Whole School Worship - Power for Good
Our theme in today’s collective worship was “Power for Good”. Continuing our focus on Anti-Bullying Week, Mrs Ham shared some of the fantastic answers the children gave on Monday about standing up to bullying. These included saying stop, being assertive, asking why, and telling a trusted adult. We learned of how Jesus was a power for good, even when others turned against him, and we reflected on the ways in which we can also be a power for good by being a good friend and spotting when someone needs our help. The WOW Group also shared how they are being a power for good, by protecting our planet and leading our school’s Switch Off Fortnight campaign. They shared posters recommending ways to save energy around school, including turning off lights and computer monitors when they are not in use, and they explained that they will be checking how well each class is doing at saving energy every break time and lunchtime during the campaign.
Year 6 - Advent
This week in RE, the children have been exploring the season of Advent and its meaning within the Christian faith. Through studying quotes from the Bible, they gained a deeper understanding of themes such as hope, preparation and the coming of Jesus. The children then designed and decorated their own Advent wreaths, thoughtfully including Christian symbols such as candles, greenery and ribbons to represent the spiritual journey of Advent.
Year 6 - Counterbalancing
Today in gymnastics, Year 6 built on their balance skills by incorporating apparatus into their counter-balance sequences. The children worked collaboratively to create controlled, coordinated routines that demonstrated strength, teamwork and trust.
Year 6 - Anti-Bullying Week
This week, Year 6 took part in Anti-Bullying Week 2025. Year 6 wore odd socks to celebrate individuality and remind everyone that it’s great to be different. The children also designed their own odd socks, each one showing creativity and spreading positive messages about respect, kindness and standing up for others. Throughout the week, Year 6 took part in thoughtful discussions and activities exploring how we can all use our Power for Good — whether that’s by including others, speaking up when we see unkind behaviour or being a role model to younger pupils.
Friday Celebration Worship
This morning in celebration worship, we reflected on a wonderful first week back to start the second half of our Autumn term. This week, we have remembered all those who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice their lives for us, and we observed a special two-minute silence. We would like to thank everyone who has supported the Poppy Appeal; our poppy merchandise will continue to be available next week. We then presented our individual value award winners in EYFS, KS1 and KS2. Well done to our worthy winners Hunter, Finn, Inaiya, Elijah, Chay, Harriet and Quinn for consistently demonstrating the Barney’s 4Bs, working extremely hard across the curriculum, producing work of an exceptional standard and showing a genuine desire to always improve. A huge well done also goes to Elijah, Chay, Isaac, Lana, Lyla, Cassidy, Naomi and Emily for achieving their pen licences—we know how hard you have all worked for this accomplishment. We also congratulated Whitehall Park as our overall value award winners for the week, along with Year 1 and Year 5 for achieving the highest attendance. Moving on, we celebrated the wonderful achievements of our children who have been excelling outside of school in their various sports and activities. Well done to Beau for being a mighty defender in football, Ida and Leila for showing impressive skill in stop, starting and steering during horse riding, Callie for demonstrating outstanding floor and vault work in gymnastics, Ava for her generosity at Rainbows and for achieving Star of the Week at Street Dance, Lana for her performing arts award, Theo for earning her drawing interest badge and Star of the Week in gymnastics for exceptional beam work, Olivia for achieving her 20m swimming certificate, Lyla for her success in lyrical, jazz and commercial dance, Olivia again for achieving her Level 1 gymnastics award, Isaac for demonstrating exceptional football skills at the Everton Academy experience, Rosie for being a superstar Brownie and earning several badges, Martha for achieving her 10m swimming award, Lydia for earning her laughter badge at Rainbows and for being extremely helpful, and Eleanor for achieving both her Rainbow Silver Award and a laughter badge. In other news, our Wellbeing Warriors also announced Year 3 as the winning class for having the most walkers in October and proudly shared that our school placed third in the borough for the highest number of walkers overall, our Sports Leaders presented India Mill as the Inter-house Dodgeball Competition winners from before the holidays, and we also congratulated our Year 5/6 Boys Football Team, who represented our school brilliantly and achieved two wins in the BwD Football League last night. Looking ahead, we are excited to continue our Scholastic Book Fair next week, to wear odd socks on Monday as we launch Anti-Bullying Week, and to end the week by wearing spots, pyjamas or Pudsey attire in support of Children in Need next Friday. Thank you to our wonderful school family for their support this week and always. Wishing you all a lovely weekend.
Year 6: Remembrance Service
Our Year 6 children took part in the Darwen Cemetery remembrance day service this morning and we were so proud of the remarkable respect that they showed. A huge well done to Mason for his lovely reading and to all of our children for their maturity and compassion when placing crosses on the graves of the soldiers who bravely fought for our country. After the service the children learned that the piper used to attend St Barnabas as a child so he let the children try on his special hat. As a reward for representing our school so brilliantly, the children got to enjoy their break time on the play area in Whitehall Park. #WeWillRememberThem #remembrance #remembranceday #lestweforget
Value Award Winner Disco- India Mill
Today, India Mill enjoyed a well-deserved non-uniform day and disco to celebrate their success as the overall Value Award winners for last half-term. As part of this, they enjoyed a game of bonfire themed corners followed by a game of musical bumps. Well done to everyone for your fantastic achievement!
Week 1 of BWD Boys Football League
We are super proud of our Year 5/6 boys football team for their amazing performances tonight during their first two games of the BWD school’s league. They won their first match against St James, Lower Darwen 6-0 and gained another win against St Cuthbert’s 5-2. A huge thank you to the parents and family members who came and gave their wonderful support. Well done boys!
Year 6 - Remembrance Worship
Today, during our class Remembrance worship, we watched a special Diocese video that helped the children reflect on the importance of remembering those who have fallen in times of war. The video told the inspiring story of a medic who bravely risked his own life to save many injured soldiers during World War I. The children showed great respect and empathy as they listened and discussed the values of courage, sacrifice, and compassion shown by those who served. After the discussion, the children created their own poppies to express their thoughts and feelings about Remembrance. Each poppy included personal reflections, words of gratitude. Together, these poppies formed a beautiful display to remind us all of the importance of remembering and honouring those who gave so much.
Year 6 - Music
In our music lesson this week, the children focused on developing their singing skills. The children practised singing with clear diction, accurate pitch and expressive dynamics. They learned to listen carefully to each other to stay in tune and create a harmonious group sound. The children explored different songs and experimented with phrasing, rhythm and tone, showing great enthusiasm and confidence. They also discussed the importance of posture and breath control in singing, applying these skills to improve their performance. It was wonderful to see the children supporting each other and enjoying making music together.
Year 6 - Gymnastics
In our PE lesson this week, the children took part in a gymnastics session focusing on counterbalance. The children worked in pairs to explore how to use each other’s weight and strength to create balanced shapes and movements. The children particularly enjoyed creating mirrored and matching balances, thinking carefully about body tension and control to keep their positions steady. It was wonderful to see the children’s confidence and cooperation grow as they worked together to perfect their partner balances.
Year 6 - Money Matters
During our Money Matters session this week, the children learned about the importance of understanding money and how it is used in everyday life. The children explored different ways people earn, spend, save and budget money and discussed why making sensible financial choices is important. The children took part in engaging activities and role-play scenarios to help them think about needs versus wants and how to make responsible spending decisions. The session encouraged thoughtful discussion and helped the children develop a better understanding of how money plays a role in their lives and the wider world.