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Mad Science Club- Our Sticky Science Adventure
In today’s Mad Science After School Club, our young scientists explored the incredible world of chemistry by looking at the building blocks of everything around them! The children dove into the process of constructing and deconstructing molecules to understand how polymers are formed. Putting their knowledge to the test, the children successfully created their very own Potty Putty using simple household ingredients like PVA glue and a magic activator. By mixing these together, they witnessed a "cross-linking" reaction where liquid molecules hooked together to create a stretchy, bouncy, and gooey solid. It was a fantastic, hands-on way to see how everyday materials can be transformed into a brand-new scientific creation.
Celebrating Sir David Attenborough’s 100th Birthday in Year 4
Today we took part in a very special Picture News Worship where we celebrated Sir David Attenborough’s 100th Birthday! We found out so many amazing facts and when we looked ourselves we loved these examples; 1. He is older than sliced bread 2. He almost never became a TV presenter 3. More than 50 species are named after him 4. He once collected fossils and salamanders as a child 5. His gorilla moment became television history 6. He doesn't like rats 7. His brother was a Hollywood heavyweight 8. He never learned to drive We then listened to a special message from Sir David Attenborough and other schools had sent him some very special messages and cards. They designed these on special recycled card to work towards protecting our planet. Next we were asked to think about three things. One example was “ Why do we think Sir David has become such such a popular advocate for the natural world?” The children came up with some very thoughtful and interesting responses. Finally, a special guest visited the worship. It was Steve Backshall and he talked passionately about how Sir David has inspired him on how to look at the natural world. Year 4 loved taking part in this very special worship today and we send our best birthday wishes to Sir David Attenborough.
Year 4 - RE: Symbols of Faith
In RE this week, the children explored some typical religious features from different places of worship. Initially, nine pictures of religious features and symbols from churches, mosques and synagogues were displayed around the room and the children walked around the room, writing their best ideas around the pictures. The children then learned some information about each feature/symbol, including what it is called and its link to scripture. The children then had to match the symbols with their names and their links to scripture.
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Year 4 - Class Worship: Is It Ever Right To Lie?
A philosophical debate helped us to answer a very widely contested question in our class worship during polling week. Stephen Fry introduced the story of King Lawrence the Lion who introduced a law against telling lies of any kind. Within the story, there were examples of lies that hurt others and lies that protect others. There were also quotes from famous philosophers who have argued both sides. Then it was over to the children. In groups, the children used their talk tokens to take turns in putting forward their ideas. We focussed on the skill of summarising and so each group had a note taker who summarised the main points discussed in their groups when presenting to the rest of the class. We then considered what Jesus would say about lying. The majority of the class agreed that telling a lie can sometimes be a good thing if it spares someone being hurt.
Amazing Attendance Award- Top 10% Nationally
🌟 We’ve Struck Gold -Amazing Attendance Award 🌟 We have officially been honoured with another National School Attendance Award for the 2025/26 Spring Term to go with our 2025/26 Autumn Term Award. Thanks to the incredible dedication of our children and the unwavering support of you—our parents and carers—we have been ranked again in the Top 10% of all FFT primary schools in England. Excellent attendance isn't just about a certificate; it’s about ensuring our children have every opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed alongside their friends. Being in the top 10% nationally is a massive achievement and speaks volumes about the value our families place on education. 🙏 A Heartfelt Thank You 🙏 We know that getting the children up, ready, and through the gates every morning takes effort. This award belongs to you and your children just as much as it belongs to the school. Let’s keep this amazing momentum going into the Summer Term! 🚀 #StBarnabasProud #AttendanceMatters #TopTenPercent #SchoolSuccess
DT - Food Technology in Year 4
In our fourth DT session, we worked over two afternoons to design and make our packaging for our biscuits, make the mixture, roll and cut out, bake and then finally decorate. The children have been so creative with their designs and they were very proud of the end result! It was fair to say that it was a struggle to not gobble them up instead of taking them home.
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Master Biscuit Bakers in Year 4 Group 1
Here is the evidence that Year 4 did a marvellous job in DT with creating their very own biscuits from packaging to toppings. As you can see from their faces, they were very proud of their end product.
Master Biscuit Bakers in Year 4 Group 2
Here is the evidence that Year 4 did a marvellous job in DT with creating their very own biscuits from packaging to toppings. As you can see from their faces, they were very proud of their end product.
River Darwen Disco
Today, River Darwen enjoyed their disco and came in their own clothes to celebrate earning the most Value Points last half term. Thank you DJ Bloomfield for hosting!
Year 4 English - How to be a Viking
Today we began our new English unit which uses the text - How to be a Viking by Cressida Cowell. Our objective for the lesson was to predict events. We first explored the front cover, title and blurb to predict what the story might be about. After this we read the first part of the story which introduced the main character Hiccup the Viking and his father Stoick the Vast. Following this we predicted what would happen next as they set off to sea for the first time.
Whole School Worship - One Way Giving
In this whole school collective worship, we developed our understanding of one way giving. Our Year 6 heads and deputies began by sharing what each class did for our Hop, Skip and Jump event. Jacqui, a representative from East Lancs Hospice came to award us with participation certificates and to reveal that we raised a fantastic £357 during our event. Thank you to all our children and parents for your support. Mrs Ham then shared this week’s One Way Giving kindness kite. Three of our KS2 children volunteered to read the sections of the kite and we learned that the Bible says we should give in secret and God will reward us. After this, we watched a cartoon of the event when Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding in Canaan. He secretly asked the servants to fill the jars with water and turned it into wine. The master of ceremonies tasted the wine and approved it to be a very good wine thinking it was provided by the groom. The groom received the praise, and only the servants and God knew that Jesus had performed this miracle. This was a great example of one way giving. Finally, Mrs Ham and Mr Bloomfield put up our new Widgit symbols, with the help of our children, on our Big Frieze to help the children understand God’s Big Story.
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Ocean Awareness with the Marine Conservation Society
Today, we were joined by Lorna from the Marine Conservation Society for a brilliant session. The children explored the wonders of our Ocean while learning about serious challenges such as climate change, overfishing, and ocean pollution. A particularly memorable moment was learning that sea turtles often mistake floating plastic bags for jellyfish, their favourite food, highlighting the dangers of litter. Lorna inspired the children to think creatively about waste, showing them how to repurpose plastic items, such as turning old milk gallons into birds or bird feeders. The children loved sharing their favourite things about the sea, and to help us keep learning, Lorna mentioned that there are plenty of fantastic free resources available on their website to explore at home or in class.