Year 4 - Safer Internet Day
To celebrate Safer Internet Day 2025, the Year 4s learned how to become savvy cybernauts. They began by learning about the importance of setting strong passwords, and they played a game called ‘Guess the Password’ for which the children took turns rolling a dice to generate a password. Their partners then had to try and guess as much of it as they could. They also learned how to spot a scam and practised with a range of common scenarios.
St Barnabas celebrates Safer Internet Day 2025
Today, we will be celebrating Safer Internet Day. We began today by a worship led by Mrs Wilkinson. We discussed how to stay safe online, what might happen online and what a scam was. We discussed how we wouldn’t speak to strangers on the street so we should do the same online and only speak to people we know. If something doesn’t feel right or we get a little scared, we should always talk to a trusted adult. It was lovely to see the children discussing the importance of staying safe online and we had lots of meaningful discussion during our worship. This will continue in classes throughout the day.
Year 1- Geography
This week, Year 1 are enjoying a Geography themed Role Play and Investigation Area. In the Investigation Area, we have been creating our own booklets to represent where we all live on a larger scale and have gradually zoomed into where we live on a smaller scale. For example, we are part of the world and Europe but on a smaller scale we live in Darwen. In the Role Play Area, we have been taking on the role of a travel agent. We have had to book a holiday (in the United Kingdom) for a customer. The customer has had to choose a destination e.g. Scotland or more specifically Edinburgh and the travel agent has had to advise them about different types of accommodation and the best mode of transport. We understand that if we are travelling to Scotland, Wales or staying in England then a car, bus or train will be suitable but if we are travelling to Northern Ireland then a boat or aeroplane would be necessary.
Mad Science Assembly- Whole School
Today, the children were treated to a spectacular science show by Scientific Sarah from Mad Science. Sarah, a trained professional in handling chemicals and fire, emphasized safety throughout the engaging and interactive presentation. Throughout the show, children were encouraged to make predictions about what might happen next, fostering their scientific thinking skills. The children couldn't stop laughing, and there were so many "wow" moments throughout the presentation. The show featured three exciting experiments. First, the children were highly amused by "Egg Bert," a boiled egg that initially resisted entering a glass cylinder. After removing the shell (humorously referred to as his "clothing"), Sarah demonstrated how air pressure, a principle discovered by Jacques Charles, could be used to force the egg into the cylinder. Heating the air inside allowed the egg to slip in, and then, following Charles' suggestion, Sarah introduced cold air to pop the egg back out, to the children's great interest. The second experiment showcased red cabbage juice, a versatile pH indicator discovered by Robert Boyle in 1664. With the help of James, one of the school's science ambassadors, Sarah peeled and blended the cabbage. She explained how adding acid or alkaline substances to the juice would dramatically change its color, creating another captivating visual demonstration. Cassidy also assisted with this experiment. Finally, Sarah performed a "fire hands" experiment. Referencing Doctor Walter Snell's work on storing gas in tanks, she again stressed the importance of safety. Sarah then created three fire bubbles on her hand, a truly mesmerizing finale. Flyers are going home today with details about a new Mad Science After School Club starting next half term, on Monday, February 24th. Importantly, the topics covered in this club are different from those offered last year, so even if your child has participated before, they are guaranteed to learn something new! Registration letters, also going home today, contain full course details and information on how parents can register their children online. The deadline for registration is Friday, February 17th. Interested parents can register online on a first-come, first-served basis at https://northengland.madscience.org. The entire show was a memorable and educational experience for the children, and we're excited to offer this after-school opportunity.
Foodie Friends club- Valentine Biscuits
Our talented bakers created delightful Valentine’s biscuits in various heart-shaped sizes for our final Foodie Friends Club today. They measured flour and sugar, whisked eggs, rolled out the dough, and used food colouring to achieve a lovely shade of pink. The club has been a fantastic experience. Most children have enjoyed it so much that they’ve been recreating the easy bakes at home for their families.
Year 5 - Dance
Year 5 continued their dance unit, exploring how movement can represent the unique characteristics of planets in our solar system. Using a variety of dance techniques—including levels, direction, speed and formation—they worked collaboratively to bring each planet to life. From the slow, heavy movements of gas giants to the sharp, quick steps reflecting rocky terrains, the children used creativity and expression to showcase their understanding of space through dance.
Year 5 - Online Safety
Year 5 explored the E-Safety poster about scams and fake news in preparation for Safer Internet Day. The children discussed the potential risks and dangers associated with online scams, misinformation and how these can affect people in real life. Through engaging discussions, they identified ways to spot fake news, recognise suspicious links and protect personal information. They also explored the importance of thinking critically before sharing content online, ensuring they can navigate the digital world safely while making the most of the internet’s benefits.
Children’s Mental Health Week and Dress to Express Worship
Today was our special ‘ Dress to Express’ Worship to celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week. The theme of Dress to Express this year is ‘Know Yourself and Grow Yourself’. Children's emotional well-being is just as important as their physical health. Good mental health helps them develop the resilience to cope with whatever life throws at them and grow into well-rounded, healthy adults Our Heads and Deputies led the worship this week and started by telling everyone how they express themselves and they asked us all how we express ourself best. We heard that some children express themselves through playing football or other sports, dancing, listening to music and art etc. Mrs Ham showed us photos of how she likes to support her mental health through walking up huge fells with her dogs and her family. We then watched a clip from Inside Out the movie when Riley looked at various memories. We met sadness, joy, fear, disgust and anger. The children and Mrs Ham then acted out an emotion and the rest of the children had to guess what it was. We all feel different emotions but these affect our mental health. 5 Ways to Well-being are a great way to support our mental well-being such as: being physically active, connecting with others, learning new skills, giving to others and paying attention to the present moment (mindfulness). A question that the children presented asked ‘ How well do we really know ourselves?’ The children really enjoyed watching the clips and guessing the emotions that the characters were showing. The children shared when they too had experienced the emotions and how it made them feel. In another clip, we learnt about a boy named Malaki who felt like he was bad at everything he tried. Malaki was encouraged to ‘level up’ by his friends and people around him who cared for him. He was challenged to try a new skill which included skiing and ballet and tried his best with both. Although he wasn’t great at ballet he was awarded recognition for his determination and resilience. The children were asked what they had learnt from the video and the responses were: to keep going even if you aren’t the best, to not fall at the first hurdle and you can do anything that you set your mind to. We are all unique and special and God gave us many talents, some of yet we might not have discovered. We should let our light shine for all the world to see. We said our special Year of Prayer about our talents again and thanked God for the talents we have and the ones we are yet to discover. Our Heads and Deputies then finished with a special prayer for Children's Mental Health Week. To end our Worship we had the pleasure in listening to Renee, Molly, Alice and Lyla who read their acrostic poems ‘ Being Me’ and we sand 'Shine from the Inside Out' with our best singing voices and actions. What a wonderful way to start our day and a great end our Children's Mental Health Week, although we know that we need to focus on our mental health and wellbeing every day, not just this week.
Year 3- PSHE-Staying Safe Online: Spotting Scams and Fake Content
During our PSHE lesson, Year 3 discussed the importance of staying safe on the internet and how to recognise scams and fake content. We talked about common scams, such as fake competition messages claiming, “You’ve won a prize!” that trick people into clicking unsafe links, as well as fake emails pretending to be from banks or companies asking for personal details. We also looked at edited images that make things appear real when they are not, such as fake celebrity endorsements or photoshopped pictures used to spread false information. Parents should have open conversations with their children about these dangers, teaching them to check sources, spot warning signs like poor spelling and urgent messages, and always avoid clicking on unknown links. Encouraging critical thinking by asking, “Does this seem too good to be true?” helps children become more aware. Setting up safe browsing habits with parental controls and child-friendly search engines is essential, along with reminding children to always ask before downloading apps or making purchases. Keeping communication open ensures they feel comfortable reporting anything suspicious without fear of punishment. Finally, leading by example verifying information before sharing and being cautious with online messages, emails, and deals helps reinforce good digital habits.
Meet Our Science Ambassadors
We are thrilled to announce that we now have five Science Ambassadors at our school! This exciting role was open to KS2 students, who had to submit an application explaining why they wanted to apply and what made them a strong candidates. We received an incredible number of applications, making the selection process very challenging, but we have now chosen our final five. Our ambassadors are passionate about science, whether it's through experimenting, discovering how things work, or inspiring others to develop a love for the subject. As part of their role, they will support teachers during science lessons, assist their peers with investigations, help set up experiments, and promote a love of science throughout the school. They will also play a key part in science events and initiatives, encouraging curiosity and excitement for learning. We are so proud of them and look forward to Noah, Mathew, James, Cassidy and Naomi shining in their new role!
Year 1- Year of Prayer
This week’s theme for the Year of Prayer is praying through the use of a ‘Prayer Band’. Year 1 have enjoyed drawing people that they would like to pray and thank God for such as their mummy, daddy, grandparents, siblings and pets. Some children also chose to draw and think about the wider community such as people who are sick in hospital, those who are in the midst of war and refugees who are having to flee their homes. Whilst saying their prayer, the children held on to their prayer band. We are really enjoying learning about lots of new ways in which we can pray. Well done Year 1
Year 4- Athletics in the Sun
In our PE lesson today we focused on Sportshall Athletics activities with a twist as we did it outside. We practised baton exchange in relays, soft javelin and ball push. The children loved working in teams and pushed themselves hard to achieve their very best. We finished off the session with a mixed relay and next lesson we aim to incorporate equipment from both the obstacle and over and under relays.