Year 6 - Kooth
Year 6 took part in an online workshop with Heather from Kooth yesterday who explained about the anonymous online resource available to them. The children may want to use this platform as a way to manage stress or talk about things that they may find easier saying to someone who is completely neutral. Heather also explained that stress is completely normal and that actually it can be quite a powerful tool to motivate us.
Year 4 PSHE - Mental Health Awareness
In our PSHE lesson we have been looking at Mental Health Awareness. Mental health is everything. Mental health is more than just a small part of our lives.It’s connected to every little thing we do, every place we go and every person around us. Mental Health Awareness Week this year takes place from Monday 12 – Sunday 18 May 2025. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. In our sessions we have been learning how to fill our buckets with all the things that find us joy, writing Kindness poems and planning random acts of kindness.
Year 5- Peer Mediation training
Year 5 took part in their first peer mediation training session. They worked with Ben Harper from Quakers and staff and children from DACA. They learnt the rules of peer mediation to remain impartial, keep things confidential and to not do things for people but with people. The children learnt the 5 steps of peer mediation and had a go at roleplaying a session. We can't wait for our final day of training next Thursday.
Whole School Celebration-Living Life to the Full- Afternoon Tea
The afternoon tea, organised by the Smart School Council and RotaKids, was a wonderful celebration of our school family living life to the fullest. There was a lovely selection of cakes and biscuits, some homemade by the RotaKids the day before and some bought in. The children enjoyed chatting, laughing, and drinking hot chocolate together. We're thrilled to share that the event raised an impressive £256, which will go directly towards supporting our school. A huge thank you to everyone who supported the event and to all the staff who helped make it happen. A special thank you to our friends from Darwen Rotary who came along to support too. We look forward to hosting many more in the future!
Reception: Muddy Monday
For their Muddy Monday session, Reception walked to Whitehall park and looked for signs of spring. The children saw squirrels and heard lots of birds tweeting away which was lovely to see and hear. They saw more leaves on trees and also saw berries and blossom. The children then got to spend some time in a different section of Whitehall park. We role-played a camp fire and built a den too.
Online Safety: Making Friends Online
Friend or foe? Almost 1 in 5 children have chatted online with someone they've never met in real life so it's vital trusted adults know the risks. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide helps parents and educators support children in forming safe, healthy connections in the digital world. Download here >> https://ow.ly/s6yr50VFxUh #MakingFriendsOnline #OnlineSafety #KeepingChildrenSafeOnline
Year 3- Hop, Skip and Jump for East Lancs Hospice
Year 3 have completed their Hop, Skip and Jump for The East Lancashire Hospice Challenge . The children all wore their decorated crowns whilst making their way around our 1k course in order to raise money for this wonderful cause. Donations can be made on parent pay for all those who took part and received their special chocolate treat.
Online Safety: Search Engines
Search engines can be handy, but they can also expose children to harmful or misleading content. Our latest #WakeUpWednesday guide – and the newest episode of our podcast – shares quick tips to help keep young users safe whilst browsing online. Download here >> https://ow.ly/xgw850VwBig Listen here >> https://ow.ly/Fp9t50VwG9s
Reception: Easter Artwork
For their Muddy Monday session, Reception class walked to Whitehall park and explored the Easter artwork our school family have created. The children enjoyed looking at the artwork and enjoyed listening to the poems that some of the children wrote. As a treat after, the children visited the playground. Also Reception class collectively walked 72.5km for the CAFOD's Big Lent Walk. Well done!
Year 5: Peer Mediation
On Wednesday Year 5 participated in their first Peer Mediation session in association with DACA and Ben from Quakers in Britain. Peer mediation empowers children to resolve conflicts peacefully and build important communication and problem-solving skills. The children are looking forward to their next two sessions and will then have the opportunity to apply to become a St Barnabas peer mediator. Our staff also had training on peer mediation yesterday too and are looking forward to seeing conflicts being resolved between the children and peer mediators.
Online Safety: Instagram
Scroll responsibly, Instagram is evolving fast – and so are its risks. Our latest #WakeUpWednesday guide – and the newest episode of our podcast - covers the online safety concerns of this social media giant. Download here >> https://ow.ly/XyLN50VssbH Listen here >> https://ow.ly/ozxF50VssbI
Online Safety: Bluesky
Bluesky is now a popular platform, but its public accounts can lead to trolling, cyberbullying, and the spread of misinformation . This week's #WakeUpWednesday guide - also available as a podcast offers advice and guidance on the tools available to keep children safe while using the popular social media platform. Download here >> https://ow.ly/ah9150VoiiI Listen here >> https://ow.ly/Czqo50VoikF