Year 3-The Great Big Live Assembly: A Journey Into Refugee Lives
Today, Year 3 joined hundreds of schools for The Great Big Live Assembly to mark World Refugee Week. Led by Krish Kandiah, the worship helped us learn about the lives of millions of children who have been forced to leave their homes because of war, violence, or danger. We discovered that over 43 million children and young people worldwide are refugees or displaced. Through stories and real examples, including a live connection with children living in refugee camps, we got a better understanding of the challenges these children face every day. Krish encouraged us to think about what “home” means and how important it is to show kindness, support, and hope to those who have lost so much. The worship helped us reflect on the courage and strength of refugees and inspired us to be more compassionate and aware of global issues.
The Great Live Assembly- World Refugee Day 2025
This morning in Year 4, we took part in The Great Live Assembly for World Refugee Week. 43 million young people and children have had to leave their country for various reasons including persecution and war. We met two children from Kenya - Ajok wanted to be a teacher and had to flee due to civil war. He had to walk over 500 miles to reach his final destination. We then watched an interview with the author Michael Rosen who has recently written On the Move, which uses poetry to highlight the struggles of a refugee. This teaches us that ‘Home is where the Heart is’ and we should really appreciate and support the sacrifices that the refugees across the world have to endure.
Whole School Worship with Rev. Matt
During our worship with Rev. Matt, we began with a fun but thought-provoking challenge of Chinese Whispers. This simple game highlighted how messages can become distorted as they are passed along. Rev. Matt then thoughtfully linked this to prayer, reminding us that unlike in the game, when we pray, our words are not misheard or changed—God hears us clearly and completely. He then read the story of King Hezekiah from the Bible, who turned to God in prayer during a time of great trouble. Through Hezekiah’s example, we reflected on the power of prayer, the importance of trusting in God, and how spiritual strength can guide us in difficult times. The worship encouraged us to think about how we can communicate with God openly and honestly, knowing that our prayers are heard and valued. It was a meaningful reminder of how spirituality can give us comfort, courage and clarity when we need it most.
Year 3- Year of Prayer- Fruity Smells
For our year of prayer, the children guessed the flavour of fruity tea bags and appreciated some of the amazing smells and tastes God has given us. When we think about all those delicious fruits and colourful vegetables like strawberries, crunchy carrots, and sweet bananas, we remember how amazing God is to provide us with such wonderful gifts.
Year 1- Year of Prayer- Fruity Smells
This week, Year 1 have really enjoyed the Diocesan Year of Prayer. We havespent the last four days having fun guessing a fruity flavour each day. It got us thinking about all the tasty fruits and colourful veggies we're so lucky to enjoy. We gave thanks to God for blessing us with such wonderful things.
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Year 3-Exploring Spirituality Through Refugee Week
Today, as part of Refugee Week, 12 children from Year 3 visited a local church where they had the wonderful opportunity to meet refugees from 17 countries, such as Iraq, Palestine, Greece, South Africa, Afghanistan and Sudan. They listened to powerful, real-life stories of resilience, hope, and strength, gaining insight into these individuals' journeys and the challenges they have overcome. The experience helped to build empathy and deepen the children’s understanding of what it means to seek safety and rebuild a life in a new place. We ate food from Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Italy, Greece and drank Arabic coffee. The children sang songs for the refugees. Reverend Gilbert spoke to the children about how our donations to DARE - Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise have helped refugees and ensured they are always welcomed, and they encourage more donations, etc. This visit linked beautifully with our Spirituality school model of Windows, Mirrors, and Doors. Through Windows, the children looked out and learned from the lives of others, seeing the world through different perspectives. Mirrors encouraged them to look inward, reflect on their own lives, and think about how they might feel in similar situations. Finally, Doors inspired them to step out and consider how they can live more compassionately, supporting others and making positive choices in their own lives. The visit was a meaningful extension of our R.E. learning but also connected closely with Mrs Ham’s worship this week, which focused on raising awareness and showing solidarity with people in need. It encouraged our students to reflect on how they can contribute to a more welcoming and understanding world. Overall, today’s experience supported our whole-school aim of helping children to live life in all its fullness, by inspiring them to be open-hearted, thoughtful, and active in making a difference. #RefugeeWeek
Reception: Prayer in RE
For this week's outdoor learning session, Reception class focused on their RE prayer unit. We discussed how we can pray through song, words and actions too. This week we focused on the concept of prayer not just through words, but through an appreciation of the beautiful world around us – a world we believe is God's wonderful creation. It was a fantastic opportunity to foster a sense of awe and wonder in even our youngest learners. During our outdoor walk, we encouraged the children to stop, look closely, and truly see what was around them. We talked about how everything we observed, from the tiniest ant to the tallest tree, was something God made. We paused frequently, and at each stop, we invited the children to say "Thank you, God," and then to share something specific they loved about what they were seeing. It was wonderful to hear their unique observations –Eleanor thanked God for the grass; Annie thanked God for the animals; Minnie thanked God for India Mill; Thea thanked God for Darwen tower; Reggie thanked God for the flowers and Minnie thanked God for the water.. These simple acts of gratitude helped them connect their feelings of wonder directly to prayer. What was particularly heartwarming was how this experience naturally led us to talk about how we can look after God's world. The children, in their own words, came up with some fantastic ideas about being good "caretakers" of nature. We discussed how important it is not to throw litter and how we can help by picking up any rubbish we see. Their enthusiasm really shone through when we brainstormed even more creative ways to care for animals, such as making bird feeders for our feathered friends and even building "bug hotels" to provide cozy homes for insects! This outdoor RE lesson was a fantastic way to introduce concepts of spirituality, gratitude, and responsibility in a way that was accessible and engaging for our Reception children. They learned that prayer can be about thanking God for all the amazing things He has created, and that looking after our world is also a way of showing our appreciation.
Reception-Year of Prayer- Fruity Smells
For our Year of Prayer this week we immersed some different flavoured fruit tea bags in warm water. The children then passed the cups around the circle and had a smell of the tea to see what fruits they could identify by smell alone. We then prayed to thank god for the fruits and vegetables he provided for us.
Year 4 - Year of Prayer: Fruity Smells
The Year 4 class are really enjoying the Year of Prayer theme this week. Each day, they have been guessing the scent of a different fruit/herbal teabag. We began with a tricky one, which was more spicy than fruity (turmeric and cinnamon), but the other two were a bit more of a familiar scent. The favourite so far has been blackcurrant and blueberry. After a little guess, we reflected on our favourite foods and said a prayer of thanks to God for the wonderful foods He provides for us.
Year 5 - Year of Prayer
This week’s Year of Prayer focus was all about fruity smells.The children enjoyed a fun and sensory experience as they immersed themselves in a selection of fruity tea bags, trying to guess the different flavours by smell alone. The children then took time to reflect and give thanks to God for the wonderful variety of fruits and vegetables He has created for us. We thought about how each fruit is unique, just like each of us and how God provides for us in so many colourful, beautiful and nourishing ways. Together, we said a prayer of gratitude, thanking God not only for the food we eat, but also for the joy that comes from sharing, tasting and exploring His creation with others. We were reminded that just as fruit helps our bodies grow strong, God’s love helps our hearts grow in kindness, thankfulness and joy.
Year 3- R.E-Exploring Sikh Beliefs: The 5 Ks and a Way of Life
In today's R.E. lesson, our theologians explored the 5 Ks of Sikhism: Kesh (uncut hair), Kara (a steel bracelet), Kanga (a wooden comb), Kachera (cotton undergarments), and Kirpan (a ceremonial sword). These are the five articles of faith that Sikhs wear as a commitment to their beliefs and values. They discussed the significance of each of the 5 Ks and why they are important to Sikhs today. We also explored the Sikh code for living and considered how following this code might influence a person’s choices and lifestyle. Through group discussions and illustrations, children examined different scenarios and thought about what decisions a Sikh might make based on their faith. They were also allowed to handle and observe artefacts and photographs of the 5 Ks, helping them connect more deeply with the topic. The children recorded their thoughts and reflections using a structured framework to support their understanding.
Whole School Worship - Refugee Week
In Collective Worship today, we continued looking in detail at the Lord’s Prayer. This week we are focusing on ‘give us today our daily bread’. We had lots of ideas about what Jesus meant when He said these words. Of course, food and nutrition was mentioned, but the children said that this can also mean other things we need daily in order to live life in all its fullness, such as love, kindness, a safe place to live, clothing, education, fun and freedom. Mrs Ham then introduced Refugee Week and we looked through our spirituality opening to learn more about it. We were surprised to learn that some well-known people in Britain came as refugees, like Rita Ora and Mo Farrah and we also discussed how Jesus was a refugee when Mary and Joseph had to flee with him to Egypt. We also spent some time celebrating our work with D.A.R.E (Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise) . As a school, we have collected toys, books, Easter eggs, tinned foods and toiletries to help out our local refugees. Some of our Year 3 children will be taking part in a special Refugee Week Tea Party tomorrow at the United Reformed Church and will be meeting a number of refugees and will learn more about what has led them to come to Darwen. Hamza told everyone how he was a refugee from Kenya when he was only 3 and he was given a warm welcome at St Barnabas. Lana shared how her Grandma was a refugee from Palestine. We then reflected on how we can continue to support refugees and give them a warm welcome into our community, just as Jesus wanted us to love our neighbours as ourselves. We watched a video celebrating 80 years of the Moomins and learnt that the Moomin House became a refuge for all different animals who had to leave their homes. We reflected on how we want St Barnabas to be like the Moomin house where everyone feels welcome, accepted and loved.