Maths - Informal Methods of Multiplication in Year 4
In our maths session today we looked at informal methods of multiplication. The children completed lots of practical work using their whiteboards and multiplication grids. Using the part while model, the children were able to break each calculation down and partition it into three sections. They all worked so hard in this and we will now move on to more formal methods in the next session.
Go All In: 2026 National Year of Reading
Dear Parents and Carers, As we move into 2026, we are excited to share that this has been designated the National Year of Reading. This year-long celebration, spearheaded by the Department for Education and the National Literacy Trust, isn't about schoolwork or exams—it’s about helping our children rediscover the sheer joy of a great story. The theme for the year is "Go All In." The goal is to show children that reading isn't just something they do in a classroom; it is a way to dive deeper into the things they already love. Whether your child is a fan of gaming, sports, music, or space, there is a book, graphic novel, or audiobook out there that speaks to their interests. The campaign reminds us that "if they’re into it, they can read into it," and that every form of reading—from a football programme to a digital comic—is a step toward success. We know how busy family life can be, but research shows that sharing a story for just 10 minutes a day can dramatically boost a child’s wellbeing and their confidence at school. You don’t need to be an expert storyteller to make a difference; simply sitting together and exploring a book, or letting your child see you reading your own book or magazine, sets a fantastic example. Throughout the year, there will be exciting events to look forward to, including a record-breaking World Book Day on March 5th and a music-themed Summer Reading Challenge titled "Read to the Beat!" Our local libraries will also be hosting free activities, from author workshops to interactive storytelling sessions. We invite you to join us in making 2026 a year of discovery for our children. Let’s help them find the stories that make them want to "go all in." For more resources and book recommendations tailored to your child’s hobbies, you can visit the official campaign website at goallin.org.uk. For our first challenge, I would love the children to send me some photographs of them reading their favourite story in their favourite place. Happy reading! Mrs Wilkinson
Year 4 - Computing: Social Media
This half term in Computing, the Year 4 class have been presented with a hypothetical scenario in which all social media has been removed from the Internet. Their task is to design their own social media platform, and in this week’s lesson the children were creating a web of ideas under different headings. They were also practising using the functions they have learned so far in the iSecure app. Each session also presents an online safety task so that the children are constantly being made aware of potential cyber dangers and how to avoid them.
.jpeg)
Year 4 - Maths: Dividing by 10
We’ve been making good use of our place value grids this week in Year 4. They are especially useful in helping children understand what happens to the digits in a number when we multiply and divide by 10 and 100. The children were presented with a number of problems involving dividing by 10 and they used their grids to move all the digits one place to the right. This practical method of moving digits prepares the children to visualise doing this to find the answer later on in their school journey.
Amazing Attendance Awards
We had such a busy end to the Autumn term that we’re only just getting around to celebrating our amazing attendance award winners. What a fantastic term it was for attendance! Awards were presented in two categories: firstly to all those who achieved 100% attendance, and then to those who achieved above 96% attendance. Both are amazing achievements and we are super proud of all of the children.
.jpeg)
Whole School Worship - God is Kind
In our whole-school worship, Mrs Ham revealed our first Kindness Kite celebrating the Blackburn Diocese centenary. This week, the focus is ‘God is Kind’. A small selection of Year 6 children were chosen to read three Psalms about God’s kindness and we learned that God is everywhere, always, even when it’s dark, even when we hide. The children were then invited to share some of the kind things that they have heard people say, such as ‘I like your hair’ , ‘Your dress is pretty’ and ‘You are so smart’. We reflected on how kind words make us feel and we all practised paying compliments to our partners. We are looking forward to adding kind words to our classroom kites.
Foodie Friends Club: Shortcrust Pizzas
We kicked off our first Foodie Club of the half-term with a fantastic session making shortcrust pastry pizzas. Our "Great Chefs" were in their element, skillfully rolling the pastry into their own unique shapes before smothering them in sauce and loading them with a rainbow of toppings, including peppers, onions, olives, sweetcorn, and tuna. It was a joy to see the children so deeply engaged, mastering new culinary skills and exploring different flavours with such enthusiasm. By providing these hands-on opportunities to create and learn, we are helping our students build confidence and truly live life to its fullest.
100 Years of Blackburn Diocese
In order to celebrate 100 years of Blackburn diocese, we took part in a whole-school virtual assembly that focused on the many successes and achievements of the diocese over the past century. Bishop Philip welcomed schools from across the diocese and shared an engaging story about the travels of the Wise Men, linking these to themes of faith, journey and community. The children greatly enjoyed seeing and feeling connected to other schools within the diocese and were excited to take part in a shared celebration. The assembly provided a valuable opportunity for pupils to reflect on their place within the wider diocesan family, strengthening their sense of belonging and understanding of our shared faith. The event was engaging, inclusive, meaningful and it helped bring the history and mission of the diocese to life for the whole school community. We are looking forward to taking part in a variety of centenary 'All for Jesus' activities and worships over the year.
Friday Celebration Worship
What a brilliant first week back! We are so proud of all the children for settling back into school so sensibly, even with the excitement of the snow. We started by celebrating our values awards winners: Elara in Reception, Max in Year 1, Vienna in Year 2, Mila in Year 3, Lottie in Year 4, Carmen in Year 5 and Luca in Year 6. These children are always doing the right thing and working hard, well done! We also celebrated Olivia and Jacob in Year 4 who were awarded their pen licenses this week. A huge well done to all of our house teams this week for earning lots of value points. Darwen Tower came in 4th place, Whitehall Park came in 3rd place, River Darwen came in 2nd place and India Mill in 1st place. We had lots of Sports Awards this week. Well done to Callie for 25m in backstroke, Ralphi was awarded a swimming medal for 5m and a football certificate for courage against older players, Elijah was awarded a 200m swimming certificate, James was awarded a 100m swimming certificate, Renee was awarded a 5m swimming certificate and Carmen won a student of the year trophy in kickboxing and a swimming certificate for 100m and 50m. Additionally, Phoebe was awarded the Olivia doll from Rainbows for excellent colouring, Thea was awarded a gymnastics certificate for backwards and forwards on the bars, Reggie won player of the week in football for scoring 10 goals and finally Scarlett won player of the match in netball. Well done everyone! Our Year 5 and 6 football team also shared that they lost to St Paul’s 2-1 in their most recent football game, but still placed 5th out of 13 schools. This is a brilliant placement! Also, well done to Year 1 and 2 who the best attendance in Key Stage 1 and Year 4 in Key Stage 2. Mrs Ham also reminded us of our upcoming events: Let’s Go Sing, Stay and Play, NSPCC Speak Out and our visit from Harold the Giraffe. Finally, Charlie, Lilly and James said some beautiful prayers to end our worship. Have a restful weekend and please stay safe in the turbulent weather conditions.
Gifted and Talented Gymnastics Club
Our Gifted and Talented Key Steps Gymnastics club started last night and the children loved their first session. Our specialist coaches went through parts of the routine covering both body management and floor exercise. We can’t wait to see how the children progress over the next few weeks and establish their routines.
Year 4 PSHE -Speak out.Stay safe
Today we learned all about the NSPCC Speak out. Stay safe campaign which aims to help children to understand abuse in all its forms. During the assembly we focused on worries. These worries may include neglect, moving schools, sexual abuse, bullying, someone being poorly or dying. Some of these worries are classed as different types of abuse. This includes neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and bullying. We can put our worries into a worry bag and share our problems to lighten the load. Who can we share our worries with.? A trusted adult, a family member, a sports coach or Childline. These are all safe trusted adults. There are so many ways children can speak out but contacting Childline may be one of them. Childline is a free support service especially for children either online or over the phone. The children listened really well throughout the whole session, showing respect and valuing differences in opinions.
Year 4 - English: Performing Haikus
It’s been a super busy start to the Spring term in Year 4! In English, we have been analysing the structure of haiku poetry and modifying poems to fit this structure. We finished off this short unit performing our modified poems to the rest of the class, with a focus on the use of intonation and expression to convey the theme of the poem.