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Whole School Worship with Rev Matt
Our Whole School Worship was led by Rev Matt this morning. We started with our WOW group sharing their broken toy initiative. They reminded us that they are collecting broken toys which Mrs Araujo will then donate to Tesco Extra to repair and send them on to those less fortunate than ourselves. Our challenge this morning was to guess ‘ Which is bigger? ‘ An elephant or a blue whale? Big Ben or The Empire State Building in New York? A hamster or a mouse? Todays Bible story was ‘ In the Beginning’. The story told can be split into days. Day 1: God created light and separated it from the dark, making day and night.Day 2: God made the blue sky and the fluffy clouds.Day 3: God gathered the water into oceans and made dry land, filling it with plants, trees, and colorful flowers.Day 4: God put the sun in the sky for the daytime, and the moon and twinkling stars for the night.Day 5: God filled the oceans with swimming fish and the air with soaring birds.Day 6: God made all the land animals. He made everything from tiny bunnies to big roaring lions. Finally, He made the very first people, Adam and Eve, to take care of the world.Day 7: God finished everything and took a day to rest, and he was very happy with all that he had made.
Whole School Worship with Rev Ben
Today we started our Whole School Celebration Worship by recognising the fact that it is St Barnabas Day! Rev. Ben then told us that this half term our Worships will focus on truth. We played the true or false game where the children had to decide if the images on screen were true or false. We had a range of questions on geography, science and maths. Some things are obviously true, but sometimes it’s hard to decide. In the Bible reading that was shared Jesus said: I am the way, the truth and the life. In life we sometimes aren’t sure about which way to go. Christian’s believe that knowing the truth is ultimately about knowing a person - Jesus. Our time to think was : How did Jesus describe himself in the Bible today? How might following Jesus help you if you aren’t sure what’s true? The children had some lovely ideas which included: Jesus is the way , the truth and the light . He can guide us like a compass. If we want to lead truthful lives then we need to follow in Jesus’ footsteps.
Year 3- Class Worship- What Can Football Teach Us About the World?
During class worship today, we looked ahead to the upcoming 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup and explored the big question: "What can football teach us about the world?" We learned that this tournament will be the biggest one yet, bringing together 48 teams to play matches across the USA, Canada, and Mexico. We discovered that football is truly a universal language, played by millions of people in entirely different environments, whether on a beach in Brazil, in a busy city, or in a refugee camp, showing us that all you really need to connect is a ball and some space. Ultimately, we reflected on how the World Cup is about much more than just sport; it is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our global community. We concluded with a prayer, reflecting on how people who speak different languages, eat different foods, and live in different cultures can still be brought together through shared experiences, teamwork, and mutual respect.
Whole School- Be the Change: Our Kindness Workshop
This morning, Years 1-6 took part in an inspiring 'Kindness Workshop' delivered by Krish, centred on Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quote: "Be the change you want to see in the world." The children explored the three pillars of kindness, being friendly, generous, and considerate, and brainstormed simple everyday actions like smiling, sharing, hugging, complimenting, etc. We looked at powerful, real-life examples from 52 Lives, a charity founded by Jamie in 2013, including Clare from Australia and Andrea from Romania, whose £5,000 operation goal was doubled to £10,000 by kind strangers. This sparked a wonderful discussion about how fortunate we are to have the NHS in our country compared to places where healthcare is very expensive. After watching a video of a young boy comforting an upset football fan after Portugal beat France, the children learned that kindness is actually scientifically proven to make us happier, give us healthier hearts, slow down ageing, and help us live longer. Best of all, kindness is contagious; a single act can spread to 125 people! During the workshop, the children had the opportunity to share kind words with their peers in pairs. They mentioned that giving and receiving compliments felt anywhere from a bit "weird" to really "joyful". At the end of the workshop, the children had a quiz with a series of questions. Arlo, Jack, Molly, Beau, Sophia, Phoebe, Elijah, Eden, Isaac, James, Desmond, Chay, Declan, and Archie did a brilliant job answering the questions, showing great listening skills, and everyone demonstrated our 4 school rules exceptionally well. Afterwards, the children went back into their classrooms to complete their kindness activities. They had a fantastic time making chatterboxes, bracelets, letters, poems, and posters. Lots of kindness has been shared today, and we will definitely continue to share it. We must remember that kindness doesn't cost anything, so we should all use it more.
Collective Worship- St Barnabas
This morning, we welcomed everyone back to school by singing We All Need Encouragement as we gathered for worship. We joined worship with Lisa and schools from the Diocese, where we reflected on the lives of saints and the difference they made through their faith. We even got a special mention as we are only one of two schools from the diocese named after St Barnabas and this week it is his special Feast Day! We learned about Saint Barnabas and how he played an important role in God’s big story. Barnabas was part of the very first Christian community and was known for being kind, patient, respectful, and generous. We heard from Bishop Joe that Barnabas was originally called Joseph, but his name was changed to Barnabas, meaning “son of encouragement.” He travelled with Paul to many countries, sharing the word of God. We thought about how we can be more like Barnabas in our own lives and took time to encourage the person sitting next to us. Lisa then led us in a prayer, asking God to help us be good encouragers who use kind and thoughtful words. We ended our worship by singing The School Rules Song. What a wonderful way to begin the week together!
Celebration Worship
We made it to the end of half term! It had been a very busy and action-packed few weeks with trips, SATs and lots of exciting events across school. Thank you to the WOW Group for sharing their new mission of collecting old toys so children can swap them for a different one. We were also excited to hear that Kids with Bricks Club would be returning after half term for Summer 2 and that a new list of clubs had been released. Today, we also enjoyed our inter-house sports competition led by our Sports Leaders. For our Values Awards this week, Reception’s awards went to Alana and Theo. Year 1 and Year 2 were both awarded the values award as a whole class. In Year 3, the award went to Annabel, in Year 4 to Finley, in Year 5 to Layla and in Year 6 to Theo. A TT Rockstars certificate was awarded to Harry in Year 4. Pen licences were awarded to Martha, Alfie and Brodie in Year 4. In the Team Values standings, Whitehall Park finished in 4th place, Darwen Tower finished in 3rd place, River Darwen finished in 2nd place and India Mill finished in 1st place. We also celebrated lots of fantastic achievements outside of school. Hendrix was awarded a medal for finishing Stage 3 by completing a backwards roll. Will was awarded Beaver of the Week for bug hunting after finding a spider. Thea, Annie, Luna, Evie, Phoebe and Olivia were all awarded the Helper Badge, Skills Builder Badge and Silver Award. Luna was also awarded the Olivia Doll for being kind and helpful, while Olivia achieved the Gold Award for earning lots of badges. James received a badge for being at Cubs for two years. Sofia was awarded a medal and a hoodie for participating in a dance competition. Eliza received a medal for completing a duathlon involving running, biking and then running again. Bo was awarded a trophy and certificate for dancing. Max achieved Player of the Week for his tackling and dribbling skills in football. Lydia achieved her Stage 4 swimming certificate as well as a Skills Builder badge and Eleanor also achieved her Skills Builder certificate and badge alongside her Stage 4 swimming award. Annabel received a trophy for Best in Cast for performing her solo loudly and confidently, as well as dance certificates. Maggie achieved two gymnastics medals for Levels 1 and 4. Lyla and Arrabelle both received medals for participation in their dancing competition, with Lyla finishing in 6th place and Annabelle finishing in 3rd place. Ava achieved two trophies for street dancing, earning both 2nd place and 1st place awards. A huge well done also went to the netball team, who won their first game 12–0 and their second game 6–5. They all played brilliantly and represented the school exceptionally well. Congratulations to Year 1 and Year 4 for achieving the best attendance this week. Finally, we shared some important reminders for after half term. Year 1 would be completing their phonics screening check, Year 4 would be taking part in their multiplication check, Year 6 would be going on their London trip, Reception would be holding their Father’s Day Stay and Play, Sports Day would be taking place and the school disco would be held on Tuesday 30th June. The worship ended with a prayer from Mrs Ham and a lively rendition of the School Rule Song. Wishing everyone a wonderful half term holiday!
Whole School Worship with Rev Ben
Today our Whole School Worship was led by Rev Ben and focused on The Ascension. We started by signing The Trinity together and then we began a quick history quiz where we had to guess who was in the picture. We had Queen Victoria, Abraham Lincoln, Queen Boudicca, King Henry the Eighth and Nelson Mandela. These people were all leaders and the Bible story told us all about Jesus being in control and in charge. In our Bible story, instead of being sad, the disciples were filled with joy! The Ascension teaches us three big lessons:Jesus is with us everywhere: Even though he isn't walking on Earth anymore, Christians believe he is always with us. A wonderful promise: Jesus promised to come back one day. We are his helpers: Jesus left his followers in charge to be kind, share love, and be good helpers to others. In our time to think this week we discussed why Christians believe that it is good news that Jesus returned to heaven. The children thought of some lovely responses such as ; People believe that Jesus can help and support anyone from anywhere in the world, we look up to Jesus in heaven and treat his name with respect.
Whole School Worship - Pentecost
This week, Tuesday’s worship focussed on the Christian celebration of Pentecost. Mrs Ham began by asking the children what they remember about Pentecost, to which some children replied, “When the Holy Spirit came”, “Fire on people’s heads” and “When they spoke in different languages”. We watched a film about a group of pandas waiting for a special gift of some new musical instruments. They woke very early for the delivery but they had the wrong day and the gift wasn’t due until the day after. They had a bedtime story about Jesus’ disciples waiting for a wonderful gift, but they were unsure when it would arrive. Suddenly a strong wind blew and they all had flames on their heads and a warm feeling inside, they knew God’s power had struck them and he was living inside their hearts. Jesus will always be with them and he asked them to always be with him as he was with them. They ran into the streets and Peter shouted to the people that Jesus had rescued them and that Jesus’ love is never breaking and always and forever. Even though not everyone could speak the same language, they all still understood Peter’s words. Mrs Ham told us that Pentecost is also known as the birthday of the church. We all then sang one of our favourite hymns, “He Is Alive” to finish our Pentecost celebration.
Celebration Worship
We had another incredibly busy and exciting week in school with lots to celebrate across all year groups. Year 6 worked tremendously hard throughout SATs week and showed fantastic resilience, determination and positivity. We were so proud of the way they approached each day, never giving up and always trying their very best. A huge thank you also goes to all of the staff who have supported Year 6 throughout their journey and helped them feel confident and prepared. At the same time, Year 5 enjoyed their residential trip to PGL, where they represented the school brilliantly. The children showed excellent teamwork, bravery and determination throughout the week and followed the 4B’s wonderfully whilst taking part in all of the activities and challenges. Yesterday, we joined Joe Wicks for a special live worship linked to Mental Health Awareness Week, reminding us all of the importance of looking after both our physical and mental wellbeing. It was also lovely to see children enjoying extra-curricular opportunities this week through Kids with Bricks club, Science club and Craft club. We would like to say a huge thank you to our School Council, who raised an amazing £163 for the Brain Tumour Charity through their fundraising efforts. We are so proud of the children for thinking of others and supporting such an important cause. This week’s Values Awards were presented to Noah in Reception, Oliver in Year 1, Ida in Year 2, Fletcher in Year 3 and Lana in Year 4. In Year 5, the whole class was recognised for showing determination and bravery during PGL and for following the 4B’s so well throughout the trip. In Year 6, the entire class received the Values Award for their incredible attitude towards SATs and for giving 100% effort all week. Our team values results this week saw India Mill finish in first place once again, followed by River Darwen in second, Whitehall Park in third and Darwen Tower in fourth. We were also delighted to celebrate many fantastic achievements from outside of school. Mason received a swimming certificate for confidently jumping into the water, while Alayna achieved her 10m swimming certificate and Max earned a badge for coming first in a swimming competition. Jonas received a Squirrels badge for adventure, while Lydia, Eleanor, Olivia, Luna, Minnie C, Thea and Evie all achieved a badge through Rainbows after attending a trip and taking part in activities such as archery. Thea was also awarded the Olivia doll for being kind and helpful. In sporting achievements, Alice received a trophy and medal for cheerleading, Cassius was named player of the match in football after scoring eight goals and Reggie received player of the week for excellent passing. Chester was awarded player of the week for showing resilience by getting back up after falling and continuing to block the ball brilliantly. Charlie received both a player of the week plaque and a manager’s player trophy for “world class saves”, while Scarlett achieved a netball medal for winning the league. Isaac proudly showed us his huge Easter Cup tennis trophy and Alessia celebrated learning to ride her bike without stabilisers. In dance and performance achievements, Poppy received a ballet bear for excellent dancing, Skye achieved star of the day at acro and Ava received medals in an acro dance competition. Erin had a fantastic competition, winning first place in individual lyrical, second place in tempo, second place in duo and also receiving a participation medal. Lyla achieved third place in lyrical at acro alongside participation and placement medals, while Darcy and Sofia received medals for their acro duet performance. We also celebrated Elijah receiving his Chief Scout’s Bronze Award, which is an excellent achievement. Our school sports teams have also had another successful week. The Year 4 tennis team represented the school brilliantly at Pleckgate Tennis Centre and came away as winners. The Bee Stinger netball team also won the heat and are through to the final, while aur larger netball squad won one game and narrowly lost another last night. Well done to Year 1 and Year 6 for achieving the highest attendance this week. We were also extremely proud to announce that our school has achieved another National School Attendance Award, placing us in the top 10% of schools nationally for attendance, an incredible achievement for our whole school community. As reminders for next week, Year 1 and Year 2 will be visiting Brockholes Nature Reserve on Monday, and Year 6 parents will be attending the London meeting on Thursday evening. We are also looking forward to Inter-House Sports next Friday and we also break up for half term on Friday. Thank you to Mrs Ham for leading us in prayer and helping us reflect on another wonderful week together. We ended on a high by singing 'Stronger'.
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Whole School Assembly - Joe Wicks Mental Health Awareness Week
What a great time we have had this afternoon taking part in the Joe Wicks World Mental Health Awareness Week Assembly. The whole school took part in the worship from the warm up to 40 second on and 20 second off exercise routine. A brilliant time was had by all. What a brilliant way to support our mental and physical health!
Year 3 - Class Worship- How can music bring people together?
In class worship today, we explored the theme "Together in Tempo," focusing on the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna. We discussed the Christian value of Joy and how music acts as a powerful tool for communication, bringing people from different cultures together. To conclude, the children sang "My Lighthouse" to celebrate how sharing a song can create unity and connection.
Reception: Class Worship
Our Reception class shared a heart-warming Songs of Praise worship today to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Week. It was a beautiful start to the morning spent exploring our emotions and supporting one another through the power of music and reflection. The children sang their hearts out to some of our favourite songs, including "I Can Make a Difference," "My Lighthouse," and "Build Up." These songs helped us think about how we can shine and use our words to encourage our friends. We finished our worship with moving Thank You Prayers, where the children shared their gratitude for family, friends, and the things that make them feel happy.