Year 1 PE: Throwing and Catching
Year 1 continued to practise their skills of throwing and catching. We introduced chest passes to make straight, quick throws and practised catching the ball with our arms out ready to receive. Year 1 noticed that if you have a larger distance between a partner, it was easier to bounce pass the ball.
Year 1 RE: How Do Muslims Welcome Babies?
Today in RE, we explored the question: How do Muslims welcome babies? We learned about Aqiqah, a ceremony that many Muslim families use to welcome a new baby into the community. We discussed some traditions that may take place during Aqiqah, such as cutting the baby’s hair, giving to charity and gathering with family and friends to celebrate. We then compared similarities and differences between Aqiqah and Baptism. The children identified that Baptism often involves the use of water and oil, whereas Aqiqah may involve cutting the baby’s hair. We also discussed that, in Christianity, people can be baptised at different ages, not only as babies. The children recognised that both celebrations can represent belonging, welcoming and the importance of family, faith and community.
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Mad Science Club- Our Sticky Science Adventure
In today’s Mad Science After School Club, our young scientists explored the incredible world of chemistry by looking at the building blocks of everything around them! The children dove into the process of constructing and deconstructing molecules to understand how polymers are formed. Putting their knowledge to the test, the children successfully created their very own Potty Putty using simple household ingredients like PVA glue and a magic activator. By mixing these together, they witnessed a "cross-linking" reaction where liquid molecules hooked together to create a stretchy, bouncy, and gooey solid. It was a fantastic, hands-on way to see how everyday materials can be transformed into a brand-new scientific creation.
Amazing Attendance Award- Top 10% Nationally
🌟 We’ve Struck Gold -Amazing Attendance Award 🌟 We have officially been honoured with another National School Attendance Award for the 2025/26 Spring Term to go with our 2025/26 Autumn Term Award. Thanks to the incredible dedication of our children and the unwavering support of you—our parents and carers—we have been ranked again in the Top 10% of all FFT primary schools in England. Excellent attendance isn't just about a certificate; it’s about ensuring our children have every opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed alongside their friends. Being in the top 10% nationally is a massive achievement and speaks volumes about the value our families place on education. 🙏 A Heartfelt Thank You 🙏 We know that getting the children up, ready, and through the gates every morning takes effort. This award belongs to you and your children just as much as it belongs to the school. Let’s keep this amazing momentum going into the Summer Term! 🚀 #StBarnabasProud #AttendanceMatters #TopTenPercent #SchoolSuccess
Year 1 Science: Examining Wild Plants
Year 1 looked closely at four wild plants today: daisies, dandelions, bluebells and buttercups. We used magnifying lenses to look closely at these plants and draw them. They understood that wild flowers are not planted by people, but grow on their own.
Year 1 RE: Jesus’ Baptism
Today we focused on Jesus’ baptism. This is when John baptised Jesus in the River Jordan and the Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove. God said “this is my Son whom I love”. As Christians, we follow Jesus’ example and way of life, therefore being baptised is a way that Christians will follow Jesus. The children retold the story through filling in the missing words and drew a picture to match.
River Darwen Disco
Today, River Darwen enjoyed their disco and came in their own clothes to celebrate earning the most Value Points last half term. Thank you DJ Bloomfield for hosting!
Year 1 Maths: Measuring Capacity
Year 1 enjoyed using concrete resources to measure the capacity of different containers. They really enjoyed using cups of water to measure the capacity of a jug. It was impressive to see the children ensuring that they filled the cup to the same place every time to create an equal measurement.
Year 1 RE: Experiencing a Baptism
Year 1 were very fortunate to experience a baptism today. We had a doll in a beautiful christening gown. We had some parents and godparents who helped to care for the baby at church and make important promises to God. The children listened very well to all of the important readings and joined in with prayers. Rev Ben showed us the story of Jesus’ Baptism, which we will be focusing on next week, as well as explaining the important objects used in a baptism, such as the oil, candle, holy water and Bible. After the baptism, we had a party to celebrate the baby joining God’s Family. Thank you to Rev Ben for hosting the baptism and providing the children with a real life experience.
Whole School Worship - One Way Giving
In this whole school collective worship, we developed our understanding of one way giving. Our Year 6 heads and deputies began by sharing what each class did for our Hop, Skip and Jump event. Jacqui, a representative from East Lancs Hospice came to award us with participation certificates and to reveal that we raised a fantastic £357 during our event. Thank you to all our children and parents for your support. Mrs Ham then shared this week’s One Way Giving kindness kite. Three of our KS2 children volunteered to read the sections of the kite and we learned that the Bible says we should give in secret and God will reward us. After this, we watched a cartoon of the event when Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding in Canaan. He secretly asked the servants to fill the jars with water and turned it into wine. The master of ceremonies tasted the wine and approved it to be a very good wine thinking it was provided by the groom. The groom received the praise, and only the servants and God knew that Jesus had performed this miracle. This was a great example of one way giving. Finally, Mrs Ham and Mr Bloomfield put up our new Widgit symbols, with the help of our children, on our Big Frieze to help the children understand God’s Big Story.
Year 1 Geography: Exploring Darwen
As part of our Geography unit, Year 1 explored our local area in Darwen. We visited many places such as India Mill, Darwen Town Hall, Darwen Heritage Centre, Darwen Leisure Centre and Bold Venture Park. It was a long 8km walk and the children enjoyed seeing different areas in their town.
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Year 1 Geography: Darwen Heritage Centre
Year 1 enjoyed exploring Darwen Heritage Centre. The volunteers gave us lots of information about Darwen Tower, Whitehall Park, Sunnyhurst Woods and Bold Venture Park. One volunteer was even a student at St Barnabas when he was younger! The children were shocked to hear that at one time, Darwen did not have any schools. When schools were created, children only came to school for five years then went to work. We loved seeing the models of Darwen Tower and India Mill.