Black History Month

This year children at St Michael’s have been exploring significant Black people from Britain. With the support and guidance of their teachers, students had a great time finding out about the Black Britons who helped shaped the country.

EYFS – Learnt about Sir Mo Farah and Sheku Kanneh- Mason. They read picture books written by black authors.

Year 1- Learnt about Ethel Scott. She was the first black woman to represent Great Britain in an international competition. She won a silver medal at the 1930 World Games.

Year 2 – Learnt about Sarah Forbes Bonetta. She was the daughter of a chief in Nigeria and was presented as a gift to Queen Victoria. They also learnt about where Nigeria is on maps, what life was like during the Victorian era.

Year 3 – Learnt about Pablo Fanque who was a circus performer and owner.  He achieved great success despite coming from a very poor background. We have learnt about what it was like in the Victorian era and the presence of black people in Britain before the slave trade.

Year 4 – Learnt about life in the mid 1700, in particular, the life of Olaudah Equiano. Olaudah was captured from Nigeria, aged 11, along with his sister. As a free man, he settled in England and became a writer and an avid campaigner to free slaves.

Year 5 – Learnt about Ignatius Sancho. He was born on a ship full of kidnapped people from Guinea in West Africa to a life of enslavement in the Caribbean. He became a playwright and composer. He was the first person of African origin to vote in a British general Election

Year 6 – Learning about John Blanke, a highly respected musician in the early 16th century. We know that he came to England in 1501 as one of Catherine of Aragon’s attendants. He was received by the royalty. We completed an online workshop looking at black Victorians.

Black History Month celebratory Assembly