This page provides a summary of information news about events that have been happening in the school throughout the academic year. Please look at the newsletter section for the current, most up to date infomation: www.stbedewinchester.co.uk/newsletters-1/

• Black History Month – October 2025

  Fri 19 Dec 2025

  October is Black History Month in the UK and across the school our children have been engaging with curriculum projects associated with this focus and theme.  An example of this work comes from Year 2 who have been learning about Stephen Wiltshire, a talented British artist who specialises in cityscapes.  Stephen had communication difficulties as a child and by the age of 3 was diagnosed with Autism.  He has the amazing ability to be able to draw a city in all its detail after seeing it for as little as 30 minutes!  We wonder if anyone can guess some of the cities that we drew after being inspired by Stephen’s work?

   

  Recently, two of our Year 5 pupils - Alice and Joy - asked to meet with me to discuss our work on diversity, inclusion and belonging.  They wrote the following: ‘As pupils we wanted to discuss some ideas we had about our school. We talked with Mrs Duck about different cultures and disabilities.  We discussed how we can focus on the same well-known figures, who are great and inspirational, but there are so many other people and stories we can learn about too.  It would be interesting to learn about inventors, artists, scientists, writers and people from different parts of the world, including Africa and the Caribbean, so we can see how all kinds of different people have shaped history.  We also discussed the challenges we can meet on our way to achieving difficult goals and how we need to persevere and find new ways.

   

  At St Bede, we work hard to promote diversity widely across the school and across the year.  We are always keen to explore how we share the message and show through our actions that everyone is welcome and valued at St. Bede. Following on from our work linked to Black History Month and this discussion with our pupils, we would like to challenge any or all of our pupils to find and bring in a book after half term that represents diversity, inclusion and belonging.  We will use any books (or images of books) brought in to create a whole school display promoting these important themes. Thank you in advance.

• National Parenting Week - October 2025

  Fri 19 Dec 2025

  St Bede has been proud to lead a collaborative project with other primary schools across Winchester to offer a series of informative and supportive sessions during National Parenting Week.  We hope that these events have been both engaging and helpful for our wider school community. 

   

  Further information for supporting the parenting journey, provided by the NHS, can be found in the information attached to the newsletter today.

• Book Fair News – October 2025

  Fri 19 Dec 2025

  We were thrilled to host the Scholastic Book Fair at St. Bede this week!  The fair was a fantastic opportunity for children to explore a wide range of exciting books, discover new authors, and share their love of reading.  It was wonderful to see so many pupils browsing the shelves, chatting about their favourite stories, and choosing books to enjoy at home.  Thank you to all the families who supported the event—your purchases will help us earn free books for our school library, ensuring that our children continue to have access to inspiring and engaging reading materials.

• Year 3 Design and Food Technology News – October 2025

  Fri 19 Dec 2025

  This week, Year 3 have been busy in the kitchen as part of their Design and Technology project - making healthy oat bars!  The children began by taste-testing a variety of dried fruits, carefully deciding which flavours they wanted to include in their own creations.  Once their choices were made, they worked collaboratively in teams to mix all the ingredients together, following their recipes with great care.  After baking, the best part arrived - taste-testing their very own oat bars!  The children were so proud of their efforts and loved seeing how their chosen ingredients made each bar unique.  This activity not only taught important cooking skills but also encouraged teamwork, creativity, and healthy eating habits.  Well done, Year 3!

• Book Fair Competition – October 2025

  Fri 19 Dec 2025

  We’re thrilled to remind you that next week, after school on Wednesday 22nd, Thursday 23rd, and Friday 24th October, we will be hosting our first Scholastic Book Fair in almost ten years!  This will be a fantastic opportunity to celebrate reading and explore a wide range of exciting books.

   

  To mark the occasion, we have been running a special competition across all year groups.  A huge thank you to everyone who entered—the judges were incredibly impressed by the creativity and quality of the entries, making it a real challenge to choose the winners!

   

  Congratulations to our individual winners, pictured below, who were selected as first place in their year group. Each winner received a £5 book voucher to spend at the upcoming fair—well done!

   

  We look forward to welcoming families to the fair and hope it further inspires a love of reading in all our pupils.

• Kindness Project with Winchester Rotary – Shoebox Donations – October 2025

  Fri 19 Dec 2025

  A huge thank you to everyone for the generous donations sent in today to support our kindness initiative in partnership with Winchester Rotary. We are delighted to share that we have collected 45 shoeboxes, each filled with thoughtful gifts that will be sent to children who may not otherwise receive presents this year.  What a truly special and meaningful contribution—thank you again for your kindness and support.

   

  This project is a wonderful way for children to understand the impact of compassion and generosity, and to see how they can make a difference both in their local community and beyond.  Well done to our new Kindness Ambassadors who helped to ensure that the generous donations were safely delivered to the Rotary Team.

• Ancient Egyptian Day 2025 – Year 5 – October 2025

  Fri 19 Dec 2025

  This week, our Year 5 pupils have been diving further into the fascinating world of Ancient Egypt, exploring what life was like thousands of years ago along the River Nile.  The children arrived on Wednesday in a stunning array of Ancient Egyptian costumes - thank you to all families for your fantastic support in helping them dress the part!

   

  Throughout the day, the children took part in hands-on activities including baking traditional Egyptian-style bread and learning about the intriguing process of mummification.  Their enthusiasm and curiosity certainly brought history to life in the classroom!  Well done to everyone for a fantastic day of learning!

• Hello Yellow- World Mental Health Day – October 2025

  Fri 19 Dec 2025

  It was lovely to see so many staff and pupils wearing something yellow today in support of mental health awareness.  Promoting understanding around mental health and wellbeing is something we’re proud to champion as a school.  Our children regularly take part in My Happy Mind lessons every Friday, which help them explore how their brains work, understand emotional development, and learn practical ways to care for their mental health.  These sessions also encourage children to seek support when they need it, fostering a culture of openness and resilience.

   

  A huge thank you to everyone who got involved and contributed to our fundraising efforts for Young Minds.  Your generosity is making a real difference.

• Year 4’s Anglo-Saxon Adventure at Ufton Court – October 2025

  Fri 19 Dec 2025

  On Monday 6^th October, Year 4 headed off to Ufton Court to consolidate their understanding of all things Anglo Saxons! A glorious day with the sun shining, helped bring together a fun filled educational day which the children engaged enthusiastically with.

   

  The day began with a Saxon Skills Workshop, where the children stepped into the shoes of everyday Anglo-Saxons. They worked diligently to build houses, card and wattle, and even spun real sheep’s wool—quickly discovering just how time-consuming it was to produce enough wool for clothing!  One of the highlights was learning to use flint and steel to spark a fire, a skill that really brought history to life. Next came the Crime and Punishment session, where the children took on the roles of judges, plaintiffs, and priests. They listened to real Anglo-Saxon crimes and handed down some rather serious punishments, gaining insight into the justice system of the time.

   

  After lunch, the excitement ramped up with a 2-hour historical battle reenactment, based on the real events of 870 AD. The children learned how both the Saxons and Vikings would have fought to defend their land.  They ran across the site, strategizing and reenacting the epic clash with energy and determination. Reflecting on the day, Jack summed it up perfectly: “It was really good as I got to be a judge and the battle felt really real!”

• Author visit for Years 1 and 2 – September 2025

  Fri 19 Dec 2025

  On Wednesday 24^th September, the children in Years 1 and 2 were treated to a very special morning - they met a real-life author!  Abie Longstaff visited the school to share her story Little Bad Wolf, captivating the children with her animated storytelling, complete with props, character voices, and interactive moments.  The children were thrilled to become story detectives, tasked with spotting clues in the illustrations to predict what might happen next.  Abie also spoke about her creative process as an author, explaining how she comes up with ideas and builds her stories.

   

  Together with Abie, the children planned a new story inspired by Jack and Jill.  Using visual prompts, they imagined what might have happened at the top of the hill to cause Jack and Jill’s tumble and their ideas were fantastic!  Abie was genuinely impressed by their creativity.  Some lucky children even had the chance to meet Abie personally and have their pre-ordered books signed - a memorable moment for all involved.  The children were excellent ambassadors for the school throughout the event - well done, everyone!  A big thank you to Miss Lasenby and the Schools Library Service for organising such a wonderful experience.