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.
Reception: Class Worship for Mental Health Week
Today in Reception, Mrs Wilkinson led a special Class Worship to launch Mental Health Awareness Week. We began by exploring the concept of mental health together, which led to a heartwarming discussion with our talk partners about the people who fill our hearts with love. The room was buzzing with affection as Poppy shared her love for Mummy and Daddy, Mason spoke about his Grandad, Bowen mentioned his brother, and Eva told us all about her Nanny. Moving from love to laughter, we explored the things that bring us pure joy. It was wonderful to hear such a variety of answers: Luna finds happiness in spending time with her family, Jackson loves a good tickle, and Eryna’s face lit up talking about trips to the play centre. We also took a moment to reflect on our "cheer-up" strategies—those special activities we turn to when we need a little boost. For Coban, that meant getting creative with writing; for Phoebe, it was all about the rhythm of dance; and Erin shared her passion for gymnastics. To wrap up our session, we put our words into action! We finished our worship by dancing together, filling the room with energy and big smiles. It was a truly joyful and uplifting way to start the week, reminding us all of the simple things that keep our minds and hearts healthy.
Celebrating Sir David Attenborough’s 100th Birthday
Today, we celebrated the 100th birthday of David Attenborough during a special worship. We talked about how many of us recognised his voice from nature documentaries we had watched before. Mrs Ham read the book Little People, BIG DREAMS: David Attenborough to help us learn more about his life and the important work he has done to care for our planet. We also watched a special Newsround celebration about David Attenborough’s 100th birthday. During worship, we enjoyed watching a video created by Cidari which showcased all the different ways Cidari schools, including St Barnabas, have been helping to care for the Earth. The video included examples such as using reusable containers, switching off lights, using less electricity, litter picking, bird watching, wearing green and blue for Earth Day, taking part in Travel Tracker and sorting rubbish into the correct bins. We loved watching the video and spotting our own faces on the screen. To finish our worship, the whole school sang “Happy Birthday” to Sir David Attenborough to celebrate his amazing contribution to protecting and caring for our world.
Year 3- Class Worship- Exploring 'The Kind Stranger
In class today, we took part in a 'God’s Big Story' collective worship session focused on the parable of The Kind Stranger (The Good Samaritan). We joined Iain the storyteller to revisit this famous parable and listened to Bishop Philip, who challenged us to look beyond the surface of the story. The children explored the different "layers" of Jesus' words, discussing what it truly means to be a neighbour and how we can show compassion to everyone, even those who are different from us. It was a thoughtful session that encouraged the class to think about how they can put kindness into action in their own lives.
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Year 4 - Class Worship: Is It Ever Right To Lie?
A philosophical debate helped us to answer a very widely contested question in our class worship during polling week. Stephen Fry introduced the story of King Lawrence the Lion who introduced a law against telling lies of any kind. Within the story, there were examples of lies that hurt others and lies that protect others. There were also quotes from famous philosophers who have argued both sides. Then it was over to the children. In groups, the children used their talk tokens to take turns in putting forward their ideas. We focussed on the skill of summarising and so each group had a note taker who summarised the main points discussed in their groups when presenting to the rest of the class. We then considered what Jesus would say about lying. The majority of the class agreed that telling a lie can sometimes be a good thing if it spares someone being hurt.
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Whole School Worship
It was lovely to welcome everyone back to school in Worship this morning after the long bank holiday weekend! Mrs Ham introduced this week’s Kindness Kite, which focuses on God’s mercy. The children shared some thoughtful reflections—Naomi reminded us that we hear in the Bible how Jesus showed mercy to others, while Alfie (Year 5) explained that mercy means forgiveness. Together, we reflected on how showing mercy is the same as showing forgiveness in our everyday lives. We then watched the story of the Prodigal Son and explored how the different characters might have felt. The children suggested that the older son may have felt jealous, confused and even angry when his brother returned after spending his father’s money and was welcomed back with a celebration. Through this, we discussed the message that no matter what we do, God still loves us. We linked this to our own lives, recognising that even when we make mistakes at school or at home and face consequences, we are still loved by our families. We ended our worship by singing Stronger and Sing a New Song, helping us feel positive and ready for the week ahead. 💛