome back to Spring Term 2!

   

  The children have been very excited to come back to school this week with lots of chatter with their friends. Our Year 2 children have come back full of historical facts from their school visit to Portsmouth Dockyard. Thank you to all staff and parents who went on the trip-the children had a day(albeit soggy) that they will never forget. Year 1 are continuing their Victorian project, and the roleplay I have observed this week has been amazing-the children are fully immersed in character as Victorians, with an understanding and empathy of what it was like in Victorian times being demonstrated. Year R children have started their new project, with 'Growing' as their main theme. They will be visiting Hilliers' Arboretum for a day of activities regarding growth of plants in the grounds.

   

  On Monday our teachers joined staff from several of the cluster schools as part of our  teachers ongoing professional development, with a focus on writing. It was good to share ideas, and keep up to date with fellow colleagues. Our writing is of a very high standard, and our teachers were very proud to share our approach.

   

  Next week we have our Parent /Teacher meetings. Please note your appointment time down, and arrive 5/10 minutes prior to our appointment, so that you can look through your children's work. If you are unable to make the appointment, please let school know, and rearrange a time with your class teacher.

   

  On Thursday  6th March, it is World Book Day. Children are invited to come to school as a book character, and we would like them to bring the book with their character in it. It can be a character in school uniform (for those who are not keen on dressing up). We have a lot of costumes in school, so please let your child's class teacher know if you would like to borrow one of these before the day. All children will be given a £1 book token on the day, and we will be having an  Usborne Book  Stall in our lobby, where the token can be used to part pay for a book. Each class will have the chance to visit, and the book stand will also be open after school. Please see below for more details:

   

  · Parents can shop online using the link below until Thursday 6th March at 10pm

  https://usborne.com/gb/uevent?event=9f54a3c9f0d03f6c84e188eea6655b37

   

  · The book fair will be in school on Thursday 6th March for the children to browse – all children will have a chance to visit with their class during the day.

   

  · Children can bring money in a named envelope to buy books on the day when they visit the fair with their class. Most books start from £5.99.

   

  · Children can use their £1 world book day voucher to get £1 off any book at the fair.

   

  · Books will be ordered and delivered to the school 2 weeks after the event.

   

  · Books will NOT be available to take home on the day – this allows every child to get the book they want without stock running out and the school to get the maximum amount of free books.

   

  · The book fair will also be open after school until 4pm if you would rather purchase books with your child. Card payments can also be taken then too.

   

  · Every book purchased will enable the school to choose free books for the school library and classrooms!

   

  Our PTA Quiz night has been confirmed and it is to be held on Friday 21st March. We are very excited to be holding this again, and the night always proves to be lots of fun. There will be a bar, and it is an adults only evening. Please see the poster above for more details!

   

  We hope everyone makes the most of this lovely spring weather this weekend.

   

  Best wishes

   

  Mrs Riches

  

• Weekly Update Friday 14th February

  Thu 13 Feb 2025

  Happy Valentine's Day!

   

  This half term has bee very busy. Year 1 went on a trip to Manor Farm and had an experience of what life was like in Victorian times. They practised using their time openers to start their recount sentences later in the week. Year 2 have been exploring the theme of 'Belonging' in their RE week with some thoughtful observations and discussions.. They also had a fantastic folk dancing and board stomping afternoon with Folk Active. The fiddle was playing and the children had a whale of a time! The most delicious smell of gingerbread wafted up the corridor from Year R and one little gingerbread man escaped to my office! (Thank you! Year R).

   

  We had a very productive PTA meeting, discussing all forthcoming events. We are hoping to hold a Quiz Night for staff and Parents on Friday 21st March. There will also be our annual Easter Egg Hunt on Thursday 3rd April.  We will be getting a volunteer list out to all parents to sign up and help at future events, and support is always gratefully received.

   

  We had our annual Learning Leadership Partner (LLP) meeting this week with Hampshire County Council. This involved looking at our school in detail, meeting  with myself, staff, children and governors to discuss the school's strengths, and what our priorities are for the future. We were highly praised during the day, and we had robust conversations about all aspects of our school. Our curriculum is very strong, and the children showed that their learning was of high quality, with their retrieval of facts and knowledge. We were very pleased that we could celebrate our happy school, where children love their learning.

   

  Our Year 2 Lunchtime Clubs have been running all half term. The new painters in Painting Club have painted some beautiful spring flowers and these are on display before you walk into the hall. They have all enjoyed mixing colour and layering the paint. You can have a look here:https://www.bwis.org.uk/painting-club/

   

  Hopefully, everyone has seen the latest flyer from 'Southampton Rocks' letting you know things to do this half term. Take a look on our leaflets page here, if you missed it:https://www.bwis.org.uk/information-letterspamphlets/

   

  We played ‘pass the baby’ with baby Emilia in our staffroom this week, when Mrs Labram popped in to see us. She slept through the whole thing, but we all had a lovely snuggle time. She then went to visit Fox Class and had the children were all delighted to meet her. 

   

  Love has definitely been the theme for our last week of term, starting with our St Valentine assembly on Monday, which you can find out about on our learning links page. We talked about what we loved about ourself and our school. Today, we made our 'I Love BWIS' display, and the children's thoughts and ideas have been amazing. Take a peek at some of the comments, and check out the display in our corridor, the next time you come in. This afternoon, to finish our day, our PTA have a Valentine Sweet Sale in the turning circle, so remember to bring some pennies for some sweets.

   

  That is all from us. We hope you have a lovely half term break and will see you back in school on Tuesday 25th February.

   

  Best wishes

   

  Mrs Riches

  Headteacher

  

• Weekly Update Friday 7th February

  Fri 07 Feb 2025

  The Year 2 children have all been enjoying their clubs this week, run by the teachers at lunchtime. Sewing club have made the most beautiful embroidered mats with their bead letters in the middle. Mrs Campone is so proud of them. Please check out the club pages for updates of the next few weeks.

   

  We had a full Governor Body meeting this week, where we discussed our vision for the school, and how we are going to get there. The governors asked challenging questions whilst offering support to the school. They particularly wanted to thank the PTA and their fundraising for the corridor area learning revamp. Some governors are very new, but have already received training and getting to grips with the complexity of school organisation and strategies. It had robust dialogue throughout, enabling a clear snapshot of school was understood. Thank you to all who attended.

   

  Year R have proudly been showing me their writing thee past few weeks and they are now amazing themselves when they read their writing back. We think the mums and dads are going to be amazed in our parents' evenings in a few weeks. Year 1 cannot wait to go on their trip next week to see Victorian living first hand. They are particularly enjoying the roleplay areas, and we can hear some strict teachers in there! Year 2's Wacky Wheels testing was lots of fun and everyone in Year 2 had a fantastic time. There are some fantastic displays around our school at the moment, which really showcases our children's learning at school and at home. The children love seeing their learning on display, and it is lovely to hear them talk about the ideas they like on the display.

   

  Please can we send a gentle reminder to all parents to log on and contribute to their child's school trips. School budgets cannot sustain covering the cost of parents who do not contribute if they are able to. We also urge parents to log on to the portal if they have a low income, so that some extra costs for trips etc can be funded. The money that comes into school does not just cover lunch, and will help towards the funding to support children's learning and wellbeing. To find out if you are eligible, please click below:

   

  https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals

   

  Our January Newsletter is now live, with contributions from our school community. Please click on and have a look here:

   

  Newsletters | Bishops Waltham Infant School

   

  Wishing you all a lovely weekend. 

   

  Best wishes

   

  Mrs Riches

  Headteacher

   

   

   

  

• Weekly Update Friday 31st January

  Wed 29 Jan 2025

  This week has seen Year R children continuing to explore Traditional Tales, reading stories where language is familiar, and often repetitive. Who doesn't love a story that starts with 'Once Upon a time'? They often transport children into a land of make believe-of wizards, wolves with characters who behave in not such a nice way. If you read these stories at home with your children, they are great to stop and ask questions, such as 'what do you think the character will do?', 'How will the character act/respond when this happens', or 'what will happen next'. A traditional tale is a magical door into enjoyment of reading with lovely stores to share at all infant levels. I have loved seeing the pigs appear in Year R, and some clever house-making and ideas from our children too.

   

  Year 1 have started their next project all about Victorian Childhoods. Our children are shocked about what life was like in Victorian times. They will be journeying back in time on our Manor Farm Visit in two weeks time, where they will have first hand experiences of being a Victorian. How to compare and describe are two key skills teachers will be teaching over the next few weeks, as they explore artefacts from the era.

   

  Year 2 have had the best time learning and working collaboratively to design their Wacky Wheels vehicles. Their learning walls are full of their fantastic ideas, and they are nearly ready to test their vehicles. Watch out on our media section for the clips when they test them.

   

  With February just around the corner, we are all hoping for some less stormy weather, and looking forward to the longer days. I have found a great thing to do with your children, that some of you may already know about. There is a Sir Quentin Blake Blue Peter Book Badge, that all children aged 5-15 can apply for, by following the children's instructions below:

   

  Blue Peter Book badge application

  To earn this badge, you must:

  • Be aged between 5-15 years old.

  • Apply for your Book badge online using My Blue Peter or click the 'Book badge postal application form' button above, to apply by post.

  • Ask your parent or guardian for permission to apply and ask them to read the Privacy Notice.

  • Get your parent or guardian to help you fill out your form and personal details.

  • Tell us about a book you have read and what you think about it. Maybe you liked the characters, or perhaps you enjoyed going on exciting adventures in faraway places.

  • Upload your illustration of a character or a scene from the story. This could be a drawing, painting or even digital artwork.

  • Let us know what other books and authors you have enjoyed reading and why.

   

  To find out more about this badge and other Blue Peter Badges, please visit the link below:

   

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

   

  All children who have a Blue Peter Badge can visit over 200 attractions free in the UK. Please find the link to where they can get in free here:

   

  https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/attractions

   

  Happy Badge Applying All!!!

   

  I hope you all have a lovely weekend, and get better soon if still poorly.

   

  Mrs Riches

  Headteacher

   

• Weekly Update Friday 24th January

  Fri 24 Jan 2025

  Year 1 performed their amazing dragon dances as the culmination of their Dragon project this week. There was much excitement in all of the classes when devising their dance to perform. Well done to the Year 1 teachers and children. What a memorable learning experience it has been!

   

  Year 2 are continuing with their Wacky Wheel designs. The children have been thinking really carefully about what design will work best. They have also been writing about the experiments they have been doing in class. They have really enjoyed writing for a different reason.

   

  Year R have been busy story telling and discussing the Three Little Pigs. So many of the children have brought their learning to me to show this week- they have been AMAZING!

   

  Luckily Storm Eowyn seems to be further north than us, and we have had much drier weather than the rest of the country. Please take care if the wind does pick up again, especially looking out for flying debris.

   

  Some of the Year 1 and 2 children are missing warmer weather PE clothes in their PE bags. We go outside for PE every week in Year 1 and 2, so please make sure your child has warm named joggers and tops for thee colder months.

   

  We have an INSET day on Friday the 31st January, the same as the junior school, and will not be open at all. Please mark this day on your calendar as a little reminder! 

   

  Wishing everyone a peaceful weekend. 

   

  Best wishes

   

  Mrs Riches

  Headteacher

  

• Weekly Update Friday 17th January

  Fri 17 Jan 2025

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  We have been hit particularly hard with a series of 'flu'-like/Upper respiratory/high temperature/cough bugs this week, in both the classroom and the staffroom. 13% of our children have been away daily and 10% of our staff.  In children, it is presenting as a temperature spike and often accompanied by sickness due to this. Please be extra vigilant at home, and reinforce the importance of washing hands, especially if the children are coughing and sneezing. We would like to stress the importance of not sending children in when they have a temperature with a dose of calpol, as this is one of the contributory factors to the spread of bugs/virus like symptoms in class, and appreciate parents'  cooperation with this.

   

  We have three class outcomes next week in Year 1. Each outcome is at 9.15am in the hall on the following days:

   

  Wednesday 22nd Robins

  Thursday 23rd Squirrels

  Friday 25th Otters

   

  This week on our school data collection day, children who had packed lunches were offered to try a hot lunch. Many of the children enjoyed the lunch offered, and with a vast choice of lunches, we would like to encourage more parents to try the hot school lunches every day, even if this means bringing a pack up lunch as a back up. If you would like your child to order a lunch with their back up, please tell the classteacher in the morning. Often, if children see their friends eating something, they will want to try it too.  Our Year R children currently have the highest amount of school lunches each day, and tuck in enthusiastically in the lunch hall. A warm, nutritious lunch is particularly welcomed on a cold January day, so please encourage your child to give them a try!

   

  We are now two weeks in to our Spring term, and the amount of children arriving late is still quite high since Christmas. If you have found it difficult to get back into the routine on these cold January mornings, please see below for some ideas to help:

   

  Having a timer to finish getting dressed/breakfast etc

  Having a picture chart on what to do in each order

  Putting school clothes out ready in the morning

  Leaving home with enough time to get to school (especially if frosty/rainy in morning)

  Setting the alarm a bit earlier, if things are taking a bit longer

  Reward charts for leaving the house on time such as stickers/marbles in jar etc

  Coming up with the order which the children are going to do things with the child (giving ownership)

  Not having screen time/tv on in the morning

   

  This list is not exhaustive, and we are sure that many parents already tried some of these things in the past. Starting school with their friends after a little chat outside or on their way to school, and not arriving late in the middle of phonics, helps children to settle in to the school, ready to learn. 

   

  Lastly, if anyone is having a clear out of items after Christmas, we would receive the following donations, gratefully,  for playtimes and our wet play boxes:

  Lego

  Pretend fruit/food for cafe/shops

  Dressing up clothes

  Dolls and doll clothes

  Toy cars

  Balls (soft type, not leather)

  Skipping ropes

  Hula hoops

  Role Play items (tea sets etc)

  Building toys (duplo etc)

  Complete top trumps and uno games

   

  Please can all donations be playable/working order.

   

  Wishing everyone a lovely weekend

   

  Best wishes

   

  Mrs Riches