Catholic Life and Mission
At St Anne's, we celebrate our faith in a variety of ways. Have a look at some of the special events that occur throughout the school year, each highlighting a unique aspect of our Catholic faith.
St Anne's Day and Prayer Garden and Chapel Opening
What a Day, What a Team, What a Parish, What a Community!
We had a fantastic day at St. Anne's R.C. Primary School, celebrating the official opening of our new chapel and prayer garden, as well as marking 100 years of St. Anne's! 
A heartfelt thank you to our Bishop and Father Jim for their support and guidance, and to everyone—staff, pupils, parents, and parishioners—who played a part in making this day so special.
Together, we are building a vibrant community where everyone is valued and supported. Let's keep this momentum going!
Preparation of our Prayer Garden
The 4th July marked our official opening of our Prayer Garden. This special space provides a serene sanctuary for reflection, prayer, and mindfulness for all our students and community members.
Our dedicated volunteers have been busy building, planting colourful flowers, and arranging stone pathways so everyone can take a moment of peace amidst the hustle and bustle of school life. 
Thank you St Bede's for all your help this week! 
Chapel Sneak Peak
Exciting Update on Our New Chapel Area!
We are thrilled to share a sneak peek of our new chapel area! While it is still a work in progress, this space is already becoming a wonderful sanctuary for our pupils and staff. It provides a peaceful environment for quiet reflection and a dedicated area for class worship time.
We can't wait to see how this space evolves and continues to enrich our school community. Stay tuned for more updates as we make this chapel a truly special place for everyone at St. Anne's!
Summer Term Stay and Pray
We warmly invite you to join us for a special "Stay and Pray" session at St. Anne's R.C. Primary School. This is a wonderful opportunity for our school community to come together in prayer and reflection.
Details of the Session:
Date: Tomorrow
Time: 8:50 AM - 9:20 AM
Location: School Hall via the office
We encourage all parents and carers to attend, as your presence is invaluable to our community. This session will not only allow us to pray together but also strengthen the bonds within our school family.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Visit to school by Greg from Mark 10 Mission
Celebrating Inspiration at St. Anne's!
On Thursday 5th June, we had an incredible day at St. Anne's R.C. Primary School as we welcomed Greg from Mark 10 Mission! 
Greg led a whole school Celebration of the Word that truly inspired us all. Following this, he facilitated class worships and provided valuable training for our staff. The energy in the room was palpable, with our pupils fully engaged and eager to learn from his teachings.
It was a blessing to have Greg with us, and his impact on both our children and staff was profound. Thank you, Greg, for sharing your wisdom and spirit with our community!
Together, we continue to grow in faith and learning. 
Creating a New Prayer Garden
Exciting Developments at St Anne's! - 12th May 2025
We are thrilled to share some wonderful news about our ongoing project to enhance our school's spiritual and learning environment!
We have begun developing the indoor chapel and the land at the rear of the school, nestled between St Anne's School and St Anne's Church. This new outdoor space will provide our pupils with an incredible opportunity to deepen their learning and spirituality.
Given our limited space, we are passionate about creating new opportunities for our children. Our vision includes an allotment-style prayer garden, which will not only enrich their spiritual experience but also foster a sense of community and connection with nature.
We are excited to share our progress photos now that the groundwork is complete! Additionally, we have reached out to Blackburn College to build relationships within our local community, allowing their students to develop their skills through this real-life project.
Stay tuned for more updates and progress pictures as we move forward. We've still for plenty to do but we can't wait to see the finished space, which we aim to complete by the end of June!
Thank you for your continued support!
Celebration of Work
This week, Year 1 have been learning all about the Ascension as part of their RE topic. We have learnt all about how Jesus appeared to his disciples and promised to send the Holy Spirit to them. To deepen our understanding we looked at how the dove represents the Holy Spirit and we had a go at colouring and collaging our own.
VE Day - 8th May 2025
St Annes joined in to commemorate 80 years since the first VE day. We respectfully observed the two-minute silence, learnt lots about VE day, and its importance in classes and had a wonderful street garden party in the KS2 yard, like the millions of people who celebrated the very first VE day in 1945. St Anne's remembers and is thankful.
Jubilee Year Pilgrimage
We are Pilgrims of Hope
Today, 10th April, we (200 of us!!) made our pilgrimage to St Alban's Church, one of the designated churches for the Jubilee year. Together we raised an incredible £800 for CAFOD. This will go towards supporting essential projects for communities in need, taking action to build a fairer world. Thank you for your continued support!
Receiving the Pilgrims of Hope Anchor
On 7th April, as we continued to make "hope" a key focus of school life, we received the Anchor from the Chaplains at St Anthony's R.C.P.S. The anchor has been travelling around the schools within the Diocese of Salford as a reminder of the Jubilee message of hope.
Bishop John challenged each school to make the anchor a focal symbol throughout the year, reminding pupils, teachers, staff, and governors of the grounding hope of our faith as we work together towards a brighter future in Christ.
He said: “So we celebrate this Jubilee of Hope, and we symbolise that hope in that sense of the firmness, of being held firm and steady by an anchor, and we ask that these anchors can be an image around our schools this year."
Celebration of Work
During learning about the Easter Story, Year 5 created some wonderful freeze frames! Together, we split the earlier parts of the Easter Story into sections and performed them up to the point where Jesus was crucified. As you can see, they did a great job and used a different way of recording their learning - whilst making the most of the beautiful weather in the Costa del Blackburn in the process! Well done, all 
Spring Stay and Pray
Thank you to all of our wonderful parents that attended our Stay and Pray Session the 19th March.
Our chaplains led us in thoughtful worship, telling us about the Second Sunday of Lent.
We can't wait to invite you to our next session.
Celebration of Work
The children in EYFS have been learning about Lent and Shrove Tuesday. Mrs Dhanchura taught the children how to make pancakes and showed them her fantastic flipping skills! The children then applied this when playing in the role play and malleable areas. 
Celebration of Work
This week in RE, Year 1 have been looking at how God helps us to be kind and forgiving. The children have learnt all about God’s Promise through scripture such as Isaiah 58:9-11, and looked at different ways we can implement this in our own lives. This afternoon we spent time discussing which promises we will make to God to make the world a better place. We have some lovely ideas. Well done children
End of Unit Class-led Worship
Year 5 delivered the end of unit worship they planned together. After singing God's Spirit is in my Heart beautifully, they listened to some chosen scripture and acted out the story of the Feeding of the 5000 - working amazingly well together and showing great enthusiasm and respect. We have been studying Local Church and Mission this unit, and the children chose the parts of their worship brilliantly, making fantastic links to their learning. Well done, all! 
World Religion Day
To commemorate World Religion Day, each child was asked to design a tile that shows their belief and faith. They took great care in producing some beautiful and thoughtful work, celebrating who they are, and what they believe in. 
Christmas Mass
On 18th December we celebrated our annual Christmas Mass. Thank you to all our parishioners that attend alongside the school. Our readers were fantastic, displaying wonderful confidence and clarity when reading.
Carol Service
The Year 5 and 6 Carol Service was a truly wonderful event, filled with beautiful singing and festive spirit. The children's voices came together in perfect harmony, creating a magical atmosphere that captured the true essence of the season. We are sure all the parents who attended will agree that it was a moving and memorable performance. Well done to all the children for their hard work and commitment during rehearsals—it certainly paid off and made the evening one to remember.
Choir Visit and Carols
On Monday 16th December, our amazing choir visited Spinneyside retirement home. They had a wonderful time singing and getting to know the residents.
Later that day, children from Years 5 and 6 went into Blackburn town centre to spread Christmas joy by singing carols from their Carol concert. Lots of wonderful positive comments with many children stopping to listen.
We're so proud of you all
EYFS and KS1 Nativity
On Thursday 12th December, our EYFS and KS1 children took to the stage to perform their Nativity, Angel Express, and what a fantastic performance it was! We’re sure all the parents will agree that the children were absolutely amazing, showcasing their hard work, confidence, and enthusiasm. A huge thank you goes to all the staff who supported in preparing the production—your dedication and effort truly brought the performance to life.
The Big Sleep Out
On 29th November, a group of our children took part in the Big Sleep Out to raise awareness of global homelessness—a powerful experience helping them understand the challenges faced by those without a home. The children have really enjoyed their "Chippy tea," kindly provided by Westend Fish and Chips, and are grateful for the warm meal as they reflect on how different life can be for others. Through the event, they’ve learned a great deal about how homelessness affects people within our own local community, and it’s been a valuable opportunity for empathy, learning, and action.
The Big Sleep Out
As requested by our Faith and School Council, around 50 St Anne's pupils and staff members will be taking part in ‘The Big Sleep Out 2024’ (29th November 2024). A Sleep Out to Call for an End to Global Homelessness.
Please use the link below to donate:
Make A Donation | Caritas Diocese Of Salford
Nativity Update
Our countdown to Christmas has begun as children in KS1 start practising for the Nativity play. 
Class Worship Session
Year 5 planned and observed a liturgy that connected to our theme of Love. They chose the scripture, the songs and the religious items to accompany it. They sang beautifully and produced some wonderful art work, when they got back into class. Well done, everyone!
Stay and Pray - Autumn Term
Thankyou to all of our parents that attended our first Stay and Pray session this morning. 
This is what our parents said -
"I have enjoyed the prayers and readings with an understanding about loving God, it's nice to see the kids happy."
"I enjoyed the prayers and being able to come to school to share the time with all the children."
"I learnt that it is important to love our neighbours as ourselves, show love and give love."
We look forward to welcoming you to our future sessions. 
Celebration of Work
In year 1 we have been learning all about belonging and baptism in RE. We have discussed the different ways we can belong, and how it makes us feel. The children discussed what it means to belong to the Catholic Church, and expressed what it meant to them. They came up with lots of ideas on how we act as a member of God’s family and had a go at drawing and writing them down. Great work children! 
Harvest Collection and Food Bank Donation
We are blown away by the generosity of everyone that donated to our Harvest Collection 
Blackburn Food Bank came to collect the huge amount of items and send their warmest thanks to all of our pupils and parents.
We pray for those who are in need
New Chaplains Leading Key Stage 2 Worship
How amazing are our chaplains?
With support from Miss Lee, our RE and Worship Lead, they worked together to create a presentation.
Today they led Celebration of the Word for KS2. They are wonderful messengers of God's word
Harvest Collection Update
Year 3 have been sorting through the bags of food that have been brought into school this week
Thank you to all of our families that have generously donated to our harvest collection 
Don't forget we are accepting donations until 8th October, after which we will take it to Blackburn Food Bank 
Key Stage 2 Worship
During class worship, Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6) discussed how Jesus is a Shepherd and we are his flock. The children produced amazing responses to the questions posed to them and really thought deeply about the meaning of forgiveness and why it is important.
