Year 6 - Athletics
This week in PE, Year 6 have been developing their athletics skills and demonstrating fantastic enthusiasm throughout. The children explored effective baton changes in relay running, focusing on timing, communication and smooth transitions to improve overall performance. The children also practised their chest push technique, concentrating on control, balance and generating power, as well as refining their javelin throwing skills with an emphasis on accuracy, distance and safe technique. It has been wonderful to see such great effort, determination and teamwork from all children, with many showing increased confidence and supporting one another to improve. Well done, Year 6!
Times Table Rockstar Champions
A huge well done to our Times table Rockstar champions, who battled it out to take first place in their classes! An incredible 121 children took part, achieving a fantastic total of over 181,000 correct answers, a truly brilliant effort by everyone involved. A special congratulations goes to our winners: Piper-Jo – Year 3 Lottie – Year 4 Charlie – Year 5 Charlie – Year 6 What an amazing achievement, we are so proud of you all!
Year 3 Present Their Learning: Rules For Living to Year 6
Today, Year 3 showed incredible oracy skills by presenting their learning to Year 6. They have been exploring the importance of rules in different parts of life, including our school rules, the law, and how faith guides people through the Ten Commandments. Using what they learned, the children wrote their own "Rule Poems." They worked hard on their writing, making sure to include: Modal verbs (like should or must) to show how important the rules are. Imperative verbs (bossy words like respect, listen, or help) to give clear instructions. The children were amazing and very brave to stand up in front of the older students. Mr Bloomfield even commented on how confident and clear everyone was while speaking. It was a wonderful way to see them use their voices to share such important messages about being good citizens!
Year 6 - Earth Day
To celebrate Earth Day, Year 6 children explored the importance of sustainability by taking part in a creative upcycling project. The children transformed old wooden wheels into beautifully designed Earth themed coasters. The children carefully painted each piece to represent our planet, reflecting on the need to protect natural resources and reduce waste. This hands on activity not only developed their artistic skills but also encouraged thoughtful discussions about how small actions can make a big difference to the environment.
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Year 6 Junior Jam - Music
Year 6 had a fantastic music lesson with Junior Jam, this week. They learned a traditional Swahili song and then played the hand drum parts alongside the song. The end result sounded great!
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.