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Reception: Muddy Monday
The Reception class had a brilliant time during their recent "Muddy Monday" adventure at Whitehall Park! The children leaped enthusiastically into nature, exploring various hidden corners of the park with endless curiosity. Foraging became a massive hit as the little explorers searched for natural treasures, which quickly sparked their imaginations and led to some fantastic outdoor roleplaying games. Energy levels reached an all-time high as the children giggled their way down the grassy hills, rolling over and over, before challenging themselves to climb the park's sturdy trees. It was a wonderful morning proving once again that some of the best learning happens right out in the great outdoors.
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Reception - RE - Ways to talk to God
In today’s lesson we talked about prayers being a way we send messages and talk to God. The children then came up with their own ways we could send messages to him including, writing letters, phoning him, sending messages in a kiss, sending messages in bubbles and by helicopter. We then went onto the yard to send some messages by bubble prayers.
Reception Maths - Using Rekenreks
This week we have been using rekenreks (our special bead strings on frames) during our Maths lessons to explore numbers up to 10. Instead of just counting one by one, the children practiced "subitising"—learning to see a group of numbers instantly. By sliding the colour-coded beads, they loved discovering that a number like 7 is made of "5 red beads and 2 white beads." This hands-on activity was a fantastic way for them to build a deep understanding of how numbers are made, paving the way for confident number bonds and addition. They did a wonderful job!
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Reception - RE
This week we learnt about Psalms and how we can sing prayers to God. We read the Clever Cub story ‘Sing to God’ and the children drew pictures of things they would like to sing about as a way to say thank you to God and what we are thankful for.
Reception - PSHE - A growth mindset
Today we revisited the idea of ‘bouncing back’ when things go wrong. We reread the story of Rosie Revere and then shared our own things that ‘we can’t do-yet’ using the magic word yet to train our brain and allow it to grow, every mistake is a clue that we need to try again a different way. We worked in pairs to build a tower and kept trying to build it as high as possible when it fell down.
Reception: Muddy Monday
What a difference a rainy morning makes! The Reception class children were bracing themselves for a very soggy afternoon, but right on cue, the clouds parted, the rain stopped, and the sunshine burst through just in time for our Muddy Monday session at Whitehall Park. The children had an absolute blast making the most of the fresh air and the damp ground (which made for some top-tier mud squelching!).
Wraparound Care is coming to St Barnabas!
🎉 Exciting News! On-Site Wraparound Care is Coming to St Barnabas! 🎉 We are delighted to announce that starting in September 2026, we will be offering our own on-site wraparound care service, exclusively for our children! We have partnered with Progressive (formerly Progressive Sports) to deliver high-quality, activity-focused care right here on school grounds. Progressive is the perfect fit because: They provide a strong sports element, creative, wellness, and discovery activities—all popular choices from our parent survey! We will be working closely with them to ensure their provision meets the same high expectations for behaviour and support that we maintain during school hours. Affordable & Flexible Options: We’ve negotiated affordable rates and flexible sessions for our families: Breakfast Club (7:30 am–8:55 am, including breakfast): £5.00 per session. After School Club (3:20/3:30 pm–6:00 pm, including a snack): £8.00 per session. Reduced Session Price: Only £6.00 if attending after a school enrichment club! A 10% sibling discount is available, and Tax-free/Universal Credit childcare vouchers are accepted. Progressive will also offer holiday clubs during some school breaks. We are confident this new service will offer affordable, convenient and high-quality care. Please read the attached letter for further information.
Reception PSHE - Why sleep is important for our bodies.
This week we talked about why we need sleep and how important it is for our bodies. The children talked about how it helps us grow and get stronger, it repairs our bodies and stops us being grumpy. We then read 3,2,1 Bedtime and shared our own bedtime routines and favourite bedtime stories. We role played getting washed, cleaning our teeth and going to sleep.
Reception - RE-Hinduism
This week our class looked at special places for people of different faiths, specifically Hinduism. We compared pictures of Mandirs and Churches and practised some mindful meditation and yoga. Then we did some bhangra dancing in celebration. The children really enjoyed the colour and joy of the Hindu faith.
Reception- R.E- Exploring the features of a mosque.
It was fantastic teaching the Reception class all about the different features of a mosque, exploring what happens inside, and discussing who goes there to worship. The children were deeply engaged throughout the lesson, showing great curiosity as we looked at the daily practices and rituals that take place within a mosque. It was wonderful to see them so inspired, and they asked a variety of thoughtful questions to deepen their understanding of other faiths and cultures.
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.
Mad Science After School Club-Cosmic Bubbles
In the final lesson for the after-school club today, our future scientists explored the final frontier. They looked at planets, stars, and crashing meteorites before the children invented and named their very own galaxies. They then used straws to blow bubbling, frothy cosmic art to represent their creations. It was a wonderfully messy and out-of-this-world way to finish a fantastic term of 'Mad Science Club'.