We are a Picture News Advocate School!

How do we use Picture News?

Every week, we share Picture News in classes and in a weekly assembly. The excellent online resources enable our children to engage really well with the images and the topics covered, which are always interesting, current and relevant. The weekly big picture is also displayed prominently in school. 

In addition, we share Picture News with families via our school Facebook page and website, and teachers share the resource directly on ClassDojo. This enables families to further discuss the weekly topics at home, as our weekly 'Talk Homework'.

Picture News enables us to deliver much of the work we do in school on British Values and Protected Characteristics. In addition, it enables us to support our children in encounter and consider the key issues of the day in a planned and age-appropriate way.

The discussion prompted by Picture News also underpins the development of Oracy skills across school, through planned opportunities to develop confidence in speaking, debating and expressing opinions in both formal and informal contexts.

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

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

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

Picture News, 22nd May 2023

Story: 30 years ago, on 30th April 1993, Swiss science company CERN opened up the World Wide Web to the world, free-of-charge.

Question: Has being online changed things for the better?

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

Picture News - Monday 1st May: The Coronation of King Charles III

Story: The coronation of King Charles III will take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6th May.

Question: How do you choose to celebrate significant events?

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

Picture News, 21st April 2023

Story: An educational television programme for young people, banned from schools in Afghanistan, has been launched by the BBC World Service.

Question: How do you learn best?

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

Picture News, 24th March 2023

Story: Schools in earthquake-hit parts of Turkey and Syria have been reopening in the weeks since the devastating earthquakes, many in the form of makeshift tents.

Question: How do communities support each other in difficult times?

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

Picture News, 13th March 2023

Story: Book publisher, Puffin, has announced that stories by famous author Roald Dahl, who died in 1990, are being changed, making them more suitable for modern times.

Question: Should Roald Dahl’s books be changed for modern times?

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

Picture News, 6th March 2023

Story: It has been suggested that hazel dormice numbers in the UK have dropped by nearly 80% in almost 30 years and some researchers say people should be more worried for them.

Question: Could you do more to protect your local area?

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

Picture News, 6th February 2023

Story: The Welsh Football Association has announced that the national men and women's football teams will be paid equally moving forward.

Question: Should men and women’s sports teams be paid the same?

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

Picture News, 30th January 2023

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

Picture News, 23rd January 2023

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

Picture News, 16th January 2023

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

Picture News, 2nd January 2023

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

Picture News 12th December 2022

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

Picture News 14th November 2022

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

Picture News 7th November 2022

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

Picture News 21st October 2022

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: 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