Year 5 - NSPCC
Today, we prepared for a future visit by the NSPCC by engaging in activities and discussions around the topic of how children can stay safe by speaking out about any concerns or worries they might have. We discussed the different ways that children can be harmed (e.g. emotional or physical bullying) and who the safe adults are that they can talk to inside and outside school.
Year 6 - Dividing Fractions
Today, Year 6 focused on applying their understanding of dividing fractions by whole numbers. The children revisited the method of placing the whole number as a fraction and using the inverse operation (multiplying by the reciprocal) to calculate the answer. They then applied this strategy to a range of increasingly challenging questions, before using their knowledge in problem-solving and reasoning tasks. This helped deepen their understanding and ensured they could explain their thinking using accurate mathematical language.
Year 3 - History-From Tudors to Today: How Childhood Has Changed
Year 3 stepped into the role of historians this afternoon as we launched our new History unit! We have been exploring the similarities and differences between children's lives now and in the past. Using portraits of Tudor children as our primary sources, the pupils practised the art of observation and deduction. By observing closely what the children were wearing and playing with, our class made astute deductions about who was wealthy and how they spent their time. It was a brilliant way to see how much, and how little, life has changed over the centuries!
Whole School Worship - Epiphany
To continue our Epiphany celebration, in worship, we learned about the significance of the wise men’s gifts. We were entertained with some fantastic acting from a few of our Year 6 children as they acted out the story of the wise men meeting Herod on their way to visit Jesus. We all joined in with actions for repeated sections of the rhyming Bible story too. As the wise men presented their gifts it was revealed that each had a specific significance: gold to represent the King, frankincense to represent God, and myrrh to represent the great sacrifice to come. Following this we took the time to reflect on the true wonder of this significant event and then enjoyed singing We Three Kings together to bring this festive season to a close.
Year 4 - RE: Beliefs About Jesus
Our Year 4 Bible explorers also became defence lawyers today in our mock courtroom trial. The question was “Is Jesus the Son of God?”, their task was to defend Christians and provide evidence from the Bible, from the miracles Jesus performed. After taking time preparing their arguments, the children presented their evidence and put up some strong counter arguments each time the prosecution attempted to refute their evidence.
Year 1 PE: Underarm Throw
Yesterday we focused on our underarm throwing. We started by throwing a beanbag into a hoop with our dominant arm, before swapping to our non-dominant arm. The children noticed that it was much harder. Then, we tried to get the beanbag onto a marker spot inside of the hoop, which meant we had to focus more on our aim. To challenge ourselves, we swapped the beanbag for a quoit, which made us focus on the way we held the object in our hand as holding it the wrong way made the quoit roll. The children tried really hard with this and showed lots of resilience and determination.
Year 1 Art: Making Secondary Colours
As part of our class discussion, we understood that colour is everywhere around us. Artists use colour to make their work stand out, look realistic and appeal to an audience. The children learnt that there are three primary colours: red, yellow and blue. We can make other colours by mixing these three colours together. The children found that red and yellow makes orange, blue and yellow makes green and red and blue makes purple, which are secondary colours. They had lots of fun mixing the paints to reveal what colour they would make.
Year 3 Welcome Blackburn Rovers for GULP Project
We are delighted to welcome Blackburn Rovers to Year 3 for a four-week programme. They are delivering the GULP (Give Up Loving Pop) campaign, a fantastic initiative by Food Active, to help our students understand the health risks associated with sugary drinks. Today, the children kicked things off by learning all about what’s really inside their favourite sodas and how to make healthier choices.
Year 3 - P.S.H.E-Derek cooks dinner! (healthy eating)
In PSHE today, Year 3 became health consultants for some very special friends! We were joined by Harold the Giraffe, Derek the Penguin, and Kiki the Kangaroo. The children received an urgent email from Derek, who needed help planning a healthy, balanced party meal. Using the 'Eatwell Guide', the children debated which foods build muscle, strengthen bones, and provide energy. They’ve sent their nutritious meal plans off to Derek, and we are now eagerly awaiting his reply to see what he thinks of their delicious and healthy idea.
Year 5 - Science
In science, we finished our materials topic by exploring the saturation points of water at different temperatures. The children found that warm water can dissolve more sugar than cold water. We related this back to the action of particles, with heat causing the bonds between sugar molecules to weaken, allowing them to spread evenly through the solvent (water). Next week, we begin our new topic of the solar system.
Year 6 - Netball
This week, Year 6 began their invasion games unit with a focus on netball. The children explored the core principles of effective passing and receiving, including accuracy, timing, movement into space and communication. They took part in a series of rondo-style games designed to develop quick decision-making, maintaining possession and supporting teammates. These activities helped the children to understand how to keep the ball moving under pressure and apply these skills within a game-like context.
Welcome back!
A huge welcome back to you all! It was a wonderful wintery view this morning from St Barnabas. It has been lovely to see the children reunited with their friends and they have especially enjoyed playing in the snow with them at break time. They have soon settled back into school and have been working their socks off already! We are looking forward to another exciting year of achieving great things and living life in all its fullness!