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World Book Day Worship with Key Stage 2
World Book Day Worship with Key Stage 2. Todays session started with a WBD quiz from Primary League Primary Stars in association with WBD. We completed the quiz in our classrooms and it had a football focus. An example question was - Which Premier League club does the current Wales men’s national team captain, Harry Wilson, play for? A mix of authors and footballers asked the questions with Katherine Randell who wrote Year 4’s class novel ~ The Explorer asking question six. The children absolutely loved the interactive quiz and worked to support each other in answering the football heavy questions. What a super way to kick off our World book Day Celebrations and celebrate The National Year of Reading. We finished with Ben and Alex who told us about the ‘Go All In’ challenge which we look forward to taking part in.
Year 6 Junior Jam: French
This week in French, the Year 6 children learned how to express opinions about things they do / do not like to do in their spare time. They also played a class game to help them revise the names of places to visit in our town and city centres.
Year 6 - Pinocchio Performance
As part of this year’s World Book Day celebrations, our whole school was given the exciting opportunity to perform scenes from Pinocchio. Each year group focused on a different part of the story, working together to bring the tale to life. Year 6 explored the ending section of the story, using expressive dance and dramatic freeze frames to capture the key moments and emotions. Their creative performance helped to conclude the story in a powerful and engaging way, showcasing their teamwork, imagination and understanding of the narrative.
Year 6 - Macbeth Commentary
Today, Year 6 focused on developing their oracy skills through an engaging sports commentary task. The children explored how to use pitch, tone, pace and purposeful pauses to build suspense and engage an audience, just like professional commentators. Applying these techniques to their English learning, they created a live-style commentary of Macbeth being crowned king in Macbeth. The children carefully considered how their voices could reflect the atmosphere of the moment — from the tension leading up to the crowning to the dramatic announcement itself. They then performed their commentaries to the class, confidently embodying their roles as commentators. It was fantastic to see them experimenting with expression, projection and timing to bring their writing to life, demonstrating both creativity and growing confidence in their speaking and listening skills.
Year 6 - Handwriting and Spellings
Today, Year 6 focused on handwriting and spellings. They filled their pages with carefully practised words, using beautifully joined handwriting and showing a clear understanding of letter formation. Their work reflected pride, accuracy and a touch of poetic flair.
KS2 Timestable Rockstar Battle
A huge well done to our champions of this month’s Times Table Rockstars Battle! Our individual champions are: Year 6 – Luca Year 5 – Charlie Year 4 – Bobby-Ray Year 3 – Charlie A special congratulations to Year 6 and Year 4, who were our overall winning teams and claimed victory in their class battles. Well done to everyone who participated — your effort, enthusiasm and determination made it a fantastic competition!
Whole School Worship
During today’s whole school worship, we reflected on what we might give for Lent. We explored how Lent is a time of sacrifice, remembering Jesus’ sacrifice, but also a time to give — not only by giving something up, but by giving more of ourselves. We thought about how we can share smiles, kindness, love and live out our Christian values in simple, meaningful ways each day. The children shared thoughtful ideas about small changes they could make, both at school and at home, to show patience, forgiveness and generosity. We also focused on this week’s Kindness Kite theme, “Share what you have,” reminding ourselves that even the smallest act of generosity — sharing time, helping a friend or offering encouraging words — can make a big difference to others.
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Whole School Worship - Ramadan
During worship, we were also treated to a special and informative reflection on Ramadan, thoughtfully led by Miss Kachwalla. The session helped us to understand the importance of this sacred month in Islam — a time of prayer, fasting, reflection and generosity. We learned about how Muslims around the world show dedication, self-discipline and compassion during Ramadan, and how values such as kindness, gratitude and community are central to this time. It was a wonderful opportunity to deepen our understanding, celebrate diversity within our school community and reflect on the shared values that bring us together. We also looked at the similarities between Lent and Ramadan and how they were both important times to give to others and give food up or fast to feel closer to God.
Blackburn with Darwen Schools Cross Country - Event 1
What a fantastic start to Cross Country season! Year 5/6 Team B squad all performed superbly at tonight’s first race event and in true St Barnabas Style, they encouraged each other every step of the way and we are super impressed with their effort and sheer determination- well done!
Friday Celebration Worship
What a wonderful and incredibly busy first week back we have had in school. On Monday we welcomed special visitors into our school and they were so impressed with the children’s beautiful behaviour, their hard work and their fantastic oracy skills. We are so proud of the way our children represent our school community. A huge thank you to Miss Kachwalla for organising Mad Science, it was a brilliant experience and the children absolutely loved it. This week we have also spent time reflecting on Lent, thinking carefully about what we might give up and how we can grow closer to God during this special season. It has been lovely to see so many children taking part in our amazing after-school clubs and joining in with the Big Winter Wander. We are delighted to celebrate our Values Award winners this week. In Reception, Mason and Phoebe have shown our school values so beautifully. In Year 1, well done to Thea. In Year 2, congratulations to Joey. In Year 3, Alice and Evie have impressed us all. In Year 5, well done to Miles, and in Year 6, congratulations to Beau. Our Pen Licence this week goes to Scarlett in Year 4, what a fantastic achievement for your presentation and handwriting. In our Team Values results, fourth place goes to Darwen Tower, third place to Whitehall Park, second place to India Mill and in first place this week is River Darwen. A huge well done to River Darwen who will get to wear their own clothes on Friday for their disco, enjoy your celebration. We also have so many wonderful sporting achievements to celebrate. Alice has been awarded a trophy in cheerleading for coming second place. Bowen has received a football trophy for his excellent skills. Ida and Layla have both earned a badge for riding trot in horse riding. Phoebe has achieved her 10m swimming certificate and Stage 3. Olivia and Eleanor have earned a Rainbows badge for baking, trying different foods, completing a duck hunt and caring for animals carefully, and Eleanor has also achieved a water skills certificate. Maggie has been awarded a purple belt in martial arts for her fantastic kicking and punching, as well as achieving Stage 3 in gymnastics. Annabelle has received the hardest worker certificate in dance and has the amazing opportunity to go to New York for a dance show, we are so proud. Callie and Charlie have both achieved their 50m swimming certificates. Lyla has won medals in dancing. Seb and Scarlett have received certificates from a sports club during the half-term holidays and Scarlett's netball team also won the league. Tristan has been awarded a purple belt for punching and blocking. Ted has won a huge trophy for BMX racing for coming second in his age category. Lydia has awarded Olivia from Brownies for being kind and helpful. Grace has achieved dance medals for coming second and third. A special well done to our Year 5 football team who played six games, drawing two, narrowly losing one game 1–0, and winning three – a fantastic effort and great teamwork. Well done to Year 1 and Year 3 for achieving the highest attendance this week, your commitment to being in school every day really does make a difference. Looking ahead, we are excited for World Book Day next week. On Tuesday we have special Pinocchio dance workshops and a performance to look forward to. Don't forget to get your dolly peg book character entries in too. On Thursday, children can either dress as a book character or come in their pyjamas. Reception will be performing for Mother’s Day on Friday 13th March and we warmly invite families to join us for our Mother’s Day Sunday Service at church on Sunday 15th March where all of our children are welcome to sing to their Mums. Thank you to Olivia and Ava for leading us in our prayers this week.
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Year 6 - 1911 Census Boycott
Today in History, Year 6 focused on the reasons why many women in 1911 refused to fill in the national census. The children learned that some women, particularly Suffragettes and Suffragists, believed it was unfair to be counted in a country where they were not allowed to vote. They explored the powerful idea behind the protest slogan: “If women don’t count, neither shall they be counted.” The class discussed the wider fight for women’s rights at the time, including the campaign for equal voting rights and considered why refusing to complete the census was seen as a peaceful but powerful act of protest. The children examined how women may have felt in 1911 — frustrated, determined, brave and hopeful for change. To deepen their understanding, the children created their own 1911 census entries, adding impactful and persuasive slogans to reflect the strength of feeling among campaigners. This helped them to empathise with the challenges women faced and to appreciate the courage it took to stand up for equality.
Year 6 - Map Reading
Today, the children began their orienteering unit, focusing on developing their map-reading skills. They explored how to interpret simple symbols, understand keys and recognise different features shown on a map. The class discussed the importance of orientation and how maps are designed to represent real spaces from a bird’s-eye view.