School Games Gold Award Winners!
We’re proud to announce that Darwen St James has been awarded the GOLD School Games Mark! This brilliant achievement is a reflection of the perseverance, courage, and hope shown by our pupils—and the dedication of our PE and Extra-Curricular Sports Team, who work tirelessly to promote sport and physical activity across our school. This year we have participated in netball, football, cross country and cricket to name a few! The School Games Mark is a national award that celebrates a school’s commitment to PE, school sport, and competition, both within and beyond the school gates. It also supports schools in reviewing and strengthening their provision. A huge thank you and well done to Mrs Cookson and all the staff for making sport such an exciting and important part of life at Darwen St James. We’re incredibly proud of our pupils for stepping up to every challenge with determination and team spirit. Keep going, keep growing! ???? #TeamDSJ #DSJFamily
Reception - PE - Kicking, Throwing and Catching a Ball.
Look at these Reception superstars mastering their fundamental skills! ⚽
Year 5 Tuesday Carousel: Badminton, Arithmetic, Reading and SPAG!
The Year 5 curriculum on Tuesday afternoons incorporates a carousel of enriching activities designed to develop a range of skills, including physical literacy through badminton, numeracy through arithmetic practice, literacy through focused reading activities, and linguistic competence through the explicit teaching of spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Year 4 P.E. - Tennis
Year 4 have been practising their forehand and backhand shots in their tennis lessons, with some even able to get a rally going!
Year 2 - P.E - Ball Skills
Year 2 are having a blast in PE this week, honing their ball skills! The focus is all on volleying, with lots of fun and active drills to get those hands and eyes working together to keep the ball in the air.
Year 4 P.E - Throwing and Catching.
Year 4 have been practising our throwing and catching skills in P.E., for both our Tennis and Cricket units. We are improving our accuracy for when we throw and the consistency of our catches. The practise is helping as we are really improving our skill in this area!
Year 2 - P.E - Ball and Wall Skills
Year Two's PE lesson was all about conquering the ball and the wall! They practiced throwing and catching the balls. Various throwing techniques were explored. The children then engaged in a lively game incorporating their new kills. It was certainly a lesson filled with smiles and a sense of fun!
Reception - PE - Ball Skills
In today’s PE session, our EYFS children focused on developing their ball control skills through a fun and active series of activities. We explored rolling, catching, throwing, and aiming for a target — key movements that help build coordination, balance, and focus. The children practiced rolling balls to partners with careful control, ensuring they could send and receive accurately. We then moved on to catching and throwing activities, encouraging the use of two hands for control and promoting good hand-eye coordination. To make things even more exciting, we introduced aiming for a target — giving the children the chance to practice throwing with purpose. Whether it was knocking over cones or hitting a coloured spot, everyone showed great enthusiasm and concentration! It was wonderful to see the children’s confidence grow throughout the lesson. Well done, everyone — brilliant teamwork, focus, and effort!
Year 4 Circuits
We were lucky enough to spend a bit of time with an athlete who competed for Great Britain in Tumbling, Gymnastics. After an assembly with her, each class got to take part in doing some exercises in a short circuit set with her. It was lots of fun, but we were very tired afterwards!
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Year 5/6 Sports for Champions
Year 5/6 joined together to do sports for champions. The children learn all about Tumbling and meet Alisha Evanson the world Champion. Alisha did a workout with the children and showed them her bronze, silver and gold medals.
Nursery - R.E - Purim Celebrations
What a wonderful time we've had learning about the special celebration of Purim today! We heard how the Jewish people were saved, and that made everyone feel so happy! Just like when we talked about the things that make us happy – and so many of the children love to dance! The children used gross motor movements to stretch and dance with colourful scarves, swirling and twirling, bringing all that happy colour into our room, just like the joy of Purim! You all danced with such happy hearts today. Well done, everyone
Sports for Champions Visit – Alisha Evanston (Tumbling)
We had an inspiring visit from professional tumbler Alisha Evanston as part of our Sports for Champions event! Alisha wowed the children with her amazing tumbling skills and even invited some brave volunteers—including a few teachers—for a fun handstand competition. She shared her journey as an athlete, showing videos of her performances, answering thoughtful questions from the children, and proudly showing her medals. The session was full of energy and excitement, and the children left feeling motivated and inspired to follow their own dreams. A huge thank you to Alisha for such a memorable experience!
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