Reception Pancake Tasting
Reception were delighted to sample some delicious pancakes with their choice of toppings this afternoon. They watched with interest as the mini pancakes were cooked on a special griddle using batter. They then had a selection of toppings to choose from to decorate their own pancakes, before the best part - eating them!
Reception Planting Trees
Reception had the amazing opportunity to plant their own trees to establish a micro-forest near Jack's Key, The children worked in groups to select a tree and plant it in the ground carefully, getting a bit muddy along the way! The children were excited to find out that by the time they leave St Barnabas their trees may be about 4 or 5 meters tall! We hope to observe how our trees grow and change as we venture out on our Muddy Mondays each week this coming year.
Whole School- Safer Internet Day 2026-Centered on the responsible use of AI.
To mark Safer Internet Day 2026, Mrs Araujo led a special Worship centered on the responsible use of AI. The session started with the Heads and Deputy Heads signing the Trinity. The children then watched a short video and discussed how AI can assist us in our daily lives. Through a fun identification game, pupils practised spotting AI-generated images and learned that because AI can make mistakes, its results are not always true or accurate. This helped our children understand the importance of being cautious and informed digital citizens.
Reception class contribute to the Big Winter Wander
A huge well done to our wonderful Reception children, who showed incredible determination today taking part in the Big Winter Wander! Our little explorers braved the elements to complete an impressive 2.55km trek around Jack Keys, taking in the sights and sounds of the season while showing fantastic team spirit. We are so proud of how well they handled the distance and represented our school. If you would like to celebrate their achievement and support our fundraising efforts, please consider making a contribution directly to our school page at https://socialsync.app/fundraiser/cr-nzymxvnokwdn?currentTab=feed. Every donation makes a real difference, and we thank you for your wonderful support!
Reception Maths - Comparing amounts
This week, our Reception mathematicians have been busy comparing quantities up to 10 by mastering the key vocabulary of more and fewer. Through hands-on activities like matching groups of objects and lining them up, the children are learning to identify which sets are larger or smaller.
Reception: Mystery Reader
Thank you so much to Becky for visiting Reception class during National Storytelling Week. We thoroughly enjoyed hearing you read The Koala Who Could and The Dinosaur Who Pooped a Rainbow. The children listened attentively and were delighted to have you as our mystery reader. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share these stories with us.
Reception: Soundtrack your Story Workshop
Our Reception class had a wonderful experience today during our National Storytelling Week workshop with guest author Annemarie. The children learned about the roles of authors and illustrators and explored how music can be used to tell stories. Focusing on Annemarie’s book, I Am Nefertiti, the class learned a new song and discussed the importance of our names. The students also experimented with creating their own soundtracks to reflect different emotions. They discovered how high sounds can represent fear, low sounds can convey sadness, and how tempo changes can make a character feel excited or sleepy. To conclude the session, the children listened to the story accompanied by their own sound effects and even learned the mambo!
Key Stage 2 - Timestable Rockstar Battle
Huge congratulations to all of our Key Stage 2 children who competed in this month’s Times Tables Rock Stars Battle. We were incredibly impressed with the effort and enthusiasm shown by everyone involved. Our individual award winners are: • Year 3 – Charlie Duckworth • Year 4 – Bobby-Ray Catterall • Year 5 – Carter Corran • Year 6 – Charlie Shorrock A special well done also goes to Year 6, our overall winning class for this battle. As a reminder, in order to raise money for the NSPCC, we will be launching the KS2 Times Tables Rock Stars NSPCC Battle in school on Friday 6th February. Throughout the day, children will collectively build up their scores, which will contribute to a whole-school total. To celebrate Number Day, all children — including Reception and Key Stage 1 — are invited to come to school wearing their own clothes that depict a number (for example: numbers on clothing, badges, or Times Tables Rock Stars-themed outfits). Voluntary donations will be available via ParentPay to support this fantastic cause.
Reception: Muddy Monday
As part of the Ruby Robin Award, our Reception class participated in the "Craft and Care" challenge today. The children visited Whitehall Park to build bug houses using resources they collected themselves. We are incredibly proud of their hard work and creativity; we even saw some bugs starting to move into their new homes! Well done to our Reception class on a fabulous job.
Reception Maths - Composition using double dice frames
In today's Maths session, the children used double dice frames to explore the composition of numbers from 5 to 10. By filling one frame completely before starting the next, they practiced representing these values as "5 and a bit," such as seeing 7 as a full set of five plus two more. This approach helps children to move beyond simple counting, encouraging them to subitise and build a strong mental foundation for future addition and subtraction.
Reception - Floating and Sinking
Today, our mini-scientists explored floating and sinking through a hands-on water workshop. The children made "best guesses" (predictions) about which objects would stay on top and which would drop to the bottom using the vocabulary floating and sinking. We tested a range of objects from metal spoons to Lego pieces. This activity helps children to understand the world around them by observing how different materials behave, encouraging them to think critically about why some large items float while small ones sink.
Reception: English
Reception class revisited the story of "The Snail and the Whale" today, with a particular focus on the setting. The children practiced describing the sea and learned a new vocabulary word: "shimmering." They also drew the setting, labelled their work, and explained how the sun makes the water shimmer.