Over the course of the next week, all Key Stage Three students will be asked to express their own thoughts about the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement which has been at the forefront of the public consciousness over the last few months due to the death of George Floyd. The English Faculty has worked in collaboration with both the ADT&T and Humanities Faculties in order to encourage students to consider the roots of historic inequality between ethnicities. They will look at the Slave Trade in the 1700s and Western society’s role in exploiting African countries for labour. Students will then look at a range of texts that have come out of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement such as poetry, newspaper articles and songs. This is in order to inspire them to create their own response to the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement through whichever medium suits them. This can be through the written word or Mr Wilson has kindly suggested ways in which students can channel their thoughts into a piece of artwork. You can view the work that they will be completing here.

As a school, we believe that it is important to discuss topical issues such as these. For the students, it is an opportunity to build their awareness of other cultures and explore how history impacts the future. This cultural awareness then encourages students to develop their own opinions on important matters whilst also learning to appreciate the opinions of others. The English Department is optimistic that, by bringing these topical matters to the fore, we can all learn to be better members of society.