News

During the month of October students were able to participate in a range of activities as part of Black History Month. As a school we continue to explore ways in which we can be more diverse and inclusive. It was wonderful to see the response from so many of our students and see the different ways in which they interacted with the celebration of black history.

Year 3, York class

In English the children were writing their own persuasive arguments. We used Martin Luther King as an inspirational figure who used emotive language to support his ideas. The children watched some of his famous speeches. From this the children were able to relate what emotive language was to his famous speech. The impact was that the majority of the children then used emotive language in their persuasive arguments.

Miss Frost

Year 1, Orange class

In Orange class we enjoyed watching a children's story about Ella Fitzgerald. We then listened to her music whilst doing some of our writing work. A few children recognised some of the songs. In class we discussed how every time Ella sang a song, she did it in a different way. Her approach even came up in our Art lessons when discussing the work of famous artists.

Miss Picton

We read stories about the lives of Simone Biles and Venus and Serena Williams. We talked about why they are special and linked this to Black History Month. Other people we talked about were the four women mathematicians who helped provide the important figures for America's NASA astronauts first trip to space. Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, Dorothy Vaghan, and Christine Darden. We discussed how it is important to celebrate the contributions of everyone to our society and support the multiculturalism and diversity that helps shape our communities. Afterwards the children discussed why they are special.

Mrs Schenk

Year 6

Year 6 took inspiration from the wonderful selection of new books that were donated from the school community through the book wish list. The children were able to learn about inspiring people from all parts of the world and what intrigued them to discover the impact these individuals have had. As well as this, they learnt about Ruby Bridges and this led to a wonderful pupil led discussion where the children identified the differences in the experience they have of education and most notably, the importance of educating inside and outside the classroom. In a stand-alone PSHE lesson linked to their focus, the children were introduced to Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech. They studied his actions and his words and identified the messages he was delivering to his followers and the world. The children then went on to write their own dreams for themselves, their families, the local community and others in the world.

Miss Bacon

Music, all of primary

A beautiful black history month listening calendar was sent out to all teachers for them and the students to listen to. Both teachers and students had the chance to enjoy the wonder of these artists everyday in their classrooms. This calendar was also part of the musician of the month.

Mr Fothergill

Secondary students enjoyed a whole-school assembly led by Miss Timpson and participated in the second iteration of Mr Amos’s Black History Month Quiz. Congratulations to 11 Dahl, 11 Wordsworth, 12 King and 12 Wordsworth for achieving a perfect score.

Secondary students were also given the opportunity across all subject areas to complete a research homework project on significant individuals of their choice. Some wonderfully creative pieces were produced. A special ‘shout out’ to Design & Technology for their research on black inventors and the impact they have made on our world.

All the students and staff within Samuel Ryder Academy also enjoyed the Black History Month book recommendation display in the library. Along with the help of our librarian Miss Hartgrove, books were also displayed all around the library showcasing the wonderful stories by black authors, characters, or people.

Nicole Wallace - KS2 Learning Support Officer

Sam Amos - Head of History