Black History Month

This year the focus of Black History Month is ‘reclaiming narratives’ and we have been thinking about how we want to be a school where everyone feels welcome and everyone’s story can be told and heard.

Children from Nursery through to Year 6 have been exploring a wide range of books which celebrate African culture and African heritage and pupils have been enjoying discussing as a class the importance of seeing ourselves in books. Below are some of the children’s reflections on why it is important that everyone can see themselves in the books they read:

‘It is important so that children can feel like they are a part of the world so that no-one is left out of God’s world.’

‘It shows no matter our race we can be anything!’

‘I think it is important as God made different types of people – not everyone is the same.’

Below is a list of some of the books we have been reading – many of them are also available at the local library or can be found as read alouds on the internet if you want to explore them further at home.

• Old Mikamba had a Farm by Rachel Isadora
• So Much by Trish Cooke
• Black is a Rainbow Colour by Angela Joy
• The Snowy Day by Ezra Keats
• Grandad Mandela by Zazi and Ziwelene Mandela
• You can do Anything Tyrone by Lenny Henry
• The Princess and the Pea by Rachel Isadora
• Rapunzel by Rachel Isadora
• Look Up by Nathan Bryon
• Ablaze with Colour: A Strry of Painter Alma Thomas by Jeanne Walker Harvey
• Our Story Starts in Africa by Patrice Lawrence
• Dream to Change the World by John La Rose
• Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush by Patrice Lawrence
• I’ll See you in Ijebu by Bunmi Emenanjo
• Little Leaders: Exceptional Black men in Black History by Vashti Harrison
• Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison
• Black and British: An Illustrated History by David Olusuga
• Timelines from Black History: Leaders Legends, Legacies by Mireille Harper
• Legacies: Black British Pioneers by Lania Narji
• Brilliant Black History by Atinuke and Kingsley Nebechi