Image of Reception: Muddy Monday
28 Oct

Reception: Muddy Monday

Today, our Reception children went for a walk into our local environment. We went on a mile walk to Jack Keys reservoir. The children enjoyed looking at the reservoir, the fallen leaves and loved listening to the birds singing. The children really concentrated on what they could see and hear, exploring spirituality. It was a rainy walk and the children persevered and enjoyed splashing in the puddles too.

Image of Choir - Let’s Go Sing workshop
17 Oct

Choir - Let’s Go Sing workshop

Choir took part in their first Let’s Go Sing workshop in preparation for their concern in March next year. Rose was super impressed with how much they have learnt in such a short space of time! They represented our school brilliantly and demonstrated so many of our Christian Values throughout the workshop, showing lots of courage and respect. I have no doubt that they will be amazing on the stage when we get to Blackpool! Well done choir!

Image of Harvest Church Service 2024
17 Oct

Harvest Church Service 2024

Thank you to our Wow group, EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2 classes for leading our Harvest celebration at church today. I have uploaded some videos to class dojo and additional photos can be found here: https://stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/harvest-church-service-2024 It was wonderful to see so many of our families in attendance. A huge thank you to you all for coming to watch and thank you to all of our families for your continued support this half term. Thank you for all of your kind harvest donations, these can be continued to be sent in during the first week that we are back at school. Wishing you all a wonderful half term, Mrs Wilkinson

Image of Year 5 - Mayan Workshop
8 Oct

Year 5 - Mayan Workshop

Today, Year 5 visited Darwen Library to take part in an exciting Mayan workshop. Along the way, we took a moment to reflect on spirituality, encouraging the children to be mindful of their surroundings, appreciate the beauty of nature, and recognise the unique characteristics that make our town so special. This time of reflection helped foster a sense of connection to both the environment and their community. Once at the library, the children participated in a range of fun, creative activities. They worked together to find books to answer key questions, explored various sections of the library to locate different types of books, and engaged in a lively Mayan quiz to test their knowledge. The workshop not only deepened their understanding of Mayan culture but also strengthened their research and teamwork skills, making the day a fulfilling blend of learning, exploration, and reflection.

Image of Key Stage 2 - Rocksteady Workshop
26 Sep

Key Stage 2 - Rocksteady Workshop

This morning, Key Stage 2 had a fantastic time during a Rocksteady workshop, where they got the chance to create their own rock band! The children were able to step into the roles of musicians, playing instruments like the drums, guitar, bass guitar, and keyboard. A huge well done to all the children who participated, showing confidence and enthusiasm as they took to their instruments and played with impressive skill. The session was a great opportunity for them to experience the excitement of performing together as a band.

Image of Year 6 - Alice in Wonderland Workshop
12 Sep

Year 6 - Alice in Wonderland Workshop

After watching the Alice in Wonderland production, year 6 were lucky enough to take part in a workshop with the cast. They had a discussion about what goes into making a good show: costumes, direction, technology, acting and got to have a go at some of these elements themselves. Hopefully, some of the knowledge they have gained from this experience will be carried forward into their own performance at the end of the year.

Image of Reception: Muddy Monday
15 Jul

Reception: Muddy Monday

Wow! What a year we have had in Reception. The children have made so much progress during our forest schools sessions. They have improved in their stamina, risk taking, problem solving and imagination skills. We have loved seeing all of the children blossom and made the most of our last Muddy Monday session together!

Image of Year 3- Rock and River-
11 Jul

Year 3- Rock and River-

Year 3 had an amazing day at Rock and River today, participating in various challenging activities, including the low ropes course, climbing tower, airbag jump, rafted canoes, sit-on-top kayaks, paddle boards, and mega paddle boards. Despite finding the water cold, nothing stopped them from jumping in and getting wet! They had an absolute blast, demonstrating our school's Christian values by being brave and showing courage, determination, and respect throughout the day. Their behaviour and manners were so impressive that even the instructors were in awe.

Image of Year 4 - RE: Symbolism in the Methodist Church
10 Jul

Year 4 - RE: Symbolism in the Methodist Church

We ended our final RE unit of Year 4 with a class trip to Springvale Methodist Church. The children had the opportunity to explore the church, looking for symbols of Christianity and they listened attentively as Rev Elizabeth explained all about the Methodist faith. The children also had a chance to ask some questions and comment on the features they had noticed. We were impressed by the children’s behaviour and their thought-provoking questions.

Image of Year 5 - Bikeability
5 Jul

Year 5 - Bikeability

Year 5 took part in the first session of Bike Ability. The children learnt how to: ride a bike safely and sensibly, check their bikes are suitable for the road, ensure brakes are working and ensure they are conducting themselves in a safe manner. They then went out on their bikes with the instructors and learnt how to correctly use their bikes on the main roads.

Image of Reception: Rev Ben Visit
3 Jul

Reception: Rev Ben Visit

A huge thank you to Rev Ben for visiting our class this week. Rev Ben read a story from the bible all about the Holy Spirit. He told us how if we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will live in us. Rev Ben asked 6 children to come to the front and dressed them in party hats. Pentecost is the birthday of the church. Christians believe that God’s present to us all to celebrate Pentecosts is the Holy Spirit. It is a superpower that lives inside of us all. Thank you to Rev Ben for giving up his time to teach our children.

Image of Year 4 - Linking Schools: Final Visit
3 Jul

Year 4 - Linking Schools: Final Visit

This week saw the final meeting with our link school, St Matthew’s. It allowed Year 4 class to be the hosts and what amazing hosts our children were! We spent the day working in teams with our friends, playing problem solving games using hoops and bean bags and building sturdy towers from newspaper and masking tape. We were so proud of them all for making the Kestrels Class welcome. Some of the children even requested that we stay in touch next year.