Image of Easter Church Service
28 Mar

Easter Church Service

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Easter Service this morning. I’ve added some videos and photos to class dojo for parents who weren’t able to join us. Thank you to our Heads and Deputies for leading the service with me and to our KS2 classes for leading the singing. A special thanks to Rev Ben too for leading us in a special Easter prayer. We’ve had a wonderful few weeks in school in the lead up to Easter. Please click here to see all the Easter fun we have had: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/easter-2024 Thank you so much to our children for the amazing walking they have been doing both in and out of school for our Big Lent Walk challenge. As a school family we have walked a fantastic 2383km and raised £215 so far to help fight global poverty! Sponsor money can still be paid in on the following link: https://schools.walk.cafod.org.uk/fundraising/st-barnabas-big-lent-walk A quick reminder that we break up early today at 2.00pm and return back for the Summer term on Wednesday 10th April.

Image of Year 1 Easter Egg Hunt
28 Mar

Year 1 Easter Egg Hunt

After celebrating Easter in church this morning, Year 1 came back to school and enjoyed an Easter egg hunt on the KS1 playground.

Image of Year 1 Easter Cards
28 Mar

Year 1 Easter Cards

Year 1 made some Easter cards by printing either a bunny, Easter egg or chick to the front of them.

Image of Rev Matt’s Worship: Good Friday
27 Mar

Rev Matt’s Worship: Good Friday

Rev Matt’s worship this week began with a drawing challenge. A Year 4 child was shown a picture and they had to draw the picture on the back of a Year 5 child. This child then had to draw what they thought the picture was on the back of a Year 6 child, who had to attempt to draw it on flip chart paper. Rev Matt then explained that messages sometimes become distorted when we don’t see the full picture, but it is important to stay hopeful. This mirrors the sadness of Jesus’ death on Good Friday. We must remember that it was all part of God’s plan to save mankind.

Image of Year 5 and 6 Rose Garden Visit
27 Mar

Year 5 and 6 Rose Garden Visit

This morning, year 5 and 6 visited the Rose Garden to see the art work that each year group created to represent different elements of the Easter story. The standard of work was superb across the school. Mr Bloomfield then led a quiz based on the art work that was kindly created by Mrs Araujo.

Image of Year 4 - Big Lent Walk & Easter Trail
27 Mar

Year 4 - Big Lent Walk & Easter Trail

We had a great time clocking up a few miles between us on our walk to the Rose Garden this morning. Once we arrived we completed an Easter quiz and explored the lovely artwork created by our school friends. The children knew so much about the events of the Easter story and really understood the symbolism too. We finished our visit with a walking gallery, deciding on our favourite pieces of art.

Image of Reception: Easter Artwork
26 Mar

Reception: Easter Artwork

Our Ducklings enjoyed viewing the artwork in the Rose Garden. They looked at the Easter story and tried to describe each picture.

Image of Reception: Forest Schools
26 Mar

Reception: Forest Schools

Our Reception children explored a different area of Whitehall park today. They made fairy houses, balanced on beams, built dens and climbed trees.

Image of Year 2 - Whitehall Park
26 Mar

Year 2 - Whitehall Park

This afternoon we visited the Rose Garden in Whitehall Park. As a school, we have turned the rose garden into an art exhibition full of the whole school’s Easter artwork. The children loved seeing all their art being displayed for the public to see. It is definitely worth a visit to the Rose Garden this Easter.

Image of Year 3- Easter Artwork
25 Mar

Year 3- Easter Artwork

This afternoon, Year 3 went for a little Easter walk to the rose garden at Whitehall Park. The children enjoyed guessing which part of the Easter story each class, from Reception to Year 6, represented through their artwork. Once there we all sang Easter songs together too. Our walk covered 2.5 miles, contributing to our Lent journey as well.

Image of Easter Artwork Trail in the Rose Garden
25 Mar

Easter Artwork Trail in the Rose Garden

The St Barnabas Easter trail is now ready for visitors! Our whole school family has worked hard to represent a different part of the Easter story through art and we have selected some for our community to enjoy when they visit the Rose Garden at Whitehall Park. Our pictures have brought a lovely splash of colour to the garden to celebrate this joyous time in the Christian calendar. We hope that they will bring joy to all visitors.

Image of Year 1 RE Artwork
21 Mar

Year 1 RE Artwork

This afternoon, Year 1 created their artwork for the Rose Garden at Whitehall Park. Their artwork was based on the resurrection of Jesus. The hands on their artwork represent Jesus rising from the dead and the butterflies, flowers, dragonflies and bunny rabbits represent new life.

Image of Year 4 - RE: Easter Art
20 Mar

Year 4 - RE: Easter Art

We have been busy in Year 4 creating artwork inspired by the betrayals found in the Easter Story. The children chose one of the betrayals we studied, designed three symbols to represent the key events and then used Brusho paints and water to create a mottled effect on the symbols. They then created a checked background on which to mount their symbols.

Image of Rev Ben’s Worship: Palm Sunday
19 Mar

Rev Ben’s Worship: Palm Sunday

Today, Rev Ben read the story of Palm Sunday and talked about the joy of the crowd when Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem. He contrasted this with the anger of the crowd when they were led to believe that Jesus lied about who he was. Determination and perseverance were two key qualities demonstrated by Jesus during that time and Rev Ben asked everyone to reflect on when they will need to show these qualities this week.

Image of Year 2 - RE
18 Mar

Year 2 - RE

In Year 2, we have produced artwork that will go on display in the Rose Garden at Whitehall Park. Our class created the last supper scene using painting and stamping. The children took real pride in making sure their artwork was exactly how they wanted it to look. The final results are wonderful and we can’t wait to visit our artwork in Whitehall park next week!

Image of Year 3- Collective Worship- Jesus the Powerful Friend
14 Mar

Year 3- Collective Worship- Jesus the Powerful Friend

This morning in our class worship, Year 3 watched and listened to the worship together across the Diocese video. The children first explored God's Big Story by exploring the timeline. The story comes from the gospel. After listening to the story of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus the children discussed two key questions. What was Jesus trying to teach us and how can we use the story in our lives today. The story taught us about faith, trust and the power of Jesus in our lives.

Image of Year 3- R.E- The Easter Story
14 Mar

Year 3- R.E- The Easter Story

This afternoon, Year 3 explored 'The Easter Story' using a children's bible. After reading the story, they described the emotions expressed through the paintings related to the various parts of the story, such as the 'Entry into the City, the Crucifixion, The Women at the Empty Tomb and Good Friday. They found the paintings and the story bring happiness and some are quite upsetting. They then expressed the symbolisms and sadness and joy through art.

Image of Year 3- Easter Artwork- Express the symbolism of sadness and joy through art.
14 Mar

Year 3- Easter Artwork- Express the symbolism of sadness and joy through art.

This afternoon, Year 3 explored 'The Easter Story' using a children's bible. After reading the story, they described the emotions expressed through the paintings related to the various parts of the story, such as the 'Entry into the City, the Crucifixion, The Women at the Empty Tomb and Good Friday. They found the paintings and some parts of the story bring happiness and some are quite upsetting. They then expressed the symbolisms and sadness and joy through art. Year 3 are super excited about displaying their artwork at the Rose Garden.

Image of Year 6 Art
14 Mar

Year 6 Art

In year 6, we have started to look at our new art unit and have linked it to our R.E. Artwork that will be displayed in the Whitehall Park Rose Garden. We started by analysing a piece of work created by the artist Lubaina Himid, entitled ‘Five’. In her artwork, she displays symbols and addresses issues close to her heart. We have used her work as inspiration for our own creation and have started to develop our own ideas to answer the question ‘Who was Jesus?’ in our own piece of artwork.

Image of The W.O.W. Group: Messy Church
13 Mar

The W.O.W. Group: Messy Church

Last week, W.O.W. Group delivered a very exciting infant Messy Church on the theme of creation. They read a short story about creation and then they took the participants outside to appreciate God’s creations and create their own nature bracelets. The children were very proud of the bracelets and marvelled at all the gorgeous colours in the plant life around us.

Image of The W.O.W. Group: Messy Church
13 Mar

The W.O.W. Group: Messy Church

This week was our final week of Messy Church and the W.O.W. Group have thoroughly enjoyed planning and delivering these interactive sessions. Our final week was based on creation again. The children watched a video about God creating the world and then chose, from a range of activities, to create something with a partner. All sorts of materials were available so that they could let their imaginations run wild.

Image of Rev Matt’s Worship: The Story of Zacchaeus
12 Mar

Rev Matt’s Worship: The Story of Zacchaeus

This morning Rev Matt began our worship talking about soft and hard materials and how some materials can be softened. This led nicely into the story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector who had a hard heart and did not treat people very well. However, when Jesus called Zacchaeus to Him and requested to go to Zacchaeus’s house, Zacchaeus changed and had a softer heart. The story taught us that those who struggle are the ones who need our kindness most.

Image of Reception: Easter Artwork
11 Mar

Reception: Easter Artwork

Today, during our Muddy Monday session, we collected lots of green natural objects to create palm leaves for our Easter art work. The children worked together as a team to create their art work. You will be able to view our artwork soon in the Rose Garden at Whitehall park.

Image of Year 5 - Religious Art
11 Mar

Year 5 - Religious Art

Today, Year 5 created their religious art piece ready for a selection of them displayed in the Rose Garden in Whitehall park for Easter. The children were focusing on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. They created their colourful backgrounds and then used black card to create a silhouette depicting Jesus on the cross.

Image of Values Points House Team Winners - Spring 1 2024
8 Mar

Values Points House Team Winners - Spring 1 2024

A huge well done to our Values Awards Winners for Spring Term 1 2024 - Team Whitehall Park. Today they celebrated their win with a special non- uniform day, sweet treats and a disco. It was lovely to see each and every one of them dancing and having lots of fun! Well done Team Whitehall Park on another successful half term win!

Image of The Big Lent Walk in Year 4
7 Mar

The Big Lent Walk in Year 4

This afternoon, Year 4 went on their Big Lent Walk around our local area. We walked past both Mrs Gardner’s and Mrs Singleton's houses on our journey. The children loved being out in the fresh air and working together to add more km to our whole school total. We are so proud of them as we were also in our World Book Day outfits which included onesies, dresses and dressing gowns. Collectively we walked 92.8k - WELL DONE Year 4

Image of Year 5&6 Big Lent Walk
6 Mar

Year 5&6 Big Lent Walk

Today, Year 5&6 completed their big lent walk. The children walked through Jacks Key and around the local area and completed 4.5km each so that's 265.5km towards the school's 2000km target.

Image of Year 1- The Easter Story
6 Mar

Year 1- The Easter Story

As part of their RE unit, Year 1 are exploring the Easter Story. This week in their RE lesson, they acted out the story from Palm Sunday until Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday.

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 Year 2 - Big Lent Walk
4 Mar

Year 2 - Big Lent Walk

This afternoon, Year 2 set off to Whitehall Park to do our bit for the Big Lent Walk. We added 2.5 kilometres to the school total.

Image of Year 3- Big Lent Walk
4 Mar

Year 3- Big Lent Walk

This afternoon, Year 3 went on the 'Big Lent Walk', covering a distance of 2.8 km. A small donation has been made to CAFOD to help fight poverty worldwide. We also had fun being Geologists exploring different kind of rocks.

Image of Year 4 Class Worship - Jesus and the Taxman
29 Feb

Year 4 Class Worship - Jesus and the Taxman

In our Class Worship this morning, we looked at the story of Jesus and the Taxman and how your life can be transformed by loving Jesus. We found the story in the New Testament in The Gospels. Zacchaeus was a hated taxman who at first hid from Jesus. He hid in a tree until Jesus invited him for tea. Jesus chose Zacchaeus for a reason. He learnt that Jesus loves you just as you are so go and invite him into your hearts. After realising his wrongs Zacchaeus said that he would pay back everyone that he had stolen from x4 and he would sell half of what he owned and give this to the poor. He remembered that whatever you trust and rely on is probably your God and God shares his love with everyone.

Image of Year 3- Class Worship-R.E- How does Jesus change lives?
29 Feb

Year 3- Class Worship-R.E- How does Jesus change lives?

In today's class worship and Religious Education lesson, Year 3 explored the story of Zacchaeus. He was a tax collector, which meant he collected taxes for the government. However, many disliked him because he was known to cheat people out of their money. When he met Jesus, everything changed. He felt sorry for tricking and lying to people in the past. After hearing the story, the children generated questions asking Zacchaeus about how he felt during different parts of the story. Then they got into the role of Zacchaeus and answered those questions, imagining his feelings. The story of Zacchaeus teaches us that people can change for the better. Even if someone has done wrong things in the past, they can choose to make things right. When Zacchaeus met Jesus, he decided to be honest and kind instead of cheating people. It shows us that it's important to say sorry when we make mistakes and try to be better people. We learnt that everyone deserves a second chance, and it's never too late to do the right thing.

Image of CAFOD: Lent Big Walk Update
28 Feb

CAFOD: Lent Big Walk Update

Wow, we have already met our target of 200km!!Well done to everybody who has contributed so far! Who thinks we can double our distance by the end of Lent? If you are up for the challenge, please continue to send your photos in to either myself or Mrs Ham . So far we have raised £94. Please ask your family and friends to see if they will sponsor us so that we can reach our target of £200 for a worthwhile cause. Donations can be sent here: https://schools.walk.cafod.org.uk/fundraising/st-barnabas-big-lent-walk Thank you so much, Mrs Wilkinson

Image of Year 4 - 1K for the Big Lent Walk
28 Feb

Year 4 - 1K for the Big Lent Walk

Year 4 class are doing their bit towards the Big Lent Walk with a 1K run on the Key Stage 2 playground. This week and last, each child completed their 1K, racking up a total of 54km between them. They will continue to do this each week.

Image of The W.O.W. Group - Messy Church: Faith in Action part 2
28 Feb

The W.O.W. Group - Messy Church: Faith in Action part 2

The WOW Group Messy Church activities continued this week with the final KS2 Faith in Action session. Participants watched the story of David and Goliath and talked about how David believed in God and himself. They then chose an affirmation bookmark to decorate and take home. Next week the WOW Group will be moving on to the KS1 sessions, with a focus on creation.

Image of Reception- Palm Sunday
27 Feb

Reception- Palm Sunday

In our R.E lesson we have been learning all about Palm Sunday. We firstly looked at the bible story, which the children were really interested in. They answered some brilliant questions after listening to the story. The children then acted the story out. We had Jesus, the donkey, the crowd who took off their coats and made a path for Jesus. We also had some angry people in the crowd who didn’t believe Jesus was the king. Some people in the crowd waved palm leaves and branches as Jesus rode by.

Image of Rev Matt’s Worship: Perseverance
27 Feb

Rev Matt’s Worship: Perseverance

Rev Matt’s worship began with a balloon challenge this morning. The aim was for the children to persevere and keep the balloon up in the air for as long as possible. All three contenders did extremely well. He then shared the story of the man through the roof, in which the sick man’s friends had persevered in seeking help for him. After bringing their friend to Jesus they discovered the house was overcrowded, but they refused to give up. Instead they made a hole in the roof and lowered him in so that Jesus might heal him. We spent time reflecting on how we could help our friends, and those in need.

Image of Year 5 - The Mustard Seed
26 Feb

Year 5 - The Mustard Seed

Today, Year 5 explored the parable of the mustard seed. The children delved into the deeper meaning of the parable that even the smallest of things can make a huge difference. We contrasted those with our Christian values and created our own mustard tree with the values we value the most. Both Year 5 and Year 6 class joined in the mustard tree song and enjoyed singing along.

Image of Year 2 - RE
26 Feb

Year 2 - RE

We continued to learn about the Easter story in RE, in particular the resurrection of Jesus. After Jesus had risen, in the book of John, he told his disciples that seeds must be planted so new life can shoot up. In class we planted flowers that will grow from the darkness of the soil and in to the world as beautiful, bright flowers. Just like Jesus rising from the darkness of the tomb. It will be lovely to have a reminder in class of new life being brought into the world at Easter.

Image of Year 3- Collective Worship- Should we learn sign language at school?
22 Feb

Year 3- Collective Worship- Should we learn sign language at school?

Today in Year 3's class worship, we explored different ways of communicating, including prayer to connect with God and the importance of British Sign Language. The children feel learning sign language at school is vital to support the deaf community, break down barriers, and promote understanding between different communities. They also discussed the importance of respect and celebrate difference. We ended our worship by thanking God for creating each of us uniquely different.

Image of Year 4 - Meeting Our Linking Schools Class
21 Feb

Year 4 - Meeting Our Linking Schools Class

The children were so excited to meet their Linking class this week. We had a Zoom meeting with the Kestrels class from St Matthews in Blackburn, in which we introduced ourselves, taught and learned some sign-supported English and played games. I think their favourite game was ‘Draw An Object’; the children had to hold their whiteboards on their heads and draw the instructed object without looking. Needless to say our attempts were hilarious and nothing like what they were supposed to be!

Image of The W.O.W. Group - Messy Church: Faith in Action
21 Feb

The W.O.W. Group - Messy Church: Faith in Action

The W.O.W. Group have done a fantastic job in planning some exciting lunchtime Messy Church sessions. The first one was for KS2 children and the theme was “Faith in Action”. Participants had to think of someone who is their hero and make them into a superhero. They also listened to the story of Samson and his strength, and they were treated to a drink and a biscuit whilst they worked on their superheroes. The W.O.W. Group are looking forward to the second KS2 session next week.

Image of Rev Ben’s Worship- Jesus chooses his disciples
20 Feb

Rev Ben’s Worship- Jesus chooses his disciples

This morning in Collective Worship, Rev Ben started with a fun game where we had to guess the superpowers that our wonderful volunteers, Walter, Lottie, Isabella, Charlie-Rose and Matthew acted out. We guessed the superpowers of speed, strength, sports, invisibility and flight. We then followed on from Jesus' 40 days in the desert and we watched a story from the Bible that showed what happened next. We watched as Jesus chose his followers, called his disciples. They didn't have superpowers and were very ordinary and often made mistakes, just like us. Rev Ben told us that the best followers of Jesus don’t have super-powers and God works today through ordinary people who love Jesus and admit it when they get things wrong. He then told us about Ash Wednesday and how that is a time to ask God for forgiveness for the things we have done wrong. Wilson, our Head Boy, volunteered to have an ash cross put on his head. We then reflected on what we can do when we get things wrong and how God will always forgive us. We finished by singing My Lighthouse and My God's the King of me. Thank you Rev Ben for another wonderful worship.

Image of Reception: Introduction to Easter
20 Feb

Reception: Introduction to Easter

Today, our Ducklings read the story ‘Clever Cub and the Easter Surprise’. We discussed the big Easter surprise and the children retold the story. We looked at how there is a cross on a hot cross bun and why there is one. We then enjoyed some hot cross buns together. What a treat!

Image of Reception: Muddy Monday
19 Feb

Reception: Muddy Monday

Our Reception class really enjoyed our Muddy Monday session at Whitehall park. We looked at some habitats for different minibeasts that we found and also enjoyed creating dens and continued to take risks climbing trees. They walked 3.84km and enjoyed contributing to the Big Lent Walk!

Image of Whole-School Worship: Understanding Lent
19 Feb

Whole-School Worship: Understanding Lent

In worship today, Mrs Ham explained that Lent is a time in the Christian calendar in which we observe Jesus’ time in the wilderness and prepare for Easter. We discussed what we could do to observe Lent. Some of the children’s suggestions included giving up sweets, chocolate, crisps, time on devices, or giving back by helping at home or making an extra effort to show kindness to others. We also learned more about THE BIG LENT WALK and how each member of our school family can contribute by walking a few kilometres over the Lenten period and raising money that will go towards ending global hunger. More information is available on Class Dojo.

Image of The Big Lent Walk
12 Feb

The Big Lent Walk

During Lent, our school are currently fundraising for CAFOD. We are taking part in the big Lent walk where we are collectively trying to walk 200km. Please help us to raise as much money as possible by sponsoring our whole school family. If you have been on a walk, please either sponsor and leave a message with how many km you have walked or send me a message and I can update our page. We will also be walking during the school day in our classes to achieve our target so any sponsorship will be greatly appreciated. Your sponsorship can change lives. Every £1 raised through the Big Lent Walk will help fight poverty globally in countries like Afghanistan, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. This year, CAFOD’s Lent Appeal is helping fishing communities feed their families in Liberia, and SCIAF’s Wee Box Appeal is focused on women and girls in Rwanda facing gender-based violence. Also in Ethiopia, CAFOD and SCIAF are working together to respond to the devastating food crisis there. Years of drought caused by the climate crisis means families are no longer able to cope, but your support means we are working with people right now, providing them with water, emergency food and healthcare. With your hard work and sponsorship this Lent, we can change families’ lives for good and tell poverty to take a hike. Please access our page here where you can sponsor your child: https://schools.walk.cafod.org.uk/fundraising/st-barnabas-big-lent-walk Thank you for your kindness, Mrs Wilkinson

Image of Year 4 - RE: What is God Like?
8 Feb

Year 4 - RE: What is God Like?

In RE, we’ve been looking at psalms this week in Year 4. We looked for the symbolism used to describe God and talked about what it reveals about Christian belief.

Image of St Barnabas Big Lent Walk
8 Feb

St Barnabas Big Lent Walk

Good morning, Next Wednesday 14th February, is the start of Lent. During Lent, our school will be fundraising for CAFOD. We will be taking part in the big Lent walk where we will collectively try and walk 200km. Please help us to raise as much money as possible by sponsoring our whole school family. If you have been on a walk, please either sponsor and leave a message with how many km you have walked or send me a message and I can update our page. We will also be walking during the school day in our classes to achieve our target so any sponsorship will be greatly appreciated. Your sponsorship can change lives. Every £1 raised through the Big Lent Walk will help fight poverty globally in countries like Afghanistan, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. This year, CAFOD’s Lent Appeal is helping fishing communities feed their families in Liberia, and SCIAF’s Wee Box Appeal is focused on women and girls in Rwanda facing gender-based violence. Also in Ethiopia, CAFOD and SCIAF are working together to respond to the devastating food crisis there. Years of drought caused by the climate crisis means families are no longer able to cope, but your support means we are working with people right now, providing them with water, emergency food and healthcare. With your hard work and sponsorship this Lent, we can change families’ lives for good and tell poverty to take a hike. Please access our page here where you can sponsor your child: https://schools.walk.cafod.org.uk/fundraising/st-barnabas-big-lent-walk Thank you for your kindness, Mrs Wilkinson

Image of Rev Matt’s Worship - Temptation
5 Feb

Rev Matt’s Worship - Temptation

Today in whole-school worship, Rev Matt talked about temptation and how the devil tried to tempt Jesus in the desert. We thought about what tempts us and what we might do if we wanted to celebrate Lent.

Image of Year 3- R.E- How did/does Jesus change lives?
5 Feb

Year 3- R.E- How did/does Jesus change lives?

This afternoon in R.E. Year 3 listened to "The Calling of Levi". After the story, we made two lists: one about what mattered to Levi (Matthew) before Jesus called him, and another about what became important after Jesus called him. We talked about why his priorities changed after meeting Jesus. Meeting Jesus made Levi think differently about what's important in life, like his beliefs and values. Jesus' teachings and being around him made Levi rethink what matters most and make good changes in his life. Levi became a better person after meeting Jesus because he used to do a job collecting taxes, which was important for money. But when he met Jesus, he decided to follow Him and be a friend. So, what became important to Levi was being friends with Jesus and learning from Him, instead of just collecting money. It shows how meeting someone special can change what's important to us.

Image of Rev Ben's Worship: Turning to God
31 Jan

Rev Ben's Worship: Turning to God

This week, Rev Ben told us the story of John the Baptist and how he preached about the importance of turning our lives to God. We spent some time thinking about what it means to turn to God.

Image of Year 3-  Class Worship-To drive or be driverless?
23 Jan

Year 3- Class Worship-To drive or be driverless?

During our class worship today, we watched this week's story. According to the Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, there's a possibility that by 2026, motorists might find themselves completing journeys in driverless vehicles – cars that can navigate without human control. Year 3 are worried about the idea because they felt uneasy and thought it could be unsafe not having a driver. But, we used this chance to discuss the British Value 'Rule of Laws'. The children were reminded about how everyone must follow the rules when driving to keep things safe. We thanked God for the wonderful world and everything in it. To conclude our worship, the children sang the hymn, 'Our God is a Great Big God.'

Image of Year 4 Class Worship - Picture News - Is an e-reader better than a book?
18 Jan

Year 4 Class Worship - Picture News - Is an e-reader better than a book?

In Class Worship this morning we focused on Picture News, which asked the question - Is an e-reader better than a book? A study from Spain found that print reading could boost skills by six to eight times more than digital reading. Our class was a complete split but the children discussed their ideas behind their choices and then looked at various ways in which we can read. We then looked at what we prefer to read and ordered these from favourite to least favourite. Reading messages from friends came top and reading instructions was our least favourite!

Image of Year 4 - RE: Looking in Hearts
17 Jan

Year 4 - RE: Looking in Hearts

If there’s one thing our Year 4s are good at, it’s demonstrating our Christian values. In RE, this week, we discussed how God chose people to do important jobs and that it was all about what was in their hearts. The children wrote about the values in their hearts and what actions they take that show the good in their hearts.

Image of Rev Matt's Worship- Courage
16 Jan

Rev Matt's Worship- Courage

After the fun of finding that it has snowed this morning, we had a whole school worship led by Rev Matt. He showed us lots of different images of people waiting and then read us the Bible story of Anna and Simeon waiting for Jesus. They had to wait a long time, many years, but they trusted in God and knew that he would send his special son, Jesus. We enjoyed joining in with the 'tick tock, tick tock' everytime Rev Matt said the word waited. We then reflected on how Anna and Simeon showed courage and thought of ways that we can show courage this week. We finished singing one of our favourite songs, My Lighthouse. How will you show courage this week?

Image of Year 4 - RE: Hanukkah
10 Jan

Year 4 - RE: Hanukkah

To finish our Year 4 Christmas RE unit, we learned about the significance of light in the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah. We discussed the story and how the Jews felt about their sacred temple being destroyed and the miracle of the oil lasting longer than it should have. We also made our own Dreidels and played a few games.

Image of Rev Ben’s Worship: Courage and Epiphany
9 Jan

Rev Ben’s Worship: Courage and Epiphany

This morning, Rev Ben came in to talk about courage and how the wise men showed courage on their journey to meet Jesus. The children shared their bravest moments and they enjoyed joining in with the Bible story and especially Rev Ben’s impression of a grumpy and mean King Herod. We reflected on how the wise men showed courage, how we can show courage this week and how it helps us to know that Jesus is always with us. This doesn't mean that the fear goes away but Jesus helps us to face our fears and be courageous, just like the wise men.

Image of Epiphany Collective Worship
8 Jan

Epiphany Collective Worship

It was wonderful to have our school family back together again for our first collective worship after the Christmas holidays. Today we focused on Epiphany which is when the three wise men went to see baby Jesus. Our Reception class Kings helped up to learn about the special gifts that they gave to Jesus and what they symbolised. Gold= King Frankincense= God and Myrrh = Sacrifice. We then watched a short film called 'Far from home' which we thought was about modern day refugees but the more we watched it, the more we realised that it was very similar to the Nativity story. We discussed how Mary, Joseph and Jesus had to flee as King Herod wanted to kill Jesus. We reflected on how they must have felt and how it must feel for those children nowadays who are living in places that aren't safe, such as in Palestine, Israel and Ukraine. We then thought about how we can support refugees who arrive in our country seeking safety. We had some brilliant answers such as give them a warm welcome, donate toys, food, clothes and money etc. We then looked back at some of the generous work we have been doing to support Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise such as donating toys, books and chocolate at Christmas time. We finished with a prayer and sang 'We three kings' and noticed what the three gifts symbolised- King, God and sacrifice, in the song.

Image of Christmas Church Service
22 Dec

Christmas Church Service

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us this morning for our Christmas Church Service. I have attached some photos and snippets for those of you who were unable to join us due to work commitments. A huge well done to our Key Stage 2 children for showcasing what they have been learning in RE this half term and a special thank you to Year 6, who led our service. We thanked Rev Ben and Rev Matt for their service to our school family. We also gave a special gift to Glenda, who has decided to retire from her volunteering role in school. Thank you so much Glenda for everything you have done for our school family over the years. It was wonderful to hear about all the great ways that our children have been spreading love and joy to our community through singing carols, delivering Christmas cards to the elderly and donating toys and gifts to the Rotary Club and DARE (Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise). Thank you so much for your generous donations.

Image of Year 4 - Visit to the Rose Garden
22 Dec

Year 4 - Visit to the Rose Garden

Year 4 class had a great time in the Rose Garden. They chose their top 3 card designs and then we all sang some of our favourite carols. Merry Christmas to you all!

Image of Thank you from DARE ( Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise)
22 Dec

Thank you from DARE ( Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise)

Thank you so much to our staff team and our Year 1 kindness elves for donating Christmas items to Darwen Asylum and Refuger Enterprise. The donations have been used to create Christmas hampers for families in need. They were distributed at the DARE Christmas party and were gratefully received.

Image of Reception Christmas Party
21 Dec

Reception Christmas Party

Reception have had a super morning at their Christmas party and were so excited to have a special visitor in class - Father Christmas! They each got a present for being such good boys and girls.

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 Year 3- Class Worship- Are decorations an important part of celebrations?
20 Dec

Year 3- Class Worship- Are decorations an important part of celebrations?

During today's class workshop, Year 3 discussed the significance of decorations in celebrations. Some children express that decorations are important as they bring joy and help spread the purpose of the celebration. However, the majority felt that spending money on decorations is worthwhile only if they can be reused each year. As we reflected on the discussion, we reminded ourselves that Christmas is a special time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, who is considered the most precious gift. We thanked God for the festive season and, most importantly, for the gift of Jesus. The children decided to end class worship by singing the carol 'Away in a Manger.'

Image of Collective Worship- Love at Advent
18 Dec

Collective Worship- Love at Advent

This morning in collective worship we focused on Love for the fourth week of Advent and Colton and Sophie lit our fourth candle on our advent wreath. We reflected on how we have been showing love to our community by donating toys and chocolates to DARE (Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise) and Darwen Rotary Club and through our wonderful carol singing at our Christmas Fayre, Darwen Market and our church yesterday evening for the Carol Service. We then thought about others ways that we can show love to each other and our community this advent. We had some lovely ideas such as to smile at people, give hugs, donate clothes that are too small for us, show kindness to each other and help out your parents. Mrs Ham said that it was particularly important to show kindness and love to each other this week after such a long term and everyone is feeling tired and excited for Christmas. We watched a clip from Mrs Ham's favourite Christmas film, 'A Muppet's Christmas Carol' and watched how the mean and grumpy Scrooge started to smile and enjoy himself when the Christmas spirit sang 'Wherever you find love, it feels like Christmas' song and others showed him love and kindness. We then joined in with a lovely prayer asking God to help us show love and kindness to everyone around us and to be grateful for everything we receive. We finished by practising our Christmas carols ready for our church service on Friday morning.

Image of Year 1 RE- The Nativity Story
14 Dec

Year 1 RE- The Nativity Story

Year 1 loved watched the Reception class perform the nativity last week so this week they have really enjoyed using the figures to act out the story themselves. Well done Year 1.

Image of Rev Ben Worship: Isaiah the Rescuer
12 Dec

Rev Ben Worship: Isaiah the Rescuer

Rev Ben led our worship today. We began our worship with a listening game. Rio, Jay, Lucy and Isaac hummed a Christmas song and the children had to use their listening skills to guess the song. Our story from the Bible is all about listening well. Isaiah was a prophet and he came to tell people that God’s people’s hearts needed rescuing. People did not listen. God wanted to rescue people as he was compassionate and loving. God sent Jesus to rescue God’s people but we need to listen really carefully to the Christmas story. Christians believe that if we listen carefully, Jesus can still change us today. Christians believe the rescuer came at Christmas in a manger. We ended our worship by singing ‘Rescuer’.

Image of Reception: Rev Ben Visit
12 Dec

Reception: Rev Ben Visit

Our Ducklings had a visit from Rev Ben today. Rev Ben brought in some figures to tell us about the Christmas story. Christians believe that Jesus is the star of the story. We need to really think about Jesus and if we listen really carefully to the story, it can change us from the inside out if we let it. Rev Ben finished his visit with a special thank you prayer. Thank you Rev Ben for visiting our class, we always enjoy your visits.

Image of Joy at Advent Collective Worship
11 Dec

Joy at Advent Collective Worship

This morning in our Collective Worship we lit our third advent candle for Joy. We learnt that J is for Jesus, O is for others and Y is for yourself. We reflected on the joy that Jesus brought to the world and how he came so that we could live life in all its fullness. Mrs Ham reminded us of some of the ways that we are bringing joy to others by donating books and toys to DARE (Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise), making cards for the elderly in care homes and our choir are singing in Darwen Market and in our church. We then discussed with a partner how we can bring joy to others and ourselves this advent. We had some fabulous answers such as give toys and clothes to others in need, spend time having fun with our friends and family and show kindness to others. We also realised that we all find joy in different ways as we had so many different answers for what brings us joy such as playing with friends, chocolate, being with our family, school, reading, etc. We then watched the new John Lewis advert and discussed how everyone finds joy in different ways and has different Christmas traditions. Some children commented that the advert made them think that 'it's not what's on the outside that counts, but what is on the inside'. We finished our worship with a prayer and then practised our Nativity songs ready for our church service next week.

Image of Year 2 - RE
6 Dec

Year 2 - RE

This week, we started our Christmas learning in RE we are going to be looking how good news about the birth of Jesus spread and how it made the world feel. We began by looking at what is the news and how do we find out about it. We read our happy newspapers from our library and watched Newsround. We made a note of the various ways we can consume the news and the impact it has on our lives.

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 Year 4 - RE: How did Jesus bring light?
6 Dec

Year 4 - RE: How did Jesus bring light?

Some super acting was displayed in RE in Year 4 this week. We learned about who Jesus helped most and why, role playing the well-known religious figures Zacchaeus, Matthew and the rich young man. The children were tasked with spotting the parts in each story where Jesus brought light.

Image of Whole School Peace Chain
5 Dec

Whole School Peace Chain

During our second week of Advent, we are focussing on praying for peace. Throughout the last week, all classes have created a whole school peace chain. Continuing from yesterday’s worship, we discussed different ways that we can find peace. Ruby said that she had listened to her mum this morning to create a peaceful home environment. Darcy said she had shown peace to her younger sibling. Isaac said he had helped his parents and Percy said he had gone to bed earlier. We will continue to focus on peace throughout this week and the whole of Advent. Our peace chain is displayed in our school entrance for you all to see.

Image of Whole School Worship: God the Rescuer
5 Dec

Whole School Worship: God the Rescuer

Rev Matt led our worship today. We began our worship by watching a selection of videos to discuss if people were in trouble. Rev Matt told a story from the bible about Abraham. The story discussed how Abraham wanted a child but he couldn’t because he was old. Abraham trusted God and one night God told Abraham that he would have lots of children one day. God’s promise came true and they called their son, Isaac. Rev Matt explained that when Abraham was in trouble, he needed a rescuer who was God. God made the impossible, possible. God is compassionate and will always look after us. Christmas is a time to remember this. We ended our worship by singing ‘Rescuer’.

Image of Year 2 - RE
1 Dec

Year 2 - RE

This week, we completed our RE topic looking at Holy books from different faiths. We have been learning about the Bible and understood that different faiths have their own book which they follow. We looked in more detail at the Jewish Torah and the Islamic Qu’ran. We spotted similarities between how religions see their holy book as special and one that should be looked after. We also found that each book contains rules and stories which are used to help people be good citizens.

Image of Rev Ben’s Worship- Jeremiah : Down in the well
28 Nov

Rev Ben’s Worship- Jeremiah : Down in the well

This morning Rev Ben led our Worship about God's Compassion. We started with a fun listening game where Rev Ben blind folded some children and the rest of us had to make the animal noise of the animal on the screen. The children who were blindfolded were able to realise what it was like to not be able to see, just like the person in this week's Bible story, Jeremiah. We listened and joined in with the Old Testament Bible story all about Jeremiah being stuck in a deep, dark well. We loved joining in with the repeated refrain and we learned that God helped Jeremiah get out of the well. We reflected on how God can help us when we are feeling stuck or in a dark place. We then thought about how God sent His saviour, Jesus to rescue us all and how at this time of Advent, we are thinking about the special birth of Jesus. We finished our Worship singing 'Jesus, strong and kind'.

Image of Year 6 R.E.- Pilgrimage
23 Nov

Year 6 R.E.- Pilgrimage

In R.E. Year 6 started to look at the pilgrimages of other religions. They focused on Hajj (an Islamic pilgrimage) and Kumbh Mela (a Hinduism pilgrimage). Once they had made some notes on these pilgrimages and how they are undertaken, the children then discussed how they are similar and different to the Christian and Jewish pilgrimages covered in earlier lessons.

Image of Rev Ben’s Worship: Samuel and David
21 Nov

Rev Ben’s Worship: Samuel and David

This week in Rev Ben’s Worship, we learned the story of Samuel, Jessie and David. We talked about the qualities God looks for in a king and the importance of having a kind heart.

Image of WOW Group Worship: Respect and Tolerance
21 Nov

WOW Group Worship: Respect and Tolerance

Well done to our fantastic WOW Group, who led their first whole-school worship this year today. In recognition of Inter Faith week, they talked about respecting each other’s differences and they taught us about tolerance and how we can show it to one another.

Image of Year 6 R.E.- Judaism Workshop
16 Nov

Year 6 R.E.- Judaism Workshop

This week in R.E. year 6 were visited by Samantha Hambling who led a Judaism workshop all about pilgrimage. Year 6 asked some impressive and mature questions and realised how religions are very similar, but also have some notable differences.

Image of Year 4 - Judaism Workshop
15 Nov

Year 4 - Judaism Workshop

We had a special visitor in school on Tuesday. Samantha came to teach Year 4 a bit about the Jewish day of rest: Shabbat. The children were fantastic! They listened with interest and asked some insightful questions. They enjoyed trying on the traditional garments and looking at artefacts, and they particularly loved tasting some challah bread.

Image of Reception: Jesus walks on water
14 Nov

Reception: Jesus walks on water

Today we learnt how Jesus is special and how he performed miracles. We listened to the story ‘Jesus walks on water’. The children retold the story using Godly play and enjoyed drawing parts of the story in our RE scrap book. Callie said “Jesus helped Peter get up from the waves”. Percy said “Jesus walked on water”.

Image of Year 3- Interfaith week- Rules of living session by a Jewish visitor
14 Nov

Year 3- Interfaith week- Rules of living session by a Jewish visitor

As part of Interfaith week, we had a special visitor in our classroom who shared insights into Jewish traditions and the rules of living. The children learnt about the different rules that Jewish people follow. We learnt about the prayers, the Torah and the clothing that men and women wear. The children also got to taste Challah, a delicious and traditional Jewish bread commonly served on the Sabbath.

Image of Year 5 - Interfaith Week
14 Nov

Year 5 - Interfaith Week

Today, as part of interfaith week, Year 5 had a Jewish visitor who explained her religious beliefs and lifestyle. She focused on the story of Purim which is the Jewish holiday in which Jews commemorate being saved from persecution in the ancient Persian Empire. The children explored the story and began to contextualise the true meaning of the story and what it means to the Jewish community. The children explored the huge celebrations that take place and the various ways that Jewish people celebrate Purim. The children loved listening to the story and learning how other religions feed into their own religion.

Image of Year 1 Interfaith Week- Learning about Shabbat
14 Nov

Year 1 Interfaith Week- Learning about Shabbat

As part of interfaith week, Year 1 enjoyed a visit from a lovely Jewish lady called Samantha. Samantha told us all about Shabbat which she explained as the Jewish day of rest when Jewish people remember the story of creation where God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th. Samantha told us that Shabbat happens each week on a Friday evening through to a Saturday evening. We learnt that it involves a Friday evening meal where the table is laid ready for a three course meal, a candle is lit and a prayer is said over wine or grape juice which is called Kiddush. We also learnt that Jewish people enjoy a bread called Challah during the Shabbat meal which is covered by a special cloth. Samantha even brought some Challah in for us all to try-we really enjoyed it! We also learnt that Shabbat involves a trip to the synagogue to pray. Samantha told us that the Torah is read out when the Jews visit the synagogue and it has its own special ark where it is stored when it is not in use. We also learnt that Jewish men often wear a kippah and a tallit to the synagogue and a Jewish married woman will wear a hat. Samantha also told us that because Shabbat is the day of rest, Jewish people are not allowed to work with the exception of some professions such as doctors. We learnt that hoovering, washing up, doing the laundry and building are all things that Jews should not do on Shabbat. As well as this, we learnt that Jews are not allowed to use electronics such as phones, computers, iPads, PlayStations etc.. on Shabbat and should spend quality time talking and playing games with family members.

Image of Year 3- Remembrance Day
9 Nov

Year 3- Remembrance Day

In their guided reading sessions this week, Year 3 have been learning about Remembrance Day. They have guided information about when the war began and ended and why people wear poppies today. They also talked about the word 'peace' and how everyone wants to have peace in the world. They wrote individual prayers to remember the people who died in the war and the sacrifices they made for our country.

Image of Reception - All about Diwali
8 Nov

Reception - All about Diwali

Reception have been learning about Diwali, the festival of light which is celebrated by Hindus every year. They have been busy making Diwali cards, Rangoli patterns and Diwa lamps.

Image of Reception: Vicars are special!
7 Nov

Reception: Vicars are special!

Today, our Ducklings had a lovely visit from Rev Ben and Rev Matt as part of their RE unit. They told us all about their special job. Rev Matt showed us his special garments and Rev Ben showed us his special collar. Rev Ben explained how being a vicar is all about showing how we love, know and follow Jesus. We watched a video about how Jesus chose his special followers called disciples. Rev Ben explained that the disciples were ordinary people just like vicars are! Rev Ben showed us how vicars celebrate holy communion and we held the special chalice and plate. Rev Matt then explained how vicars invite people to be part of the church through baptism. We all enjoyed our visit, thank you so much!

Image of Rev Matt’s Worship: God’s Compassion for Gideon
7 Nov

Rev Matt’s Worship: God’s Compassion for Gideon

Rev Matt’s Worship this week was about victory against the odds and staying faithful to God. He told us the story of Gideon and how he defeated the Midianites, even though his army was small. He trusted in God and God showed Gideon compassion. We also discussed how we can show compassion to people who need our help.

Image of Whole-School Worship: Remembrance
6 Nov

Whole-School Worship: Remembrance

With Remembrance Day fast approaching, Mrs Ham began the week with a worship about why and how we remember those who have died due to war and those who serve our country and protect us. She explained the significance of the poppy and we discussed which Christian and British values are shown by people in the armed forces. We ended our worship time with a prayer of thanks to those in the armed forces and prayed for peace around the world as we sang ‘A song of peace’.

Image of Whole School Worship with Rev Ben
31 Oct

Whole School Worship with Rev Ben

Rev Ben taught us all about the value of thankfulness this week. He told us the story of the Jews being freed from slavery and how they lost sight of the good things God had given them, so they were left to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. The children loved interacting with the story and shared their ideas on how we can focus on the good.

Image of Year 4 - RE: The Transfiguration
31 Oct

Year 4 - RE: The Transfiguration

After exploring the events of the Transfiguration of Jesus, the children in Year 4 examined a variety of artwork depicting the event and made note of the key common features and how they show His importance. The children then worked in teams of 3, 4 or 5 and created their own interpretations of the Transfiguration using chalks on the playground. They all captured the key message well.

Image of Whole-School Worship: Allhallowtide & Praying for Peace
30 Oct

Whole-School Worship: Allhallowtide & Praying for Peace

This morning Mrs Ham reminded us of the Christian season of Allhallowtide starting with All Hallows’ Eve tomorrow - Hallow means Holy and it is a time to be mindful of the good we can do in the world, All Saints’ Day on Wednesday - when Christians remember the good the saints have done, and All Souls‘ Day on Thursday - when we think of those who have died and are in heaven. We discussed Remembrance day which is coming up shortly, where we remember soldiers who have died in the wars. We also thought about the conflict in Israel and Gaza and prayed for those who are suffering in this war. We watched some newsround videos to learn about how children in Gaza and Israel are being affected and we thought of some ways that we can be like saints and help. Peyton said we can pray to God for them and Darcy, Jack and Naomi said we can donate money, clothes and toys to the children who have lost their homes and belongings. To finish we sang a 'Song of Peace' where we wished for a world where hate and war would cease and the everyone in the world could live in peace.

Image of Harvest Church Service 2023
19 Oct

Harvest Church Service 2023

A huge well done to our WOW (Worship our Way) group and our choir for leading our Harvest Church service and to Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 for their wonderful contributions. Thank you so much for your generosity shown towards Darwen Food Larder and DARE (Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise). All of the photos can be found here: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/harvest-church-service-2023 and the videos are posted on classdojo.

Image of Whole-School Worship: Moses Saves God’s People
18 Oct

Whole-School Worship: Moses Saves God’s People

This week, Rev Ben led our worship, teaching us all about the story of Moses parting the Red Sea, and how that was all a part of God’s great rescue plan. The children loved acting out the story. We also spent some time reflecting on God’s generosity towards the Israelites.

Image of Year 4 - RE: People Challenging Authority
11 Oct

Year 4 - RE: People Challenging Authority

In RE this week we were learning about people who have famously spoken out against their authority figures in order to affect change in the world. The children worked in groups to research Rosa Parks, William Wilberforce, Oscar Romero or Greta Thunberg. They considered why these important people felt they had to speak up and how their acts of courage brought about important changes.

Image of Whole-School Worship: Jacob and Esau and God’s Forgiveness
10 Oct

Whole-School Worship: Jacob and Esau and God’s Forgiveness

Rev Matt joined us for worship today. He talked about good and bad, and then read the story of Isaac’s sons, Esau and Jacob. We then reflected on how God taught Jacob to be truthful and how He showed forgiveness.

Image of Reception: Learning about Islam
10 Oct

Reception: Learning about Islam

This week our Ducklings learnt all about Islamic prayer beads. They are what Muslims use to pray to God. They are called ‘Subha’. We had a look at a variety of prayer beads and learnt that there are 99 beads which represent a name that is given to God. Some of the names include the kind, the light, the strong, the first, the guide and the loving. Thank you to Miss Kachwalla for bringing her prayer beads in.

Image of WOW group led Class Worship
5 Oct

WOW group led Class Worship

In our Class Worship session this morning, our WOW group members Luca, Annabelle and Grace used Picture News to lead the session. We focused on ‘Record Breakers’ and is it correct that anyone can break a world record? We learnt that over 30,000 applicants submit their achievements each year but only 2,638 were selected to be published in the Guinness World Records 2024 . We prayed for the ability to show perseverance and determination along with all of the special people involved in trying to break records.

Image of Year 1-Making a Sukkah
5 Oct

Year 1-Making a Sukkah

Year 1 have been learning about the Jewish Festival of Sukkot. In the creative and construction areas they have been building a sukkah. They have learnt that some Jews celebrate harvest by building a sukkah and spending time in there during their harvest festival (Sukkot). For example, they might enjoy a meal to give thanks or to say a prayer of thankfulness. They do this to remember all of the Jews that had to sleep in the wilderness as they fled from slavery and to give thanks for many things such as food and shelter.

Image of Year 3 - Class Worship- Thanking God for creating the universe and everything in it.
28 Sep

Year 3 - Class Worship- Thanking God for creating the universe and everything in it.

In our class worship, we explored the joy of discovering new places and celebrated India's historic moon landing near the south pole. We also explored famous explorers from the past and thanked God for creating the universe. We ended our class worship by singing, 'He's Got the Whole World'.

Image of Year 4 - RE: Revealing Jesus’s Authority
27 Sep

Year 4 - RE: Revealing Jesus’s Authority

In our RE lesson this week, the children were researching Bible stories to find reasons why Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God.

Image of Monday Worship
25 Sep

Monday Worship

This week, we practised singing songs for Harvest. It was wonderful to welcome our Ducklings into their first whole school worship. Our older children showed them what to do and helped them with the words and actions. Our choir will be performing this Sunday at church. We would love to see as many of you there to help sing our wonderful harvest songs.

Image of Reception: RE God’s Plan
25 Sep

Reception: RE God’s Plan

This week in RE, our Ducklings were thinking about God’s plan for us. We had a special visitor, baby Rupert who came so that we could compare how we grow. We decided Rupert wasn’t ready for school just yet. “He can’t walk” said Bella, “He can’t ride a scooter” said Haydn. Hollie said that he could only play with baby toys. We then thought about God’s plan for us as we grow up. We discussed what we wanted to be when we grow up. Percy said a rock and roll star, Thomas said a builder, Harry said a farmer and Elsie said a nurse.

Image of Year 5 - What is the Bible?
25 Sep

Year 5 - What is the Bible?

This week Year 5 have been looking at what the bible is and where it came from. We sought to answer these following questions to gain a deep and detailed understanding of what the Bible is: Where does the bible come from? What’s in the Jewish bible? What’s in the story of the Old Testament? How did Jesus carry the bible forward? The children discussed that the Bible started in the Old Testament through ancient Jewish scriptures that were masters in literature and answered life’s many unknown questions. We learned and understood that the Jewish Bible referred to as the Tanak referred to all the early workings of the Bible and how the carried and spread Gods word. Then we discussed the varied ways that Jesus carried the story forward to inspire the masses to follow in the footsteps of Christianity. We understood the first person accounts that were written and when Jesus began to carry this story forward we enter the New Testament of the Bible.

Image of Collective Worship with Rev Ben - Noah’s Ark
19 Sep

Collective Worship with Rev Ben - Noah’s Ark

Today, we started with a fun game of floating and sinking in our collective Worship with Rev Ben. He then told us the story of Noah and his Ark and his mission to rescue God’s creation. We considered how we could help to take care of God’s world.

Image of Reception: RE
19 Sep

Reception: RE

Last week our Ducklings learnt about the creation story. Following on from this, we learnt about how we are all unique and how God made us all to be special. We looked at our hands and fingerprints and learnt how nobody is the same as us! God made us all special. We read a story called ‘When God made you’.

Image of Year 6 R.E.
14 Sep

Year 6 R.E.

In R.E. Year 6 have been looking at how following Jesus’ teachings has an impact on lives today. They looked at Jesus’ life journey and thought about how individual events might influence the way in which Christians live their lives.

Image of Tuesday Collective Worship with Rev Matt
12 Sep

Tuesday Collective Worship with Rev Matt

Rev Matt came to lead our worship and told us the story of Adam and Eve, and how God showed his generosity, staying with them even after they disobeyed his orders. We also discussed how we can show generosity this week.

Image of Monday Collective Worship- God’s Big Plan
11 Sep

Monday Collective Worship- God’s Big Plan

We started our worship by paying respect to all of the victims who lost their lives 22 years ago in the devastating 9/11 terrorist attack in New York. We lit a candle and said a prayer. Mrs Ham then reintroduced God’s Big Story to us and we looked at each concept and discussed what they mean: Creation (the beginning of the world), Fall (when people started to sin) , People of God (People in the Old Testament of the Bible), Incarnation (Jesus was sent to create peace on Earth), Gospel (spreading the good news of Jesus), Salvation (Jesus is crucified and appears as a spirit) and The Kingdom of God. We then watched a video which started with creation. We talked about our favourite things that God created. Rio said’ The sun and the moon to create light and dark,’ Sienna and Elliott said ‘The people’, Maliki said ‘The animals’ and Sonny said ‘The food.’ Followed by the Fall when people started to destroy the world. Then God gave us the People of God such as Moses and Abraham who were sent to teach us how to be good people. However, people didn’t listen so God sent Jesus to us in the flesh and this is what incarnation means. Bishop Philip explained that incarnation means that Jesus came as one of us, to share our life and so that we could share in his life and learn from his actions, stories and explanations. Bishop Philip then explained the definition of Salvation as Jesus coming to save us from a place of danger (the fall) by dying on the cross. As Jesus died on the cross and came back to life, he was our rescuer. He died for all of us brought us to a place of safety. We all look forward to learning more about God’s Big Plan in our collective worships and our RE lessons this academic year. Finally, we ended our worship by singing, ‘Our God is a Great Big God.’

Image of Collective Worship with Rev Ben and Rev Matt
5 Sep

Collective Worship with Rev Ben and Rev Matt

In worship today, Rev Ben got us all thinking about being creative and our greatest and most generous creator - God. We enjoyed watching two teams of children compete to create the best animal from just sticky tape and newspaper. We also reflected on how we can be generous with our creations in school this week.

Image of Year 4 - RE: Jesus Was a Jew
5 Sep

Year 4 - RE: Jesus Was a Jew

In Year 4, we started our RE with a little artefact exploring, learning about and experiencing the Jewish festival of Rosh Hashanah, and we ended with a big reveal: Jesus was Jewish! We couldn’t believe it! There were lots of ‘Mrs Ham shocked faces’ when we found out, but I think most of us would agree that the best part was eating apple pieces dipped in honey and wishing for a sweet new school year.

Image of Year 4 - Exploring Church
19 Jul

Year 4 - Exploring Church

We finished off our RE unit with a trip to St Barnabas Church to look for symbols of Christianity. The children were so knowledgeable, remembering lots of our learning this term. Thanks to Rev Ben and Rev Matt for inviting us in.

Image of Year 1 Building Homes Jesus’ World, Our World
18 Jul

Year 1 Building Homes Jesus’ World, Our World

This week in our RE lessons we have been comparing the buildings Jesus would have lived in and around. We have built our own cuboid homes and made a year 1 village. We recognise that when Jesus was on Earth there was no electricity, houses were not made from bricks and they often had flat roofs and no glass in the windows.

Image of Year 4 - Linking Schools Litter Pick
12 Jul

Year 4 - Linking Schools Litter Pick

The final part of our Linking Schools project was to make a pledge to take part in social action. Year 4 chose to do a community litter pick. The council supplied the equipment and off we went, cleaning up Knowlesly Road, Watery Lane and Whitehall Park. We filled 3 bin bags and 2 recycling bags - a super effort, class!

Image of Year 4 - Visiting our Link School
5 Jul

Year 4 - Visiting our Link School

Another fantastic experience with our linking class! This week, Year 4 visited St Matthew’s Primary School in Blackburn for our final team project. We visited the Mosque next door to learn about its features, and we took part in team crafts. We have loved our year of linking!

Image of Monday Worship: St Barnabas and St Paul and Welcome to Rev Matt
3 Jul

Monday Worship: St Barnabas and St Paul and Welcome to Rev Matt

Today, Rev Ben led our worship and we welcomed Rev Matt who will be working at St Barnabas Church too. We began our worship by thinking about a time where something happened to us and where we couldn’t wait to tell others about it. Amelia couldn’t wait to tell others when her Mum had a baby. Mason couldn’t wait to tell others that he had been on the television! We thought about how St Barnabas and St Paul were generous about the message about Jesus and how they told Jesus’ story to people for the first time. Rev Ben shared a video with the children about their story. On Saturday, Matt became Rev Matt and was ordained at Blackburn Cathedral. Rev Matt wanted to become a vicar because he wanted to spread the word of Jesus and to find out more about Jesus. Rev Matt spent three years at vicar school. He said he was most excited to learn more and for the children to learn with him. We gave Rev Matt a huge St Barnabas welcome. We ended our worship by singing ‘story of the cross’.

Image of Year 2 - Stained Glass Windows
3 Jul

Year 2 - Stained Glass Windows

In R.E Year 2 have been exploring what makes a church a church. The children have been understanding the various aspects of the church and understanding their place within the church. The children have focused on stained glass windows and how they tell Jesus’ stories and teaching. The children then had a go at creating their own stained glass windows using lots of colours and materials.

Image of W.O.W. Group - Messy Parables - The Unforgiving Servant
28 Jun

W.O.W. Group - Messy Parables - The Unforgiving Servant

This week in the Messy Parables workshop, the children looked at the importance of forgiveness through the parable ‘The Unforgiving Servant’. They then had fun making bookmarks with a message of forgiveness. Well done to the W.O.W. Group; they are doing a fabulous job organising and delivering these workshops.

Image of Year 4 - RE: Features in a Synagogue
28 Jun

Year 4 - RE: Features in a Synagogue

After exploring the significance of certain Christian features found in churches, Year 4 explored some features found in synagogues and looked for the significances of these important features of Judaism.

Image of Year 1 Visit to St Barnabas Church
27 Jun

Year 1 Visit to St Barnabas Church

Today Year 1 went to St Barnabas Church as part of their RE unit: Our world, Jesus’ World. Rev Ben helped us to learn more about Jesus’ world and let us think and discuss how it is different living on Earth today compared to when Jesus was alive. The children really enjoyed listening to the story of the prodigal son and either watching others act out the story or being actors and actresses themselves. They looked for images of Jesus within the church and we looked at the clothes and signs of different lifestyles people would have had back then. Year 1 have certainly enjoyed having their RE lesson with Rev Ben in church today.

Image of Monday Worship: Fruits of the Spirit
26 Jun

Monday Worship: Fruits of the Spirit

Mrs Ham shared some photos of fruit trees and asked the children to name the fruit on each tree. We saw tangerines, pears, pineapples and strawberries to make a few. She told us that in the Bible, St Paul wrote in one of his letters about the fruit of the spirit. Mrs Ham had a fruit bag and asked some children to pick out a fruit from God’s fruit bowl. The children had to think about different fruits and discuss what they mean with a partner. The first was faithfulness. Wilson said if you trust each other then you would be faithful. The next fruit was self-control. Hamza said it is all about not reacting. The third was kindness. Archie said it is about helping people or giving to others. The next fruit of the spirit was love. Darcy said if you show love then they will show it you back. Sonny said giving somebody a hug shows love. The next was goodness which means being really good! The next fruit of the spirit was joy. Grace said if you are a nice person to be around then you will bring joy to others. Gentleness was then pulled out of God’s fruit bowl. Neve said you should be gentle with both your words and actions. Sofia pulled out patience. Daisy said it is all about waiting. Hamza said do not say hurry up! The last fruit of the spirit was peace. Mrs Ham wanted us to have a little peace whilst we reflected on our worship today. We ended our worship by singing ‘Fruit of the spirit’.

Image of Reception- Pentecost
26 Jun

Reception- Pentecost

This afternoon, Reception have been learning about a celebration in the Church calendar called Pentecost. We watched a video of the story and then acted this out. First, we sat in a circle and prayed just as the disciples did, we then had some children act out the huge gust of wind that was felt by the disciples as the Holy Spirit arrived and blessed them with the ability to speak in different languages. Finally, we spoke in different languages such as, ‘Bonjour,’ ‘Ciao,’ and ‘Konnichiwa,’ to teach everyone about Jesus. We created some flames, doves and wind as these are symbols of the Holy Spirit, and we also drew some pictures of the disciples and wrote in different languages in our RE sketchbook. Well done Reception.

Image of W.O.W. Group - Messy Parables - The Mustard Seed
26 Jun

W.O.W. Group - Messy Parables - The Mustard Seed

Last week was the W.O.W. group’s first Messy Parables session. We read the Parable of the Mustard Seed, talked about how one little thought or belief can grow into something great, and made our own self-belief badges. All in all, a brilliant first session, with a few biscuits thrown in for good measure. This week, the parable is The Unforgiving Servant.

Image of Year 5- R.E- What are the outcomes of our choices?
26 Jun

Year 5- R.E- What are the outcomes of our choices?

In R.E. this term, we are studying and exploring the lives of prominent women mentioned in the Bible. We are focusing on their significant roles, contributions, and the lessons we can learn from their experiences. This afternoon we learnt about Deborah, Deborah served as a judge in Israel during a time when the land was oppressed by the Canaanites for 20 years. People would come to her for legal judgements and guidance in settling disputes. She was known for her wisdom, righteousness, and fair judgments. In groups, the children engaged in discussions about the significance of making the right decisions and asking for help when necessary.

Image of Year 4 - Great Big Live Assembly for Refugee Week
20 Jun

Year 4 - Great Big Live Assembly for Refugee Week

Year 4 enjoyed being part of the Great Big Live Assembly this morning. We learned a lot about refugees and how they are being welcomed into our society. It truly has been a day of welcoming others as we welcomed our friends from our link school too. More photos to follow

Image of Year 3 RE- Rules for Living
15 Jun

Year 3 RE- Rules for Living

Year 3 have been learning all about the 10 commandments and why God gave people rules to live by and what their reaction to these rules might of been.

Image of Year 2 RE Church Observations
15 Jun

Year 2 RE Church Observations

As part of our RE unit, year 2 have been down to our local church, St Barnabas, to explore and to see what makes a church a church. The children were tasked with a scavenger hunt to find all the objects that are most symbolic to a church and to write down why they exist within the church.

Image of Whole School Worship: Encouragement
12 Jun

Whole School Worship: Encouragement

This morning in worship, we started with an encouragement song with the lyrics 'we all need encouragement, like the air that we breath'. Mrs Ham explained that yesterday was St Barnabas day and he was known as a great encourager. She then reminded us of how we have a special connection with St Paul's in Hoddlesden as we share our vicar, Rev Ben with and how St Barnabas and St Paul had a special connection in the Bible too. We then learnt about how St Paul became a follower of Jesus with the encouragement of his friend, St Barnabas. We then discussed how we can all show courage like St Paul and encourage each other like St Barnabas in the many upcoming events such as sports day, transition days, end of year assessments and productions. We are looking forward to learning more about St Barnabas and St Paul from Rev Ben in his worships over the next few weeks.

Image of Year 4 - Recreating Church
24 May

Year 4 - Recreating Church

After writing an extensive list of what all churches “need”, the children realised that actually very little was needed once we headed up to Whitehall Park to have our outdoor worship. We created a cross from fallen twigs, found a tree stump for a lectern and spent time marvelling at God’s creations all around us. We had some bible readings about Pentecost and the beginnings of the church and some lovely impromptu prayers. A very peaceful morning.

Image of Year 4 - Learning about Holy Communion
24 May

Year 4 - Learning about Holy Communion

It’s been a busy week in RE in Year 4. At the beginning of our Church unit in RE, Year 4 was given the opportunity to pose their own questions about church. This week we answered the question, “Why do people have bread and wine in church?”, by performing a mock holy communion. We used brioche to represent the body of Christ and red grape juice to represent the blood of Christ.

Image of Year 4 - Linking Schools
24 May

Year 4 - Linking Schools

After discussing the things that we care about most in the world last week, Year 4 has spent this week considering how we can take social action to improve the things we care about. “Kindness” was definitely a key theme. Next, we will decide on 3 actions and share them with our linking school, St Matthew’s, Blackburn.

Image of Reception- Buddhist Prayer Flags
23 May

Reception- Buddhist Prayer Flags

In R.E we have been learning all about prayer, this week we have been learning about how Buddhists pray and we have been looking at Tibetan prayer flags. We found out that there are five different coloured prayer flags which represent different elements such as earth, air, fire, space and water. A prayer flag is a printed image on paper or cloth intended to be fixed wherever the wind blows. The flags often contain images of animals along with words of kindness such as the wind horse, dragon, snow lion, tiger and garuda.

Image of Whole School Worship: Pentecost
22 May

Whole School Worship: Pentecost

Today in our worship we learned about the events of Pentecost and how the church began. We had some fab actors acting out when the Holy Spirit descended and flames appeared on the disciples’ heads. We sang a special song to welcome the Holy Spirit into our Worship and reflected on how excited the disciples must have felt when they received the Holy Spirit. We thought about how we could show Jesus' love through our words and actions this week.

Image of Year 4 - Linking Schools
17 May

Year 4 - Linking Schools

As we began Phase 2 of our Linking Schools project, we spent some time considering what things in our world that we care about. We wrote our ideas on paper leaves ready to go on our class kindness tree.

Image of Reception: How do Muslim’s pray?
16 May

Reception: How do Muslim’s pray?

Reception loved their visit from Miss Kachwalla. She explained all about how Muslim’s pray and showed some of her prayer mats. Miss Kachwalla also showed the children what she has to wear and tried a Burkha on for the children to see. The children then decorated their own prayer mats.

Image of Rev Ben Worship: Ascension
16 May

Rev Ben Worship: Ascension

Rev Ben began his worship with a game of charades. We watched the bible story of the Ascension. When Jesus went up to heaven, it made his followers sad. However, Christians believe it is a good thing as Jesus is not limited to one time and place. Everyone, everywhere can speak to him. Jesus is always able to help us. Rev Ben asked us to think about how Jesus serves us from heaven and how we might want Jesus to serve us today. Rev Ben blew bubbles for his prayer time. As he blew the bubbles, we remember how Jesus will always listen to us as he can always hear us because he is in heaven. We ended our worship by singing Waymaker.

Image of Year 5- R.E- Bible Detectives
15 May

Year 5- R.E- Bible Detectives

In our R.E. lesson this afternoon, we embarked on an exciting journey as Year 5 Bible Detectives, exploring what happened after Pentecost. The children worked in pairs, diligently skimming and scanning Acts 2-5. They showcased exceptional skills in locating key information and piecing together the narrative.

Image of Year 1 RE Baptism pictures
11 May

Year 1 RE Baptism pictures

Year 1 have been drawing and painting their own version of a baptism or christening as part of our current RE topic. They have included a child being christened, the vicar, godparents, family and friends.

Image of Year 1- Mock Baptism
11 May

Year 1- Mock Baptism

This afternoon, Rev Ben welcomed us into St Barnabas Church to experience a baptism first hand. Rev Ben baptised baby Ben Barnabas and made the parents, godparents and other guests make promises to look after Ben and teach her to be kind and respectful. We also made a promise to be good role models to her. Rev Ben showed us the font and blessed Ben with the water to symbolise that he had been baptised. Rev Ben told us that it isn’t only babies that get baptised but you can in fact be baptised at any age. Rev Ben also showed us the baptism candle which represents the light of God and the bible you get given when you’ve been baptised. We said thank you to Rev Ben for showing us what happens at a baptism and making us feel so welcome. We then went back to school and had a little party to celebrate Bens baptism. We enjoyed a drink of juice, a cake and played some fun party games.

Image of Rev Ben Worship: Kings Coronation
2 May

Rev Ben Worship: Kings Coronation

Today, we thought about the kings coronation. We began our worship by playing a game. The teams from years 5 and 6 had to get their captains ready for the kings coronation. The children voted for their favourite and it was an even split. Well done to all of the children for being great sports! Rev Ben asked the children to think about what makes a good king. The children said the king has to be kind, generous, honest, dedicated, responsible and respectful. In the bible, Jesus explained how a king is a servant. King Charles needs to serve by showing justice and mercy just like Jesus did. Thank you to Rev Ben for leading our worship today. We are looking forward to our coronation celebrations in school this week.

Image of Reception: Prayer
25 Apr

Reception: Prayer

As part of our new RE unit, Reception have been learning about the importance of prayer. We looked at why we pray. Marley said it is so that God can listen, Mila said to thank God for everything he has made and Eddie said so that we can talk to God. We thought about the different types of prayer and said prayers using pipe cleaners. We then hung our pipe cleaners onto our prayer tree.

Image of Year 4 - Taking on the Hop, Skip, Jump Challenge
25 Apr

Year 4 - Taking on the Hop, Skip, Jump Challenge

Year 4 class donned their Easter crowns and took part in some hopping, skipping and jumping challenges for East Lancs Hospice.

Image of Monday Worship: Looking after God’s World
24 Apr

Monday Worship: Looking after God’s World

Mrs Ham showed the children the big frieze and focussed on the creation. This morning we thought about Earth Day and God’s creation and had a think about all of the things that are damaging God’s creation. We threw globes around the room to think about how we are damaging our Earth. We watched a video of Greta Thunberg who is helping our world. Greta challenged world leaders to take action on climate change. Greta shared some advice to help look after the world and the children shared their ideas of how we can make a positive difference. Finn said “we can stand up for what is right”, Hamza said “use both sides of paper”, James said “stop throwing litter on the floor”, Darcy said “turn the tap off to save water” and Annabel said “switch off the lights”. The children looked through a bin and had a think about what they could do with the items instead of just throwing items into a bin. Eliza chose a bottle. Some of the children said they could use it for junk modelling, you could reuse it or you could use it as a bath toy. Harriet chose a Maltesers box. The children suggested you could use if to make a fairy house or a puppet. Harry chose a plastic bag. Ella said that you could use it as a bin bag and Scarlett said you could reuse it when you go shopping. Rosie chose some paper and the children discussed how it could be used to make a paper aeroplane and then put into the recycling bin. This week, Mrs Ham asked us all to think about how we can help to protect God’s creations and how we can protect our world. We finished our worship by singing ‘God’s world’.

Image of Year 5- R.E- Easter- A visit from Rev Adam
20 Apr

Year 5- R.E- Easter- A visit from Rev Adam

We invited Rev Adam to our class worship today. He shared the life of Jesus which was represented on a cube. Each picture on the shape demonstrated the life of Jesus. The children were able to ask questions that they had prepared earlier. Before leaving, Rev Adam read the 'Ascension Day' which celebrates Jesus's ascension to heaven after he was resurrected on Easter Day.

Image of Year 2 - Pentecost
17 Apr

Year 2 - Pentecost

During our RE lesson we have been following on from the Easter Story. The children acted out and understood the messages that were told and celebrated during the Pentecost. Children explained what an important celebration it is in the Christian calendar and now it is considered to be the birth of the church.

Image of Easter Service
6 Apr

Easter Service

Rev Ben began our worship by leading us in prayer. Mrs Ham and our heads and deputies then led our Easter service 'The Greatest Story Ever Told'. We began with Palm Sunday and then moved onto the garden of Gethsemane. Our news reporters explained what happened whilst year 4 shared their artwork of the betrayal. The reporters continued with their report from Calvary hill. Year 5 shared their crucifixion artwork. When Jesus died, the earth shook. Year 3 shared their artwork whilst we sang lord of the dance. Reporters were then at the tomb where they reported that Jesus’ body has disappeared. Jesus had risen from the dead! A huge thank you to our heads and deputies for reports on the biggest news story ever to be told. Wow group led our prayers at the end of our service. Year 6 then shared their artwork whilst we sang give me oil in my lamp. Thank you to all of our wonderful parents, carers and families who came to our Easter service, it was lovely to be able to share it with you.

Image of Spring Chicken = Mrs Price
6 Apr

Spring Chicken = Mrs Price

It wouldn’t be Easter at St Barnabas without a visit from the Spring Chicken! All of the staff and children had a great time singing and dancing this afternoon to the Spring Chicken song. Then we unmasked the chicken just like the masked singer by shouting ‘Take it off, take it off!’. This year the chicken was Mrs Price as this will be her last chance to join in our Easter celebrations as she is soon flying the St Barnabas nest as she has gained a promotion to Senior School Business Manager at a Special High School in Bolton. We will be so sad to see Mrs Price leave St Barnabas on Friday 21st April as she has worked tirelessly with passion and determination at our school and has supported several schools in our Trust for the last 8 years. We wish her all the luck in the world in her new role and know that she will shine, just like she has at St Barnabas. I’m delighted to announce that Mrs Howarth will be taking on the role of our School Administration Manager and will be supported in the office by a new member of our team, Mrs Cole. She is looking forward to joining our school family after the Easter holidays. On behalf of our whole staff team, thank you so much for your continued support and we hope you have a wonderful Easter holiday.

Image of Reception- Sensory Easter Story
4 Apr

Reception- Sensory Easter Story

In Reception we acted out a sensory version of the Easter story. We used our senses to recreate the different parts of the story, such as movement and the touch and smells that we would encounter.

Image of Year 3- Easter Artwork
4 Apr

Year 3- Easter Artwork

Year 3 have been on a beautiful walk to the Rose Garden in Whitehall park today. We walked sensibly, taking in the lovely views and stopping to be still, listening to the birds and water close by. Once we arrived we explored the Rose Garden using the paths, looking at each classes art work displays. We then completed a quiz where we answered questions by finding the relevant piece of artwork. We invite you all to visit the Rose Garden during the Easter period and enjoy all of the artwork on display.

Image of Year 5 - Easter Artwork Walk
4 Apr

Year 5 - Easter Artwork Walk

The whole school has created some fantastic artwork showing all the different parts of the Easter story. Today we went for a walk up to the Rose Garden in Whitehall Park to have a look at the pieces of work that have been chosen to be displayed. Whilst we were there we had a little sing song of some of the Easter Hymns we have been learning in our worships.

Image of Whole School Worship with Rev Ben
4 Apr

Whole School Worship with Rev Ben

Today in Worship, Rev Ben spoke about the awe and wonder in the events of Easter Sunday. He asked us about how the resurrection changed Mary Magdalene’s life and how the Easter story may make a difference in our lives.

Image of Year 4 - Easter Artwork Walk
4 Apr

Year 4 - Easter Artwork Walk

Our Year 4 class, loved visiting the Rose Garden at Whitehall Park yesterday. And what lovely weather we’ve had for it. The children really enjoyed viewing the Easter art created in school, saying prayers and singing songs with the children from Reception class. They even came back to the classroom to write some Easter scavenger hunt clues for the other classes. We hope you and your families have a chance to visit too.

Image of Easter Artwork in Whitehall Park
3 Apr

Easter Artwork in Whitehall Park

The children have all been learning about Easter in RE. As part of their learning, they have created some Easter artwork which is displayed in Whitehall park. It will be displayed over the holidays so it is a great opportunity for you to visit with your family.

Image of Year 1 Planning Recounts
3 Apr

Year 1 Planning Recounts

Today Year 1 were planning their recounts ready to write tomorrow. They have chosen a special celebration to write about and many children had photos of their special event to help them plan their recount. We planned an example about a birthday party together before the children went off to carry out their own plans in their books.

Image of Reception: Easter Art
3 Apr

Reception: Easter Art

Reception class enjoyed visiting the rose garden to see all of the Easter art work. They chose their favourites and explained why. We then sang some Easter songs with Year 4 and said some prayers. We even had some time to develop our gross motor skills on the playground.

Image of Whole School Worship: Palm Sunday
27 Mar

Whole School Worship: Palm Sunday

Today, we began our worship by watching a video about Palm Sunday. Mrs Ham and the children all read the parable from the rhyming bible whilst we had some talented actors acting the story out. James was the donkey, a vote meant that Mr Prescott was Jesus, Sonny, Alby and Riley were the disciples and Ted and Bobby were the religious leaders. A child from each year group led our prayers at the end of our worship. 

Image of Whole School Celebration Worship
24 Mar

Whole School Celebration Worship

In our Celebration Worship this morning we commemorated Year 6's trip to London, as well as the wonderful achievements of our pupils across all year groups. The class teachers gave out awards to pupils who have demonstrated our Christian values such as kindness, respect, and courage. We recognised the hard work and dedication of pupils who have excelled in various extracurricular activities, including our recent swimming gala and the Year 4 children for being brave and showing courage at Junction 4 skatepark. We also awarded the amazing attendance award to our Year 1 and Year 3 pupils, who have shown a commitment to their education and a passion for learning. Congratulations to the yellow team (Darwen Tower) for gaining a total of 317 points. This is a great achievement and a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved. Well done and keep up the good work! We are incredibly proud of all our pupils and their accomplishments, and we know that they will continue to achieve great things. We want to thank Rev Ben for leading us in prayer and for reminding us of the importance of faith and community in our daily lives. To celebrate our students' achievements, we sang "Shine from the inside out," a fitting tribute to the incredible talents and hard work of our pupils.

Image of WOW Group - Messy Church Planning
23 Mar

WOW Group - Messy Church Planning

The WOW Group had plenty of ideas for a parable-themed messy church. The children have taken a parable in pairs and have started researching craft ideas and songs to put together a session in the Summer term. Keep your eyes peeled for the date coming soon.

Image of Year 2 - Easter Symbols
23 Mar

Year 2 - Easter Symbols

During our Re lesson, we have been looking at a variety of symbols that are related to the Easter story and what they mean to Christians. We have designed our own stained glass windows with Easter symbols that will be displayed in Whitehall Park.

Image of Year 1: Easter Story
23 Mar

Year 1: Easter Story

Year 1 have been looking at correctly sequencing pictures from the Easter story. They have been remembering significant events including the resurrection and created some artworks to reflect this.

Image of Rev Ben Worship: Gates to Heaven
21 Mar

Rev Ben Worship: Gates to Heaven

This morning, Rev Ben led our worship. We began by playing a quiz. The children were split into team 1 and team 2. Rev Ben shared a variety of gate pictures and asked where they were from. Gates included Buckingham Palace, Arc de Triomphe, Ewood Park and Whitehall Park. Well done to Team 1. Rev Ben shared how Jesus is the gate. Rev Ben asked the children to think about what a gate is for and what we think Jesus is saying about himself. Tristen said a gate is about letting people in and out. Harlee thought the gate is there for Jesus to look after people. Jesus is the gate to protect his followers and to keep them safe. Rev Ben shared a photograph of the Thames barrier. It was built to stop parts of London flooding. If there is a high tide, the gates rise and stop parts of London from flooding. Christians believe that when we come to God, we face a barrier. The barrier is the things we have done wrong. However, Christians believe that Jesus takes away the barrier and creates a gate for us to walk through to God. Rev Ben invited the children to pray with him. At the end of our worship, we sang ‘Waymaker’.

Image of Year 2 - Easter Story
16 Mar

Year 2 - Easter Story

In year 2, we have been looking at the Easter story and the symbols relating to Easter. We created our very own spinning wheel detailing the key moments of the Easter story.

Image of Year 5- Religious Education- How does it feel to be victorious?
15 Mar

Year 5- Religious Education- How does it feel to be victorious?

During our R.E. lesson this afternoon, we discussed the term 'Victory' as a starting point for our class discussion. Some of the things that came to mind were celebration, achievement, brave, joy, happiness and determination. The children then discussed what victorious meant to them and if victory and winning were the same thing. We then watched some of the greatest sports events. Many athletes hope to win, but they also strive to beat their personal best (PB) and so, even if they come last, if it is their personal best, they have been victorious.

Image of Year 4 - Linking Schools Zoom Meeting
15 Mar

Year 4 - Linking Schools Zoom Meeting

The class have loved meeting their link class today. We played games with our linking friends, like Would You Rather...? , Red Card Green Card and Draw a Picture in which children had to draw a picture on their whiteboards while it was balanced on the top of their heads. Thank you St Matthews- we can't wait to meet you soon!

Image of Reception class- Palm Sunday
13 Mar

Reception class- Palm Sunday

In Reception we learnt all about Palm Sunday. We retold and role-played the story and created our own palms using paint and collage. Heidi said “Jesus asked his disciple to find him a donkey”. James said “the people put palms on the road”. Marley said “the crowd shouted Hosanna!” Mila said “Jesus was a king being welcomed”. The children really enjoyed role-playing the story and continued during continuous provision.

Image of Year 2 - Collective Worship
9 Mar

Year 2 - Collective Worship

During today's worship, we were having a look at all the ways we can looking after our local area. The children were amazing at coming up with brilliant suggestions in how we can look after our local area such as: recycle and not litter, litter picking, protecting animals by creating bug hotels and spaces for food. After worship we ended by saying prayers about people we care about and to all those who have been affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. The children made a person out of a pipe cleaner while saying their prayer and placed that on our prayer tree.

Image of Reception: Easter Launch
8 Mar

Reception: Easter Launch

Today, we read ‘Clever Cub and the Easter Surprise’. We learnt about the Easter story. Elijah said “Jesus died on the cross”. Eva said “Jesus came back alive”. Lyla said “it was a miracle”. We then had a look at a hot cross bun and how it has a cross in it. It reminds us all of how Jesus died on the cross. We all tried a hot cross bun- they were very yummy!

Image of Year 3 RE- Palm Sunday
8 Mar

Year 3 RE- Palm Sunday

Year 3 have been looking at the story of Palm Sunday. They worked in groups to put the story in order and then use the visuals to create their own descriptive sentences.

Image of Reception: Caring for our Environment
7 Mar

Reception: Caring for our Environment

Today, we discussed what recycle, reuse and reduce meant. The children discussed what bins we find at school and what bins we have at home. We discussed why it is important to recycle. Did you know that some bottles can be recycled to make a part of a plane? The children were amazed! The children went outside to look at our recycle bins as they look very different to the ones we have at home. We also discussed how we can reduce waste and reuse. The children did some junk modelling to show how we can reuse boxes and different objects. We discussed how important it is to look after and care for our world.

Image of Betrayal, trust and forgiveness art - Year 4
7 Mar

Betrayal, trust and forgiveness art - Year 4

In Year 4 RE today, we looked at artwork showing Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. We talked about how the artwork showed Judas betraying Jesus and why Jesus didn’t stop him. After discussing the artwork, we then took inspiration from it and created our own pictures of Judas’ betrayal.

Image of Whole School Worship: Rev Ben
6 Mar

Whole School Worship: Rev Ben

We began our worship by taking a moment to remember those who have been affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Rev Ben began his worship by playing a game. 10 children were split into 2 teams and they had to use chopsticks to transport grapes from one container to another. The children worked well as a team and team 2 won! This morning we are thinking about grapes. Jesus said “I am the vine, you are the branches”. We need to stay connected to him in order to keep growing. We watched a short video to help us think about what Jesus meant. Christians believe that Jesus wants us to have fruitful lives. We can do this by sticking close to Jesus. What does being fruitful mean? Ella thinks it means to live a faithful life and Annabel said to be thankful. Rev Ben explained that to live a fruitful life, we need to show the fruits of the spirit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and self control. We had time to think about what Christians believe the secret is to being fruitful. Daniel said connecting to other pupils and to Jesus. Isaac said showing our Christian values and following the 10 commandments. Archie said by putting other people first. We finished our worship by singing ‘way maker’.

Image of Year 4 - Linking Schools
1 Mar

Year 4 - Linking Schools

Today in our Linking Schools session we were exploring our similarities and differences and preparing for our inter-class Zoom session in two weeks’ time.

Image of Year 3 RE
28 Feb

Year 3 RE

Year 3 have been looking at the different events within the Easter Story, we then built on this , considering the emotions around each scene in the story. Year 3 used a wide variety of words to convey the different emotions.

Image of Reception: Muddy Monday
27 Feb

Reception: Muddy Monday

As part of our learning all about caring for our environment, we went on a litter pick around our local area. We used our fine motor skills to collect the litter using the litter pickers. We collected lots of litter and all received a certificate and sticker for being great litter picking superheroes. Thank you to Blackburn with Darwen Council for providing all of the resources we needed for our litter pick.

Image of Year 3 R.E- Mother Teresa
22 Feb

Year 3 R.E- Mother Teresa

Year 3 have been learning about Mother Teresa and the wonderful things she did throughout her life. We discussed how her Christian faith influenced the way she dedicated her life.

Image of Year 1- Signs of spring
22 Feb

Year 1- Signs of spring

Yesterday we walked to Whitehall park to look out for some signs of spring. In science we looked at the changes between winter and spring. Our walk also linked in with our R.E lesson (Easter unit) as we were looking for signs of new life.

Image of Year 4 - RE: Exploring the Importance of Trust
22 Feb

Year 4 - RE: Exploring the Importance of Trust

Year 4 had great fun playing trust games. They used great communication skills to untangle the human knot and showed how trustworthy they were to their peers during trust falls and on their blind trails. They spoke very maturely about who we trust and why we sometimes have to earn people’s trust by our actions.

Image of Reception- Shrove Tuesday
21 Feb

Reception- Shrove Tuesday

The children in Reception have tried some pancakes for Shrove Tuesday. All the children tried the pancakes and enjoyed them. We discussed that Pancake Day is also called Shrove Tuesday. We talked about how Jesus went to the desert for forty days and forty nights with no food or water.

Image of Shrove Tuesday
21 Feb

Shrove Tuesday

As today is Shrove Tuesday, Mrs Ham bought our whole school family pancake bites to eat to symbolise the start of Lent tomorrow. They went down a treat and many of the children were excited to have pancakes at home this evening too. We are looking forward to seeing lots of different ways that we can all give this Lent through demonstrating our Christian values of service, friendship and generosity.

Image of Year 1- R.E
20 Feb

Year 1- R.E

In R.E we had a discussion about what makes Jesus special. We created some valentines hearts to give to someone who is special to us.

Image of Reception: The Lost Sheep
7 Feb

Reception: The Lost Sheep

As part of Reception’s learning on stories Jesus told, we read ‘The lost sheep’. The children thought about how the shepherd would have felt at the beginning and end of the story. We then made these faces and helped Mrs Wilkinson to read the story from our rhyming bible. The children said that he would have been scared and upset but then happy at the end when he found his lost sheep. Archie said “God is like the shepherd” and Evie said “we are like the sheep”. We discussed when we have been lost and who found us too.

Image of Year 2 - Jesus healed a paralysed man
30 Jan

Year 2 - Jesus healed a paralysed man

During our RE unit we have been focusing on Jesus’ miracles. We acted out Jesus healing a paralysed man and discussed: How the people may have felt? Did other people believe what they saw? What did Jesus want to teach us with his miracle?

Image of Year 4 - Considering the qualities of a good King
25 Jan

Year 4 - Considering the qualities of a good King

In RE this week, we have been looking at the story of David and King Saul and deciding why David would have made a better king. We also realised that the qualities of a good king were very similar to the qualities of a good friend.

Image of Year 2 - Jesus healed the blind
23 Jan

Year 2 - Jesus healed the blind

In year 2 we have started our new unit in RE - Jesus our friend. We looked at his miracles and in particular, Jesus healing the blind man. We acted out the story and gained a detailed understanding of Jesus’ messages and how we can be the light just as Jesus is. 

Image of Reception: Daniel in the Lion’s Den
17 Jan

Reception: Daniel in the Lion’s Den

Today in RE the children in Reception learnt what a parable was. They listened to the parable ‘Daniel and the Lion’s den’. They retold the story and then we discussed a time that we had been brave, just like Daniel.

Image of Year 5 - Explore and Interpret Parables
17 Jan

Year 5 - Explore and Interpret Parables

In our R.E. lesson this afternoon, we worked in small groups exploring and interpreting familiar parables e.g. the Good Samaritan, the Sower, the Wise and Foolish builders, and the Lost Sheep.

Image of Year 2 - Prayer Pail
12 Jan

Year 2 - Prayer Pail

During class workshop time year 2 have been creating their own prayer topics. The children came up with some amazing ideas and we prayed for: those in need, how to be kind, how to follow is Jesus’ footsteps and prayed for our friends and family.

Image of Year 1- Epiphany
10 Jan

Year 1- Epiphany

On Friday we learnt about Epiphany. It took 12 days for the kings to meet baby Jesus and so the Epiphany is celebrated on the 6th January. Epiphany comes from the Greek word which means ‘making known’. The kings followed a big star which helped to make people know that Jesus had been born. One important thing that the festival of Epiphany reveals is that God doesn’t have favourites but welcomes people from any background and any nationality. Year 1 painted images of the 3 kings on their journey to find baby Jesus.

Image of Reception: RE
3 Jan

Reception: RE

This week we have begun our unit of stories that Jesus heard. We began with listening to the story about Moses’ mummy. She had to hide him in the river to keep him safe. We discussed the story and looked at how our parents show us that they love us.

Image of Year 3 Christmas Artwork in the Rose Garden, Whitehall Park
20 Dec

Year 3 Christmas Artwork in the Rose Garden, Whitehall Park

Year 3 have produced some fantastic pieces of artwork, representing the shepherds visiting the stable and being in the presence of God. They have been displayed in the Rose Garden in Whitehall Park along with the Remembrance artwork. If you’re on a family walk in the area this Christmas holiday, please go along and appreciate the lovely artwork.

Image of Reception - Christmas Service at Church
16 Dec

Reception - Christmas Service at Church

Reception class attended the Christmas Church Service. We joined in with the carols and practised our actions. The children listened carefully to the prayers shared by KS2 children.

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 Year 4 - Hanukkah
14 Dec

Year 4 - Hanukkah

To finish our Christmas RE unit, Year 4 learned about the Jewish festival of light called Hanukkah. They discovered the miracle of the menorah candle and the significance of light, and they made their own dreidels and used them to play the game.

Image of Reception: Rev Ben Visit
13 Dec

Reception: Rev Ben Visit

Reception class enjoyed listening to Rev Ben. He explained how the church prepares for Christmas. Thank you for visiting!

Image of Year 2 - Exploring how angels are portrayed.
13 Dec

Year 2 - Exploring how angels are portrayed.

During our RE lessons, we have been exploring how angels have been portrayed in different ways. We have looked at: traditional, stained glass windows, statutes, cartoon images and we looked at the similarities and differences between all of them.

Image of Carols by Candlelight
11 Dec

Carols by Candlelight

A huge thank you to everyone who came along to the Carols by Candlelight Service. Our choir sang brilliantly and well done to Jenson for his lovely reading. It was wonderful to hear one of previous choir members, Isaac, singing a beautiful solo too. It really does feel like Christmas now.

Image of Celebration Worship
9 Dec

Celebration Worship

In Celebration Worship this morning we looked at how our children continue to work so very hard in promoting our Christian and British values. We are all so very busy preparing for the Christmas Fair, school performances and Christmas Worship. We had our House Team Winners announced for this half term - Whitehall Park for the second consecutive time- well done. It is so lovely to see all of the children celebrating each others success as we had lots of awards for out of school sports today.

Image of Out of School Superstars
9 Dec

Out of School Superstars

Along with our Values Winners this morning, we celebrated our ‘Out of School Superstars’. It was lovely to hear about all of the different activities that the children have been taking part in. This week we presented awards for dancing, gymnastics, swimming, kickboxing, Beavers and cheerleading. Well done to each and every child that celebrated on the golden podium!

Image of Reception class nativity- The little angel
8 Dec

Reception class nativity- The little angel

We were so proud of our Reception class for their fantastic performances of their Nativity- The Little Angel. They all showed such courage and sang their little hearts out. Thank you so much to everyone who came to watch and we really hope you enjoyed it. A huge thank you to Mrs Wilkinson, Mrs Thompson, Miss Baxendale and Miss Bentham for all of their support and encouragement. Thank you also to Rev Ben for coming along to watch and leading us in prayer. Thank you to all of our parents for the amazing costumes that you provided for the children and for helping them with their lines and songs. I’m sure you will still have the songs in your head till about March!

Image of Year 3 RE Artwork
7 Dec

Year 3 RE Artwork

Year 3 have produced some fantastic pieces of artwork, representing the shepherds visiting the stable and being in the presence of God.

Image of Reception: Christmas preparations have begun!
1 Dec

Reception: Christmas preparations have begun!

The children in Reception have been busy this week rehearsing for their Nativity performance. We have started preparing for the birth of Jesus by decorating our classroom.

Image of Year 5 - Inter Faith Week
24 Nov

Year 5 - Inter Faith Week

Year 5 have enjoyed looking at artefacts displayed in our school hall about different religions. They were really fascinated to learn that Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Sikhism use Rosary beads.

Image of Year 5 - Inter Faith Week- Islam
24 Nov

Year 5 - Inter Faith Week- Islam

Year 5 have enjoyed learning about my religion (Islam). We looked at the similarities and differences between Christianity and Islam in detail. For example; both holy books (Quran/Bible) mention Jesus, Moses, David, Gabriel and Mary. We learnt about when the Quran (holy book for Muslims) was revealed and who it was sent down to. The children really enjoyed tasting some of the food that the prophet used to eat, such as, olives, pomegranate, bread and yogurt.

Image of Year 4 Celebrating Interfaith Week
23 Nov

Year 4 Celebrating Interfaith Week

Year 4 were all fascinated in our Interfaith Week workshop. We loved learning about Islam and tasting some traditional foods linked to the faith. We'd like to say a huge thank you to Barnys' very own Misss Kachwalla for sharing her faith with us.

Image of Year 4 - RE - Exploring how Jesus brought light
23 Nov

Year 4 - RE - Exploring how Jesus brought light

We always enjoy a bit of drama in Year 4, so it comes as no surprise that we had great fun acting out the story of Zaccheus and trying to spot how Jesus changed his life.

Image of Year 1- Inter Faith Week
22 Nov

Year 1- Inter Faith Week

Year 1 had a special workshop yesterday afternoon (Thank you to Miss Kachwalla.) They learned all about Islam. The children found out about the 5 rules that Muslims need to follow, about the Arabic language, the name of the holy book and all about the 2 special Eid celebrations. Year 1 then went back to class to try some Sunnah food in class.

Image of Reception: Nativity
22 Nov

Reception: Nativity

Today the children learnt about the Nativity. They watched a video and learned about who was present. They then used the wooden characters to create a Nativity scene. The children discussed their favourite part and drew parts of the story.

Image of Year 3 Inter Faith Week
22 Nov

Year 3 Inter Faith Week

This afternoon, Miss Kachwalla spoke to the class about the religion of Islam. Earlier in the week, Year 3 came up with some questions that they wanted to ask Miss Kachwalla, about her religion. The class really enjoyed learning about Islam and exploring some of the similarities between Christianity and Islam.

Image of Year 3: Trying food that Prophet Muhammad liked
22 Nov

Year 3: Trying food that Prophet Muhammad liked

As part of Inter Faith week, Year 3 tasted a selection of Sunnah Food. During a workshop with Miss Kachwalla, the class learnt about some of the food that Prophet Muhammad liked. We tried olives, dates, pomegranate, melon, cucumber, cheese, pitta bread and yoghurt! The class particularly enjoyed dipping the pitta bread in the olive oil and yoghurt!

Image of Year 2 - Inter Faith week food tasting
22 Nov

Year 2 - Inter Faith week food tasting

As part of inter faith week, year 2 have been exploring and tasting a variety of different foods related to Islam. All children have enjoyed inter faith week and have explored the similarities and differences between many religions.

Image of Year 2 - Inter Faith workshop
22 Nov

Year 2 - Inter Faith workshop

Year 2 - Inter Faith workshop learning all about Islam with Miss Kachwalla, who is a Muslim. As part of our RE unit we have been looking at faiths across the world and have explored similarities and differences between each faith.

Image of Monday Worship: Inter Faith Week
21 Nov

Monday Worship: Inter Faith Week

This week we are going to be thinking about how we can bring peace to the world. This links to our British Value of tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs. Mrs Ham asked the children which biscuit, superhero and toy they preferred. Mrs Ham explained even if you like different things, you can still be friends and we can tolerate each other. Mrs Ham explained how we are all different which is called diversity. We all watched a film where some characters were unkind. The birds treated the other bird differently because he looked and sounded different. They were not showing tolerance. Peace begins with tolerance and respect for everyone. This week we will be also be showing our Christian value of respect to learn all about Islam as part of Inter Faith week. Our very own Miss Kachwalla will be sharing her faith with all of the children in school. This week we are really going to focus on how we can show tolerance and acceptance to everyone. We finished our worship by singing One World.

Image of Reception: Inter Faith Week
21 Nov

Reception: Inter Faith Week

The children had a special workshop by our very own Miss Kachwalla. They learned all about Islam. The children found out about the 5 rules that Muslims need to follow, about the Arabic language, the name of the holy book and all about the 2 special Eid celebrations. Reception class then tried some Sunnah food in class.

Image of WOW Group Preparing for Interfaith Week
16 Nov

WOW Group Preparing for Interfaith Week

In preparation for our Interfaith Week next week, the WOW (Worship Our Way) group have been labelling artefacts from different world faiths. We hope the children enjoy exploring these in the hall next week.

Image of Reception- Jesus walks on water
15 Nov

Reception- Jesus walks on water

Mrs Ham had the pleasure of teaching Reception class RE this week. The children learnt about why Christians believe that Jesus is so special. They had great fun acting out the miracle of Jesus walking on water using different props. They showed Mrs Ham their best shocked faces when showing her how they thought Jesus’ friends, the disciples, would feel when they saw Jesus walking on water. Some children said that they might have thought he was a ghost, that he was magical and that he was the Son of God. They also suggested using instruments and their voices for the storm. Well done Reception class!

Image of Year 1- Remembrance walk
14 Nov

Year 1- Remembrance walk

On Friday afternoon we visited Whitehall park and Darwen cemetery to pay our respects for Remembrance Day. We are so proud of year 1 for showing lots of respect!

Image of Reception- Feeding the 5000
11 Nov

Reception- Feeding the 5000

In RE Reception have been looking at the story “feeding the 5000”. We also talked about why Jesus is so special and what makes him special.

Image of Remembrance Day Worship
11 Nov

Remembrance Day Worship

Lest We Forget - In Worship this morning we remembered all of the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for us. We had a two minute silence to pay our respects with our school family and our Year 6 class shared their Remembrance Day Artwork. We then moved onto Celebration Worship where our ‘Value Points Winners’ were awarded with their certificates. Well done to all of our children this week!

Image of Year 5 R.E- Visit from Reverend Adam
10 Nov

Year 5 R.E- Visit from Reverend Adam

This afternoon, we had a visit from Reverend Adam from 'The United Reformed Church'. He came to talk to the class about the Bible. He answered lots of questions which the children had prepared. The children were also given the opportunity to explore different types of Bibles. We looked at 'The Police' Bible which had a section titled 'HELP'. This section directs you to passages that might help you if you're feeling lonely, if you're feeling afraid or if you just simply want to pray for someone you love. The children were also introduced to a song which might help to remember the books of the Bible. Reverend Adam also read his favourite story from the Bible, 'The Lost Sheep and Coin'.

Image of Year 2 - RE - Judaism
7 Nov

Year 2 - RE - Judaism

The children investigated a variety of Jewish artifacts, explored the Jewish culture and began to compare their growing knowledge to other faiths and religions.

Image of Year 4 - Linking Schools
2 Nov

Year 4 - Linking Schools

This week, we have kicked off our Linking Schools project in Year 4, learning a little bit about our link school, St Matthew’s in Blackburn, and creating bunting about ourselves and what we enjoy.

Image of Whole school Harvest service in Church
20 Oct

Whole school Harvest service in Church

This morning our WOW group, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children led our Harvest service in church. Our wonderful choir led the singing during the service. We gave thanks to the farmers and our WOW group reminded everybody about the charities that we are supporting, The Mother’s Union in Burundi and DARE (Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise). The children made us all very proud. A huge thank you to all of the parents, carers and family members that attended too, it was lovely to see you all.

Image of Year 4 - RE: Is it ever right to challenge authority?
19 Oct

Year 4 - RE: Is it ever right to challenge authority?

Year 4 debated whether it was right to challenge authority. They then carried out research about people who have famously challenged authority to make a change in the world. We have learned a lot from the efforts of Rosa Parks, William Wilberforce, Greta Thunberg and Oscar Romero.

Image of Year 1-Harvest.
12 Oct

Year 1-Harvest.

In R.E we have been talking about harvest around the world. Wow what an amazing variety of food God has provided us. We tasted a few different fruits but also different varieties of the same fruit. We tasted red and green apples and discussed if they tasted and smelt the same.

Image of Year 2 - Local History Walk
11 Oct

Year 2 - Local History Walk

In our history lessons we have been focusing on local history and the cotton industry. At this point in history, we have looked at why Gandhi visited Darwen. We have begun to explore the reasoning behind his visit- to allow India to become independent and free to make and sell their own cotton. As this was his mission, we went on a walk and explored where the Greenfield Mill used to be (where Gandhi visited) and the house in which he stayed in.

Image of Year 2 - Exploring similarities and differences between two different faiths.
10 Oct

Year 2 - Exploring similarities and differences between two different faiths.

Year 2 explored the similarities and differences between Christianity and Islam. We were able to come up with lots of similarities between both faiths and learned how other religious people live their lives according to what they believe in.

Image of Year 6 R.E.
6 Oct

Year 6 R.E.

This week in R.E. Year 6 met a Christian named Keziah. They compared how her life may be different to a non-believer and looked at how Jesus’ teachings have an impact on her daily life.

Image of Year 3 Class Worship: Pebble Prayers
4 Oct

Year 3 Class Worship: Pebble Prayers

This week, the WOW Group provided the class with a new idea for how to pray. In class worship, we focused on Pebble Prayers. Some of the children took turns to come to our class prayer area and complete a Pebble Prayer. The children held a pebble in their hand, whilst saying their prayer and putting the pebble into the water. Thank you to the WOW group for this lovely idea for how to pray!

Image of Year 2 - Class Worship
29 Sep

Year 2 - Class Worship

During class worship, we looked at the countries that have been affected by the flash floods. We discussed many ways that we can help those in need. We talked about: donating to charity, sending food and clothes to families that do not have then and reducing our carbon footprint.

Image of Year 4 - Learning about Rosh Hashana
28 Sep

Year 4 - Learning about Rosh Hashana

In RE, Year 4 learned about how Jews celebrate their new year. We listened to a Shofar blowing, tasted apples dipped in honey and wrote Prayers for a sweet year. Shana Tovah to our Jewish friends!

Image of Monday Worship- Jesus taught us to be kind to everyone
26 Sep

Monday Worship- Jesus taught us to be kind to everyone

It was lovely to see Reception join us for their first Monday Worship. This morning we looked at two stories that Jesus told. Elsa told us that these stories are called parables. The first parable we listened to was ‘The Good Samaritan’. We discussed how the Samaritan was the loving, kind neighbour. Harry said that your neighbour is everybody. We should be kind to everyone, no matter if they like different things, follow a different religion or look different to us. Next we listened to the parable, ‘The Lost Sheep’. We learnt that we need to care about each other. God loves everybody no matter what. Reception class told Mrs Ham that we are all unique and we should celebrate this. During our reflection, Mrs Ham asked us to think about how we can show kindness all of the time. We finished our worship singing ‘when I needed a neighbour’.

Image of Reception - Everything Elmer!
22 Sep

Reception - Everything Elmer!

This week in Reception we have been basing our work around the story of Elmer. The children have been busy making collages of the patchwork elephant, printing using sponges, playing Elmer dominoes in the Maths area and so much more. We talked about how Elmer is unique and not like the other elephants, just like God made us all special and unique to one another. What a super week!

Image of Year 2 - Class worship
22 Sep

Year 2 - Class worship

Year 2 - Class worship. We prayed for all the royal family and discussed the new king. We talked about how we would make the world a better place if we were in that position.

Image of Year 3 RE: Harvest
21 Sep

Year 3 RE: Harvest

In RE, our topic this term in Year 3 focuses on the festival of Harvest. This week, we started by thinking about some key questions, such as ‘Why do we celebrate Harvest?’ and ‘Who are we actually giving thanks for?’. Following on from this, we then looked at how Harvest is explored and mentioned in The Bible.

Image of Year 4 - RE: Jesus the Son of God
21 Sep

Year 4 - RE: Jesus the Son of God

In RE this week, Year 4 investigated stories from the Bible to find out how they show Jesus was the Son of God. They then presented their findings to their peers.

Image of Year 5- R.E- Faith Walk
21 Sep

Year 5- R.E- Faith Walk

Year 5 have been on a faith walk around Darwen with John East as part of our RE curriculum, to visit churches from different denominations of Christianity. We visited St Joseph's, the United Reform Church on Duckworth Street and Spring Vale Methodist. The children had lots of opportunities to ask thought provoking questions which they had prepared earlier. They also had the chance to look around the church, explore the symbols displayed, do a quiz, look at artefacts and experiment a pretend wedding by two of our class pupils. During the walk, we stopped and looked at some of the historic buildings and ruins that are still standing to this date.

Image of HM Queen Elizabeth II - Year 5
16 Sep

HM Queen Elizabeth II - Year 5

Year 5 have paid their respects to Queen Elizabeth II by placing their handwritten prayers on the school fence which we have turned into a prayer space. We have spent time in class and worship learning about all the wonderful things that she has done for us. She will be forever in our hearts and missed by all.

Image of Year 2 - Sending prayers for the Queen
16 Sep

Year 2 - Sending prayers for the Queen

Year 2 putting their prayers for the Queen outside the school gates to celebrate her life.

Image of Year 6- Is life a journey?
15 Sep

Year 6- Is life a journey?

In R.E, Year 6 discussed what a journey is and whether they consider life to be a journey.

Image of Year 4 - Prayers for Her Majesty
15 Sep

Year 4 - Prayers for Her Majesty

Today in Year 4, we tied our prayers that we had written to remember the Queen to the front of school to create a remembrance wall. We thanked God for everything she has done for us and how very special she was.

Image of Learning about the Bible and other holy books- Year 5
6 Sep

Learning about the Bible and other holy books- Year 5

This afternoon, the children in Year 5 have been learning about the Bible and other holy books and faiths. We have explored, Sikhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism. The children had the opportunity to try on clothes that are worn by other religions during prayer time. We learnt that the Jews have a special Seder plate. The plate symbolises modern liberation struggles. We also found that prayer beads (string of prayer beads) are used by numerous religions.

Image of Year 3: Prayers of Hope
6 Sep

Year 3: Prayers of Hope

Today in R.E, Year 3 thought about some of their aspirations and hopes for the new academic year. Each child wrote their own prayer of hope to add to our prayer tree, in the worship area.

Image of Year 2 St Barnabas Church Visit
11 Jul

Year 2 St Barnabas Church Visit

Year 2 have had a lovely afternoon visiting Lillian and Glenda at St Barnabas Church! Lillian spoke to the children about the different things that happen in a Church and the different things that you will find in a Church, like the altar, font and lectern. We then created our own crosses and created our own class family of people. The children also managed to have a quick play on the organ!

Image of Year 2 R.E: Jacob's Dream
7 Jul

Year 2 R.E: Jacob's Dream

This term in R.E, we have been exploring The Church and why it is a special place for Christians. We starting by thinking about our own special places and how we feel, when we are in our special place. This week, we looked at how holy and special places are represented in The Bible, with the story of Jacob's Dream. We read the story together and discussed the key messages, such as how in Jacob's Dream, he found his special place, talking to God and dreaming about heaven. The children then created their own artwork, representing Jacob's special place.

Image of Year 3 Class Worship - Love one another
7 Jul

Year 3 Class Worship - Love one another

Year 3 have been learning about the Ten Commandments and that Jesus said that if we love one another as he has loved us then we would automatically keep the Ten Commandments. The children wrote some prayers and ended worship by singing “If I needed a neighbour”.

Image of R.E - Year 5
5 Jul

R.E - Year 5

This afternoon in R.E, the children shared their beliefs, dreams and goals in life and how they can achieve them. In small groups, they thought about the people that motivate them to keep going when things are difficult. Some of the people that motivate them are; parents, grandparents, carers, teachers, siblings and their peers. They then wrote a small paragraph about some of the things that they strongly believe in and won't give up on.

Image of Religious Education- Year 5
20 Jun

Religious Education- Year 5

This afternoon in R.E, the children have been writing letters of encouragement, encouraging friends and family to come to the church.

Image of Year 3 Class Worship - Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit
16 Jun

Year 3 Class Worship - Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit

In Class Worship, Year 3 watched the story of Pentecost and wrote prayers to the Holy Spirit. They ended their worship by singing “Way Maker”.

Image of Year 6 RE
14 Jun

Year 6 RE

Today during RE, year 6 have been thinking about the impact of how the Bible teachings can deepen our understanding of God. We then moved on to consider different perspectives, focusing on the story of ‘The tower of Babel’, how people of that time would react to the story compared to us today.

Image of Year 3 Class Worship - Ascension Day
26 May

Year 3 Class Worship - Ascension Day

Year 3 watched a video clip of the story of Jesus’ Ascension into heaven when he returned to his Father. The children wrote some prayers and they ended the worship by singing “Shine”.

Image of Reception’s Church Visit
23 May

Reception’s Church Visit

Reception class really enjoyed their visit to St Barnabas church. They found lots of church artefacts such as stained glass windows, a font, an alter, a cross and an organ. The children made a cross to take home. Lillian then read a story to the children called ‘we are together’. A special thank you to Lillian and Glenda- the children loved their visit!

Image of Year 3 Class Worship - Christian Aid Week
19 May

Year 3 Class Worship - Christian Aid Week

Year 3 watched the story of “The Good Samaritan” and thought about who their neighbour is. Everyone is our neighbour, no matter what their creed, race, colour or gender is. They listened to the words of the hymn “When I needed a neighbour”, wrote some prayers and ended the worship by singing “Chain of Love”. We can all do something to help a neighbour.

Image of Bible Detectives- Religious Education- Year 5
17 May

Bible Detectives- Religious Education- Year 5

This term in R.E, Year 5 are learning about the impact of Pentecost when Jesus left. To date, we have looked at the artwork depicting the event and analysed Peter's speech. This afternoon, the children were set up a challenge of being Bible detectives. They explored the book of acts and jotted down the key events related to the Pentecost.

Image of Year 6 RE
16 May

Year 6 RE

Today Year 6 have taken part in a class discussion, thinking of words they would choose to describe God. They have then chosen which Art supplies they would like to create a card depicting their chosen word.

Image of Year 1- Experiencing a Mock Baptism
13 May

Year 1- Experiencing a Mock Baptism

This afternoon, Lillian welcomed us into St Barnabas Church to experience a baptism first hand. Lillian baptised baby Poppy and made the parents, godparents and other guests make promises to look after Poppy and teach her to be kind and respectful. We also made a promise to be good role models to her. Lillian showed us the font and blessed Poppy with the water to symbolise that she had been baptised. Lillian told us that it isn’t only babies that get baptised but you can in fact be baptised at any age. Lillian also showed us the baptism candle which represents the light of God and the baptism register which has all of the names of people that have been baptised in St Barnabas church for many many years. We said thank you to Lillian for showing us what happens at a baptism and making us feel so welcome. We then went back to school and had a little party to celebrate Poppy’s baptism. We sang the song ‘Shine From the Inside Out,’ enjoyed a drink of juice, a biscuit and played some fun party games.

Image of Year 3 - RE - Comparing breaking rules to breaking the law and any consequences
12 May

Year 3 - RE - Comparing breaking rules to breaking the law and any consequences

Year 3 have been working in groups to consider the consequences of breaking rules to those of breaking the law. For example, would going to jail be a consequence of breaking a rule or the law?

Image of Reception stained glass window
6 May

Reception stained glass window

This afternoon in RE we have been looking at features of a church as it is a very special place for Christians. One of the features is stained glass windows, so we had a go at making our own in the creative area.

Image of Year 4 - Questions About Ramadan
27 Apr

Year 4 - Questions About Ramadan

We absolutely loved seeing our friends from our link school, The Olive School, this week. We held a Q&A via Zoom so that we could ask them all about Ramadan and they asked us questions about Easter. We even sang ‘Oh When The Saints Go Marching In’ to them.

Image of Year 3 PSHE - Earth Day
22 Apr

Year 3 PSHE - Earth Day

Year 3 have been exploring different ways that they can look after our planet Earth. They began by decorating a picture of the Earth with the things they love about it. Then they thought about what actions they could take to look after and protect the Earth.

Image of Year 6 RE
21 Apr

Year 6 RE

Year 6 spoke about what the word ‘Messiah’ might mean to different people and why. Thinking about their own beliefs and the views of others.

Image of Messy Church
20 Apr

Messy Church

A huge well done to our fantastic WOW group on running their first event! They did an amazing job of setting up and running our Easter Messy Church. They had great fun and they hope all those who attended did too.

Image of Tuesday Collective Worship
19 Apr

Tuesday Collective Worship

Today, we recapped what happened at the last supper. Jesus gave a commandment on Maundy Thursday. He told everybody to “love one another as I have loved you”. Jesus also told everybody to live life in all its fullness. We should give our kindness to everybody, do good things and have fun! We watched ‘the super cool story of Jesus’. The video reminded us that Jesus gave his life and love so we can really live. Jesus came onto earth to show us how God loves. We discussed how we can live life to the full. Archie said “we can live in peace”, Emily said “we can live in harmony”, David said “we need to take care of ourselves”, Mason said “we can show love” and Ruby has cut her hair and given it to charity to spread kindness. Ruby also slept out to raise money for the homeless. She has shown how we can live life in all its fullness- we are very proud of how she has put other people first. We ended our worship by listening to a biblical story called ‘no more crying’. This week, we need to think about how we can love one another and how we can forgive others who may upset us. We also need to think about how we can live life in all its fullness.

Image of Easter Artwork in Whitehall Park
9 Apr

Easter Artwork in Whitehall Park

Come along to the Rose Garden in Whitehall Park to see the lovely Easter Artwork created by the children at St Barnabas. Wishing you all a lovely Easter.

Image of Easter Eggs for Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise (DARE)
6 Apr

Easter Eggs for Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise (DARE)

A huge thank you to everyone who donated Easter Eggs to DARE (Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterpise). They were collected today and we were given these special thank you cards for our support to enable children in our community have a lovely Easter.

Image of Easter Craft- Year 5
6 Apr

Easter Craft- Year 5

The Easter Bunnies have been getting ready for Easter. They have been making Easter baskets and Easter wreaths.

Image of Happy Easter to our whole school family!
6 Apr

Happy Easter to our whole school family!

It wouldn't be Easter at St Barnabas without a visit from the Spring Chicken! Who do you think it was this year? Please click on the links to see the fun we had during our Easter singalong this afternoon. What a brilliant way to end such a wonderful term! Spring Chicken: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neQs54K6Xec Give me oil in my lamp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSHy7KNuEes We have a King who rides a donkey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRaTXCw5Dko On behalf of all of our staff team I would like to wish you all a wonderful Easter half term holiday. See you all on Tuesday 19th April. Take care and God bless, Mrs Ham

Image of Year 6 Rose garden walk
5 Apr

Year 6 Rose garden walk

Today Year 6 had a walk up to the Rose Garden. Our school have displayed Easter Art work for the community to enjoy. Year 6 really enjoyed spotting the Art work they had created.

Image of Year 3 - Easter Artwork
5 Apr

Year 3 - Easter Artwork

Year 3 walked to the Rose Garden at Whitehall Park to look at the amazing Easter Artwork on display.

Image of Reception Muddy Monday
4 Apr

Reception Muddy Monday

The rain didn’t stop our Muddy Monday! This week the children went to Whitehall Park to visit the rose garden. The rose garden has a selection of Easter art work that our whole school have created. The children really enjoyed looking at the different pieces.

Image of Worship with the Kindness Coach
4 Apr

Worship with the Kindness Coach

In our whole school worship this morning we welcomed the Kindness Coach, John Magee, in to talk about our kindness challenges over this half term. He was overwhelmed with all the kind acts we have been doing at St Barnabas and he spoke to us about continuing to be kind throughout our lives. Thank you to John for visiting our school.

Image of RE
4 Apr

RE

Today Year 6 have had a respectful discussion regarding appropriate words they can use to describe Jesus, reflecting his actions. They then built on these words by giving an explanation to justify their opinion.

Image of Easter Artwork in Year 4
1 Apr

Easter Artwork in Year 4

The children have been working so hard on their Easter artwork over the past few weeks. We have looked at ‘Betrayal and Trust : Judas and Peter.

Image of Easter Artwork- Year 5
31 Mar

Easter Artwork- Year 5

In our R.E lesson this week, the children have explored a wide variety of pieces of artwork depicting the Easter story including ‘The Crucifixion’ by John Reilly and ‘ The Resurrection’. Following on from that lesson, the children created abstract art celebrating the resurrection of Christ.

Image of Reception: Easter Story Writing
30 Mar

Reception: Easter Story Writing

We have been practising our Phonics by rewriting parts of the Easter story. The children have tried really hard to apply their learning. Well done, we are really proud of you!

Image of Palm Sunday Worship
28 Mar

Palm Sunday Worship

Today we learnt about Palm Sunday. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, he didn’t arrive in a fancy carriage but on a little donkey. People waved palm branches and were so pleased to see him. Many people gave him a warm welcome but some people were not impressed and were filled with feelings of jealousy. Mason said they could be feeling cross and Leonora said they could be angry. We helped Mrs Ham retell the story of Palm Sunday. Mrs Ham showed everybody a palm shaped as a cross. The crowd shouted Hosanna to welcome Jesus. Later in the week, leaders who were angry turned people against Jesus and he was crucified. This was all in God’s plan and on Easter Sunday, Jesus rose from the dead. In times of sadness, we can all be kind to cheer everybody up. Our Wow group led our singing and we sang ‘ We have a king who rides a donkey’.

Image of Judas betraying Jesus
28 Mar

Judas betraying Jesus

Year 6 have used their Art printing skills in RE today. Using a painting which depicts Judas giving Jesus a kiss on the cheek, revealing his identity, which lead to his arrest.

Image of Reception Class Mother’s Day Worship
23 Mar

Reception Class Mother’s Day Worship

Wow! A huge well done to our amazing Reception children for giving their mummies and grandmas a lovely Mother’s Day Worship yesterday. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house. Mrs Ham definitely had to get the mop and bucket out afterwards. They were all incredibly brave to speak and sing in front of all those people, so they should be very proud of themselves.

Image of Y4 Easter Art Sneak Peek
23 Mar

Y4 Easter Art Sneak Peek

We’ve been busy in Year 4 preparing our Easter artwork for the Rose Garden this week. Look out for it in Whitehall Park soon. In the meantime, can you guess which parts from the Easter story we’ve been studying? Clue 1: the betrayal Clue 2: the kiss Clue 3: the cockerel

Image of Year 6 RE
22 Mar

Year 6 RE

Year 6 have been learning more about the Jewish Festival of Passover this week in Religious Education.

Image of Pray for Ukraine- Infants
15 Mar

Pray for Ukraine- Infants

Our infant classes have helped to create a community ‘Pray for Ukraine’ prayer space at the front of our school. Each child has tied a blue or yellow ribbon, a prayer they have written or a hand print to the railings. We are hopeful that members of our community and all of our school family will tie a ribbon and say a prayer for the people of Ukraine.

Image of Pray for Ukraine- Juniors
15 Mar

Pray for Ukraine- Juniors

Our juniors added their prayers of peace for Ukraine this afternoon to our community prayer space at the front of our school. We have left a box of ribbons for our parents, grandparents, carers and members of our community to add a ribbon and say their own prayer of peace for Ukraine.

Image of Easter- R.E -  Year 5
14 Mar

Easter- R.E - Year 5

This afternoon in R.E, Year 5 started the lesson by having a discussion about the word ‘victory’. What comes to mind when they hear and read the word? Are winning and victory the same thing? We then looked at Greatest Sports Moments and talked about many athletes hope to win, but they also strive to beat their personal best and so, even if they come last, if it is their personal best, they have been victorious.

Image of Year 1-Easter and New Life
10 Mar

Year 1-Easter and New Life

Year 1 have been learning about new life in their RE lessons in preparation for linking it to the Easter story. We have been completing some jigsaws to show the life cycle of a frog and chicken, and we have also been sequencing and writing about the life cycles of butterflies and chickens. We have started to explore the Easter story and making links with new life for example Jesus dying and being in the tomb being similar to a seed deep in the ground, the chick being inside an egg or a chrysalis and Jesus rising from the dead being similar to a beautiful flower flourishing, a chick hatching from an egg or a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis. Year 1 have also been making their own Easter gardens. They have been exploring ways to create the crucifixion, the tomb, the stone being rolled from the tomb and the resurrection. 

Image of Year 6 R.E.
10 Mar

Year 6 R.E.

How does the Seder meal help Jews to remember the festival of Passover?

Image of Year 6 RE- Passover
8 Mar

Year 6 RE- Passover

Year 6 have been continuing their work on Passover, here looking at the Seder meal and linking it to the Exodus.

Image of Jesus as a Miracle Worker Worship
7 Mar

Jesus as a Miracle Worker Worship

In Worship, we focussed on Jesus as a miracle worker. Today we read the story of ‘Jesus and the 5000’. Mrs Ham and the children acted the story out and we also watched a video. Jesus only had 5 loaves and 2 fish but thanks to the little boy sharing his food, Jesus performed a miracle and was able to feed 5000 people! During our reflection, we discussed the importance of sharing and giving to others. This is so important during Lent. Edward suggested that he would share his PlayStation with his siblings, Isaac suggested that we could share our money with charity, Kaylen suggested we could share our time and Dominic suggested we could share our kindness. At the end, Neve came to the front and shared her fundraising cake sale idea with the school to help those in Ukraine. It is a super idea and we can’t wait to buy lots of cakes to support her fundraising and to help those and give back. We also read some prayers about compassion that Year 5 wrote to remember all of those that are affected in Ukraine.

Image of Pray for Ukraine
7 Mar

Pray for Ukraine

We have been having discussions in Year 6 regarding the current situation in the Ukraine. They decided to create some prayers which will be on display at the front of the school. We have been discussing how we are able to help those in need by donating clothes, toys and time.

Image of Celebration Worship
4 Mar

Celebration Worship

This morning in our whole school worship, we celebrated all of the amazing things that have been happening across school this week. Each class shared highlights from the week, including world book day, kindness challenges and shrove Tuesday. We also shared special prayers for Ukraine and thought about how we can help those who are most in need at the minute.

Image of Year 6 RE
4 Mar

Year 6 RE

In RE Year 6 have been discussing the events of Passover and considering their own significant events and why they are to be remembered.

Image of Year 5 -Pray for Ukraine
2 Mar

Year 5 -Pray for Ukraine

This morning during our class worship we had a discussion about the conflict happening in Ukraine at the moment. We talked about how people are showing compassion to the those in Ukraine by giving them shelter, food and resources at this tough time. The class wrote their own prayers on the Ukraine flag.

Image of Shrove Tuesday Worship
1 Mar

Shrove Tuesday Worship

Today in Worship we found out about Lent. Today is the day before Lent called Shrove Tuesday. We discussed what we know about Lent. Leonora shared that “Jesus gave up food and water for 40 days”. We spent a little time reflecting on what we could give up during Lent. Jenson shared that he will give up popcorn, Aidan said he will give up squash and juice, William said that he will give up his phone and Ivy said that she will give up chocolate. This also links to our kindness challenge. During Lent we can give something back and show kindness. Ella has been tidying her house and getting herself ready so that she can be kind and help her family. We can all make a difference by showing kindness. As it is fair trade fortnight we also discussed how we could swap items for fair trade. To celebrate Shrove Tuesday, Mrs Ham very kindly brought in pancakes for the whole school to enjoy!

Image of Y4 Exploring Trust
23 Feb

Y4 Exploring Trust

In RE this week, our trust exercises really helped us to think about what trust is and what it means to be trustworthy. We also considered the impact of betrayal.

Image of Year 3 Class Worship - Candlemas
3 Feb

Year 3 Class Worship - Candlemas

Year 3 learnt about how Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the temple. That is what we remember on Candlemas Day which is celebrated on 2nd February each year. We wrote some prayers and we ended our worship by singing “Shine”.

Image of Children’s Worship Conference
2 Feb

Children’s Worship Conference

Mrs Ham had the pleasure of taking two of our Worship our Way (WOW) group members to a special children’s collective worship conference today at The Foxfields Country Hotel. The children can’t wait to share the amazing worship ideas with the rest of WOW group and our school family.

Image of Whole-School Worship - Candlemas
31 Jan

Whole-School Worship - Candlemas

Today in worship we learned about Candlemas, and the story of Anna & Simeon and their incredible patience as they waited for God’s Son. We discussed why Jesus is referred to as the light of the world and how we can be a light to others.

Image of Year 1 Class Worship
26 Jan

Year 1 Class Worship

Following on from Mrs Ham’s whole school worship on Monday, Year 1 learnt some more information about WWII and how the Jews were mistreated. We learnt that the Jews had little freedom and were banned from doing certain jobs, from having pets, from going to parks and restaurants, from schools and from riding a bike amongst lots of other things. We reflected on how this must have made them feel. We also read a book about Anne Frank and the children were shocked to find out that she and her family along with many other Jewish families had to stay in hiding for a long time in fear. We then sang a song about peace and thought about how we can help to make a kind and peaceful world. We talked about sharing our beautiful smiles, helping each other, greeting each other kindly and sharing with each other regardless of people’s race or religion. We finished with some beautiful prayers for those who lost their lives and were mistreated in WWII and praying for a more peaceful and kinder world. Well done Year 1.

Image of Exploring Parables- Year 5
25 Jan

Exploring Parables- Year 5

Today in our R.E lesson, Year 5 have been reading familiar parables and unpacking the imagery Jesus gives us of the Kingdom of God.

Image of RotaKids Planting bulbs- Year 5
25 Jan

RotaKids Planting bulbs- Year 5

Our RotaKids have planted crocus bulbs in the centre of the cross-shaped flower bed in the school yard, ready for spring. Thank you to Darwen Rotary Club for helping us and supplying the bulbs and equipment.

Image of Holocaust Memorial Day Worship
24 Jan

Holocaust Memorial Day Worship

This week in our whole school and class worships, we are learning about the Holocaust and what we can learn from it. This morning we watched a video with some school children interviewing a survivor of the Holocaust, Stephen Frank. We learnt how he had such a happy life with his family until he was taken away to a concentration camp because he was Jewish. We reflected on what it must have been like to be taken away from your friends and family and to be treated so terribly. We then thought about how we can be strong, courageous and kind when we see people in our lives being treated cruelly. We then prayed for all of the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. We were shocked to hear that if we had a minutes silence for each of the 6 million people who died then we would have to be silent for 11 and a half years.

Image of Year 2 RE: Jesus heals a blind man!
24 Jan

Year 2 RE: Jesus heals a blind man!

This term in RE, Year 2 are exploring how Jesus was a friend to everyone. We have thought about what a miracle is and today, we looked at how Jesus performed a miracle, by healing a blind man. We also completed some blindfold games, to put ourselves in the shoes of Bartimaeus!

Image of Year 1 Class Worship- Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks
21 Jan

Year 1 Class Worship- Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks

Following on from Mrs Ham’s whole school worship earlier this week on Martin Luther King, Year 1 did some further learning and reflecting in their class worship time. We learnt about how black people were treated differently because they weren’t allowed to use the same toilets, same restaurants or go to the same schools as white people. We learnt about how black people had to sit at the back of the bus and give up their seats for white people. We thought about how this must have made the black people feel and we came up with the words heartbroken, sad, upset, angry and devastated. We also thought about how this would have made some of the white people feel having to leave the black people out as they didn’t have a choice and just had to do as they were told or they would be fined. We described Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks as amazing and brave people as they fought for the world to be a fairer place where black and white people could be friends and live in a more peaceful and kinder world. We thought about how this fairer world is a much better place to live. Well done Year 1 for super acting and reflection.

Image of Year 4 - Prayer work
20 Jan

Year 4 - Prayer work

In RE, Year 4 used sorting cards and the process of elimination to decide what’s most important about prayer. They were absolutely brilliant at explaining their choices and challenging each other. They then decided on the 5 most important things to them.

Image of Year 3 -Martin Luther King Jr Worship
20 Jan

Year 3 -Martin Luther King Jr Worship

During our class worship, we watched a video clip about the life of Martin Luther King Jr. and how he was an activist for civil rights. He peacefully demonstrated for equality between whites and coloured people in America. He said that everybody is equal no matter what their race, creed or gender is. We prayed for equality and finished with a hymn “Chain of Love”.

Image of Celebration Worship
13 Jan

Celebration Worship

During our whole school celebration worship this morning, we thought about the different ways that we have welcomed people with open arms this week. Each class also shared the different ways that they have been living life in all it’s fullness this week!

Image of Reflecting on Mary, Joseph and Jesus as refugees
10 Jan

Reflecting on Mary, Joseph and Jesus as refugees

In worship this morning, we reflected on how Mary, Joseph and Jesus were affected by having to flee to another country. It helped us to understand how refugees today might feel and think about how we can help them.

Image of Year 3 Epiphany Class Worship
6 Jan

Year 3 Epiphany Class Worship

We celebrated the feast of the Epiphany today during our class worship. We watched a video by Bishop Philip who talked about the gifts that the three wise men gave Jesus- gold, frankincense and myrrh. He also told us that we have gifts / things that we are good at from God and that we need to “show” these gifts. We ended our worship by thanking God for our special gifts.

Image of Our first worship of 2022: Epiphany
4 Jan

Our first worship of 2022: Epiphany

Today, we learnt about the Epiphany. An epiphany is like a lightbulb moment. The 3 wise men or 3 magi had an epiphany about Jesus being born. Mrs Ham read a story called ‘One hump, 2 humps’ which the children really enjoyed acting out. The wise men followed a star to find Jesus. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they asked King Herod where Jesus resides. King Herod was very worried and decided he wanted to meet Jesus. He asked the wise men to tell him where Jesus was. King Herod plotted to kill Jesus. When the wise men arrived at the stable, the wise men gave Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. In the night, the wise men dreamt about King Herod’s evil plan. They decided to not tell King Herod where Jesus was to protect him. The gifts that the kings gave Jesus were symbolic. Gold is a gift fit for a king; frankincense is a fragrance used by a priest and myrrh is a sweet liquid that is rubbed gently into someone who has died. This symbolises that the kings knew God’s plan. Mrs Ham asked the children to discuss what their special gifts are. These could be kindness, showing love and making people smile. The meaning of the epiphany is how everyone is important and God loves everyone.

Image of Year 6’s Advent Adventure
17 Dec

Year 6’s Advent Adventure

Year 6 had a great time at the Rose Garden appreciating the advent artwork and singing Christmas songs.

Image of Year 3’s Advent Adventure
17 Dec

Year 3’s Advent Adventure

Year 3 had a wonderful time on their advent adventure in Whitehall Park. They sang several Christmas songs too to get them in the festive mood!

Image of Whitehall Park Visit - Reception
16 Dec

Whitehall Park Visit - Reception

Reception have been out on a walk to the Rose Garden to see the Advent Art. We also had a sing song and a visit to the park!

Image of The magical Christmas Jigsaw
15 Dec

The magical Christmas Jigsaw

We are so proud of Year 1 and 2 for their amazing performance of ‘The Magical Christmas Jigsaw’. They were all super stars! ⭐️

Image of Y4 on an Advent Trail
15 Dec

Y4 on an Advent Trail

Y4 went on a walk to look at the beautiful St Barnabas Advent art. We also created an Advent trail for KS1.

Image of Christmas Cards with RotaKids - Year 5
14 Dec

Christmas Cards with RotaKids - Year 5

This year, RotaKids ( Year 5 ) have been spreading ‘Acts of Kindness ‘ across Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen and South Cumbria by sending a Christmas Card ( E-Card) to care homes.

Image of Year 1 Nativity
14 Dec

Year 1 Nativity

Our Year 1 children made us all so proud with their wonderful Nativity. They sang beautifully and said their lines clearly and with confidence. The parents and grandparents loved it. You are all superstars!

Image of Rose Garden - Year 5
13 Dec

Rose Garden - Year 5

This afternoon, Year 5 went up to the Rose Garden in Whitehall park. We were overwhelmed with the beautiful artwork that was displayed by our children. Before we left the park, we sang some Christmas songs based around the artwork to get everyone in the festive spirit.

Image of Barny’s Advent Art!
10 Dec

Barny’s Advent Art!

Thank you to all the children who took part in our Advent Art competition and well done to the Winners; Daisy, Harry, Eliza and Kaycie! Everyone’s Art work was fantastic, and because of this, all of the Art work has now been put up on Display at Whitehall Park in the Rose Garden, so please visit if you can! Well done everyone ⭐️

Image of Reception’s amazing Nativity!
9 Dec

Reception’s amazing Nativity!

Reception blew us all away with their fantastic Nativity Performance this week! The parents said how proud they were of the children and couldn’t believe the courage they showed in front of such a big audience. They sang their little hearts out and remembered their lines brilliantly. We are so proud of them - they are shining stars ⭐️

Image of Year 3’s Advent Worship
9 Dec

Year 3’s Advent Worship

In our class Worship we lit our second Advent candle and thought about those who might be feeling lonely this Christmas. We then prayed for them and thought about how we can show kindness to those who are feeling lonely.

Image of Peace at Christmas worship
6 Dec

Peace at Christmas worship

The second Sunday in Advent focuses on Peace. Today we have lit our second Advent candle. It is important to take a bit of time to have some peace during such a busy time of year. It is important to remember the meaning of Christmas and why we celebrate it. We looked at a picture today and discussed what we can see. The children discussed how the animal looked “heartbroken…sad…lonely.” The artist painted this to reflect loneliness at Christmas. We discussed why people may feel lonely at this time of the year. The little girl on the picture is trying to encourage the animal to come down. The girl is showing the animal love and kindness. This week we will be focussing on how we can bring peace and how we can reach out to those who are lonely. Our Rota kids in Year 5 are going to be making cards for people in care homes and our choir will be singing at Whitehall park to bring some Christmas cheer.

Image of The Christmas Story- Year 5
6 Dec

The Christmas Story- Year 5

During our R.E lesson this afternoon, we have been Bible detectives finding the nativity story in the Bible. We then compared Luke’s and Matthew’s gospel by looking at similarities and differences.

Image of Reception - Jesus walks on water!
2 Dec

Reception - Jesus walks on water!

In Reception the children have been learning more about the Miracles of Jesus. The children listened to the Miracle of Jesus walking on water to help his disciples. After that, they used the outdoor area to act out the story with their friends.

Image of Year 1 RE- Giving to others
2 Dec

Year 1 RE- Giving to others

As part of their RE unit, Year 1 have been making their calendars in the independent creative area. Tomorrow they will be taking these home and gifting them to their families. Next week, we will be reflecting on how this act of giving has made us and our families feel. Additionally, we are now in December so we have had some kindness elves visit our classroom. Everyday, the kindness elves are leaving a gift to add to a hamper. In the last week of school, we will gift this hamper to our local refugees in the hope that it will make them smile and bring them some comfort over the Christmas period. Again, we will reflect on how this act of giving has made both us and those who receive it feel.

Image of Advent worship with Rev Nick
30 Nov

Advent worship with Rev Nick

Today we celebrated the start of advent with a visit from Rev Nick. He read us a Bible story about Zechariah and Elizabeth who had to wait a very long time to have a baby. We talked about patiently waiting and being hopeful as we lit the first candle of Advent. We reflected on how we can bring hope to others this Advent and sang 'Shine from the inside out'.

Image of Knife Angel Message
26 Nov

Knife Angel Message

Two of our WOW (Worship our way) group members told our whole school, in Worship on Friday, about the Knife Angel. They attended a conference at Blackburn Cathedral a couple of weeks ago and learnt about angels being special messengers and they particularly focused on the special Knife Angel. It is made up of over 100,000 knives that have been used in knife crimes around the country. Many of the knives have writing calved into them which are messages asking for forgiveness to the victims and their families from the person who used the knife. The message is to try to eliminate knife crime in our local area and a knife amnesty box is next to it to encourage youngsters to surrender any weapons they may have. Most knife crimes occur by accident and it’s usually the person carrying a knife that becomes injured. Thank you to our WOW group members for delivering the important message of the Knife Angel to our school family. We hope this will discourage any of our children from carrying weapons when they are older. The Knife Angel will be at Blackburn Cathedral till 30th November if you are in the area and would like to admire it.

Image of Sacred Books- Year 5
24 Nov

Sacred Books- Year 5

Year 5 have been exploring the importance of sacred books in other religions. We have discussed differences and similarities. Looked at the language that the books are written in and the focus placed upon them.

Image of Interfaith Whole School Worship
22 Nov

Interfaith Whole School Worship

In worship today we talked about the importance of having respect and tolerance for others, no matter what their beliefs. We are learning to celebrate each other’s differences.

Image of Reception Class Sikhism Workshop
19 Nov

Reception Class Sikhism Workshop

Reception class loved learning all about Sikhism as part of our inter-faith week celebrations. They really impressed us with their amazing dance moves!

Image of Year 2 Inter Faith Week Visit
18 Nov

Year 2 Inter Faith Week Visit

This morning, Year 2 took part in a session all about Sikhism. We learnt about what Sikhs believe and The 5 Ks and Guru Nanak. The class showed lots of respect and asked some really thoughtful questions.

Image of Year 6 Interfaith Workshop
18 Nov

Year 6 Interfaith Workshop

Year 6 have had an interfaith class on Sikhism this morning, looking at Sikh traditions and dances. Year 6 were very respectful and participated with great maturity.

Image of Interfaith Week-Sikhism
18 Nov

Interfaith Week-Sikhism

As part of our Interfaith Week, we have had a special visitor in today. Prags taught us all about Sikhism. We looked at the 5Ks- Kesh, Kara, Khanga, Kachera & Kirpan and what they all mean. We have loved learning about another faith and asking questions to find out even more.

Image of Interfaith Week- Year 5
18 Nov

Interfaith Week- Year 5

This afternoon we learnt all about Sikhism as part of Interfaith Week. Year 5 had lots of questions for Prags and they were very inquisitive. We finished the workshop with a dance that involved the whole class. A superb workshop.

Image of Year 3 Interfaith Workshop
18 Nov

Year 3 Interfaith Workshop

On Thursday 18th November we had an Interfaith Workshop focussing on Sikhism. We found out lots of information about the Sikh religion and we had a traditional Sikh dance too. It was fabulous!

Image of Year 1- Interfaith Week
18 Nov

Year 1- Interfaith Week

Thank you to Prags for visiting us during Interfaith Week and giving our Year 1 children an insight into Sikhism. They found out lots of new information about Sikhism and the Gurdwara.

Image of St Barnabas Remembers
14 Nov

St Barnabas Remembers

Our Year 6 heads and deputies plus Year 5 and 6 WOW group members paid their respects on Friday in a special remembrance service at Darwen Cemetery. They laid a wreath made of poppy prayers, remembrance poems and art work. Please remember to come along to the Rose Garden in Whitehall Park to see a selection of remembrance artwork from each class.

Image of St Barnabas Remembers
11 Nov

St Barnabas Remembers

Today we all met on our Junior yard to observe a special two minutes silence to remember the soldiers that sacrificed their lives for our freedom. We prayed for peace in our world and sang ‘a song of peace’. Several of our classes have visited the cemetery this week to pay their respects and have admired our Remembrance Day artwork in the Rose Garden in Whitehall Park. #wewillrememberthem

Image of Year 2 Remembers
11 Nov

Year 2 Remembers

This afternoon on Remembrance Day, Year 2 paid their respects, by visiting the Rose Garden in Whitehall Park and viewing all of the beautiful remembrance art, created by each class in school. We also shared some special remembrance prayers with Year 4 and looked at some of the different war memorials in Darwen. The children were so respectful and we are so proud of their brilliant art work!

Image of Reception Remembers!
11 Nov

Reception Remembers!

Today the children have celebrated Remembrance Day by learning all about the meaning of poppies. They learnt that poppies are a symbol of the fallen soldiers from the war. To remember the soldiers, the children took part in taking 2 minutes of silence at 11 o,clock. We also said prayers for our soldiers together. Throughout the rest of the day, the children have been creatively making poppies in lots of different ways.

Image of Remembrance Day Art
11 Nov

Remembrance Day Art

This afternoon we have created some wonderful pieces of artwork in Year 3. The children choose their favourite piece from two designs and then set to work on their own version. We used charcoal and pastels to add depth which is very effective.

Image of Remembrance Day - Year 5
11 Nov

Remembrance Day - Year 5

Year 5 really enjoyed the walk to Darwen Cemetery and the Rose Garden. We spent some time looking at the war graves and the Remembrance Wall. It was a lovely opportunity to remember the people who have died in wars around the world.

Image of Year 4 & Year 2 visit the Rose Garden
11 Nov

Year 4 & Year 2 visit the Rose Garden

We loved our walk to the Rose Garden for Remembrance Day today. We chose our favourite poppy art, read poems and said prayers for those who have lost their lives due to war. A very peaceful, reflective afternoon.

Image of Planning a Recount
10 Nov

Planning a Recount

Yesterday in English, we started our plan for our recount - to write a diary entry about our visit to Darwen Cemetery to look at the memorial and war graves. We ordered the photos that were taken on our walk and then wrote sentences next to these about what we want to include in our diary, including thoughts and feelings and time words.

Image of Year 4 and the Sabbath
10 Nov

Year 4 and the Sabbath

Year 4 have been singing, dancing, eating, drinking and reflecting on their week - all in the name of Shabbat. We have loved learning about the Jewish day of rest.

Image of Remembrance Day Walk
8 Nov

Remembrance Day Walk

In Year 3 we walked to Darwen Cemetery to look at the war graves and Remembrance Wall. We spotted different war graves across the cemetery of fallen soldiers from both the First and Second World wars. We also noticed that many of the soldiers who died were very young. Lest we forget ❤️

Image of Remembrance in the Rose Garden
6 Nov

Remembrance in the Rose Garden

Well done to all of our children for their wonderful Remembrance Day Artwork that has been displayed in the Rose Garden in Whitehall Park for you all to enjoy. Thank you Mrs Govan for organising this and to our teachers for their creative ideas. We will remember them.

Image of Year 3 Remembrance Art
3 Nov

Year 3 Remembrance Art

Year 3 have been working hard on their Art work for Remembrance Day. They have used acrylic paint to decorate the bottoms of bottles and then some more paper versions using pointillism.

Image of Thank you for your generosity this Harvest!
26 Oct

Thank you for your generosity this Harvest!

Thank you so much for your generous donations for Harvest this year. Darwen Asylum & Refugee Enterprise (DARE) were overwhelmed with your support and generosity. The donations were created into care packages along with the children’s maps of the local area, welcome to Darwen posters, prayers and poems which enabled refugees to receive a warm welcome to Darwen.

Image of Hooray for Harvest!
21 Oct

Hooray for Harvest!

Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 were amazing in our Harvest Festival today. Thank you to all those who attended or donated generous gifts of food or toiletries for local refugees. We were fortunate to be joined by John, Patsy and Shameem from DARE (Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise) who have taken all of your donations, the children’s welcome posters, local maps, prayers and poems. They will be sorted into parcels for refugees who have joined our community in order to give them a warm welcome and will also be shared with others in need in our community. We heard a harrowing account from Shameem, who fled from Afghanistan seven years ago due to being persecuted as a female teacher there. She has only just managed to get two of her children here seven years later and they are now attending our local high school and are being supported by one of our past pupils, who remembers Shameem visiting St Barnabas several years ago. We are so thankful for the work that John and Patsy are doing to support people in our community who are in need and so grateful for your donations. We are so proud of our children for showing our Christian Values of generosity, friendship and respect through the warm welcome they have shown refugees through their prayers, poems, welcome posters, maps and songs.

Image of A huge Harvest thank you!
21 Oct

A huge Harvest thank you!

Thank you so much for your generosity this Harvest! We were overwhelmed with your kind donations of food, clothes and toiletries for DARE (Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise). They were presented to John, Patsy and Shameem from DARE. Thank you for helping to make a difference!

Image of EYFS and KS1 Harvest Worship
19 Oct

EYFS and KS1 Harvest Worship

Today, our infants led our Harvest worship. They were all superstars and they explained the importance of Harvest. Thank you to all who came to watch.

Image of Year 2 Harvest Poetry
19 Oct

Year 2 Harvest Poetry

Over the past few weeks, Year 2 have been learning about harvest in English and have written their own acrostic poems around the theme of Harvest. During our KS1 worship this morning, Year 2 performed some of their poems and talked about the meaning and importance of Harvest!

Image of The Jewish Festival of Sukkot in Year 1
15 Oct

The Jewish Festival of Sukkot in Year 1

Year 1 have been learning about Sukkot. They have been thinking about how the Jews were held as slaves long ago and they’ve been building Sukkahs just as many Jewish people still do today.

Image of Year 4 RE: Research Using QR Codes
13 Oct

Year 4 RE: Research Using QR Codes

Year 4 have had great fun using QR codes in their RE research this week. They have been finding out about people who stand up to authority to protect our world and the people in it.

Image of Year 6 Pilgrimage
12 Oct

Year 6 Pilgrimage

In year 6, we have been learning about the pilgrimage of Hajj in Islam. The children have learnt about how and why Muslims go on Hajj and been extremely respectful when broaching this subject.

Image of Reception: Exploring our differences in RE
6 Oct

Reception: Exploring our differences in RE

During RE, we have been looking into how God has made us all special and unique. The children were able to discuss and understand what makes us all different. Hair colour, eye colour, and skin colour were the main differences in which the children could identify. However, after looking very closely at our palms through magnifying glasses, the children could see how we all had different hand and thumb prints which make us even more special to our God.

Image of Year 5- Learning all about the Bible
29 Sep

Year 5- Learning all about the Bible

Year 5 had a wonderful session with Rev David and Lorraine, this afternoon.We invited them into our classroom to tell us what they know about the Bible. They were able to answer so many of our questions which we had prepared as a class. We also had a chance to explore different Bibles.

Image of Hooray for Harvest!
29 Sep

Hooray for Harvest!

Year 3 have been learning all about how Christians celebrate the Harvest Festival. They are looking forward to our upcoming Harvest Festival and have started collecting toiletries to give to refugees in our community, to give them a warm welcome and show them our generosity and friendship.