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Black Mumsnetters

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Original poster

What did your kids schools do for Black History Month?

42 replies

OnceuponaRainbow18 · 30/10/2021 12:36

Would be interested to know what your kids school did for Black History Month and what the dynamic of their school is. I’ll start:

The school I work in- mixed school, secondary, maybe a house assembly for each house abs that’s that.

My kids school: mostly white, I’m not sure they did anything! Or nothing was relaid back to us and my kids didn’t mention anything.

Also, what would you like the schools to include?

OP posts:

Twizbe · 30/10/2021 13:02

As far as I know not much BUT my son is in reception so likely it passed him by a bit. I know they all wore red on the last day before half term. It was to raise money for an anti racism charity.

I suspect older years did more and we'll have a blog about it after half term.

His school is very diverse. My DS is one of 7 white kids in a class of 30.

Elephantsparade · 30/10/2021 13:38

lm interested in responses to this. My school did nothing. It is an infant school which is majority white but has a sizable minority of children of indian decent and children who are chinese on a mid lenghth stay. They have tried to make the general curriculum year round more inclusive though and re jigged a lot of materials and bought a lot of books during lock down.

bjjgirl · 30/10/2021 13:40

To be fair I had no idea it was black history month. The school did nothing I'm aware of - It's a rural school with 95% white kids.

Lndnmummy · 30/10/2021 14:20

@Elephantsparade black history month is NOT diversity month. I'm sure the school would benefit from inclusion but catering to Indian and Chinese children is not the purpose of Black History Month.

Findahouse21 · 30/10/2021 14:22

History for term one is based on a different black person. Dd's history lessons have been based on Mary seacole.

lawofdistraction · 30/10/2021 14:33

DD is y6 at a primary which is 90% white.

They had a workshop with somebody external, where they sang African songs and learnt about slavery.
I was pleased they'd done something this year as in previous years it's been on the school calendar, and I've asked DD how it's been marked, but she hasn't been aware of anything.

KatyMac · 30/10/2021 14:40

Dd has schools she works with where 'Black History' isn't confined to October

She also has schools who ring up last week in September (with no previous contact) and ask her to do free workshops as "Black History month is so important"

Early November she is always exhausted, annoyed that so much input is unpaid, and angry that when both a Black and a White organisation/person offer workshops for Black History month it's often the White person that is employed

Elephantsparade · 30/10/2021 14:45

@Lndnmummy I didnt say it was? Im sorry if i came across that way.

I was giving the context of my school. Same as others said '95% white", or 'mostly white' as in the OP. I thought if i said 70% white, people might assume 30% of the children were black but they arent.

And by making the curriculumn more inclusive year round i was specially thinking about things relating to black history that instead of being taught in one specific month are included year round. Its a big topic!

thismeansnothing · 30/10/2021 14:52

DD is in year 4. The stuff that I'm aware of because they posted it on the parent app is they did An African drumming class. An African dancing class. Then a windrush workshop with the founder of Windrush Initiative CIC

thismeansnothing · 30/10/2021 14:54

My post hasn't gone up but DDs in yr4 and her primary did an African drumming lesson, African dance lesson and a Windrush workshop with someone from the Windrush Initiative

ponkydonkey · 30/10/2021 15:09

Primary school did quite a bit and centred the whole month about black history.... we are quite a rural school and I thought they made a really good effort.
Lots of projects on famous black people and their achievements, they all sang stand by me on the last day and it was lovely.
Previously the school have been marked down in ofsted for not doing anything at all, especially being inclusive and multi cultural 😬

Mrsorganmorgan · 30/10/2021 16:46

I think that in the whole of the Uk, Black History Month is only complusory in Wales.

EdmontinaTiresofNameFlipping · 30/10/2021 17:51

@lawofdistraction

DD is y6 at a primary which is 90% white.

You’re pleased that the entire existence of non-white people on the planet, through all of history, was reduced to a bit of singing and slavery? And that that’s all the pupils would encounter, possibly for another year?

lawofdistraction · 30/10/2021 18:00

Edmontina that's not fair, I didn't say whether I thought the content was enough - actually I do think it should be covered more and in different ways.

The OP asked how it had been marked by schools and I answered. What I was pleased by was it having been marked at all as I don't think it has in past years.

Original poster

OnceuponaRainbow18 · 30/10/2021 18:04

I’m going to speak to my son’s school on Monday and ask what they did and what they do generally to celebrate black history.

I hate slavery being taught during Black History Month.

OP posts:

EchoNan · 30/10/2021 18:07

I'll start from saying that teachers have had a really tough couple of years and the pressures on them are ridiculous.

But a bit of drumming is insulting. I've never drummed in my life. I do have a ukulele though! For some reason never been invited into a school to do my black Lancashire George Formby turn.

We've had a few things, looking at local history and today. Like the story of black servicemen in WW2 based in Lancashire, how they were treated and how the locals stood up for them. Great story.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bamber_Bridge

Lots of regional stuff.

Lndnmummy · 30/10/2021 18:11

I am fed up with half arsed attempts at black history month. Its ignorant. I have had several (yearly) discussions with my dc's schools. They often make it "diversity" month, which pisses me off. They also use it to talk about slavery. Black history month was introduced to highlight, acknowledge and celebrate the achievments and contributions black people have made here in the uk. Slavery is, in this context not part of black history. It is an abhorent and heinous part of EUROPEAN history and colonialism. To use BHM in a primary school to talk about slavery is lazy, ignorant and wrong on so many levels. Slavery should be taught when children have enough maturity to process it. It has zero place in a primary schools"celebration" of black history,

EchoNan · 30/10/2021 18:11

@Mrsorganmorgan

I think that in the whole of the Uk, Black History Month is only complusory in Wales.

I didn't know this! @Mrsorganmorgan Can you tell us more? Is there a curriculum for example? Diolch yn fawr!

Lndnmummy · 30/10/2021 18:13

For those seeking info - this is a decent place to start.

www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/

Abraxan · 30/10/2021 18:14

Officially nothing at the infant school I teach. But that was a fairly deliberate decision. We didn't want to seen too be only celebrating black history for a specific month. We have a very diverse catchment of pupils and we try to include a diverse collection of significant people, books, texts, etc into our who curriculum rather than putting it into one month.

Mrsorganmorgan · 30/10/2021 18:21

EchoNan. Croeso! Definitely in Wales, and there is a curriculum, and it is mandatory, thank goodness.

EchoNan · 30/10/2021 18:23

I think that is a good way forward @Abraxan integrated, rather than bolt on.
My dgc infant school has the same approach.

EchoNan · 30/10/2021 18:31

Mrsorganmorgan, I'm off to investigate!

I lived in N.Wales for a while, (With English neighbours - who told me not to learn Welsh, as there was no need to! They also thought Ar Werth was a big estate agent Nuff said)

PotteringAlong · 30/10/2021 18:36

We did nothing at my secondary school. To the best of my knowledge nor did my children’s primary school.

AosSi · 30/10/2021 18:42

Over the past couple of years, I've nodded towards the commencement of Black History Month in October but done proper work on the topic in Jan and Feb (so lining up more with the USA). October is just an impossible time, the last week of the month we're off school and the week or two before that revolves around Halloween, we're prepping Christmas cards, we're getting ready for parent teacher meetings, there's a Halloween show to sort... whereas I find when you come back after Christmas holidays, you have a bit of breathing space and can get stuck into loads of work.

Personally I'd be for the integrated as opposed to bolted on approach - so bringing in Mae Jemison when learning about Space or Josephine Baker in WW2, for example - but I'm also conscious that a lot of other teachers in my school don't try to include anything more than white history.

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