Year 6 - 52 Lives
This week, our whole school was treated to an inspiring worship session delivered by 52 Lives, a charity that celebrates the art of being kind and encourages people to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Following the workshop, Year 6 returned to the classroom to focus on their own kindness project. The children explored different ways to spread kindness and positivity within our school community. They created thoughtful poems, designed kindness-themed chatterboxes, set up affirmation stations filled with encouraging messages and produced colourful posters celebrating the importance of kindness. It was wonderful to see the children embracing the message of the worship and demonstrating creativity, empathy and thoughtfulness as they reflected on how small acts of kindness can make a big difference. Our classroom was filled with positivity as we celebrated kindness together.
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.
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.
DPSSA Netball League
This evening Team B took part in their second evening of netball fixtures. First we played against Sudell and came away with an 11-0 win and then we played St Joseph’s which was a super tight game but we managed to secure a 6-5 win in the end. A great evening of superb play and sportsmanship by every member of the team- well done!
Year 6 - Numeracy Day
As part of National Numeracy Day, our Year 6 children took part in an exciting oracy-based maths activity using a concept cartoon linked to real-world numeracy challenges. Working collaboratively, the children discussed and solved a variety of problems linked to important global themes including tree planting, clean energy, water conservation, recycling and reducing carbon footprints. The tasks encouraged pupils to apply their knowledge of percentages, ratio, area, multiplication and reasoning in meaningful contexts. Throughout the activity, the children explained their ideas, justified their methods and listened respectfully to the opinions of others, developing both their mathematical understanding and their speaking and listening skills. The concept cartoon showed the children that there can be more than one way to solve a problem and encouraged deeper mathematical thinking. It was fantastic to see the children demonstrating resilience, teamwork and confidence while recognising how maths can help make a positive difference in the wider world.
Year 6 - Emotive Poetry
This week, Year 6 have been exploring emotive poetry writing, focusing on expressing their feelings about SATs and how these assessments do not define who they are. The children reflected on their own journeys throughout the process, including the challenges they have faced, the progress they have made and the importance of recognising their wider strengths beyond test results.
Year 6 - Debt Awareness: Enterprise
This week, Year 6 had a visit from the Debt Aware team. The theme of this module was enterprise. The children learned what it meant to be an enterprising person and the qualities needed to start a business. They discussed costs, diversifying, profit and loss for businesses and what business owners need to consider when starting a new business or buying property. They also learned what it means to be an entrepreneur and that sometimes it can take a lot failure before someone creates a successful business.
Year 6 Junior Jam - Music
This week was Y6's final week learning how to play African drums. Today, the children learned more about the cultural differences between ourselves and African countries and also watched videos of the drums being played. They were then tasked with composing their own rhythms and some children performed for the rest of the class.
Whole School Worship - Pentecost
This week, Tuesday’s worship focussed on the Christian celebration of Pentecost. Mrs Ham began by asking the children what they remember about Pentecost, to which some children replied, “When the Holy Spirit came”, “Fire on people’s heads” and “When they spoke in different languages”. We watched a film about a group of pandas waiting for a special gift of some new musical instruments. They woke very early for the delivery but they had the wrong day and the gift wasn’t due until the day after. They had a bedtime story about Jesus’ disciples waiting for a wonderful gift, but they were unsure when it would arrive. Suddenly a strong wind blew and they all had flames on their heads and a warm feeling inside, they knew God’s power had struck them and he was living inside their hearts. Jesus will always be with them and he asked them to always be with him as he was with them. They ran into the streets and Peter shouted to the people that Jesus had rescued them and that Jesus’ love is never breaking and always and forever. Even though not everyone could speak the same language, they all still understood Peter’s words. Mrs Ham told us that Pentecost is also known as the birthday of the church. We all then sang one of our favourite hymns, “He Is Alive” to finish our Pentecost celebration.
Year 6 - How is light reflected?
Today during science, Year 6 explored how light is reflected and absorbed. The children investigated how different surfaces affect the way light behaves, identifying which materials reflect light well and which materials absorb light. The children also discussed how this is seen in everyday life, such as in mirrors, clothing and other common objects.
Year 6 SATs have finished!!
💙 To our wonderful, grown-up “Ducklings," As you finish your SATs week, I wanted to take a moment to tell you exactly how incredibly proud I am of every single one of you. Watching you tackle these SATs with such positivity, grit, and quiet confidence has been the absolute highlight of my year. It feels like only yesterday that most of you were my little Ducklings in Reception. Nearly seven years ago, you walked into school with oversized jumpers, perhaps a few nerves, and a lot of wonder in your eyes. Back then, we were celebrating small victories like lining up straight or learning to write our very first letters. The transformation from those tiny Ducklings into the confident leaders and role models of the school you are today is nothing short of amazing. It has been great to have so many wonderful additions to our class throughout the years too. You have grown in so many ways that a test paper could never measure: * Your Kindness: The way you support one another when things get tough. * Your Resilience: How you’ve bounced back from challenges over the years including lockdowns and remote learning. * Your Character:The unique, funny, and brilliant individuals you have become, with a dash of sass! While these tests are a way to show what you know, they don’t show who you really are. They don't capture your talents in art, your skills on the sports field, your beautiful singing voices, or the way you make your friends laugh. You have navigated this week with your heads held high and I’ve loved that you have been more focused on our breakfasts together being of the ‘highest quality! than worrying about the tests. You aren't just "ready" for the next chapter; you are going to soar. Once a Duckling, always a Duckling—but my goodness, what magnificent wings you have grown! Well done, Year 6! Roll on the London trip and your Greatest Showman Production!! With much love and admiration, Mrs Ham 💙 P.S. A huge thank you to your parents for their amazing support throughout your time at St Barnabas. P.P.S A massive thank you to every single staff member that has played a special part in your journey throughout your time at St Barnabas. A special thanks to Mr Bloomfield, Mrs Irshad and Mrs Pendlebury for their support leading up to and during the SATs. What a fabulous team!
Year 6 Junior Jam - French
This week in French, year 6 have been practising adjectives to express the reasons for their interest in a particular job. The children thought about which jobs they would/would not like to do in the future, using adjectives to explain why. They also had fun playing a few class games, trying to describe and guess each other's jobs.