EYFS and KS1- Sports Day Medal Winners
Hurray for Our Sports Day Stars! A huge well done to all our amazing medal winners from EYFS, Year 1, and Year 2 at Sports Day! We are so, so proud of all our incredible sports stars! And a massive shout-out to every single child in EYFS and Key Stage 1! You all showed such super efforts and truly shone on the day. We are incredibly proud of each and every one of you! All of the photos will shortly be uploaded here: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/sports-day-2025
Year 3-The Great Big Live Assembly: A Journey Into Refugee Lives
Today, Year 3 joined hundreds of schools for The Great Big Live Assembly to mark World Refugee Week. Led by Krish Kandiah, the worship helped us learn about the lives of millions of children who have been forced to leave their homes because of war, violence, or danger. We discovered that over 43 million children and young people worldwide are refugees or displaced. Through stories and real examples, including a live connection with children living in refugee camps, we got a better understanding of the challenges these children face every day. Krish encouraged us to think about what “home” means and how important it is to show kindness, support, and hope to those who have lost so much. The worship helped us reflect on the courage and strength of refugees and inspired us to be more compassionate and aware of global issues.
The Great Live Assembly- World Refugee Day 2025
This morning in Year 4, we took part in The Great Live Assembly for World Refugee Week. 43 million young people and children have had to leave their country for various reasons including persecution and war. We met two children from Kenya - Ajok wanted to be a teacher and had to flee due to civil war. He had to walk over 500 miles to reach his final destination. We then watched an interview with the author Michael Rosen who has recently written On the Move, which uses poetry to highlight the struggles of a refugee. This teaches us that ‘Home is where the Heart is’ and we should really appreciate and support the sacrifices that the refugees across the world have to endure.
Darwen Netball League Winners
We are immensely proud of our netball squad for playing amazingly well over the last five weeks in the Darwen Netball League and for winning all of their games. Tonight they played in scorching heat against Avondale, Belmont and St Joseph’s resulting in two wins and a draw, making us the winners of the league for the second year in a row! This is along with winning the Bee Stinger High Fives for the second year in a row too! We can’t wait to represent Blackburn with Darwen in the Lancashire games on the 8th July. A huge thank you to Mrs Gardner for her wonderful coaching and umpiring and thank you to our other teachers who came along to support. A massive thanks to the parents and carers for your support and help with transport. Well done to all the other teams and umpires along with Phil Eastwood, who organised the league. And finally an enormous thank you to our children for always giving it 100%, being so competitive and always encouraging each other. A special mention to the Year 5 girls who have stepped up and played games- this is great preparation for next year! What a fantastic evening of achieving great things and living life in all its fullness!
Year 5 - Striking and Fielding
Today, Year 5 enjoyed an energetic and competitive game of rounders as part of their PE lesson. The session focused on key skills including accurate striking, effective fielding and quick decision-making. The children worked on developing their hand-eye coordination, communication and teamwork. They also explored tactics such as choosing the best positions when fielding, backing each other up and judging when to run or stay on a base.
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Year 3 - English- Presentation Of Learning- My name is not a Refugee
Year 3 presented their learning about refugees to the Year 2 class today. The session began with a clear definition of the word "refugee," helping the younger students understand this term. The children then went on to share some facts they had learned about refugees, for example, some refugees walk for miles and miles, refugees are just people, like you and me, who need a safe place to live and sometimes, refugees can only take a small bag, they have to leave their toys, schools, and homes behind. What brought their learning to life was the opportunity to meet some refugees yesterday and hear their stories firsthand. Sharing these powerful personal accounts with the Year 2 class was an amazing experience, allowing the students to grasp the concept of "living life in its fullness" even in the face of adversity. Naomi read out a prayer to keep all the children and grown-ups who have left their homes safe. Help them find a new, happy place to live. And help us be kind to everyone. Amen.
Whole School Worship with Rev. Matt
During our worship with Rev. Matt, we began with a fun but thought-provoking challenge of Chinese Whispers. This simple game highlighted how messages can become distorted as they are passed along. Rev. Matt then thoughtfully linked this to prayer, reminding us that unlike in the game, when we pray, our words are not misheard or changed—God hears us clearly and completely. He then read the story of King Hezekiah from the Bible, who turned to God in prayer during a time of great trouble. Through Hezekiah’s example, we reflected on the power of prayer, the importance of trusting in God, and how spiritual strength can guide us in difficult times. The worship encouraged us to think about how we can communicate with God openly and honestly, knowing that our prayers are heard and valued. It was a meaningful reminder of how spirituality can give us comfort, courage and clarity when we need it most.
Year 1- Year of Prayer- Fruity Smells
This week, Year 1 have really enjoyed the Diocesan Year of Prayer. We havespent the last four days having fun guessing a fruity flavour each day. It got us thinking about all the tasty fruits and colourful veggies we're so lucky to enjoy. We gave thanks to God for blessing us with such wonderful things.
Year 1 PE- Kicking
PE this week saw Year 1 focusing on their ball skills! They did a great job practicing how to kick and receive a ball, showing off some really good control. They especially enjoyed aiming their kicks through hoops, hurdles, and into a net. And, they had a blast kicking the ball, then running to stop it and regain control. Super work, Year 1!
Reception Maths - Using rekenreks
This week in Maths, Reception have been exploring the rekenreks to support their counting and composition of number. We looked at how to set the rekenreks correctly and identified the patterns we could see, such as five red beads and five white beads on each row. The children then worked in pairs to move the beads along and used their subitising skills to move groups of beads all at once, rather than counting individually. The children also cleverly identified doubles they could see - double 5 and double 10.
Year 3- Year of Prayer- Fruity Smells
For our year of prayer, the children guessed the flavour of fruity tea bags and appreciated some of the amazing smells and tastes God has given us. When we think about all those delicious fruits and colourful vegetables like strawberries, crunchy carrots, and sweet bananas, we remember how amazing God is to provide us with such wonderful gifts.
Year 3- Music- Live lesson with Fleur East- World Music Day
This afternoon, our Year 3 students enthusiastically participated in a special Music Live Lesson with Fleur East! As part of "Access All Arts Week" and in recognition of World Music Day this Saturday, they explored the exciting world of rap, learning how raps are created and practicing essential skills like staying on the beat.