Year 3- Big Debate Club- Can you ever truly know what happened in history?
The children had a big debate about whether we can truly know what happened in history. Some said we can, because we have things like old letters and pictures, and scientists can figure out how old things are. Others said we can't know for sure, because sometimes things get lost or people might not tell the whole truth. It's a tricky question, and it makes us think about how we learn about the past.
Year 5 - Litter Picking
As part of No Pens Day, Year 5 explored the local area, taking part in a litter-picking activity inspired by a suggestion from the Smart School Council. This act of kindness demonstrated fantastic teamwork, community spirit, and a shared commitment to protecting the environment. Back in class, the children reflected on what they had observed, noting the impact of litter on wildlife and natural spaces. They engaged in thoughtful discussions about how to make a positive difference, generating ideas such as increasing recycling efforts, designing impactful posters to raise awareness about the environmental damage caused by littering and making a habit of picking up litter whenever they see it. The activity not only built their understanding of environmental responsibility but also empowered them to be proactive change-makers within their community.
Year 3- NO PENS DAY - Litter picking- Brainbox games-What can you remember in just 10 seconds?
Today, Year 3 celebrated No Pens Day thanks to our Smart School Council. They combined learning by litter picking, demonstrating teamwork, communication, and a strong sense of kindness and spirituality. They even discussed how God and the community would be pleased with their efforts. In the classroom, they paired up for a fun game of BrainBox, boosting their memory, observation skills, and understanding of math and reading. Oracy skills were embedded throughout the day, as students listened attentively, took turns to talk, and engaged in thoughtful discussions.
Year 3- Litter Picking- Demonstrating our Christian Value of Service
Year 3 demonstrated the Christian value of service by participating in a litter picking activity. Their hard work and dedication made a positive impact on our school family and local community.
Year 4 - Smart School Council
The children were very enthusiastic about the Smart School Council question this time. They were asked whether or not they’d like to take part in NO PENS DAY. The answer was a resounding yes, with some children choosing ‘tidying up the war graves’ as an activity. There were many different reasons for their choices, including giving their hands a rest, making time for games and doing things for other people in our community. We’re now hoping for a YES from the rest of the school.
Year 6 - School Council Class Meeting
This morning, Year 6 took part in their class meeting and discussed how their half first term had been. It was great to hear them speak with such openness and justify what they have enjoyed, what could be better and what they are looking forward to as the year progresses.
Year 4 - Smart School Council
In our smart school council meeting this week, we had to vote for the act of kindness that we think is most important to show in school. It was a tough decision with lots of good arguments expressed for the other choices, but after much deliberation, the most votes in Year 4 were for helping adults around school. We also put forward some great suggestions for school improvement.
Year 3- Smart School Council- Act Of Kindness
Year 3 kicked off their first class meeting organised by the school communication team today. Bobby-Ray took the lead role and Cassidy supported by taking notes. In small groups, Year 3 discussed which act of kindness they think is the most important in school. The children found it quite challenging to narrow it down to one vote because they felt it was important to share kindness all the time. However, supporting an adult around school got the most votes.
Years 5 and 6- Smart School Councillors
We are proud to introduce our ‘Smart School Councillors’ for the year. From Year 5 we have Luca, Mason, Theo, Summer and Eden. Representing Year 6, we have Leonara, Oscar, Daisy and Laila. These dedicated pupils will meet fortnightly to discuss school matters. Smart School Council is an important and useful way for our school to provide leadership and development opportunities for all of our pupils. It is an excellent way in which to increase participation, teaching our pupils about democracy, local and global citizenship and accountability. Their mission is to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard and ideas considered.
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Year 4 Picture News Big Celebration Assembly
This morning we got the chance to take part in a virtual Picture News Big Celebration Assembly. We started with a picture which we had previously looked at in our class worship on Wednesday which showed the volunteers that had come together to clean up after the recent riots. We linked this to how we serve our school community and discussed British values. We always make sure that we welcome our community by showing our 4 B’s. Following this we heard from Boston St Nicholas School in Lincolnshire who highlighted how we can shine our light in so many different ways . It was lovely to share this special time to reflect and pray and we look forward to highlighting how we really do matter within our special school community.
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Year 4 - The Big Debate - Should parents be able to access their children’s social media?
As part of our class worship this morning, we completed our big debate on whether or not parents should be able to access their child’s social media accounts? We know that social media can have both a negative and positive impact on children. We also found that OFCOM completed a survey in 2020 which showed that 30% of children aged 5-7 years had a social media account! Reasons for ‘should’ were : It could protect the child from danger It can support with mental health if the child is struggling to deal with issues It can correct negative behaviour ( the parent can intervene) Reasons for ‘shouldn’t’ included: It’s invasion of privacy They can learn their own way about e-safety There are other ways of checking on your child Overall our class voted 22 people for their parents checking and only 5 opposed it.
Year 4 - Smart School Council
Special school trips were the main discussion point in Smart School Council this week. Once our notary and debate leader were chosen, the class were presented with a debate about school trips. The children were presented with 4 options for possible future school trips and they had to try and agree on one per group as each group was only allowed one vote. The options were football match, beach, museum/art gallery and theme park. And the winner was… …theme park! We then went on to pledge to take action on 6 school improvement ideas.
Year 3- Class Meeting-What school trips would you like to go on in future?
Miles took the role of a leader and Sonny took notes during our school council class meeting today. We discussed our last action about how to promote reading, and the most popular vote was to revisit Darwen Library. This week, the communication team wants to know ' What school trips would you like to go on in future?' The four choices were: Theme Park, Beach Visit, Museum/Art Gallery, or Football Match. Year 3 voted for a beach trip as their favourite option.
Year 4- The Big Debate - should we put restrictions on fast food intake?
In our Class Worship this morning we took part in The Bg Debate which asked; Should the amount of fast food people are allowed to eat be restricted? We learned lots of new facts including- 37% of all American adults have a least one fast food meal per day and that in the UK, 26% of all adults are classes as obese. We also questioned who judges what fast food actually is? Not all fast food is viewed as unhealthy and it also helps poorer families as some fast food is cheaper. As a class we voted that WE SHOULD restrict the fast food and the children debated both sides of the argument very well!
Year 3- BIG Debate Club
In our class debate this morning, we discussed if it was better to be a teacher or a pupil. We had some great conversations, especially because some of our pupils have family members that work in schools and see them working hard in the evenings and holidays. Some pupils thought it was great to be a pupil because at break times they can play with their friends and eat with their friends at lunch time. They didn't like the idea of marking books and assessments. They discussed that being a teacher is tough but can also be lots of fun because they can teach what they enjoy the most. We then discussed the importance of teaching a range of subjects to prepare them for the future.
The Big Plastic Count
THE BIG PLASTIC COUNT We're excited that our school is joining the Big Plastic Count initiative from March 11th to 17th. The issue of plastic waste affects us all, and our young ones must have a say in finding solutions. Click on the link below for more information. https://youtu.be/x0nQHO7Mw-k?si=76vpk8Hf9wXOKqn1 During this initiative, your children will play a vital role in gathering evidence about what happens to our plastic waste. This information will be used to advocate for change at national and global levels, urging UK ministers, supermarkets, and major brands to take action towards phasing out plastic production. In the coming days, your child will receive a ‘Let’s count tally sheet’. Count as you throw from Monday 11th March morning until Sunday 17th March! Simply mark every piece of plastic package as you throw it away on the tally sheet. We encourage you to support them in this activity, and they can then input their findings at home using the unique class link provided on their class page between 18-31 March. Once all the results are in, we'll create our class footprint and share it with the children. We appreciate your continuous support in involving our pupils in these significant initiatives. Thank you, Smart School Council and Miss Kachwalla
Year 4- The Big Plastic Debate
In our Class Worship today we looked at The Big Plastic Debate. As part of this initiative we will count the plastic that we use at home and try to help put a stop to our plastic packaging problem that we have in the UK. We looked at what type of plastics we use and how to identify these using the plastic ID tool available through the website. We can record this and then use the unique code to generate both our class and school footprint. This is all being promoted by Greenpeace who hope to build a strong global plastic treaty to phase out plastic production for good!
The Big Debate Club - Should all children receive pocket money?
This morning we took part in Smart Schools Council Big Debate. It asked us to discuss whether children should all be given pocket money or not? We found that the average pocket money for 11-16 year old is on average £16.30 per week which seems an awful lot, especially with the cost of living crisis! The children debated confidently and used their speaking and listening skills to get their points across. As a class we decided that not all children should receive pocket money for a variety of reasons and if children are old enough they should earn their own money by getting a part time job which will benefit them greatly.
Year 2 - The Big Debate
This morning, we began our day by having a debate in class. This week's topic was ‘should all children be given pocket money?’. We had various points of view in class. We listened to each side of the debate and then voted. As a class the majority of us thought that all children should not be given pocket money. The main reason for this is we thought parents might have more important things to spend their money on.
Year 3- Class Meeting- National Storytelling Week
Today, James led the class meeting while Alfie took notes. We reviewed the actions from our previous meeting, set by the communication team. The primary focus was on the key question: If we had a trolley outside at playtimes with healthy snacks, would you use it? The majority of the classes voted a definite yes. Mrs. Ham took action and listened to what the students wanted, and now KS2 get fruit for break time. In our latest class meeting, we kicked off National Storytelling Week by discussing the question, "How can we enhance the enjoyment of reading in our school? The children voted in favour of revisiting Darwen Library and meeting the authors of their favourite books.
Year 6 Class Meeting
This week, in our smart school council meeting, we discussed how reading can be made more enjoyable in school. The most popular vote was more trips to the library and the children explained that this would give them access to a wider variety of genres. The children also expressed their own ideas on how reading could be made more enjoyable that will be shared at the next school council meeting.
RotaKids and Smart School Council - Toy collection
The RotaKids, Smart School Council of Years 5 and 6 and the rest of the school family at St Barnabas would like to say a massive thank you for your generosity. In just over two weeks, we have been overwhelmed with donations of toys for families in need. The donations will now be distributed amongst families and refugees of Darwen. This will definitely make this time extra special for so many families and that is because of you.
Year 4 Smart School Council
In our Smart School Council session we discussed if we should be able to buy healthy snacks at break time. The vote was a unanimous yes as everyone thought that this was a great idea and we can pay on parent pay beforehand to help things run smoothly.
YEAR 3- NO PENS DAY WEDNESDAY
Year 3 had a great time supporting 'NO PENS DAY' today. To encourage children to speak and listen to each other, the class took part on playing 'Who am I', imaginary show and tell, played snaps using multiplication and division cards and made some Christmas decorations using salt dough. They had a great time and it was a wonderful opportunity to give everyone a chance to talk about something they love and feel proud of.
Year 4 Smart School Council
In today's Smart School Council session, we discussed if we should take part in National No Pens Day on Wednesday 29th November. The children looked at whether it would be a good idea to focus more on speaking and listening activities all day or not. It was a unanimous vote with all six groups voting to take part and suggesting great reasons to do so. We can’t wait to hear the whole school outcome!
Year 3- School Council Meeting
In our class meeting today, set up by the smart school councillors, the children discussed whether we should participate in 'No Pens Day Wednesday'. On this day, the children will not have pens and pencils; instead, we will focus on speaking and listening. Alice led the meeting, and Walter wrote down key notes from the meeting. Every group voted in favour of 'No Pens Day'.
Year 6 School Council Meeting
Year 6 held their latest school council meeting today and discussed whether we should hold a ‘No Pens Day’. Again, they spoke with fantastic maturity and acknowledged the importance of using pens, but expressed that having no pens would give the opportunity to talk about subjects more and learn from each other.
Year 3 - Smart School Council - Recycling
For our Smart School Council this week we discussed what would make us recycle more. Our leader this week was Isabelle and our note taker was Daisy. Out of the four options the highest vote was for having all our products recyclable.
Year 4 Class Council - What makes a good teacher?
In our class worship time we took part in a smart school council session. We discussed what makes a good teacher. Both Summer and Quinn did a great job as Class Leader and Class Note taker . They collected the results from all six groups and it was a tie as two groups chose both ‘a kind and caring personality’ and ‘a motivator who pushes you’ We can’t wait to see the overall school result in the next session.
Year 6 Smart School Council
In year 6, we discussed what we are looking forward to the most this academic year in our smart school council meeting. Most of the children said they are looking forward to learning new things because this will help their own work to improve. I was so impressed with the maturity of year 6’s responses and the high expectations they have for themselves this year.
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Year 3- Class Meeting- What are you most looking forward to this year in school?
Today, in Year 3, we had our first class meeting that has been set up by the school communication team. Darcy was our 'Class Leader' and Desmond took the role of 'Notetaker'. in small groups they discussed the key question ' What they are most looking forward to this year in school'? Three of the groups are looking forward to learning new things and the other two groups are looking forward to making new friends. Their teamwork was outstanding, great work Year 3!
Smart School Councillors
We are proud to introduce our ‘Smart School Councillors’ for the year. From Year 5 we have Laila, Daisy, Harry, Oscar and Leonara. Representing Year 6, we have Isaac, Amelia, Lucy, Sophie and Colton. These dedicated pupils will meet fortnightly to discuss school matters. Smart School Council is an important and useful way for our school to provide leadership and development opportunities for all of our pupils. It is an excellent way in which to increase participation, teaching our pupils about democracy, local and global citizenship and accountability. Their mission is to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard and ideas considered.
Whole School Multiplex Movie Night-
We would like to take this opportunity to thank parents, carers and staff for your incredible support and enthusiasm during our recent movie night. We are thrilled to inform you that our dedicated Rotakids, along with our smart school councillors, have fulfilled their promise and successfully completed their final project. Through their combined efforts and hard work, organising a successful multiplex movie night, together we have managed to raise an impressive sum of £580.60 after the cost of food! This significant amount will contribute towards the school minibus, which will greatly benefit our students by facilitating transportation to sports events, competitions, and other important activities. This achievement is a testament to the incredible community we have at our school. Your dedication and willingness to contribute have made a significant impact on our fundraising efforts. Together, we have not only created a memorable and enjoyable event but also managed to raise much-needed funds.
Year 5 - Smart School Council - Transitions
Today our meeting leader was Ross and our note taker was Jake. First we discussed the previous meetings question regarding movie choices for our film night. We have taken action with this and have selected a variety of movies for the children to choose from on the night. This week we were discussing transitions and how the children would like to get to know their teachers for next year. The choices were two mornings, a 15 minute Q&A session, a full day or an informational poster. The overall preference for the class was to do a full day transition.
Smart School Council in Year 4
In our Smart School Council session we discussed what would help us with our transition into our next school year. We had four options: move up day, two move up mornings, a fifteen minute Q & A or information poster. The children discussed these options carefully and sensitively but the outcome which most groups voted for was for a full day of transition, rather than just the usual afternoon.
Year 5- PSHE-Celebrating Autism Awareness Week
Last week, our Communication Team set the question for pupils to vote on what they wanted to learn about, and the children voted to learn about autism. We are proud to celebrate democracy and British values by giving our pupils the opportunity to have their say in what they learn. In PSHE today, we celebrated Autism Awareness Week by learning about Marvellous Max, a child with autism. The children were fascinated to learn about the unique qualities that children with autism possess, such as their exceptional memory skills, which can be beneficial for their friends. Being different is awesome and we should all celebrate our unique qualities.
Year 4: Smart School Council - All about Autism
In our Smart School Council session today, we looked at how we can promote awareness of autism, in particular, Autism Awareness Week 2023. The children discussed the options very sensitively and highlighted that some people have siblings that are also autistic and have varying needs.
Smart School Council in Year 4
In our Smart School Council session this morning, we discussed whether or not we feel like we can share our problems with others. We also discussed our answers in more detail. Georgie was our class leader and Noah was our note taker and they both did a great job!
Year 5 - Smart School Council. How can we help Turkey and Syria?
In today's school council meeting we discussed the results of the last vote “Shall we have a teacher swap for the day?”. The results from the whole school were in favour of having a teacher swap for a day and the Smart School Council members have set the ball rolling to arrange a day for this to happen. This week's meeting was about how we can raise money to help those affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The class had a choice to vote for either a cake sale, guess how many sweets in a jar or a non-uniform day wearing the flag colours. Year 5 unanimously voted for a non-uniform day, but what will the rest of the school vote for?
Year 5- Smart School Council Teacher Swap
For this weeks council meeting the question was “Would you like a teacher swap in school?”. The majority of the class voted in favour of having a teacher swap saying they would like the opportunity to have new teachers they’ve never had before.
Year 4 Smart School Council
In our Smart School Council session this morning we discussed if we would like to do a ‘swap the teacher’ day. As a class, we voted no to a swap but what will the school vote overall?
Wellbeing Warriors - Idling Campaign
Our Well-being Warriors have been out and about today with their campaign posters about the prevention of Idling. See if you can spot them around our school area and encourage everyone to turn their engines off whilst waiting for their children or doing drop offs.
Year 3 Smart School Council Meeting
This week during our smart school council meeting, we discussed the most important part about having a job. The class had some fantastic discussions and overall, we thought that it was important to have a job that you enjoy and to be able to spend time with your family.
Year 5- School Council Class Meeting- How can we make school feel cosier?
Before we started our class school council meeting today, Rio (leader) read out the results from the last meeting. The highest vote went to allocate litter pickers from each class to keep our school grounds tidy. This week, we discussed how can we make school feel cosier, with the days getting colder. Our note-taker Kaitlyn collated results and found that all of the group voted for option 2 "be allowed to bring in their favourite blankets to wrap up with in class".
Smart School Council -How can our Peace Garden be improved?
In our Smart School Council session this morning, we discussed how our Peace Garden could be used more effectively. We looked at five options. Will was our class leader and Hamza was chief note maker and they did a fantastic job! We looked at British values, especially democracy as part of our discussion process. Our final decision was option 2- to have peace garden monitors.
Smart School Councils- Year 5 and 6
Our Communication Team is made up of Year 5 and Year 6 pupils. We aim to give everyone a voice, enable everyone to lead change and keep everyone up-to-date and involved.
Year 4 - Smart School Council
This fortnight’s Smart School Council question focussed on which subjects we could make more exciting. Year 4 submitted their votes and decided on science. They also suggested ways to improve school, which all centred on break time activities/equipment.
Year 4 Smart School Council
Today in Year 4, we held our second SMART council meeting. Our ‘Class Leader’ was Sienna and our ‘Notetaker’ was Wilson. We discussed how we could improve our playtimes at school. We had four groups with three of them choosing to have football nets and one group choosing the option of having an indoor area to do colouring and mindfulness. The children worked really well within their groups and discussed the five key ideas in a really mature way as did our leaders.
Our first School Council Team Meeting
This week, we held our first school council meeting with our Communication Team made up of Year 5 and Year 6 pupils. We discussed the expectations of our Communication Team and analysed the results from our whole school Class Meeting Question. We found that the school believes that the best way to help our planet is to stop littering and we talked about what we could do as a school to support that. We set out the key roles within our Team and set the next question ready for the school to discuss in the coming weeks. We are excited to see what positive changes we can drive forward by giving everyone a voice in school.
Smart School Council- Year 5
The children in Year 5 were super excited about our first class meeting. Smart School Council which has been launched by Mrs Govan will give our children the opportunity to have a strong voice in the running of their school. Eva was chosen as the meeting leader and Bobby was our notetaker, both very important roles which they took seriously. We went through a series of questions. Subsequently, the class discussed the key question in their groups and each group voted for an answer that they all came to an agreement on. The votes will now be collated and discussed with the communication team.
Year 4- SMART School Council
This morning we held our first SMART School Council meeting in Year 4. We had a Class Meeting leader and a Class Meeting Notetaker. Because so many of us wanted to take the role, we used Class Dojo randomiser to select the pupils. Sophie and Freddie led the meeting and we looked at which example would have the most impact on improving our environment. We worked in groups and the majority thought that to stop littering would have the biggest impact on our planet. Year 4 had a great attitude and discussed ideas with confidence and maturity.