We are a Picture News Advocate School!

We have been using 'Picture News' in school for several years now. Every week, we share the Picture News in classes, using the excellent online resources. The children - of all ages - engage really well with the images and the topics covered; the topics are always really current and relevant.

We also have a prominent display in the entrance to school, which shows the 'Big Picture' for each week and asks the children for their ideas or comments about this. 

In addition, we share Picture News weekly with our families at home through our weekly bulletin and via our school website, so the issues can also be considered and discussed at home.  

Picture News enables us to deliver much of the work we do in school on British Values, and also helps us to support our children in considering the key issues of the day.

Please follow the link below, to find out how Picture News supports British Values at Our Lady & St Patrick's.

Take a look at some of the weekly big pictures and themes from Picture News, below:

Story: Brazil's new President, Luiz Inácio da Silva (also known as Lula), has said he aims to reduce deforestation and help protect the Amazon rainforest.

Question: Does the natural world have rights?

Virtual Picture News: Found here: www.picture-news.co.uk/discuss

Story: A drink called ‘Prime Hydration’, sold, and promoted by online influencers, has arrived in the UK and as quickly as it arrived, it sold out.

Question: How much control do influencers have over our choices?

Virtual Picture News: Found here: www.picture-news.co.uk/discuss

Story: The Repair Café in Wales, believes that because of the cost-of-living crisis, many of us are increasingly repairing, and upcycling items, instead of throwing them away.

Question: Do we throw things away too easily?

Virtual Picture News: Found here: www.picture-news.co.uk/discuss

Story: A flatpack wind turbine, invented by then 15-year-old Douglas Macartney from Scotland, has now been developed into a working prototype to help provide power to communities in need.

Question: Should all the energy we use be renewable?

Virtual Picture News: Found here: www.picture-news.co.uk/discuss

Story: Nasa officials have recently announced that humans could live on the Moon during this decade.

Question: What would it be like to live on the Moon?

Virtual Picture News: Found here: www.picture-news.co.uk/discuss

Story: Pupils in schools should not be unfairly singled out for having afro hair, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has said in new guidelines for schools.

Question: Should we ever have to change our appearance?

Virtual Picture News: Found here: www.picture-news.co.uk/discuss

Story: Animal rescue groups around the world are seeing a jump in the number of animals being brought to their shelters, as household finances are squeezed.

Question: Should more be done to help rescue pets?

Virtual Picture News: Found here: www.picture-news.co.uk/discuss

Story: A robot named Ai-Da has become the first robot to speak in the House of Lords in Westminster, London. The robot spoke to the House about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the future of arts, fashion, and music.

Question: Will robots make the world a better place?

Virtual Picture News: Found here: www.picture-news.co.uk/discuss

Story: All Lidl chocolate bunnies are to be melted following the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland’s ruling, agreeing that they are similar to Lindt’s own bunny-shaped chocolate treat.

Question: If we do something wrong, who should decide the consequences?

Virtual Picture News: Found here: www.picture-news.co.uk/discuss

Story: Serena Williams, and Roger Federer, who have dominated tennis tournaments all over the world and won 43 Grand Slam titles between them, both announced their retirements recently.

Question: Should we all aim to be the best?

Virtual Picture News: Found here: www.picture-news.co.uk/discuss

Story: Popular dance competition, Strictly Come Dancing, has returned to Blackpool Tower’s refurbished ballroom.

Question: Do we achieve more when there is competition?

Virtual Picture News: Found here: www.picture-news.co.uk/discuss

Story: King Charles has been formally proclaimed as the new King. After Queen Elizabeth died, the title of monarch automatically passed over to Charles, making him King Charles III. Prior to her funeral, tens of thousands of people formed a queue reaching close to 5 miles long to view the Queen’s coffin.
Question: Who is Britain’s new King?

Story: Strictly Come Dancing 2021 winner, Rose Ayling-Ellis, has teamed up with Barbie to unveil their first doll with behind-the-ear hearing aids.
Question: Can toys help us celebrate our differences?
Virtual Picture News: Found here: www.picture-news.co.uk/discuss

Story: During a recent conference, huge technology company, Google, announced the introduction of the ‘Monk Skin Tone Scale’ to improve representation in online searches and photo search results.
Question: How can we make sure that everyone is included?
Virtual Assembly: Found here: www.picture-news.co.uk/discuss

Story: 2022 marks 70 years of Queen Elizabeth II’s service and Buckingham Palace has revealed the celebration line-up marking the Platinum Jubilee that will occur during June’s four-day Bank Holiday weekend.

Question: How important is it for us to have a sense of duty?

Full resource can be found here: www.picture-news.co.uk/discuss

⭐ This week's Picture News to discuss at home⭐
Story: Cereal company Kellogg's is taking the UK government to court over new rules that would stop some of its cereals being put at the forefront of supermarket shelves, due to their high sugar content.
Question: Should you always be allowed to choose your own breakfast?

Full resource, including virtual assembly: https://www.picture-news.co.uk/discuss/2022-05-13/

Story: Danielle Webb, who is 23 and lives with dwarfism, recently wrote a children’s book and regularly visits schools to help educate others about her condition in a bid to stamp out prejudice.

Question: What makes us unique?

Please chat with children about this week's issue at home. For the complete resource, please follow the link: www.picture-news.co.uk/discuss

Story: Chief executive of Tesla and richest person in the world, Elon Musk, has struck a deal to buy social media giant, Twitter. He has raised questions about Twitter’s handling of free speech.

Question: Should we have the right to say whatever we choose?

Please chat with children about this week's issue at home. For the complete resource, please follow the link: https://www.picture-news.co.uk/discuss/2022-04-29/

Story: Access to a new scheme offering free pet healthcare across 38 European countries, is now available to Ukrainian refugees who have left the country with their pets to avoid the conflict.
Question: Should pets be protected more than other animals?
Virtual Assembly: Found here: https://www.picture-news.co.uk/discuss