Teach Primary Issue 19.6

F EATURE S CURR I CULUM Naila Missous is a dedicated teacher and leader of humanities and RE, and the author of Bloomsbury CurriculumBasics: Teaching Primary RE (£20, Bloomsbury). stories, songs, and play. Picture books featuring Black protagonists such as Look Up! by Nathan Bryon or Handa’s Surprise by Eileen Browne, can spark conversations about identity, family and culture. Celebrating different hairstyles, foods, and traditions through role play or themed days helps build appreciation for diversity from the very beginning of a child’s learning journey. Education as justice Education, at its best, is transformative. Whilst the spotlight of Black History Month can be valuable in drawing attention, it must never be the end point. It should be a springboard to weave these narratives into the everyday fabric of school life and learning. This means moving beyond tokenistic gestures or performative allyship. It means investing in teacher training that enables staff to approach Black history with confidence and sensitivity. It means consulting with communities, parents, and students to understand which stories need to be told. It means listening (and I mean, really listening) to the experiences of Black pupils and teachers, whose voices are too often marginalised within the very institutions meant to uplift them. By embedding Black British history across the curriculum, we affirm that these stories matter. Not just in October, but always. And in doing so, we plant the seeds for a future that is more honest, more inclusive, and more just. Because Black history is not a once-a-year lesson. It is an everyday endeavour. And it is long past time we treated it as such. TP educatormissm.co.uk @educatormissm.bsky.social @educatormissm It’s not radical Incorporating Black history across the curriculum is not and shouldn’t be a radical overhaul. Of course, the history classroom is an obvious starting point. A curriculum that truly reflects the breadth of British history must include units on colonialism, the British Empire, slavery, resistance, and the fight for civil rights. Not as optional add-ons, but as core content. But Black history does not belong solely in the history classroom. In primary schools, this can begin with accessible and inspiring figures such as Mary Seacole , the nurse who cared for soldiers during the Crimean War, often taught alongside or in contrast to Florence Nightingale. Children can also learn about Ignatius Sancho , the writer, composer and abolitionist who was the first known Black Briton to vote in a parliamentary election. Walter Tull , one of the first Black British professional footballers and an officer in the First World War, offers opportunities to explore bravery, perseverance and fairness. More recent figures like Baroness Floella Benjamin , a familiar face to generations of children from her time on children’s television, help bring discussions about representation, diversity and the Windrush generation into modern, relatable contexts. Black history can also be brought into other subjects. In English, pupils might explore poetry by Grace Nichols , whose lyrical writing introduces young readers to themes of identity, culture and belonging. In music, they could listen to and learn songs influenced by Caribbean rhythms, or explore how migration brought new sounds and styles to Britain. In art, children could be introduced to artists like Chris Ofili , using colour, symbolism and storytelling to spark creativity. In geography, learning about the countries and cultures from which Black Britons have migrated can help broaden worldviews. Even in the Early Years, introducing Black history can be meaningful through www.teachwire.net | 37