We have had a wonderful start to this half term. The children in Reception and Nursery have particularly enjoyed exploring our new small world area outside.

They have also been very enthusiastic about writing in unusual places, such as in our home corner and inside the secret den, which has made writing even more exciting and meaningful for them.

To finish the week, we celebrated World Book Day with a fantastic dressing-up day. The children had a lovely time sharing books with the Year 6 classes, and the younger children especially enjoyed spending time reading with the older pupils.

Sunshine + soil = the perfect science lesson! 

Year 3 headed out under the sails this week to kick off their new topic with some sunflower planting. The children loved getting stuck in quite literally as they patted down soil, watered their pots, and compared who might end up growing the tallest sunflower of all. Jays and Redwings worked brilliantly side by side, turning the space into a mini garden centre for the afternoon. If their enthusiasm is anything to go by, we could have some prize‑winning blooms on our hands. Chelsea Garden Show, here we come! 

Our Year 5 and Year 6 children have made a fantastic start to their new writing units this term. It has been wonderful to see their enthusiasm, creativity and determination shining through in every lesson!

Year 5 have been inspired by the powerful picture book The Promise by Nicola Davies. This beautifully illustrated story tells of a hardened, lonely girl who discovers hope in a bleak, desolate city- and learns how small acts can transform the world around her.

Meanwhile, Year 6 have been diving into Shackleton's Journey by William Grill, which recounts the incredible true expedition of legendary explorer Ernest Shackleton. This gripping account of survival in the harsh Antarctic landscape links perfectly with their wider topic, Frozen Kingdom. 

We are incredibly proud of the focus and maturity the children are showing in their writing. We look forward to sharing some of their wonderful finished pieces soon!

On Friday 27th February 2026, members of our School Council spent a productive morning at Watermill Residential Care Home, strengthening our ongoing links with the local community. The children worked together to plant a variety of flowers in the home’s garden, creating a colourful display for residents to enjoy throughout the year.

Residents joined the children outdoors, sharing conversations, stories, and plenty of smiles. The interaction between pupils and residents was warm and natural, with both groups clearly valuing the chance to connect across generations. Staff at Watermill Residential Home expressed their appreciation for the children’s efforts and the joy they brought to the afternoon.

We look forward to continuing this partnership and creating more opportunities for our pupils to make a positive difference in the community.

We are delighted that the window and cladding project, which followed our new roof project is nearing completion! We hope, like us, you can see the transformation of the Nest space. The projects have not only improved the aesthetics of the building but the eco efficiency.  With support from the Governors,  as part of the project we have also installed air conditioning in the KS1 classrooms. This is greatly received by staff and pupils alike. 

In our continued aim to bridge the 2 buildings, we have installed new blinds across the Nest to match those in the Aviary. These bring a fresh look to the rooms. 

There is also a new hall exit door and ramp that has been installed. There is still work to be done within this area of the school, but plans are afoot! Similarly, we are turning our attention to the playground old hedging spaces, where we'd like to develop some outdoor learning zones, supported by some funds from the Tesco Community Award. 

Finally, half term saw the install of upgraded wifi across the site and also a guest wifi to continue to support our external lets. We have worked hard to let out the site to raise funds in the holiday period, weekends and most week evenings. We do still have a few time slots available should you know of any local groups who may be looking to rent space. 

We had a fantastic start to our World Book Day celebrations with a whole school assembly where everyone had the chance to showcase their amazing costumes. It was wonderful to see so many creative outfits inspired by favourite book characters, and even the teachers joined in the fun by dressing up too!

Back in the classroom, the children took part in a range of exciting book themed activities. One of our activities was inspired by the picture book Tuesday by David Wiesner. This imaginative story follows a mysterious and magical event where frogs suddenly begin to fly through the night on lily pads, travelling over houses, trees and streets while the town sleeps. 

Later in the day, the children had the opportunity to visit another class to share their favourite book. This was a lovely chance for them to talk about stories they enjoy, recommend books to others, and celebrate the joy of reading together.

It was a brilliant day filled with creativity, imagination, and a shared love of books!

We have received some brilliant entries for our "Reading in Unusal Places" competition. If you would still like to enter, you have until Monday to send in your pictures to admin@belswains.herts.sch.uk.