Foodie Friends club- Valentine Biscuits
Our talented bakers created delightful Valentine’s biscuits in various heart-shaped sizes for our final Foodie Friends Club today. They measured flour and sugar, whisked eggs, rolled out the dough, and used food colouring to achieve a lovely shade of pink. The club has been a fantastic experience. Most children have enjoyed it so much that they’ve been recreating the easy bakes at home for their families.
Year 5 - Dance
Year 5 continued their dance unit, exploring how movement can represent the unique characteristics of planets in our solar system. Using a variety of dance techniques—including levels, direction, speed and formation—they worked collaboratively to bring each planet to life. From the slow, heavy movements of gas giants to the sharp, quick steps reflecting rocky terrains, the children used creativity and expression to showcase their understanding of space through dance.
Year 5 - Online Safety
Year 5 explored the E-Safety poster about scams and fake news in preparation for Safer Internet Day. The children discussed the potential risks and dangers associated with online scams, misinformation and how these can affect people in real life. Through engaging discussions, they identified ways to spot fake news, recognise suspicious links and protect personal information. They also explored the importance of thinking critically before sharing content online, ensuring they can navigate the digital world safely while making the most of the internet’s benefits.
Meet Our Science Ambassadors
We are thrilled to announce that we now have five Science Ambassadors at our school! This exciting role was open to KS2 students, who had to submit an application explaining why they wanted to apply and what made them a strong candidates. We received an incredible number of applications, making the selection process very challenging, but we have now chosen our final five. Our ambassadors are passionate about science, whether it's through experimenting, discovering how things work, or inspiring others to develop a love for the subject. As part of their role, they will support teachers during science lessons, assist their peers with investigations, help set up experiments, and promote a love of science throughout the school. They will also play a key part in science events and initiatives, encouraging curiosity and excitement for learning. We are so proud of them and look forward to Noah, Mathew, James, Cassidy and Naomi shining in their new role!
Year 5 - Children’s Mental Health Week
Today, Year 5 took part in a live Lyfta session focused on this year’s theme for Children’s Mental Health Week: Know Yourself, Grow Yourself. During the session, the children were introduced to a young girl from Azerbaijan and explored the places where she felt safe, as well as how she expressed herself through dance. Following this, the children reflected on their own safe spaces and the ways they express themselves.
Year 5 Junior Jam - Music
Year 5 really enjoyed their Junior Jam music session, this week! They learned about the origins of Boom Whackers and used them alongside a backing track, keeping the rhythm and striking when their colour appeared on the screen. They also learned the “roll” technique, which creates an elongated sound.
Worship with Rev. Ben
Today, we had worship with Rev. Ben, which began with a fun yet challenging relay-style game where we had to balance ping pong balls on a paper plate while moving carefully across the hall. Rev. Ben explained that, just like in the game, life can sometimes feel unsteady or difficult, especially when we are upset or facing challenges. To help us reflect on this, Rev. Ben showed a clip about what Jesus did when he was feeling deeply sad the night before his death. The video illustrated how Jesus turned to God in prayer, seeking strength and comfort during his time of sorrow. Rev. Ben explained that, just like Jesus, we can share our worries and struggles with God, knowing that He listens and understands, and can help us through even the toughest times. He reminded us that no matter how we feel, we are never alone—God is always there to support and guide us.
3rd place at Yr 5/6 Sportshall Athletics Final
We are immensely proud of our Year 5/6 Sportshall Athletics team for their grit and determination, which resulted in them gaining 3rd place out of 27 schools across Blackburn with Darwen. A huge thank you to Mrs Gardner for her dedication to our squad through extra training after school. Thanks to Mr Bloomfield for his support today in organising the field events. We really appreciate the support of the parents who helped to transport the children. Mrs Gardner led the girls team and Mrs Ham led the boys team and we couldn’t be prouder of the whole squad for their effort in each event and their encouragement towards each other. We may be small, but we are mighty! All of the action photos can be found here: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/yr-5-6-sportshall-athletics-final-feb-2025
Year 5 - Fractions of amounts
Today, Year 5 concluded their fractions unit by practising fluency and reasoning with fractional quantities using LBQ. The children tackled a range of challenges, applying their knowledge of equivalent fractions, addition and subtraction of fractions and problem-solving in real-life contexts. They worked with great focus, demonstrating resilience and accuracy as they refined their understanding.
Foodie Friends club- Cupcakes
Today, in Foodie Club, the bakers worked in small groups to make cupcakes. They carefully weighed the butter, flour and sugar, whisked the eggs, and followed the recipe closely to ensure a smooth and well-blended mixture. They particularly enjoyed licking the spoon and the mixing bowl.
.jpg)
Children's Mental Health Week Launch Worship & YOP- Talents
This morning Mrs Ham launched our Children's Mental Health Week theme of 'Know yourself, Grow Yourself'. We started by looking at our school vision that says 'Achieving great things through learning and growing together'. We thought about what the growing together means and we had some super suggestions such as growing emotionally and mentally, getting better at things and not giving up when we find things hard. We then looked at our emotions and how they control our brain, just like in the film Inside Out. We thought about the times when our brain tells us that we aren't good at things and we had some great examples such as in acro when doing cartwheels, in maths or art and when we do things for the first time. We thought of ways to challenge our brains and help ourselves grow by doing things that we enjoy such as listening to music, taking part in sports or other hobbies, showing courage to try new things etc. We then focused on our Year of Prayer for this week which is thanking God for our talents. We shared our talents and thought about ways we could express our talents this week and especially on our dress to express day on Friday. We reflected on how we should shine from the inside out and always respect each other's God given talents and the way we like to express ourselves. We discussed that if we laugh at the way someone likes to express themselves then that might hurt their feelings and they will feel sad and won't want to express themselves that way again. We said a lovely prayer thanking God for our talents and how we promise to share them with others and respect others' talents. We finished with singing one of our favourite songs 'Shine from the inside out' which reminds us that God knows us, loves us and fills us with talents that we need show to everyone we meet.
Year 5 Art - Sketching
In art, year 5 have been working on ideas for sketching a futuristic design. They carefully traced space-themed images, using sketching pencils and tracing paper. They then transferred their chosen images into their sketch pad and used their pencils to shade and blend. All of the children have produced amazing artwork!