Singing Worship
We came together as a whole school to start practising our Christmas songs and think about why these songs are important. The highlight was definitely Ding Dong!
Year 1 History: Putting Out The Great Fire of London
Today, we examined evidence, primary sources and artefacts to help us understand how the people of London tried to put out the fire in 1666. We learnt that Samuel Pepys wrote a diary and buried it with wine and cheese, which we still use today to understand the events of the fire. We also used pictures and artefacts, such as a leather bucket to understand ways the fire was put out. We did some role play using our buckets and filling it with water from the River Thames and throwing it onto the flames. When that didn’t work, we used a water pump to try and extinguish the flames, but that did not work either. We started to pull down houses with fire hooks to create a fire break, which did help stop the spread of the fire. Ultimately, the fire ended as the wind stopped blowing and the fire was contained. Year 1 really enjoyed stepping into the role of the people in London and understood how tricky it was to put the fire out without fire engines like today.
Craft Club
We have had a great term at Craft Club doing Christmas crafts! Week 1: We used lots of resources to produce Christmas cards for family and friends. Some children folded 2D nets to create 3D gift bags. Week 2: We made beaded Christmas tree decorations and keychains using excellent fine motor skills to thread and shape our designs. Week 3: Finally, today we decorated our very own Christmas stocking using fabric pens and patches. Some of the older children were trained on how to safely use a hot glue gun to apply their designs. Everyone has been fantastic and Becky is looking forward to returning in 2026! ✨
TT Rockstars Battles
Good evening, To further promote times tables within our school, we have set up a Key Stage 2 battle on TT Rockstars, where the children will compete once a month, for a week, to see who can take the top spot. We encourage all pupils to get involved, both at school and at home, battling it out to improve their times tables skills. Prizes will be awarded to the child with the highest score in each year group and an overall trophy will be given to the winning class. I will update next week with the winners of each year group and the overall winner. The battle will take place once per month and is scheduled for the week commencing the 24th of each month. This month’s battle is now live! Many thanks, Mr Bloomfield
Year 5 - Presentation of Learning
We finished our English topic of narrative poetry by presenting our learning to Year 6. The children told Year 6 all about the Highwayman by Alfred Noyes. They spoke clearly and fluently about the themes of the poem and the techniques the poet used to create a picture in the reader’s mind. They told year 6 about the metaphors, expanded noun phrases and onomatopoeia within the stanzas before performing the poem as a class using physical actions to communicate meaning.
Key Stage 1 Multi-Skills Festival
What a super morning we have had at the Key Stage 1 Multi- Skills Festival at St Bedes. The ten children from Year 1 had to move around the stations which involved a variety of physical activities that build fundamental movement skills like running, jumping, throwing, and catching, while also developing agility, balance, and coordination. These activities incorporated games and challenges that will improve the children's ability to work with others, follow instructions, and solve problems. At the end each school was awarded medals and the children were so happy and proud. A huge thank you to our Year 6 Sports Leaders for their support and encouragement.
PSHE - Stereotypes in Year 4
In our PSHE session this week, we were looking at stereotypes. Discussing Stereotypes help to teach the children limiting beliefs about who they are and what they can do, often based on gender, race, or appearance, which can impact their self-esteem, career choices, and relationships. We can challenge stereotypes by using gender-neutral language, establishing role models, encouraging all children to try different activities, and developing critical thinking skills so they can question stereotypes they encounter in the media or from peers. The children worked in smaller groups and used their oracy skills to share these with the rest of the class which was brilliant to see.
Meet Our Science Ambassadors
We are absolutely thrilled to announce that we have expanded our Science Ambassadors and now have seven passionate representatives! For the first time ever, the role was open to both KS1 and KS2 students (previously KS2 only). We were overwhelmed by the incredible enthusiasm, receiving a huge number of applications from students explaining their passion and suitability for the role. The selection process was tough, but we have chosen our final seven. These enthusiastic leaders will be crucial in supporting our upcoming science initiatives; specifically, they will play a key role in the planning session with the Science Leader for British Science Week (BSW), where the team will focus on three key areas: determining the Big Idea by aligning the BSW theme with school goals; planning engaging Shows & Activities, including booking external providers, aiding teachers during practical lessons and assisting peers with scientific investigation to foster a culture of curiosity and learning across the school. We are so proud of them and look forward to Grace, Daisy, Jack, Harry, Elijah, Oliver and Minnie shining in their new role!
Year 3- Science-Identifying Endoskeletons, Exoskeletons, and Hydrostatic Skeletons
This afternoon, our young scientists (supported by our excellent Science Ambassadors, Elijah and Harry) were busy investigating the frameworks that support life. We started by recalling the difference between vertebrates (animals with a backbone) and invertebrates (animals without one), and defining what a skeleton is. The main task was to become Skeleton Detectives, researching various animals to identify whether they possess an endoskeleton (internal, like humans and fish), an exoskeleton (external armor, like crabs and insects), or a hydrostatic skeleton (fluid-filled, like earthworms and jellyfish). For the final challenge, the children discovered an interesting fact about each animal's framework, explaining exactly how that specific skeleton helps them with movement and protection, showcasing their excellent understanding of biological support systems.
Friday Celebration Worship
This morning in our celebration worship we starting by thanking all the parents for their contributions to Children in Need. We thanked Miss Kachwalla for her workshops for Inter Faith week as we have all learnt so much about Islam. We also said a big thank you and goodbye to Miss Flynn for everything she has done for our school and wished her lots of luck as she starts her maternity leave. We will miss her! Firstly, we congratulated our new Science Ambassadors Minnie S in Year 1, Olly in Year 2, Elijah and Harry in Year 3, Jack in Year 4, Daisy in Year 5 and Grace in Year 6. Well done for your successful applications, it was so tough for Miss Kachwalla, our Science leader and class teachers to decide after an overwhelming number of applications. We celebrated our Value Award winners Ohana, Minnie S and Percy in EYFS and KS1 and Iyla, Jacob, Ted and Tilly in KS2. These children consistently follow our 4B’s, show our Christian values and have a strong work ethic in all lessons. We congratulated River Darwen for earning the most value points as a team this week. Additionally, we congratulated Year 1 for 97.4% attendance this week and Year 3 for 98.9% attendance this week. We then celebrated our out of school star achievers. We celebrated Ella-Grace for winning a trophy for her football training in Blackpool and showing lots of skill with her left foot, Reggie, Cassius and Jack for winning player of the week in their football teams and Beau for showing good listening and tackling in her football training. Additionally, Olivia received the Captains Armband for good tackles. We celebrated Alice for winning her cheer competition, Grace for winning an outstanding dancer award and the adjudicator award and winning a huge variety of bronze, silver and gold medals and Daisy for coming second in her gymnastics competition. We celebrated Bowen for his certificate for swimming 5 metres and Max for being awarded for swimming fast and jumping in the water. We also celebrated the Y5/6 football team for drawing 3-3 with St Paul’s and narrowly lost to St Peters 4-0. We closed by thanking Mollie, Olivia and Percy for their beautiful prayers and appreciating everyone who joined us in worship. We wish you all a peaceful and restful weekend as we look forward to the busy and joy-filled weeks leading up to Christmas.
KS2 DPSSA Football Team
Tonight the boys played in the DPSSA football league. They took part in a friendly match, drawing against St Paul’s and were narrowly beaten by St Peter’s. Well done, boys!
FOSB Christmas Fayre 2025
Good morning, Get ready for some festive fun! Join us for the annual St Barnabas Christmas Fayre on Wednesday 10th December 2025! We have a fantastic afternoon planned with something for the whole family from 3.30pm-5.30pm: ????Festive Stalls.???? Browse a variety of stalls perfect for finding unique Christmas gifts, including: ❄Diamond art, Handmade cards & Crafts ❄Toy Stall ❄Tropic Stall ❄Christmas Gnomes, decorative glasses and Cups ❄Jewellery & Watches Stall ❄Henna and glitter tattoos ????Fun Games???? Test your skill at classic Christmas games! (50p a go or 3 goes for £1) ❄Pin the carrot on the snowman ❄Match the snowmen ❄Hook the reindeers antlers ❄Splat the Christmas pudding ❄Hook the candy cane ????Delicious Food & Drink???? Treat yourself to a warm bite or beverage. ❄Hotdogs (£2) ❄Tea & Coffee (£1) ❄Hot Chocolate (£2) ❄Luxury Hot Chocolate (£2.50) ❄Cans/Fruit Shoot/Water (£1) ????Raffle Prizes???? Don't forget to enter our fantastic raffle for a chance to win one of our amazing hampers and other donated prizes! ????We will have Card Readers available for food, tuck shop, and tombola, so you won't need to rely solely on cash.???? We look forward to seeing you there! Mrs Wilkinson and Team FOSB