Year 6 - Athletics
This week in PE, Year 6 began their new unit on athletics, with a focus on throwing. The children were introduced to a range of throwing techniques, including how to develop accuracy, control and distance. The children explored different types of throws and discussed the importance of stance, grip and follow through. Throughout the lesson, the children worked collaboratively, giving and receiving feedback to improve their performance.
Year 6 - High School Transition Session
This week, Year 6 took part in a transition session led by staff from DACA High School. The children were introduced to what to expect in secondary school, including routines, expectations and aspects of school life. The session provided an opportunity for the children to ask questions and begin to feel more confident about the move to Year 7. The children engaged well in the discussions, showing enthusiasm and maturity throughout.
Whole School Worship- Earth Day 2026: Our Power, Our Planet
Today, Mrs Ham led an inspiring whole-school worship focused on Earth Day 2026, which is tomorrow, and our theme, 'Our Power, Our Planet. We explored essential ways to care for our environment, from the importance of recycling and saving water to the impact of planting trees. During the session, the children demonstrated fantastic oral speaking and oracy skills as they discussed their personal pledges with their peers, articulating how they plan to help the environment, not just on Earth Day, but every day! We heard some wonderful stories: Luna spoke about her time picking up litter on holiday in Greece, while Alfie shared that it is an act of kindness to pick up rubbish even if it isn't your own. Jonas also reminded our budding Planet Protectors to wear green for the land and blue for the sea tomorrow to celebrate Earth Day. From planting trees at home to helping grandparents with local litter picks, the children’s ideas were truly inspiring. We also reflected on our efforts as a school family in protecting our planet over the last few months such as planting a microforest at Jacks Key, planting two orchards on our school grounds, our WOW group's pick up dog poo campaign, our Rotakids recycling teddies and winter coats for those in need and focusing on switching off lights and devices. We concluded by singing, 'We Can Make a Difference', and offering a prayer of thanks for our wonderful world, reflecting on how we can all work together to protect our precious planet.
Friday Celebration Worship
We had a fabulous first week back and it was wonderful to see all the children working so hard and settling back into school life so positively. Throughout the week, we spent time reflecting on kindness, thinking carefully about the kind things we have done ourselves and the kindness we have seen in others. This week’s values awards were proudly presented to Luna in Reception, Jasper in Year 1, Noah in Year 2, Archie in Year 3, Bluebell in Year 4, James in Year 5 and Elsie in Year 6. Well done to all of you for consistently demonstrating our school values. In TT Rockstars, Archie and Lyla from Year 4 were awarded certificates for their efforts, fantastic work! Our team values results saw Darwen Tower in fourth place, India Mill in third, Whitehall Park in second and River Darwen taking first place. A huge congratulations to River Darwen, who also won a disco and non-uniform day for achieving the most points last half term, what a brilliant achievement! We were delighted to celebrate a wide range of achievements outside of school this week. Ava was awarded a Level 4 certificate in swimming, while Reggie achieved 50 metres, Mikey 20 metres, Minnie C 10 metres, Isabella achieved Stage 5 and James achieved Stage 1, well done to all our swimmers. Luna earned a yellow belt in kickboxing and Eleanor received a certificate for taking part in a duck hunt. Lydia, Annie, Luna, Thea and Olivia were all awarded badges and certificates in Rainbows for first aid, networking skills, tasty treats and present making. Rosie and Naomi were recognised as seconders in Brownies, taking on an important leadership role. Sophia, Darcy, Daisy and Alexis were all awarded sixer badges in Brownies for their leadership, with Darcy also receiving the Brownies doll for being particularly helpful. Samuel was named Beaver of the Week for his excellent map reading and Isaac was awarded Player of the Week for his fantastic shooting, passing and tackling in football. Congratulations to Reception and Year 3 for achieving the highest attendance this week, keep it up! Finally, we shared some important reminders. Reception families were invited to the upcoming stay and play session and we are looking forward to celebrating Earth Day on Wednesday, with children invited to come dressed in green or blue. Year 3 are excited for their upcoming Rock and River Outdoor Adventure trip and we also look forward to the Whitehall Park afternoon tea taking place on Sunday. We ended our worship with thoughtful prayers led by Sophia and Darcy. Well done to everyone for such a positive and successful week.
Year 6 Junior Jam - Computing
In Computing, year 6 have been working on looping videos. They were tasked with using the Keynote app to create a looping video which included: a GIF, 3D art and cinemagraph. The children then watched and appraised each other's videos.
Year 6 - Science
Today in Science, our Year 6 pupils explored how light travels and how different objects can affect its path. Through a hands-on investigation, the children used cones to model how light travels in straight lines. By carefully adjusting the position of the cones, they observed that light does not bend around objects, helping them to understand key concepts such as how shadows are formed and why we cannot see through opaque materials. The children worked collaboratively, making predictions, testing their ideas and discussing their observations using scientific vocabulary. It was fantastic to see their curiosity, teamwork and critical thinking skills in action throughout the lesson.
Year 6 - Smart School Council
Today during our Smart School Council session, the meeting was led by our Year 6 representatives. The children confidently presented a debate to the class on whether TikTok should be banned, encouraging everyone to think critically about both the positive and negative aspects of social media. The children explored issues such as online safety, screen time and the impact social media can have on wellbeing, as well as recognising how it can be used positively for creativity and communication. The class engaged in a structured discussion, sharing their opinions respectfully, listening carefully to others and responding thoughtfully to different viewpoints. They also took part in a vote at the end of the session, justifying their decisions with clear reasoning. It was fantastic to see such mature, balanced and articulate contributions from all children. A brilliant example of pupil voice in action, helping to develop confidence, oracy skills and an understanding of democracy and modern life.
Whole School Worship - The Value of Kindness
Today, our whole school worship was focussed on the value of kindness and our Kindness Kite of God rewards kindness. We talk about kindness frequently at St Barnabas, especially as it is one of our 4 Be’s. As we came into worship, a video was playing that showed how kind acts affect the recipient, prompting them to pay the kindness forward so that it spreads. The children spotted some acts of kindness in the video and linked these to the charitable activities we have taken part in as a school family recently. Mrs Ham read some motivational quotes and we all acted out sprinkling a glitter trail of kindness and throwing around kindness like confetti. She then showed us the story of The Good Samaritan and explained that showing kindness isn’t something we reserve just for our friends and family; it’s for everyone. Quotes from the Bible about kindness were read brilliantly by Matthew, Darcy and Charlie from this week's Kindness Kite. We then spent some time reflecting on how we will show kindness this week and beyond, and we finished by singing one of our favourite songs, Rich in Kindness.
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Year 6 - Football
This week in PE, our Year 6 pupils continued developing their football skills. The children focused on a range of key aspects of the game through a series of engaging activities. They took part in zone ball to develop accurate passing and teamwork, developed their shooting by aiming to hit a ball placed on a cone and improved their control by dribbling through gates. Throughout the session, the children demonstrated great determination, coordination and sportsmanship, while building their confidence with the ball at their feet. It was fantastic to see their skills progressing and their enthusiasm for the game shining through.
Year 6 - Easter Artwork
Today, our Year 6 class took a trip to the Rose Garden at Whitehall Park to admire the amazing artwork on display. It was fantastic to see contributions not only from Year 6, but from pupils across the whole school. The artwork, inspired by different crosses, showcased a wide range of creative ideas, patterns and meanings, making it a truly special and thoughtful exhibition. The setting of the gardens made the experience even more enjoyable and the children were incredibly proud to spot their own pieces and share the inspiration behind their work with friends. A big well done to all our pupils for their dedication and creativity.
*Spring Amazing Attendance Awards *
*Spring Amazing Attendance Awards * A huge congratulations to all of the children who achieved an amazing attendance certificate today for having over 96% attendance throughout the Autumn and Spring terms! We are so proud of you!
Whole School Worship - God’s Green Earth
As we approach the end of Lent, Mrs Ham led a special worship to celebrate all the efforts our school community has made to give back by looking after our local area and beyond. We couldn’t believe just how much we’ve all achieved in 2026 so far. Some key actions include: Reception class earning the Ruby Robin Award through building bug hotels, spotting birds and taking part in a wildlife quiz; our collective Big Winter Wander to raise money for the World Fund For Nature; our whole-school tree planting day on Jack’s Key; the WOW group planting two community orchards on school grounds; Mr Fairbanks building bird boxes and placing them around school; the Rota Kids collecting pre-loved teddies and coats for charity; the WOW group creating posters about the community poo bag dispenser located outside school, and putting them up all around the local area; and some of our children and parents choosing to go litter picking to help keep our streets clean. We have much more planned for the future, so keep a lookout for our next initiative. We ended our worship with prayers of thanks for God’s creations and singing one of our favourite Fischy Music songs: Make A Difference. Key Stage 2 stayed behind to hear the winners of the March TT Rockstars battle. A huge well done to the winning classes, Years 3 and 6, and to our class champions: Charlie, Charlie, Isabella and Isabelle.