Image of Little Voices After School Club
17 Apr

Little Voices After School Club

What a super first session with Little Voices! Our little superstars played several games that helped to develop their confidence and they learnt and performed an amazing song! Well done everyone! There are still places available if you would like your child to take part for the next five weeks on Tuesday evenings. CONTACT HAYLIE: Email: [email protected] Mobile: 07717 711715

Image of Year 6- Matilda in the West End
20 Mar

Year 6- Matilda in the West End

Year 6 watched Matilda the Musical at the Cambridge Theatre in the West End. We had seats in the stalls so we had a great view. The children’s faces were priceless as they were so mesmerised by the production and in particular the child actors and actresses. We hope it’s given them some ideas and confidence for their end of year Jungle Book production. 

Image of Let’s Go Sing concert 2024
6 Mar

Let’s Go Sing concert 2024

Wow, we are so proud of our school choir for their amazing singing and enthusiastic actions this evening at the Let’s go sing concert at King George’s Hall. I’ve loaded some videos onto class dojo and the photos can be found here: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/let-s-go-sing-concert-2024 A huge thank you to Mrs Govan for her wonderful leadership of our choir and to Mrs Wilkinson for her support this afternoon. Thank you to all of our choir parents for their support in helping the children learn their words and for supporting them this evening. We are hoping to have more choir members next year and will be opening choir open to more KS2 children in the next few weeks. If your child is interested in joining, they are welcome to come along on Thursday lunchtimes to give it a try. It was an absolute pleasure to watch our children sing their hearts out. They will be performing their favourite song in worship on Friday. You are very welcome to join us.

Image of Reception: The Last Supper
5 Mar

Reception: The Last Supper

Today the children listened to the story of the last supper. They thought about what Jesus did because he loved everyone. Before Jesus and his disciples sat down to eat, Jesus washed their hands and feet. Harry was Jesus and the rest of the class were the disciples. We role-played the story and thought about what Jesus did.

Image of Reception: Imagine That Educational Visit
28 Feb

Reception: Imagine That Educational Visit

Wow, what a fantastic day our Ducklings had today. We visited Imagine That in Liverpool and had lots of fun! The children did lots of experiments with dry ice, made magical snow and made slime too. They used their imaginations in the roleplay area, painted a car, explored the creative area and made their own magnets. They were well behaved and represented the school beautifully!

Image of Let’s Go Sing Worship
8 Feb

Let’s Go Sing Worship

Our choir took part in a workshop with Rachel from Let’s Go Sing. Rachel was amazed at their wonderful singing. Please come and watch our wonderful choir perform at King George’s Hall on 6th March 2024.

Image of Aladdin Pantomime
2 Feb

Aladdin Pantomime

This afternoon our whole school family enjoyed a wonderful production of Aladdin by M&M productions. Oh no they didn't! Oh yes they did! It was fabulous to see all of the children joining in through cheering, booing, singing and dancing along to the songs. They particularly enjoyed Mr Prescott and Mr Norris' dancing! The cast said they had never had a school who joined in so well and who all stood up and danced at the end! Thank you so much to our FOSB for their donation and to all of your parent contributions, as without your support, we wouldn't be able to provide such exciting enrichment activities.We hope this has inspired some of our children to audition for our upcoming Barney's Got Talent show next half term. What a fabulous way to end a brilliant week of 'achieving great things' at St Barnabas!

Image of Reception: Rhyme and Story Time
17 Jan

Reception: Rhyme and Story Time

Our Ducklings enjoyed their first rhyme and story time of 2024. We sang lots of songs and read Oi, Frog! The children enjoyed joining in with the rhyming couplets. Rhyme and story time continues next week at 9am. Our Reception parents, toddlers and pre school children from our community are welcome to join us.

Image of KS1 Christmas Cracker
20 Dec

KS1 Christmas Cracker

We are so proud of our Year 1 and 2 children for their fantastic Christmas Cracker performances. To see all of the photos, please click here: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/ks1-christmas-cracker Here is the video of the dress rehearsal : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NtkPAWaaymw Please see class dojo for the secure links to the videos. Thank you so much to everyone who came along to support and for the wonderful Christmas clothes that you provided for your child. A huge thank you to our KS1 team, Miss Flynn, Mrs Hegarty, Miss Baxendale and Mr Norris for all of their efforts to create such an amazing show! Our children certainly brought lots of joy to everyone who watched and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Well done Year 1 & 2, you are little singing superstars!

Image of Choir Christmas Carols at Darwen Market
14 Dec

Choir Christmas Carols at Darwen Market

A huge well done to our amazing choir and Year 6 singers for a wonderful performance today! Thank you to Darwen Market for inviting us. Thanks to everyone who came to watch. We hope we spread some festive cheer and joy to you all!

Image of Reception Nativity
6 Dec

Reception Nativity

We are so proud of our Ducklings who performed the Nativity today. Their singing was beautiful and they told the story using their loud, clear voices. Their confidence shone and it was enjoyed by all!

Image of Performing Arts Club
6 Dec

Performing Arts Club

We took to the stage to practise in performing arts this week. Being on stage really helped the children to get into character, adding movement and facial expressions, rather than just reading lines. The performance is starting to take shape already!

Image of Year 3 - Science- Shadow Puppet Show
9 Nov

Year 3 - Science- Shadow Puppet Show

For their final lesson on light, the children worked in groups to create a shadow puppet show. They used skills learnt from their previous lessons to demonstrate their understanding on how shadows are formed using props made out of black paper. They worked with great enthusiasm and creativity.

Image of Performing arts workshop
12 Oct

Performing arts workshop

Year 6 were very lucky to take part in a performing arts workshop with Lucy from Rothwell Arts Dance Academy. She very kindly linked the session to the children’s end of year performance, ‘The Jungle Book’, and choreographed a dance routine for them. Year 6 showed fantastic enthusiasm and really let themselves go. Well done year 6!

Image of Play Leader Training
29 Sep

Play Leader Training

We have now had our first practical session in play leading. The children took part in various activities throughout the afternoon to enable them to establish what makes a great Play Leader. They cooperated well and demonstrated great leadership skills but also showing empathy and understanding. We can’t wait to trial our new skills now in next week's final session!

Image of The Jungle Book
7 Sep

The Jungle Book

Years 1-6 have had an amazing morning watching The Jungle Book production. They joined in so well and were transfixed throughout. Our Year 6 children got to take part in a special workshop afterwards where they learnt about the different roles that are needed in a theatre production as they will be performing The Jungle Book at the end of the year. A huge thank you to our FOSB for their generous donation towards the cost of the production and a massive thank you to you all for supporting our FOSB events. Without your generosity we wouldn’t be able to provide these sort of memorable opportunities for our children, as our school budget is very tight. For all of the photos, please click here: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-gallery-category/our-gallery

Image of Jungle Book Performance
7 Sep

Jungle Book Performance

The whole school enjoyed a performance of the Jungle Book today by the talented individuals from M&M Theatrical Productions. The children had such a good time and year 6 were lucky enough to take part in a workshop with the cast. The children were taught about what goes into making a successful performance and even had the opportunity to carry out some acting for themselves.

Image of Reception: First day at school
4 Sep

Reception: First day at school

We are so proud of our Ducklings on their first day at school. They have all been superstars. They have been making new friends, exploring our classroom and doing lots of super talking. What a super start to their school journey!

Image of D.T Club- Lion King Props
17 Jul

D.T Club- Lion King Props

The Year 4, 5, and 6 students have worked really hard to create props for our end-of-year performance, inspired by The Lion King. They used cardboard to make masks, giving them special designs and paying attention to the little details. They also used paper mache to make African fruits and Pumba's prop. African fruits have been tied to a stick, which they found in our forest school grounds. It adds a realistic touch to the show. They have made caps for Zazu using real feathers from birds. They also used garlands to create a grassy environment using green ribbons. Together, we have created an environment that encourages creativity, teamwork, and doing our best. The children's fulfilment in creating props with a real purpose is evident, and their hard work is truly commendable.

Image of D.T Club- Lion King props
17 Jul

D.T Club- Lion King props

The Year 4, 5, and 6 students have worked really hard to create props for our end-of-year performance, inspired by The Lion King. They used cardboard to make masks, giving them special designs and paying attention to the little details. They also used paper mache to make African fruits and Pumba's prop. African fruits have been tied to a stick, which they found in our forest school grounds. It adds a realistic touch to the show. They have made caps for Zazu using real feathers from birds. They also used garlands to create a grassy environment using green ribbons. Together, we have created an environment that encourages creativity, teamwork, and doing our best. The children's fulfilment in creating props with a real purpose is evident, and their hard work is truly commendable.

Image of Year 2 - Music
10 May

Year 2 - Music

During year 2’s music lesson they have been focusing on chords in music. Children have opportunities to play many different chord patterns and express themselves creatively in their music session using instruments.

Image of Year 2 - Exploring Drama Techniques
26 Apr

Year 2 - Exploring Drama Techniques

In year 2 we have started our new unit based on A Winters Child. The children explored many drama techniques and retold the story of the child and conveyed many emotions during their acting to influence their writing. The children were amazing and really embedded the characters they were playing and this really helped to make emotion jump off their page with their writing.

Image of Choir Workshop- Let’s Go Sing
2 Feb

Choir Workshop- Let’s Go Sing

This afternoon the choir have taken part in a Let’s Go Sing workshop with one of their fantastic singing instructors! We practiced and perfected our songs, in preparation for our concert at King George’s Hall on Monday 13th March! It has been lovely to see the progress that the children have made with their singing and performing this half term and we cannot wait to dazzle the audience at the concert in March!

Image of Year 3: Performing our own dialogue!
26 Jan

Year 3: Performing our own dialogue!

Over the past few weeks, Year 3 have been looking at the clip 'Soar'. The story begins with a young girl called Mara. A thirteen-year-old who dreams of one day becoming an airplane designer. But every day, she test flies her model airplanes in the fields behind her house and every day, they crash. She is feeling downhearted and wants to give up, until a young boy falls from the sky and changes everything! We have been discussing how even though there is no dialogue in the clip, we can still follow the characters and understand their journey. In this lesson, we started to create our own dialogue for the story in pairs! This was also a great opportunity for the children to practice their performance and drama skills! Next week, we will be planning and writing our own playscripts for 'Soar'.

Image of D.T Club- Papier Mache Mask Making
24 Jan

D.T Club- Papier Mache Mask Making

This week, Years 4, 5, and 6 have been busy making a start on their props for the Year 6 end-of-year performance in our DT after school club.

Image of Christmas Service at St Barnabas Church, Lead by KS2
16 Dec

Christmas Service at St Barnabas Church, Lead by KS2

This morning, the whole school came together for our Christmas Service at St Barnabas Church, lead by KS2. Over this term, KS2 classes have been preparing short presentations for the service, about an element of Christmas that they have been focusing on in R.E. In Year 3, the class presented pieces of artwork, focusing on the shepherd's visiting Jesus in the stable and being in the presence of God. Year 4 looked at Christingle's and created a fantastic rap, about the meaning of the Christingle and Jesus being the light of the World. Year 5 spoke about how different countries celebrate Christmas around the World. Finally, Year 6 spoke about Advent and what it means to them. Some children also shared their hopes and dreams for the future. The WOW Group also helped to lead parts of the service and we sang a selection of Christmas Carols as a whole school. Overall, we really enjoyed learning about different elements of Christmas and KS2 presented their learning brilliantly!

Image of St Barnabas Choir: Let's Go Sing Workshop
9 Nov

St Barnabas Choir: Let's Go Sing Workshop

This afternoon, the school choir took part in a singing workshop with 'Let's Go Sing'. During the workshop, the children took part in some fun warm up activities and practiced a selection of songs, that we they will be singing and performing at King George's Hall, on Monday 14th March. It was great to see the choir so enthusiastic and the children particularly enjoyed dancing and performing the song 'It's Carnival Time' around the hall!

Image of English- Year 5 - Poems
4 Nov

English- Year 5 - Poems

This week in English, the children have started their writing unit on classical narrative poems. In their lesson today the children in Year 5 worked in mixed-ability groups, with a ‘group leader’ in each who was confident at performing poetry. This way they supported each other to bring ' The Highwayman' poem to life.

Image of Choir Let’s Go Sing Workshop
27 Sep

Choir Let’s Go Sing Workshop

This afternoon, the choir took part in a singing workshop with Let’s Go Sing! We warmed up our voices and listened to and sang some of the songs that we will be performing, at a concert in March at King George’s Hall.

Image of Year 6 Oliver Production
19 Jul

Year 6 Oliver Production

On the hottest day on record, our Year 6 children put on a fabulous production of Oliver. They blew us away with their amazing acting, singing and dancing. We are so proud of how well each child learned their lines, encouraged each other and gave it their all. Wow, I am so incredibly proud of each and every single one of our amazing Year 6 children! What a way to end their time at St Barnabas! Thank you so much to their parents for the support with learning lines, songs and costumes. A huge thank you to Mr Prescott for his dedication and for working really hard with the children on their lines, acting and songs. Thanks to Miss Craig, Lily and Jack for their amazing props. Thank you to Mrs Wilkinson for filming and to our FOSB for serving much needed refreshments. I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching the children the songs although I don’t think I will get them out of my head for months. I’m sure you will be the same too. It’s been great to see them all let themselves go and enjoy themselves. Here is the link to the photos: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/oliver-production-year-6-2022 Here is the link to the video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FJRaZf-_Ivg Our whole school family watched the dress rehearsal this morning and they loved it. Well done to all of Year 6 for a fantastic performance on the hottest day of the year!

Image of - Junior Jam- Year 5
7 Jul

- Junior Jam- Year 5

In computing, the children have been detectives trying to solve a real crime that happened many years ago. They have been working in small groups watching the clues given to work out who the prime suspect is. In drama, the children have been working on stage directions to create an informed performance. The children will have an opportunity to show case what they have learnt to the class. In music this week, they have been using a variety of musical instruments with increasing accuracy, to conduct their performances.

Image of Reception Junior Jam
29 Jun

Reception Junior Jam

Today the children had a junior jam session. They started with a dance session to warm up and they were given some scarves to use. They then had a go at singing ‘A Whole New World’ from Aladdin. They were amazing at remembering the lyrics to the song ! The next session was Music where they learned all about the instruments Boomwackers. They were shown how to use the boomwackers and discussed how they make their sound. They even had a go at using them and learned the names of the different notes. In the next session they watched some clips and they were asked to identify how the characters were feeling. They then used a new app this week called Toon Tastic to make a setting and characters to create a story- they had to create a beginning, a middle and an end for their story.

Image of Whole School Singing Worship led by St Barnabas Choir!
28 Jun

Whole School Singing Worship led by St Barnabas Choir!

Well done to our school choir for planning and leading our whole school singing worship this morning! During choir club on Monday, the children decided on their favourite worship songs and we voted on 5 songs to sing in worship today! The school particularly enjoyed singing My Lighthouse and School Rules!

Image of Reception Junior Jam
22 Jun

Reception Junior Jam

The children have been involved in some junior jam sessions this morning. The started off with a performing arts session which involved learning about characters from the story/film of Aladdin. They discussed which characters were bad and which ones were good. They then learned some dance moves to ‘Arabian Nights’ from Aladdin. In the music session they learned about the importance of warming up their voices when singing, so to not hurt or damage their muscles in their throat. They also listened to some songs and discussed which songs they thought sounded sad and which ones sounded happy. They then sang ‘If your happy and you know it’ to understand and demonstrate the different emotions in the song. We then had a technology session, where the children learned the difference between a video and a photograph. They then had a go on the iPads where they played a coding Safari game.

Image of Matilda West End Workshop
22 Jun

Matilda West End Workshop

Year 6 had a great time working on their drama skills at the Matilda West end workshop in London! They then got to meet a member of the Matilda cast and ask her questions. They are really looking forward to watching Matilda this evening at the Cambridge Theatre.

Image of Year 6 watch Matilda in the West End
22 Jun

Year 6 watch Matilda in the West End

Year 6 enjoyed a lovely meal together in Covent Garden and watched some of the street entertainers. They then watched Matilda the Musical at the Cambridge Theatre in the West End. We had the first four front rows so were so close to the stage. The children’s faces were priceless as they were so mesmerised by the production and in particular the child actors and actresses. We hope it’s given them some ideas and confidence for their Oliver production.

Image of Auditions for Oliver
17 Jun

Auditions for Oliver

Year 6 production auditions have taken place this morning. Children have been given time during Junior Jam to work on their parts and we have been busy working on the songs from the show in the hall. We're so excited to move onto building the scenes once the parts are cast.

Image of The Queens Platinum Jubilee Celebration - The Royal Variety Performance
27 May

The Queens Platinum Jubilee Celebration - The Royal Variety Performance

What a fantastic morning we have had watching our ‘Royal Variety Performance’ . The 20 talented acts showcased a wealth of talents. Even the Mayor and Mayoress of Blackburn with Darwen said it was a spectacular event and St Barnabas should be very humbled and proud to be part of such a lovely school family with many, many talents. What a way to show our thanks to her Majesty the Queen for her service to our country over the last 70 years!

Image of Reception Junior Jam Sessions
11 May

Reception Junior Jam Sessions

Reception have been fantastic in taking part in the different junior jam sessions. They started off with a street dance session where they learned the importance of warming up and cooling down during exercise. After that, they learned all about musical instruments and had a go at playing the glockenspiels. The last session involved using the iPads to problem solve on the coding safari game.

Image of Reception Street Dancing
27 Apr

Reception Street Dancing

The children in Reception had an amazing time learning some street dance moves as a part of a junior jam taster session. They listened really well and everybody joined in with their fantastic dance moves.

Image of Choir workshop
5 Apr

Choir workshop

This afternoon the choir took part in their final singing workshop, before our concert at Ewood Park! The children sounded absolutely fantastic and it has been wonderful to see how much the children have blossomed and grown in confidence in choir!

Image of Year 6- Junior Jam
17 Mar

Year 6- Junior Jam

Year 6 had a great morning with their Junior Jam teachers.

Image of Choir Let’s Go Sing Singing Workshop
3 Mar

Choir Let’s Go Sing Singing Workshop

Our school choir have taken part in a singing workshop this morning, with specialist singing teachers from Let’s Go Sing. We practiced some of the songs ready for our concert at Ewood Park in April.

Image of Year 6- Junior Jam
2 Feb

Year 6- Junior Jam

Year 6 had lots of fun in Junior Jam, trying out accents in drama, singing and making badges on a device, to represent their interests.

Image of Year 1 Drama with Junior Jam
19 Jan

Year 1 Drama with Junior Jam

A brilliant Effort from all of year 1 this morning in Drama.