June 2026

Chiltern are in the Basingstoke Gazette!

We are committed to creating inspiring learning environments both inside and outside the classroom. As part of our ongoing school improvement journey, the children and staff in The Hive have been transforming our outdoor garden into a welcoming space for learning, play and wellbeing.

To help bring their vision to life, the children wrote to local businesses asking if they could support the project by donating plants or gardening resources. We were delighted when the team at B&Q responded with an incredibly generous donation of over £100 worth of plants, as well as a brand new picnic bench.

The project has provided a fantastic opportunity for the children to develop new skills, learning about different plants, how to care for them, and the importance of looking after the environment. They have thoroughly enjoyed getting hands-on with the planting and are excited to see the garden continue to grow.

We are incredibly grateful to Sue and the team at B&Q for their kindness and generosity in supporting our school community. Their donation will have a lasting impact on our children for years to come.

We look forward to officially opening the new Hive Garden later this term.

Click here for the Basingstoke Gazette Article!

Pictured (left to right): Sue from B&Q, Mrs Burge and Miss Stott from The Hive team.

Looking Ahead

Our next outdoor development project is the Meadow Garden, where we hope to create an engaging sensory play space for children with significant special educational needs and disabilities. We are currently looking for support with items such as a mud kitchen, large outdoor play equipment and other resources that will help our children learn and thrive.

If you are a local business or community member who would like to support this project, we would love to hear from you. Together, we can continue creating enriching outdoor spaces that make a real difference to our children.

WB: 29.09.25

This week, Chiltern Primary held our very first school council elections – and it was a truly exciting event!

Our school library was completely transformed into a real polling station. We had official voting booths and ballot boxes brought into school, making the experience feel just like a real election. A one-way system guided us through the process, with clear arrows and signs to help us know exactly what to do.

Every pupil was given a ballot slip and, just like in real life, we had to put a cross in the box next to the candidate we wanted to vote for. After folding the slip, we posted it into the ballot box.

It was a fantastic opportunity to learn about democracy and how elections work. The children showed great maturity and enthusiasm, and we can’t wait to announce the results and see our new school council in action!

WB: 22.09.25

Luke Murphy MP visits Chiltern Primary School

We were delighted to welcome Luke Murphy MP to Chiltern Primary School this week!

On Monday, he sent us a special video message — filmed straight after he had breakfast with the Prime Minister and met Larry, the famous Downing Street cat. He told us that, even with such a busy day, making the video for Chiltern was the most important thing he did.

When he visited in person, Mr Murphy told us about his job as a Member of Parliament and why it’s so important that everyone has a voice in our country. He said the most important thing a leader can do is listen, and reminded us that every child sitting in the hall has the power to be a future leader — whether that’s in politics, science, the arts, sport, or any other career they dream of.

When asked what election day feels like, Mr Murphy said it was 'really nerve-wracking and exciting' and that he had to stay up very late to find out the results. Mrs Searle, our Headteacher, laughed that she hadn’t realised she might also have to stay up late counting votes for our brand-new School Council!

Children have already written their applications, and next week they will be voting using real polling booths to get a true sense of what it’s like to take part in an election.

It was inspiring to hear from our local MP, and we are excited to see democracy in action here at Chiltern.