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As part of the community’s celebration of pancake day, the children from every class were given the opportunity to take part in a pancake race on the recreation ground.  This was organised by the town council and featured teams from

At William Barnes, we believe that learning goes far beyond the classroom. Our children, staff, and governors all recognize the incredible value of extracurricular activities and residential trips in helping children grow into confident, resilient, and well-rounded individuals. We offer a

Since the arrival of the our headteacher, Ms. Locke her genuine appreciation of children’s literature has become increasingly evident to both staff and children. Anyone having the chance to chat with her about reading, quickly discovers her passion for children’s

At William Barnes, the end of the autumn term is always an exciting and magical time for both children and adults. As December begins, classrooms are transformed with festive decorations, twinkling lights, and even the occasional Christmas tree. Harts of

As the curtain fell on this year's Key Stage 2 Production 'Goodbye My Friend' it also signalled the beginning of the last few days of Mrs Wrixon's headship at William Barnes.  Having navigated the school through some difficult times including

The children in year 5 recently enjoyed a brilliant day at the Ancient Technology Centre in Cranborne.  This is a site devoted to experimental archeaology.  Based on the best evidence available, the staff at Cranborne have created a collection of

The cross country team continued the school's amazing record in the local school's competition by winning all of the races.  Held at Shillingstone each year, the event involves a relay of 4 x 600m around the school grounds.  There are

William Barnes ‘WE PROJECT’ Supporting Charities  Supporting worthy causes and charities is part and parcel of the wider curriculum at all primary schools and this is no exception at William Barnes.  Throughout the year, the children take part in non

Key Stage 2 Cross  Country  All four classes in Key Stage took part in the cross country competition.  Over a distance of 600m, the children raced around a course set out by the sports ambassadors during lunchtime.  The school uses

Musical Magic from Violin Duo!  Two children from year 5 and year 6, Alex and Bartosz entranced their audience when they performed to their class mates in the hall recently.  Accompanied by their teacher Mrs Middleton on the piano, they

‘We Project’ Takes ‘Outward Facing’ School William Barnes to New Level You may have heard the term ‘outward facing’ used in Ofsted Inspection reports and in the media when referring to schools and academies.  Head teacher Mrs Wrixon has always

This term the school has borrowed a set of fifteen mini computers called Crumbles from the Devon Computing hub based in Exeter.  The Crumbles are small computers (about 3 cm by 5cm) that can store code in a small memory

Year 6 teacher and English leader Mr Field has been very keen over the last couple of years to improve links with the library in Sturminster Newton.  Each year, every class from the school is encouraged to get in touch

The children in year 5 have really enjoyed working with the new Forest School tutor Mr Burbridge.  Each week, the class were able to spend Wednesday afternoon learning in the outdoors using our special Forest School area and the resources

The children in year 6 produced another poignant production under the guidance of Mr Field and Mrs Chant.  In front of three packed houses, parents and children were impressed by the class's acting, singing, dancing and team work.  Please follow

All the children and staff would like to congratulate Ezra in year 3 and Sam in year 4 for their excellent times in our most recent cross country competition.  Mr Hull was using the data for KS2 to help him

Rich Curriculum with ‘Global Ready’ Citizens  Despite the pressure on schools to focus on teaching reading, writing and maths, Mrs Wrixon has always been a champion for a rich, broad and exciting curriculum.  For many years the school has enhanced

Pressure Released as Ofsted Inspection Goes Well  Staff and governors breathed a huge sigh of relief when the School’s Ofsted inspection finally came to an end on 22nd February and the inspector drove away, not to visit again for at

You may have seen reports in the national media about a rise in cases of scarlet fever and Strep A. Though national figures are higher than expected, there are processes in place in Dorset to help reduce the spread should

The 2022-2023 Eco Warrior Team of pupils have just received their plaque to officially mark the planting of two trees as part of the Queens Canopy Platinum Jubilee 2022. 'The Queen’s Green Canopy is proud to be creating a living legacy

Would you like to know more about the opportunities for your 4 year old starting school in September 2023.  If so, why not come along to William Barnes Primary School   Tour of the school at 1.30p.m & 2.30p.m on Wednesday

After two years when it has not been possible to raise funds for the school in the traditional way, Kiri Cavendish and her band of trusty PTFA helpers decided on a fresh approach to the post KS2 Production ‘family night’. A renamed

Our annual analysis of the parental questionnaires shows that yet again the parents at William Barnes are more than satisfied with the education that the school provides. The information that parent’s provide is invaluable to the school because it enables the

Since taking the reins at William Barnes head teacher Mrs Wrixon has always had the ambition to give the children the opportunity to extend their learning further in the outdoors.  However, with the cost of hiring coaches and the loss

When Amy Ellis, the education officer for Wessex Rivers Trust contacted William Barnes in September 2020 with the idea of creating a River Stour trail with the children, deputy head Richard Hull immediately responded, as it sounded like an exciting

You may remember that last July the children in years 3,4 and 5 (now years 4,5 and 6) took part in a project with an artist in residence Sarah Butterworth.  Each class spent a day working under a marquee and

Since the crisis in Ukraine hit the headlines, the whole of the school community at William Barnes have been deeply concerned about events, particularly as many of the children have family in countries bordering the conflict. As a result,

During the Autumn term of 2021, the children at William Barnes have been extremely fortunate that many aspects of school life have been continuing as normal. The children have entered Halloween poster competitions, designed Christmas cards for the town

As the children have returned the children’s well-being has been a renewed focus for all schools and at William Barnes Primary School in Sturminster Newton in particular.  Following the period of partial school closure in January and February as the

As the national lockdown began to ease in the Spring, the staff at William Barnes were extremely pleased that they had not rushed into any decisions about cancelling residential trips due to the pandemic. Unlike many schools, William Barnes

With all the children arriving back into school on Monday 8th March, the staff at William Barnes have been turning their attention to how to settle the children back in. One thing is for sure, all the children will be really

Staff and children have been focussing on the important topic of how to be safe on line, during assemblies, live remote lessons and in school discussions.  The children have completed questionnaires about their use of the internet and Mr Hull has

The teaching staff at William Barnes have been working very hard to ensure that the school fully meets the government's expectations for remote learning during school closure. At William Barnes, all classes offer a mixture of live lessons and independent activities