Year 5 PSHE - Life Education Workshop about Friendship
Friendships and Feelings: Year 5 Life Education Workshop Before the half-term holiday, Year 5 received a very special visit from Steven at Coram Life Education for an insightful workshop focused on friendship and emotional health. Our pupils dived deep into how the different parts of our brains can affect our daily behaviour. They also explored the vital differences between being passive, aggressive, or assertive when communicating with others. Through interactive activities, the children practiced new strategies for resolving conflicts and building stronger, more positive friendships. It was a fantastic session that left everyone feeling empowered to navigate their relationships with confidence and kindness!
Year 5 Holy Communion Service
Year 5 Visit St James’ Church for Holy Communion On Tuesday morning, Year 5 visited our church for a special Holy Communion service. It was a wonderful opportunity for the class to gather in worship and reflection. During the service, we were incredibly proud of one of our brave class members who stood at the front to read from the Bible, specifically Exodus 35:21-22. Inspired by the teachings of Paul to the Corinthians—that God loves a cheerful giver—the children also shared heart-felt prayers they had written themselves about the importance of giving cheerfully. It was a moving morning for everyone involved, showcasing the class’s growing confidence and their thoughtful contributions to our church community.
Year 5 - Aim High Day
Aiming High: Year 5 Explore Future Careers Our Year 5 pupils had a brilliant time during our 'Aim High' morning, where the hall was buzzing with inspiration and curiosity. We were lucky enough to be joined by a fantastic range of professionals, including a DJ, an electrician, an accountant, and local PCSOs, as well as a face painter, a craft creator, dentists, and a professional sportsperson. The children threw themselves into the various hands-on experiences, gaining a real insight into the world of work and the diverse paths available to them. It was a wonderful opportunity to see our students dreaming big and discovering new passions—there was certainly plenty of fun had by all! If you could try out any job in the world for just one day, which one would you choose and why?
Year 5 Art - Creating Backgrounds for our Monoprints
Year 5’s Hauntingly Creative Backgrounds Our Year 5 artists have been working hard to master the art of monoprinting. This week, we explored the vibrant properties of acrylic painted paper to create a series of beautifully layered, complex backgrounds. Drawing inspiration from the atmospheric poem A Ghost in the Garden by Berlie Doherty, the children used their custom-made booklets to experiment with colour and texture, resulting in some truly haunting and visually stunning pieces. These textured sheets will serve as the perfect foundation for the next stage of our printmaking journey. If you were imagining a ghost in your own garden, what colours and textures do you think would best capture the mystery?
Year 5 Number Day - Exploring Islamic Geometric Designs
Last Friday, Year 5 celebrated NSPCC Number Day by exploring the stunning intersection of mathematics and art. The children discovered that maths can be incredibly beautiful as they studied the intricate geometric designs found in Islamic architecture. Using their precision and plotting skills, the pupils worked with great care and perseverance to recreate these complex, symmetrical patterns. It was wonderful to see such focus in the classroom, resulting in some truly striking pieces of work that prove maths is so much more than just calculations on a page! Can you spot any geometric shapes or repeating patterns in the architecture around our local town?
NSPCC Number Day - Our Nifty Number Outfits!
Count Us In for NSPCC Number Day! Our school was looking a little different today as we swapped our usual uniforms for a sea of digits and mathematical patterns! From our youngest learners in Preschool to our eldest in Year 6, everyone joined in the fun to celebrate the NSPCC’s Number Day. It was wonderful to see the creativity on display, with both children and staff wearing their favourite numbers to help raise vital funds for the NSPCC’s "Speak Out, Stay Safe" programme. Whether it was a football jersey, a hand-decorated t-shirt, or even a giant birthday number 7, the whole school community came together to prove that there really is safety in numbers. A huge thank you to all our families for your brilliant efforts with the outfits and for your kind donations. It’s a fantastic day of problem-solving and numbers, all for a very important cause.
Year 5 Maths - Using Place Value Counters to understand Decimal Numbers
Exploring the Power of the Decimal Point This week, Year 5 have ventured into the fascinating world of decimals, marking the start of an important new unit where we will discover the intricate links between decimals, fractions, and percentages. To ensure the children have a deep understanding of these concepts rather than just learning a method, we began by using concrete manipulatives. Using decimal place value counters and formal place value grids, the pupils worked to represent numbers with up to two decimal places. By physically placing counters into the 'ones', 'tenths', and 'hundredths' columns, the children were able to clearly see the value of each digit. This hands-on approach is vital for helping pupils understand that while a digit may look the same, its position relative to the decimal point completely changes its worth. Once the children were confident in representing these values, they moved on to partitioning. They manipulated the counters to show that a number like 0.45 is not just a single value, but is composed of four tenths and five hundredths. This ability to break down and rebuild numbers provides a solid foundation for more complex calculations. The engagement in the classroom was excellent, and it was wonderful to hear the children using precise mathematical vocabulary to explain their thinking. We look forward to seeing them apply this newfound confidence as we begin to link these decimals to their fractional equivalents!
Year 5&6 Athletics
Who knew so much energy could fit into one sports hall? On Tuesday 27th January, our Year 5 and 6 athletes headed to Darwen Vale High School for a thrilling indoor athletics competition that tested their speed, strength, and stamina. From the explosive power of the triple jump and javelin throw to the frantic pace of the relays, obstacle courses, and speed bounce, our pupils threw themselves into every event with incredible determination. While the physical performances were impressive, we are most proud of the way they represented our school; their sportsmanship and "give-it-your-all" attitude were truly inspiring. Well done to all our competitors for showing such fantastic grit and teamwork! ????✨ #SchoolSports #IndoorAthletics #PrimaryPE #DarwenStJames #TeamWork #ProudSchool #YoungAthletes #SchoolGames #ActiveKids #GivingOurAll #DarwenVale #LancashireSport #Year5and6
Year 5 and 6 PCSO Visit
Building a Brighter Community: A Visit from our Local PCSO. Last Friday afternoon, Year 5 and 6 had the privilege of welcoming our local Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) to the classroom for an important and thought-provoking session. Understanding Choices and Consequences The workshop focused on the concept of honesty and the impact of stealing. We explored different scenarios, including: The hurt caused by taking something from a friend at school. The serious legal and community consequences of shoplifting. The children truly shone during the session! They engaged deeply with the topic, asking insightful questions and demonstrating a mature understanding of how our individual choices ripple out to affect our friends, families, and the wider community in Darwen. Our visitor was particularly impressed by how clearly the pupils could explain the importance of integrity and respect. Reflection at Home It was a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to build a positive relationship with our local police force and to reflect on their own values. A question for reflection tonight: "Why do you think being honest is the most important foundation for a strong friendship?"
Year 5 Art - Learning to Use Acrylic Paints
Fast-Paced Fine Art: Year 5 Master Acrylics! There was a real "brush" of excitement in the Year 5 classroom this week as we swapped our usual paints for acrylics! For many of our young artists, this was their first time working with this professional medium, and the results were nothing short of spectacular. A Race Against the Clock! The children spent the lesson experimenting with blending and layering to create atmospheric backgrounds for our upcoming art project. However, they quickly discovered the most important rule of acrylic painting: work fast! Unlike watercolors, acrylic paint dries incredibly quickly. Our pupils had to be decisive with their strokes and expert with their mixing to get their colors just right before the paint set. They showed fantastic resilience and "quick-thinking" creativity! The Science of Color We focused on: Color Mixing: Creating unique tints and shades. Texture: Learning how the thick, plastic-like nature of acrylics can be layered for effect. Medium Control: Managing how much water to add (or not add!) to change the opacity. These stunning, textured backgrounds are now drying and ready to become the foundation for our final masterpieces. Watch this space to see how they evolve! Join the Conversation! If you were creating a masterpiece today, which two colours would you mix together to describe your mood? Let us know in the comments below!
Year 5 English - Identifying Non Fiction Text Types
Magazine Marvels: Year 5 Uncover the Secrets of Non-Fiction! This week, Year 5 kicked off an exciting new English unit: Writing for a Magazine. Before we can become world-class journalists and editors, we had to learn how to "decode" the different types of writing found on the page. The Great Text Sort The classroom was a hive of activity as we worked in teams to sort a mountain of cards. We had to match Text Types with their specific Examples, Features, and Purposes. It was a brilliant way to see the difference between: Instructions (How to do something) Explanations (How something works) Recounts (Retelling an event) Information Texts (Sharing facts) Persuasive Texts (Convincing the reader) Discussion Texts (Looking at two sides of an argument) Real-World Research with Aquila To put our new skills to the test, we delved into copies of the wonderful Aquila Magazine. We became "Text Detectives," hunting through the pages to see which types of writing the editors used most. Our big discovery? While there was a sprinkle of everything, Information Texts are the true kings of the magazine world! We are now feeling inspired and ready to start planning our own professional magazine spreads. Watch this space! Join the Investigation! When you're reading a newspaper or magazine at home this week, see if you can spot a 'persuasive' advert or an 'explanation' article—can you tell your child what gave it away?
KS2 TTRS Battle of the Bands!
Here we go ???? We’ve kicked off a KS2 Times Tables Rock Stars Battle of the Bands today, with classes going head to head to see who can rack up the most points. The battle runs from today until 13th February. During that time, children can contribute to their class score for up to one hour a day on Times Tables Rock Stars. Every correct answer counts, so regular practice really will make a difference. This is all about building confidence, speed and accuracy with times tables, while having a bit of fun and healthy competition along the way. We’ll be cheering on effort as much as scores. Let the battle begin ????
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