To mark Black History Month, all pupils at Windrush Valley Private School Oxfordshire will be participating in a wide range of learning activities to celebrate the contribution black men and women have made to the world, society, and the advancement of equal rights. Our year groups will be learning about different people from the past and the present.
Influential figures from the past and present
Our Foundation unit (Nursery & Reception) will be focusing on Bessie Coleman who was the first African-American woman and first Native American to hold a pilot license. She was also the first black person to earn an international pilot’s license.
Year 1 and Year 2 will be learning about Rosa Parks and her role as an activist in the civil rights movement and the pivotal role she played in the Montgomery bus boycott. Pupils will also be learning more about Sir Mo Farah the Somali-born British long-distance runner who is the most successful British track athlete in modern Olympic Games history. In addition, pupils will learn about Martin Luther King Jr, the American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesman and leader in the American civil rights movement.
Year 3 will be studying Barack Obama, the 44th president of the USA. We will look at what he achieved as the first African-American president, and how he bought so much hope to the world. We will also be taking a look at his life and his rise to president.
Year 4 will study the life of George Washington Carver. They will learn about his contribution to the world of science and how he overcame adversity to pursue his dreams and personal goals. Learning will link into our science and PSHE lessons.
Year 5 and Year 6 will learn about the life of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist who served as the country’s first president.
The pupils at Windrush Valley Private School Oxfordshire will also be performing music and dance from a variety of black artists.