Mental Health and Wellbeing - Recognising and Managing Stress
Stress is something we all experience – but for children and young people, it can feel especially overwhelming. This guide presents 10 simple, actionable strategies to help young people manage stress in a healthy and balanced manner. Whether it’s noticing early signs, encouraging open conversations, or modelling calm responses, there are plenty of ideas here to support positive change. Perfect for both school and home settings, the guide equips adults to identify subtle signals of stress and create safe spaces for pupils to open up. It also suggests mindful habits and healthy routines that can become part of daily life, promoting long-term emotional strength and mental wellbeing.
Year 5 - Beach Pebbles to Remember Mrs Davis
During our recent beach trip to St. Anne's, each Year 5 student collected a unique pebble as a heartfelt memento for Mrs. Davis, who we sadly lost this year. As she would have joined us on this outing, we felt it fitting to bring a piece of the beach to her remembrance tree. The children then painted thoughtful and personal designs on their pebbles, before gently and respectfully placing them around the tree, creating a beautiful and lasting tribute.
Staying Safe Around Water
Whether it’s sunny days at the beach or fun in the paddling pool, children are naturally drawn to water. But with excitement comes risk. This guide brings together 10 clear, practical tips to help parents and educators protect children around water – whether that’s at home, on school trips or on holiday. Backed by the Royal Life Saving Society UK, the advice includes knowing what beach flags mean, avoiding inflatables in open water, and learning to ‘float and call’ in an emergency. With a focus on prevention and supervision, this guide is a must-read for summer safety and beyond.
Year 4 PSHE
Year 4 were lucky enough to have a visitor in our class, who gave us information and allowed us to feel comfortable with regards to the years of change that are in store for our boys and girls. Year 4 were fantastic in showing our visitor the respect and values of Darwen St. James' and were very sensible with the information that they received.
Year 6: Leavers' Disco
Year 6 have been preparing decorations for their Leavers' Disco. Everyone has participated and produced some fantastic decorations, while working collaboratively.
Peer Mediators - Meet the Team!
Following two days of intensive training and a rigorous application process, our newly appointed peer mediators were officially ready to begin their important work this week! Easily identifiable in their bright high-visibility jackets, these dedicated students were a visible presence on the playground, poised to offer support and facilitate peaceful resolutions for any minor conflicts that arose.
Year 3 PSHE - Growing And Changing -Secret Or Surprise?
In PSHE, our Year 3 students have been exploring the concepts of secrets and surprises, learning to tell the difference between the two. We've discussed how both surprises and secrets can make us feel. Crucially, they've learned to identify the difference between a safe secret and an unsafe secret, and, most importantly, who they can talk to if a secret ever makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
Year 3 PSHE - Growing And Changing -Secret Or Surprise?
In PSHE, our Year 3 students have been exploring the concepts of secrets and surprises, learning to tell the difference between the two. We've discussed how both surprises and secrets can make us feel. Crucially, they've learned to identify the difference between a safe secret and an unsafe secret, and, most importantly, who they can talk to if a secret ever makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
Nursery - PSHE - Sorting Seasonal Clothing
During PSHE this week, our focus was seasonal clothing, Nursery class participated in sorting various items. The children were presented with a selection of clothing and accessories, including wellies, sunglasses, a cap, a woolly hat, a coat, and a dress. The discussion began with prompting the children to identify each item and consider when they might wear it. When shown the wellies, children vocally identified them, and some made splashing motions, and made links with the pussles they could see out of the window, demonstrating an understanding of their use in wet weather. Following the discussion, the children were encouraged to separate the items into two distinct piles: "summer" and "winter". The children were able to accurately place items like sunglasses, caps, and dresses in the summer pile, often accompanied by exclamations of "hot!" or "sun". Conversely, items such as the woolly hat and coat were predominantly sorted into the winter pile, with some children rubbing their arms as if cold. While a few children initially misplaced an item, gentle redirection and a brief recap of the associated weather conditions helped them self-correct. This activity demonstrated the childrens developing understanding of personal, social, and emotional development through their ability to make connections between clothing and weather. Their engagement in the discussion and their sorting accuracy suggest an awareness of the world around them and how to adapt to different environmental conditions. The hands-on nature of the task fostered cognitive development and fine motor skills as they manipulated the clothing items.
Nursery - R.E - Exploring Our Community
This week, Nursery class took part in a heartwarming RE lesson, all about community! We started by looking at a special picture of our whole class together. It was so lovely to see all our happy faces! We learned a new, important word: 'community'. We talked about how our class is a community, a special group of people who are together and care for each other. The children then had a chance to choose a friend from our class picture. It was delightful to see so many cuddles and high-fives being shared! We chatted about how we can help our friends feel happy, whether it’s sharing a toy or giving a kind smile. We also introduced the beautiful idea that people caring for each other is just like Jesus taught us. It was a gentle and meaningful way to explore how love and kindness bring us all closer, right here in our own school community. The children really engaged with the lesson, showing great recognition of their friends and demonstrating their understanding of being part of our special community. What a joy to see such love and connection in our classroom!
Pre-School- PSHE- Changing As We Grow
The children have been learning how we change over time and what things we need to make this happen. The children discussed that babies need food and sleep to grow. To help us grow the children talked about looking after our bodies, we spoke about losing our baby teeth and getting our adult teeth and this is a sign of growing up. We talked about the different stages of growing up from a baby to an adult looking at pictures and using each other to measure our growth.
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Year 2 - School Shop
Year 2 visit the school shop weekly. This activity provides a fantastic hands-on learning experience, teaching them practical life skills such as managing resources, making choices within a set budget (represented by the tokens), and understanding the concept of exchange. It also fosters decision-making abilities as they select items they desire, and potentially even promotes social interaction as they engage with peers and supervising adults during their "shopping" experience.
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