Year 1 History: Off To The Market
Year 1 visited “the market” today and we absolutely loved it. We started off in class by comparing some differences from shopping in the past to modern day. Then, we each wrote shopping lists with 6 items and we had £1 to spend. When we arrived at the market, some of the children became the shopkeepers and some as the shoppers. The shopkeepers had to tell the shoppers how much their items were and count the money and give change. The shoppers could keep their items in brown paper bags. It was lovely to see the children working together, using their imaginations and they have all asked to do it again.
Year 1 DT: Trying Different Bases
Year 1 worked in groups of three to make three different types of bases that we might use for our windmill design. We compared them on their strength, stability and easiness to make. The first design was creating triangle lolly sticks and sticking them up into a pyramid. The second design was using paper plates and cups. The third design was using balls of newspaper and creating a pyramid with them. Year 1 had to create each design in 7 minutes so it was a fair comparison. We decided that the best design was the cups and plates base as it was strong, sturdy and easy to make, with every group being able to make the base in 7 minutes.
Year 1: Darwen Literature Festival
Year 1 were lucky to visit Darwen Library Theatre this morning. The author, Dommy B, told us lots of the poems from his book ‘The Dinosaurs are Back!’ The children loved joining in with the rhymes and sound effects. Some children were even invited onto the stage to say tongue twisters and dance. We couldn’t wait to read the rest of the story when we got back to school.
Year 1 PE: Overarm Throwing
Year 1 have been practising their Overarm throwing skills. Today, we have 3 different types of stations. The first challenge was for Year 1 to throw a beanbag onto a shape. The shapes could either score them 2,5 or 10 points. This also helped us to count in our times tables. The second challenge was to throw three quoits into three hoops that were placed at different distances. This was tricky as the quoits can roll away so Year 1 had to use the correct amount of power in their throw. The final challenge was passing to each other, alternating between overarm and underarm throwing.
Year 1 PSHE: Basic First Aid
Year 1 developed skills in basic first aid. We started by learning about the British Red Cross which is an organisation that responds to disasters, conflicts and personal emergency. We discussed what first aid is and agreed that we would not feel confident to give first aid to someone who needs help. In pairs, we followed the steps to help someone in different emergencies such as an asthma attack, choking, bleeding, burns, someone who is unresponsive and breathing/not breathing and head injuries. Year 1 listened very closely to the instructions and also practiced calling 999. They all felt more confident to know how to help someone or themselves if these emergencies occurred.
Year 1 Science: Live Lesson with Steve Backshall for Oceans Week
Yesterday, Year 1 joined a live lesson with Steve Backshall to learn about the fish that live in the oceans. He was at the National Marine Aquarium and went underwater with his camera! We were able to see lots of different fish, eels, crabs and even small sharks. We learnt lots of amazing facts about the fish and he also told us about the importance of looking after the environment so that rubbish does not go into the oceans.
Year 1 English: Making Predictions
Today, we came to school and found out that a wolf had been sighted on our school grounds! We had a video from Mrs Ham asking Year 1 to help look for clues and eyewitness reports from Mrs Thompson, Miss Kachwalla and Mr Bloomfield which gave us a trail to follow. We found some clues such as a bin bag, packed lunch, honey, a cup, glasses and a red cloak. When we came back to class, we saw the front cover of our new book The Last Wolf and wrote a prediction for the story.
Whole School- Be the Change: Our Kindness Workshop
This morning, Years 1-6 took part in an inspiring 'Kindness Workshop' delivered by Krish, centred on Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quote: "Be the change you want to see in the world." The children explored the three pillars of kindness, being friendly, generous, and considerate, and brainstormed simple everyday actions like smiling, sharing, hugging, complimenting, etc. We looked at powerful, real-life examples from 52 Lives, a charity founded by Jamie in 2013, including Clare from Australia and Andrea from Romania, whose £5,000 operation goal was doubled to £10,000 by kind strangers. This sparked a wonderful discussion about how fortunate we are to have the NHS in our country compared to places where healthcare is very expensive. After watching a video of a young boy comforting an upset football fan after Portugal beat France, the children learned that kindness is actually scientifically proven to make us happier, give us healthier hearts, slow down ageing, and help us live longer. Best of all, kindness is contagious; a single act can spread to 125 people! During the workshop, the children had the opportunity to share kind words with their peers in pairs. They mentioned that giving and receiving compliments felt anywhere from a bit "weird" to really "joyful". At the end of the workshop, the children had a quiz with a series of questions. Arlo, Jack, Molly, Beau, Sophia, Phoebe, Elijah, Eden, Isaac, James, Desmond, Chay, Declan, and Archie did a brilliant job answering the questions, showing great listening skills, and everyone demonstrated our 4 school rules exceptionally well. Afterwards, the children went back into their classrooms to complete their kindness activities. They had a fantastic time making chatterboxes, bracelets, letters, poems, and posters. Lots of kindness has been shared today, and we will definitely continue to share it. We must remember that kindness doesn't cost anything, so we should all use it more.
Year 1: Making Kindness Cards and Bracelets
Year 1 loved learning more about kindness from 52 Lives. They learnt about empathy, friendliness and generosity. In class, they designed cards and bracelets for each other to spread kindness. It was lovely to see them all making things for their friends and the smiles on their faces when they received a card.
Year 1 Phonics
Year 1 have had a longer phonics session today to help them prepare for the upcoming Phonics Screening Check. We played two games. The first game focused on words including split digraphs. The children had to pick a word, read it, write it and draw a picture to match. They were extremely pleased when they could read some trickier words like ‘ice cube’ and ‘fireplace’. Then we played another game focusing on trigraphs. Similar to the popular game Headbandz, the children had to pick up a short sentence and put it on their headband. Partner A had to read the sentence and help sound it out so that Partner B could write the sentence on the whiteboard. The children all worked really well together and tried very hard.
Wraparound Care is coming to St Barnabas!
🎉 Exciting News! On-Site Wraparound Care is Coming to St Barnabas! 🎉 We are delighted to announce that starting in September 2026, we will be offering our own on-site wraparound care service, exclusively for our children! We have partnered with Progressive (formerly Progressive Sports) to deliver high-quality, activity-focused care right here on school grounds. Progressive is the perfect fit because: They provide a strong sports element, creative, wellness, and discovery activities—all popular choices from our parent survey! We will be working closely with them to ensure their provision meets the same high expectations for behaviour and support that we maintain during school hours. Affordable & Flexible Options: We’ve negotiated affordable rates and flexible sessions for our families: Breakfast Club (7:30 am–8:55 am, including breakfast): £5.00 per session. After School Club (3:20/3:30 pm–6:00 pm, including a snack): £8.00 per session. Reduced Session Price: Only £6.00 if attending after a school enrichment club! A 10% sibling discount is available, and Tax-free/Universal Credit childcare vouchers are accepted. Progressive will also offer holiday clubs during some school breaks. We are confident this new service will offer affordable, convenient and high-quality care. Please read the attached letter for further information.
Year 1 RE: How Do Jews Welcome Babies?
In this RE lesson, the children explored how some Jewish families and communities welcome babies. We learnt about Jewish naming ceremonies and discussed how these can differ for boys and girls. The children discovered that, in many Jewish traditions, boys may take part in a Brit Milah ceremony, while girls may be welcomed through a naming ceremony, Brit Bat, often held at the synagogue or at home. We discussed that practices can vary between different Jewish families and communities, and not all Jewish people celebrate in the same way. The children compared similarities and differences between the ceremonies, identifying that both are often joyful celebrations where the baby is welcomed into the community and given their Hebrew name. They also recognised differences in some of the traditions and rituals involved. Throughout the lesson, the children showed respect and curiosity when learning about Jewish beliefs and practices and were able to make thoughtful comparisons with other welcoming ceremonies they have studied.