Worship with Rev. Ben
Today’s worship with Rev. Ben began with a lively game of Captain’s Orders. In the game, forgiveness was straightforward—a simple cue to face the window—but in real life, forgiving someone is often much harder. Rev. Ben explained that one of the things Jesus taught us is that forgiveness can be challenging because we may not always have the right perspective. The children then listened to The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, which highlighted that true forgiveness comes from the heart. Through this parable, Jesus illustrated the importance of showing others the same grace and forgiveness that we receive. Afterward, the children engaged in a thoughtful discussion, exploring key questions such as: What did Jesus want people to learn about forgiveness from the parable? and How could this story help you in situations where you need to forgive others? The discussion encouraged the children to reflect on the value of forgiveness and how it can bring peace to their lives and relationships.
Year 3- Meet the Brain!
This afternoon, Year 3 enjoyed a visit from the Life Education Van, led by Karen. She shared fascinating insights about how our brains work and emphasised the importance of energy, oxygen, and exercise to keep them healthy. The children were also delighted to reunite with Harold the Giraffe, who made a special appearance after last year’s visit. Harold was impressed by how much the children had grown and commented on their maturity.
Year 3- Class Meeting-Big Debate Club | Should schools teach basic survival skills?
The Communication Team organised an exciting debate for the entire school this week. The topic: Should schools teach us basic survival skills? Lottie led the session, while Joshua took notes. The groups explored the importance of survival skills, such as building a fire, navigating using a map and compass, and handling first aid emergencies. They said these skills could help us stay safe in tricky situations and be more independent. One group, of students said we don’t need those skills right now because we have mobile phones to help us . But then someone pointed out—what happens if your phone dies and you’re stuck with no battery? We are now waiting to find out the winning vote.
Year 3- Art- Weaving inspired by Anni Albers
This afternoon in Art, Year 3 explored weaving techniques inspired by artist Anni Albers. Using thick card as their base, the children created woven pieces with wool and ribbon. To deepen their understanding, the children watched short video clips demonstrating various weaving methods and their historical significance: 'Carpet Weaving' 'Hand Weaving' 'Palm Weaving' These clips highlighted the long tradition of weaving, which has been practiced for thousands of years, using a wide range of materials, from natural threads to modern synthetic fibers. Before starting their projects, the children referred to the mood boards. They carefully selected a colour that matched the themes or emotions reflected in their boards. When weaving, they alternated the wool and ribbon strips in an under-over-under-over pattern, ensuring each piece was pushed tightly into the weave. They continued this process, repeating the pattern, until all the strips were integrated into their designs. They were thrilled with the outcome and in awe with they created.
After-school- Foodie Friends Club- Yummy, fruit scones.
In Foodie Club today, KS2 bakers made some delicious fruit scones. They did a great job weighing out the flour and adding just the right amount of sugar. They mixed in sultanas, then rubbed the butter into the flour. After that, they rolled out the dough and used cutters to shape their scones. Everyone had a brilliant time, and the best part -they got to take their scones home while they were still hot from the oven.
Friday Celebration Worship
Today, we started our Celebration Worship by reflecting on another busy week in school. This week, we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr's birthday and thought about how we can all make a positive difference in our world. We have enjoyed focusing on the theme of building each other up as part of our Year of Prayer, Reception, Year 1, 2 and 4 have enjoyed dance and gymnastics sessions led by Rothwell Arts. Reception have enjoyed a visit from Rev Ben to learn about the role of a vicar and we have enjoyed various after-school clubs such as basketball, multi-sports, foodie club, Rocksteady and choir. We then congratulated Will, Hollie and Charlie in EYFS and KS1 and Arabelle, Daisy, Charlie and Rosie in KS2 for making a fantastic start to the Spring term by working extremely hard across the curriculum, always striving to improve and demonstrating our Christian Values and the Barny’s 4Bs. Furthermore, we congratulated Year 2 and Year 5 on being our amazing attendance winners this week, India Mill as our overall value award winners this week with 750 points and our Year 5/6 football team who represented our school amazingly well last night in the DPSSA football league against Ashleigh and St James’. We then congratulated Ella for achieving her Stage 2 swimming certificate for swimming across the pool with no armbands, Freddie for being awarded with his 10m swimming certificate, Callie for achieving her Stage 5 swimming certificate, Thomas for swimming an incredible 50m, Lyla for being a super gymnast and achieving a silver medal, Haydn for being awarded a huge gold trophy for his skilful tackling in football, Lydia for being awarded with Olivia at Rainbows for showing super respect and tidying up, Leonora and Iris for participating in a recent gymnastic competition and demonstrating great skill and Brooke for being selected for Blackburn Rovers Girls’ team. To end our worship, we prayed for peace in the world and said thank you for all of the things that we are lucky enough to have. We then sang ‘Build Up’ and thanked those who could attend celebration worship. We thank the rest of our school family for all of your continued support and we wish you all a lovely weekend.
Year 3- Online Safety-TikTok
This afternoon, Year 3 discussed the TikTok app. Many children mentioned that they were unfamiliar with it or only used it under parental supervision. We explored the app's features, such as creating and sharing short videos, adding music, and using effects and filters. The children worked in small groups to discuss its advantages, such as creativity and entertainment, as well as potential risks and why it is age-restricted. This helped them understand the importance of using apps responsibly and with guidance.
Year 3- P.E- Gymnastics-Demonstrate balances on 2 and 3 points of the body.
Year 3 began their gymnastics unit this afternoon focused on balance and movement. To start, they practised balancing on one leg, extending the other leg backwards with a pointed foot, and then switching sides. We discussed the quality of a good balance, emphasising the importance of stillness. Next, the children explored balancing on four points (two hands and two feet) and discussed whether it felt easier and why. They then experimented with balancing on smaller body parts, trying positions with 1, 2, 3, or 4 points of contact. It was a fantastic start to the gymnastics unit, with plenty of creativity, teamwork, and fun.
Worship with Rev. Matt
Today’s worship with Rev. Matt began with an engaging vote about which activities take the most time to prepare for. Rev. Matt then shared a parable told by Jesus, illustrating how we pray and connect with God. The story featured two men who went to a temple to pray: a Pharisee, who proudly listed his good deeds and a tax collector, who humbly asked for forgiveness. The children reflected on the contrasting attitudes of the two men, learning that prayer is not about boasting but about speaking honestly and sincerely with God. Rev. Matt emphasised a powerful message from the parable: Those who make themselves great will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be made great. This served as a reminder to approach life with humility and gratitude, encouraging the children to think about how they communicate with God and with others.
Year 3- R.E- A Sensory Story- The man lowered through the roof
During our R.E lesson today, we explored into a 'Sensory Story' about the man who was lowered through the roof to reach Jesus. To bring this narrative to life, the children engaged in a role-play. We used props such as stretchers, small figurines representing the friends carrying the man, and a blue mat symbolising the ground after Jesus instructed the paralyzed man, 'Get up and go home.' The children used their imaginations to fully immerse themselves in the story through a multi-sensory experience involving touch, sound, and movement. To express their gratitude and praise to God, the children joyfully waved colorful ribbons.
Whole School Worship - Who Is My Neighbour?
In our collective worship, we were considering the question, “Who is my neighbour?” We discussed what it means to love your neighbour as yourself (as mentioned in parts of the Bible such as Leviticus and the Gospel according to Mark) and that there are times when it can be incredibly difficult. In hearing about the life of Martin Luther King Jr, as today is Martin Luther King Jr Day, we discovered that, even when it feels impossible to love our neighbour, when we are mistreated, ignored or disrespected as he and other black people have been, we must try harder to follow God’s greatest commandment, just like Martin did. Our children considered this and spent some time reflecting on the Christian Values that Martin demonstrated and the ways that they would like to make the world a better place and make a difference. Some of the children’s examples included: protecting nature, making peace when we have disagreements, putting a stop to pollution and eradicating poverty. We finished with prayers thanking God for Martin Luther King Jr and all that he did to the make the world a better place and asked Him to give us the courage to stand up for what is right. Rev Ben finished with a special blessing and we sang 'I can make a difference'.
Year 3- Class Worship- Pour your heart out with prayers
In our class worship today, we watched a Worship Together across the Diocese video with a story about Hannah from the Bible. This story teaches us that we can pour out our hearts to God in prayer, and he always listens. Some children prayed to be kind and helpful to others, to make good choices, to have the courage to try new things and for there to be peace in the world Bishop Philip also spoke about how prayer gives us hope.