Year 3- Class Debate- Is it more important to understand the history or the present Black community to celebrate Black History Month?
Today, Archie and Frankie led a class debate focused on the key question: Is it more important to understand the history or the present Black community to celebrate Black History Month? Year 3 showed excellent critical thinking, arguing that it is essential to learn about both the past and the present in equal measure to truly celebrate the Black community's contributions and journey. We also reviewed the previous class meeting, the majority selected listening to calm music or a story to help them feel relaxed. We're putting that into action now: we will play calm music while the children collect their bags and put on their coats, before we move into our class novel reading.
Year 3- Computing- Making our own podcast
In today's computing lesson, Year 3 focused on online platforms like YouTube and learned about creating a contents page for a podcast. The children analysed different examples from various users to see what makes a good one. A big part of the lesson was protecting our identity online, because a channel can combine many forms of communication, including a written description, links to other sites, and even videos about ourselves.
Year 3- PSHE- Understanding good and bad DARES
Today in our PSHE lesson, we talked about dares and what they mean. First, we came up with a definition for a dare and discussed how some dares can be good, while others might not be. The highlight of our lesson was a role-playing activity called "Dan's Dare". We used the Teacher-in-Role strategy, where the teacher acted as a character named Dan who had a tricky situation with a dare. We learned about how Dan's friend, Zak, used persuasive language to try and get him to do things that made him feel uncomfortable. Afterward, we discussed what Dan could have done differently to stand up for himself. We also role-played a few dares to see what they look like in real life. We practiced a "good" dare, like hugging a friend , which is a fun and positive way to be daring. We also discussed and role-modeled a situation that wasn't a good dare, such as daring someone to hit someone, and talked about why that might be a wrong choice. This helped us understand how to recognise what to do if we are ever asked to do something that makes us feel uneasy.
Year 3 - LBQ Maths
Year 3 began their LBQ journey, focusing on addition and subtraction within 100 using related facts. The children showed great enthusiasm as they explored different strategies to solve problems and strengthen their understanding of number relationships.
Foodie Friends Club-Making Scones
For our final Foodie Club session this half term, the bakers had a great time making fruit and plain scones. They practised important skills such as weighing ingredients accurately, cutting butter into the flour, and using cutters to shape the scones. They showed great teamwork and enthusiasm, carefully following the recipe and enjoying the hands-on experience of baking. By the end of the session, everyone had created their own beautifully shaped scones, ready to take home and share. The club demonstrates a wonderful example of the children living life in fullness, embracing learning, creativity, and the joy of sharing with others.
Year 3- Hello Yellow Day for World Mental Health
Today, we held a fantastic "Hello Yellow Day" to observe World Mental Health Day, raising awareness by having everyone come to school in non-uniform, wearing something bright yellow. As part of our activities, we watched an inspiring short video that highlighted the power of drawing and sketching as tools for children to express their emotions and build mental wellbeing, featuring insights from actor Tony Hale (from Inside Out 2) and Consultant Clinical Psychologist David Trickey, with the goal of inspiring our students to grow in confidence, kindness, and self-awareness.
Friday Celebration Worship and Hello Yellow Day
This morning, we enjoyed an extra special celebration worship to mark ‘Hello Yellow’ Day for World Mental Health Day. We began by exploring the range of emotions we all experience and discussed ways to lift our spirits when we're feeling down, with thoughtful suggestions like listening to favourite music, taking deep breaths, watching a funny film, reading a book, singing wholeheartedly, having a cuddle, or counting to ten. To boost our mood even further, we had a joyful singalong to Golden by K-pop and lit candles to pray for those facing mental health challenges. We then celebrated our Value Award winners across the school—well done to Coban, Reggie, Olly and Percy in EYFS and KS1, and to Harry, Olivia, Carter and Jenson in KS2—for their outstanding attitudes to learning and for consistently demonstrating our Barney’s 4Bs. Congratulations also to India Mill for being our overall Value Award winners with an impressive 979 points, as well as to EYFS and Year 2 for 100% attendance in the infants and Year 3 for an excellent 99.3% in the juniors. Mrs Ham shared the fantastic news that we had 100% attendance across the whole school on Tuesday. We also celebrated the achievements of our pupils beyond the classroom—well done to Mason for swimming 5m, Chester for earning ‘Player of the Week’ as a goalkeeper at Darwen FC, Phoebe for her wonderful dancing, Callie for her gymnastics skills, Callie and Alice for completing the Summer Reading Challenge, Grace for excelling in a recent dance competition with acro, song and dance, classical and her own choreography, Harry for achieving his yellow belt in kickboxing, Thea for being named Star of the Week in gymnastics, Scarlett for being a superstar netballer and earning Player of the Match, Willow for achieving her Puffin award in swimming and Star of the Week in gymnastics, and Eleanor for earning her Stage 4 in swimming, her recycling badge at Rainbows and completing the Summer Reading Challenge. A huge congratulations also went to our brilliant Year 4/5 Girls Football Squad for their outstanding performance in the Girls DPSSA Football League, and to the group of eight Year 2 children who represented our school so brilliantly in the Key Stage 1 Multi Skills Festival. To finish our worship, Mrs Ham reminded us of the upcoming Harvest Family Service at St Barnabas Church this Sunday at 11am, and how we hope to see as many of our children there as possible for a joyful Harvest singalong. We are also proud to be supporting Year 5 and the Rotakids in their campaign to collect as many shoeboxes as possible filled with essentials for local refugees and The Bishop's Harvest Appeal 2025—please see Class Dojo for further information.
Year 3- History/English-Exploring Ancient Egypt Through Explanation Texts
This week, Year 3 has started a new writing unit on explanation texts. In History, we’ve been learning about the beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians, the process of mummification, and the importance of the River Nile. The writers are now using what they have learned to write their own explanation texts, applying their knowledge of Ancient Egypt to build and develop their English writing skills.
Year 3 - Class Worship-Finding God's Love in Our Gifts
During our class worship, Year 3 were inspired by the story of Ellie Goldstein, the first contestant on Strictly Come Dancing with Down's syndrome. Her story beautifully illustrates that everyone is wonderfully made by God and has unique gifts to share. Ellie shows us that when we use our talents, we can help others and spread God’s love in the world. Her journey is a powerful reminder of the courage, joy, and determination that allow us to overcome challenges. By sharing her light, Ellie inspires us all to do the same. To conclude our worship, Ella read a prayer. Her words reminded us that with compassion and faith, we can all make a difference.
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Year 3 Join the Great Big Live Assembly for Black History Month
Today, Year 3 took part in the Great Big Live Assembly for Black History Month 2025, hosted by Chris Kanday, Jeriah, and Gemma Hunt. The assembly explored the theme of “Standing Firm in Power and Pride”, celebrating the achievements and courage of Black individuals throughout history and today. Pupils learned about Rosa Parks and how one small, brave act helped spark huge social change. The presenters also discussed the St. George’s Cross, explaining how symbols can carry different meanings and how important it is that everyone in our communities feels welcome, valued, and respected. Through videos, discussions, and messages from inspiring guests, children reflected on how they can show kindness, courage, and fairness in their own lives. The children were thrilled, and a little surprised, when their class appeared on the big screen during the live broadcast! It was an exciting moment that made the experience even more memorable. They were inspired to speak up against injustice, celebrate diversity, and remember that even small acts of bravery and kindness can make a big difference.
Harvest Appeal
This morning we launched our Harvest Appeal for this year by hearing from Bishop Philip about his Pedalathon on 17th October where he will be cycling to visit and pray at a school or church in all 14 deaneries across the Diocese. We will be supporting Bishop Philip's Harvest Appeal for Christians in South Africa by joining in with his pedalathon over the next few weeks, including half term. We are encouraging our school family to cycle on bikes or scooters just like we did for the Big Lent Walk and we would love for you to send your photos in and the distance. Donations can be made on parent pay shortly. Our RotaKids are also supporting Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise (DARE) and Darwen Rotary this Harvest by creating Winter Warmer boxes filled with toiletries, packets or tins of food and warm clothing for DARE families, the elderly, isolated, poor and vulnerable people in our community . They are also collecting winter coats for the homeless and poor through Darwen Rotary club. Please send in any donations and thank you in advance for your generosity. We then sang some of our Harvest songs for our Church Harvest Festival this Sunday 12th October at 11.00am- all welcome and our school Harvest Festival on Thursday 23rd October led by our WOW group and Reception, Years 1 and 2. All welcome.
Foodie Friends club- Yummy Shape Biscuits
At our after-school foodie club, we made some absolutely delicious buttery biscuits. It took lots of teamwork to get the right dough, the amazing bakers spent time weighing sugar and flour, cracking eggs, and mixing .We then used a variety of different shape cutters to make our biscuits. The end result was a lot of fun, and a lot of tasty treats!