Thank You

I wanted to take a moment to say a huge thank you to our incredible staff team.

At Belswains, we always go above and beyond for our children, and over the past few weeks that commitment has been clearer than ever. Despite the exceptionally hot weather, every member of staff came together, sharing our air-conditioned spaces and adapting plans to ensure that we remained open for our children and families.

There is so much that goes on behind the scenes, and I couldn't be prouder of our team. We had classes doubling up so that children without access to air-conditioned rooms could learn in cooler spaces. We continued with our fantastic Year 6 productions, moving performance times to the coolest parts of the day (although they were still very warm!) and live-streaming them for families at home – a huge thank you to Miss Finn for making this possible.

Our clubs continued to run, with staff adapting activities rather than cancelling them, and we worked with our external providers to ensure they could continue supporting our children, even when many schools had to reduce their opening hours or close for part or all of the day because of the heat.

I also wanted to thank our families. Earlier this month, a social media post about Belswains was shared online. Although it has since been removed, I was genuinely touched by how quickly so many of you contacted us to offer your support and to check in with the school. It was a wonderful reminder of the strength of our community.

We are incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated staff team and such a supportive community. Thank you all for everything you do to make Belswains such a special place. I am immensely proud to be part of it.

Mrs Claridge 

Early Years Foundation Stage 

EYFS have been incredibly busy over the past few weeks. Despite the warm weather, the children have shown fantastic resilience and enthusiasm, never letting the heat dampen their spirits.

We had a wonderful Sports Day where the children impressed us all with their excellent team-building skills, enthusiasm, and positive attitudes. It was particularly lovely to see such strong examples of sportsmanship and kindness, with children encouraging and supporting their teammates throughout the morning.

In addition, the children have been fascinated by our caterpillars. They have now formed their cocoons, and there is great excitement as we eagerly await their transformation into butterflies.

Key Stage 1

KS1 Sports Day took place on Wednesday 10th June. The children had so much fun and loved taking part in a variety of events, including the ball throw, egg-and-spoon race, 60m sprint, speed bounce and long-distance running. Year 1 particularly enjoyed the standing jump, where they competed to see who could jump the highest. Meanwhile, Year 2 found the welly wanging event especially amusing and had lots of giggles throughout!

British Schools Museum Trip 

Last week, Year 1 pupils enjoyed a fascinating visit to the British Schools Museum. They were very excited to start their trip in style on a double‑decker coach! The children then stepped into an authentic Victorian classroom, taking part in a strict traditional lesson. The Victorian lesson even included using slate boards and slate pencils. Children also explored and played with traditional Victorian toys and even made their own to take home. It was a memorable hands‑on experience that brought history vividly to life. 

Knebworth House Trip

This week, Year 2 enjoyed a fantastic trip to Knebworth House. During the day, they took part in a range of exciting Tudor-themed activities, including playing traditional instruments, learning a Tudor dance, and practising writing their names using the Tudor alphabet. In the afternoon, the children had great fun exploring the adventure playground, running around the fort, and racing down the huge slides. It was a wonderful day filled with learning, exploration and plenty of smiles!

Lower KS2

Year 4 go back in time!

Year 4 Owls and Nightingales stepped back in time on Friday 19th June, arriving at school dressed as fantastic Ancient Egyptians! The excitement was clear from the moment they walked through the door, and our mixed‑class activity day was packed with hands‑on fun from start to finish.

Children learned an energetic Egyptian dance with Miss Finn, complete with dramatic poses and rhythmic movements. With Mrs Gazza, they experimented with making their own papyrus and ink, discovering how Ancient Egyptians created materials for hieroglyph writing. Over in Mrs Farrow’s room, pupils chopped, mixed and tasted a refreshing Egyptian fruit salad- perfect for the warm weather.

Every child also created a striking pharaoh head artwork, using pencils, oil pastels and felt tips to bring their designs to life. The results are truly stunning and will make a brilliant display.

The sunshine added to the atmosphere, giving us a real taste of Egyptian heat, but Year 4 were absolute stars throughout. It was a brilliant end to a brilliant topic. Great job, Year 4!

Upper Key Stage 2

This week, Mrs Claridge took our seven amazing Scholars Programme pupils to SOAS University of London to celebrate the end of their incredible university adventure.

Over the past eight weeks, the children have been working with a real PhD tutor, exploring a fascinating humanities topic, carrying out their own research and even writing a university-style essay. They have certainly had a taste of what life as a university student is like!

Their graduation day was packed with exciting experiences. They toured the university with current students, learnt more about university life, and proudly took part in a graduation ceremony to celebrate all of their hard work and achievements.

The children were a real credit to the school, asking thoughtful questions, embracing every opportunity and showing just how much they had learnt throughout the programme.

Of course, no school trip would be complete without an unexpected favourite moment and despite the impressive university buildings and inspiring talks, the overwhelming highlight for many of the children was the soap sculpture in the bathroom! Safe to say, it received almost as much admiration as their graduation certificates!

A huge congratulations to all seven pupils. It has been excellent to witness their curiosity, resilience and enthusiasm they have shown throughout the programme. 

Langleybury Farm Trip

We had a lovely visit to Langleybury Farm this week. The children enjoyed meeting and feeding the animals, exploring the farm and learning about the different animals that live there.

After spending time with the animals, the children enjoyed a snack together in the shade before having great fun on the adventure playground. It was wonderful to see everyone smiling, exploring and enjoying the fresh air.

The children represented Belswains brilliantly and had a fantastic morning making special memories with their friends.

Belswains Values- Kindness Day

🌈 Kindness Day – Friday 17th July

On Friday 17th July, we are excited to be holding a special Kindness Day in school. This day will focus on one of our core school values- kindness.

Throughout the day, children will take part in a range of thoughtful and engaging activities designed to encourage them to reflect on how they can show kindness to others. One of the highlights will be our Kindness Post Box, where children can share kind messages with their friends and members of the school community.

To help celebrate the day, children are invited to come to school wearing bright, colourful clothing instead of their usual school uniform.

We are very much looking forward to a wonderful day filled with positivity, reflection and acts of kindness!