Reception- Safer Internet Day
Reception class learnt how to stay safe online on Safer Internet Day. We discussed where and how we use the Internet. The children said they use it on tablets, iPads, their grown ups phone and on their televisions. The children said they watch YouTube, play games and watch videos. We watched a video of Jesse who watched something scary online. Jesse told her Daddy and it made her feel safe and happy again. The children said they could tell their teachers, grandparents or parents if they ever felt worried or scared. We then learnt the ‘Funny Tummy’ song. ‘If it makes you feel funny in your tummy, worried scared or sad. Then you must tell a grown up you trust, like your teacher, Mum or Dad’.
Children’s Mental Health Week and Dress to Express Worship
Today was our special ‘ Dress to Express’ Worship to celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week. The theme of Dress to Express this year is ‘Know Yourself and Grow Yourself’. Children's emotional well-being is just as important as their physical health. Good mental health helps them develop the resilience to cope with whatever life throws at them and grow into well-rounded, healthy adults Our Heads and Deputies led the worship this week and started by telling everyone how they express themselves and they asked us all how we express ourself best. We heard that some children express themselves through playing football or other sports, dancing, listening to music and art etc. Mrs Ham showed us photos of how she likes to support her mental health through walking up huge fells with her dogs and her family. We then watched a clip from Inside Out the movie when Riley looked at various memories. We met sadness, joy, fear, disgust and anger. The children and Mrs Ham then acted out an emotion and the rest of the children had to guess what it was. We all feel different emotions but these affect our mental health. 5 Ways to Well-being are a great way to support our mental well-being such as: being physically active, connecting with others, learning new skills, giving to others and paying attention to the present moment (mindfulness). A question that the children presented asked ‘ How well do we really know ourselves?’ The children really enjoyed watching the clips and guessing the emotions that the characters were showing. The children shared when they too had experienced the emotions and how it made them feel. In another clip, we learnt about a boy named Malaki who felt like he was bad at everything he tried. Malaki was encouraged to ‘level up’ by his friends and people around him who cared for him. He was challenged to try a new skill which included skiing and ballet and tried his best with both. Although he wasn’t great at ballet he was awarded recognition for his determination and resilience. The children were asked what they had learnt from the video and the responses were: to keep going even if you aren’t the best, to not fall at the first hurdle and you can do anything that you set your mind to. We are all unique and special and God gave us many talents, some of yet we might not have discovered. We should let our light shine for all the world to see. We said our special Year of Prayer about our talents again and thanked God for the talents we have and the ones we are yet to discover. Our Heads and Deputies then finished with a special prayer for Children's Mental Health Week. To end our Worship we had the pleasure in listening to Renee, Molly, Alice and Lyla who read their acrostic poems ‘ Being Me’ and we sand 'Shine from the Inside Out' with our best singing voices and actions. What a wonderful way to start our day and a great end our Children's Mental Health Week, although we know that we need to focus on our mental health and wellbeing every day, not just this week.
Year 3- PSHE-Staying Safe Online: Spotting Scams and Fake Content
During our PSHE lesson, Year 3 discussed the importance of staying safe on the internet and how to recognise scams and fake content. We talked about common scams, such as fake competition messages claiming, “You’ve won a prize!” that trick people into clicking unsafe links, as well as fake emails pretending to be from banks or companies asking for personal details. We also looked at edited images that make things appear real when they are not, such as fake celebrity endorsements or photoshopped pictures used to spread false information. Parents should have open conversations with their children about these dangers, teaching them to check sources, spot warning signs like poor spelling and urgent messages, and always avoid clicking on unknown links. Encouraging critical thinking by asking, “Does this seem too good to be true?” helps children become more aware. Setting up safe browsing habits with parental controls and child-friendly search engines is essential, along with reminding children to always ask before downloading apps or making purchases. Keeping communication open ensures they feel comfortable reporting anything suspicious without fear of punishment. Finally, leading by example verifying information before sharing and being cautious with online messages, emails, and deals helps reinforce good digital habits.
Year 4- Athletics in the Sun
In our PE lesson today we focused on Sportshall Athletics activities with a twist as we did it outside. We practised baton exchange in relays, soft javelin and ball push. The children loved working in teams and pushed themselves hard to achieve their very best. We finished off the session with a mixed relay and next lesson we aim to incorporate equipment from both the obstacle and over and under relays.
Year 5 - Children’s Mental Health Week
Today, Year 5 took part in a live Lyfta session focused on this year’s theme for Children’s Mental Health Week: Know Yourself, Grow Yourself. During the session, the children were introduced to a young girl from Azerbaijan and explored the places where she felt safe, as well as how she expressed herself through dance. Following this, the children reflected on their own safe spaces and the ways they express themselves.
Break times in the sunshine
What a pleasure it has been to have the sun visiting us today. We are so lucky to have the surroundings that we do and the children really enjoyed their break time using the MUGA, outdoor gym, creative play and trim trails.
Year 3- PSHE- Lyfta- Know Yourself, Grow Yourself: Exploring Mental Health and Aspirations Through Malahat’s Story
Today in class, our Year 3 students joined hundreds of other schools in a live Lyfta session, exploring the theme "Know Yourself, Grow Yourself" and the importance of children's mental health through the inspiring story world Dancing in the Land of Fire. During this engaging 45-minute session, our students, alongside thousands of their peers, reflected on self-awareness and well-being, inspired by the journey of 11-year-old Malahat, who dreams of becoming a world-famous dancer and building a new home for her family in Baku. The children were fascinated to learn about Azerbaijan, particularly its vibrant capital, Baku. Through this experience, they gained a deeper understanding of mental health, resilience, and self-growth. The session encouraged them to think about their own dreams, emotions, and personal strengths, helping to build their confidence and empathy. It was a valuable opportunity for them to develop a global perspective while also reflecting on their own well-being and aspirations.
Online Safety: Scams and Fake News
Figures from Ofcom claim that nearly 3.5 million British children have encountered a scam online, and it's vital we learn how to recognise their tactics and protect youngsters against them. This week’s guide and the latest episode of the #WakeUpWednesday podcast deal with the topic of ‘fake news’ and how it might be used to make scams seem more persuasive. Download here >> https://ow.ly/I65s50UTm0P Listen here >> https://ow.ly/5fp750UTm0R
Year 4 - Great Big Live Assembly
In Year 4, we took part in the Great Big Live Assembly for Children’s Mental Health Week. We heard stories from various children about how they try to look after their mental health and things that can affect their mental well-being. The children said their key takeaways were that there are children around the world getting only one meal a day, that these children have to worry about where their next meal is coming from, and also that it is important for us to address and share our worries so that they don’t get out of control.
Year 1 Class Worship- Children’s Mental Health Week
Today in class worship, we engaged with the Blackburn with Darwen Children’s Mental Health Presentation on the theme of ‘Know Yourself and Grow Yourself.’ We started by discussing what mental health is. Olivia said that mental health is looking after yourself on the inside, Alessia said that it is having a happy heart and mind and Callie said that it’s about how you feel. We then thought about the following question, ‘What are the signs that our mental health is good?’ We recognised that our mental health is good when we are feeling happy, we can can concentrate and enjoy lots of things in our lives. Isabella said that this could be enjoying spending time with our family, Alayna said that this could be enjoying spending time with our siblings, Samuel said this could be enjoying going to places such as the play centre and Vienna said this could be enjoying playing with our friends or having some alone time to practise a skill or talent. We learnt that to have good mental health, we must recognise when we are feeling negative feelings such as sadness and anger so that we can support and comfort ourselves by doing something that we enjoy. We also learnt that if a feeling is becoming too big to manage or cope with and it is stopping us from sleeping, having fun or not being able to concentrate then we must seek support from someone that we trust. The children decided that they would ask the support of their mummy, daddy, other family members or teachers at school. To end our worship, we had some beautiful prayers.
Reception: Class Worship- Children's Mental Health Week
At the start of our worship we lit our candle and signed the trinity. We then burnt our Frankincense incense stick to create a calming environment. We discussed what mental health was. Mental health is all about our feelings and our emotions. We discussed how we know when we have good mental health. Eleanor said we have lots of friends, Marnie May said we will feel happy, Beau said we might feel excited and Luna said we will be able to complete lots of challenges. If we have big feelings that are negative, we might feel sad. We were reminded that it is good to talk when we feel sad. We discussed who we could talk to. The children said Mummy, Daddy, Grandma, Grandad and the teachers. We discussed what we could do to look after ourselves to make us feel good. The children said they could write, draw, colour, play football, play with our toys and play with our friends. We were reminded that feelings come and go but talking to someone we trust can help. Thank you to MHST for a wonderful worship. We finished our worship with a dance to make us feel good and then sang Who is the king of the jungle.
Year 6 Worship - Children’s Mental Health Week
This week is Children’s Mental Health Week and this was our focus during class worship. The children listened to a live stream that gave strategies and advice for improving our mental health, for example that worry isn’t actually a bad thing, as long as we deal with it in a positive and healthy way. That dodging our worries doesn’t help us and that we should stop and think about our feelings and connect with others. We heard about the experience of other people around the world, for example refugees from the Ukraine and children living in Ghana. An important message we took away from listening to these individuals, was the importance of hope.