Online Safety - Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo’s long-awaited Switch 2 has finally arrived, blending fresh hardware with fan-favourite franchises. From Mario to Pikachu, the familiar mascots are back – but so too are evolving online features, in-game purchases, and potential exposure to mature content. As ever, it’s essential that parents and educators understand the risks to young players. Among these are GameChat voice communication, camera-based gaming, and potential access to mature-rated titles. This guide outlines what to watch out for and how to keep children safe, engaged and having fun.
Reception Maths – Exploring Repeat Patterns
Today in maths, Reception continued their learning on repeating patterns. We started with visual prompts and the children worked in small groups to recreate the patterns before having a go at continuing them independently using a variety of resources like cubes, shapes and pegs. The children showed fantastic focus and teamwork as they spotted the unit of repeat and carefully selected objects to match and extend each pattern. This learning links to the EYFS Mathematics Early Learning Goal: ???? “Explore and represent patterns within numbers up to 10, including evens and odds, double facts and how quantities can be distributed equally.” It also supports: ???? Communication and Language – discussing colours, shapes and sequences ???? Physical Development – fine motor control when placing and organising resources ???? Personal, Social and Emotional Development – taking turns and working together We were so proud of the children’s confidence and creativity in today’s session!
Reception RE - Learning About Islam
What a wonderful way to explore and learn! Our Reception children have been diving into "Learning About Islam," and these photos capture some fantastic moments. It's clear to see how many aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage are being met here: Understanding the World: Children are developing a deeper understanding of different cultures, beliefs, and traditions. This helps them make sense of their community and the wider world around them. Personal, Social and Emotional Development: Through activities like role-play and respectful learning, children are building empathy, respect for others, and a positive sense of self. They're also learning about different ways people express their beliefs. Communication and Language: Whether discussing what they've learned, asking questions, or explaining concepts to each other, these activities encourage rich language development and communication skills. Expressive Arts and Design: We can see children engaging with props and potentially creating their own understanding through imaginative play, fostering creativity and self-expression. It's inspiring to see our young learners so engaged in such meaningful and inclusive education! #EYFS #EarlyYears #UnderstandingTheWorld #DiversityAndInclusion #LearningAboutIslam #ChildDevelopment #ReceptionClass
Reception - Maths - Equal and Unequal Groups
Look at our brilliant Reception class in action! They've been immersed in some fantastic Maths learning, focusing on "Equal and Unequal Groups." It's wonderful to see the children so engaged and hands-on, developing crucial early mathematical concepts. They're exploring: Counting and Cardinality: Precisely counting objects within groups. Comparison: Visually and practically identifying when groups have the same or different numbers of items. Problem Solving: Working together and independently to sort and arrange objects to make groups equal or understand why they are unequal. Practical activities like these are so vital in the early years for building a strong foundation in maths. Great work, everyone! #ReceptionClass #EarlyYearsMaths #EYFSMaths #EqualAndUnequalGroups #HandsOnLearning #EarlyYearsEducation #ProblemSolving
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Reception - Art and Design - Creating Sharks
Our Reception class has been unleashing their inner artists with some fantastic "Art and Design" work! They've been busy "Creating Sharks," and it looks like a wonderfully messy and engaging process. Activities like these are brilliant for developing so many key skills: Creativity and Imagination: Children are encouraged to express their ideas and bring their vision of a shark to life. Fine Motor Skills: All that moulding, shaping, and decorating helps strengthen those small hand muscles essential for writing and other tasks. Problem-Solving: Deciding how to form the shark, what materials to use, and how to add details requires thoughtful planning and execution. Sensory Exploration: Engaging with different textures and materials provides a rich sensory experience. What amazing focus and concentration from our young artists! We can't wait to see the finished shark masterpieces! #ReceptionClass #ArtAndDesign #EarlyYearsArt #CreativeKids #FineMotorSkills #SensoryPlay #CreatingSharks #EarlyYearsEducation
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Online Safety - Youtube Kids
YouTube Kids promises a safe, child-centric experience with colourful visuals, age-filtered content, and robust parental controls. Designed to appeal to younger viewers, the app has grown rapidly, being used by tens of millions of children worldwide. But is it as safe as it seems? Despite YouTube Kids’ safeguards, reports have highlighted worrying issues, such as inappropriate content slipping through filters, subtle advertising, and the use of manipulative design to keep children engaged. Our guide explores how to navigate these pitfalls, offering practical advice for making sure children get the most from the platform – without the risks.
Forest School Training
Forest School learning is an inspirational and specialised approach to outdoor education that focuses on developing confidence, self-esteem, and holistic growth in learners through hands-on experiences in natural environments. This week our teachers have been on a Forest School adventure. Learning all the different skills to become Forest School leaders. Bringing back to school the philosophical understanding, practical skills, and confidence to unlock the vast educational potential of the outdoors, ultimately creating richer, more engaging, and more beneficial learning experiences for our pupils.
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 - RE - Visit To The Church
As part of our unit on Special Places, Reception Class visited our local church. They took time to notice all the special parts in the church such as the cross and coloured windows. We then discussed how people worship God and we had our own worship time using the instruments.
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Online Safety - Violent Content Online
Around 70% of teenagers say they’ve seen real-life violence on social media in the past year. Violent content online isn’t just something young people are occasionally stumbling across – in many cases, it’s becoming a routine part of their digital world. From fights and stabbings to toxic ideologies , disturbing videos are often just a click away on social media or group chats. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide highlights the unseen risks this poses to children’s mental health , sense of safety, and social behaviours. With insights from a leading expert , it offers practical ways for parents and educators to respond with empathy and support – not punishment or panic.
Reception - Maths - Rotating Shapes
In Maths, we have been thinking about how we can use our words to describe shapes. Today we rotated our shapes in our hands and discovered that even when they are rotated they keep their shape. The children then enjoyed creating patterns and pictures with shapes. They needed to rotate the shapes to fit them in the correct part of the picture.
Online Safety -Minecraft
With its limitless opportunities for building, exploring and collaborating, Minecraft remains a global gaming phenomenon. Its broad appeal lies in how open-ended it is – but this also means it’s not without risk. From chatting with strangers on public servers to the grief of having a beloved creation destroyed, young players can face challenges if left unsupervised. Minecraft can also become a time sink for enthusiastic players, with late nights spent crafting and constructing, potentially impacting school and social lives. We’ve created this free guide to help parents and educators understand how to keep young gamers safe – from choosing age-appropriate game modes to setting boundaries around screen time and spending.
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