4. Black Lives Matter : Finding the room and creating new rooms Aristotle said “Man is a political animal” and History is the most political of subjects. There is always some pressure to fit more and more into the curriculum often with specific and even contrasting agendas. Some insist the positive qualities of Imperial Britain should be reinforced, while others insist the lesson of Britain’s Empire should be the evils of nationalism and colonialism. In recent months, the Black Lives Matter movement has correctly highlighted the lack of ethnic history within the current history curriculum - a lack of inclusiveness that could be extended to gender studies as well. While the modular exam structure can make KS4 and 5 inflexible, the KS3 curriculum can offer opportunities to teach a greater diversity of topics. However, this has to be carefully implemented, and it is not a matter of squeezing more history into a fixed allocation of time. It would be counterproductive to edit out one period, such as Medieval History, in order to include a more modern topic. Should Martin Luther give way to Martin Luther King? These are complex issues to discuss and overcome. The current KS3 curriculum is constructed thematically to inform the students about the development of Britain and the evolution of our values such as democracy and tolerance. This therefore dictates the pattern of lessons from Roman times to the Second World War. There are brief tangents, from the Islamic Empire to the American and French Revolutions, to promote the ideas of cultural transference and the growing pains inherent in political freedoms. Any further compression of lessons would only be detrimental to the issues involved. Therefore, new approaches need to be developed and encouraged. The history department is experimenting with two potential ideas to address some of the concepts raised by the movement. Firstly, there is the integration of figures from all ethnic backgrounds and cultures into the lessons. This could be done simply as a starter, by showing that Britain has a long history of Black people living within the community. This could start with the very first lesson on History in Year 7 with an image of the first “Britain” – a man with dark skin. The principle is that by regular exposure, the students begin to see the “invisible history” of our nation. One that is actually far more diverse than they might realise. This can be extended into more traditional lessons. For example, the Dark Ages (the 500 years between the Romans leaving and the Normans arriving) is actually a period of constant movement of different peoples from the Anglo-Saxons, to Franks, Jutes and Vikings who all mixed with the Celtic and Romano-British already here. The culture which emerged was rich and sophisticated, and hardly a “Dark Age” but more an “Age of Immigration”. A new name provides a deeper way of examining the issues, and an opportunity to make parallels with more modern times. Tutor times could occasionally be used to show events the curriculum cannot cover, such as a comparison of the famous American 1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott with the largely ignored British 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott. Bringing back these lost figures and events can help to see our history in a new light. in lessons is to miss the very essence of education. The purpose of school is to inspire students to learn for themselves and to give students the skills to do so in an objective and analytical manner. If a teacher does not cover a subject that the student wants to study, such as the 1947 Independence of India, then the student should feel confident in finding out the information for themselves. This inevitably involves a willingness to read, and so it is the duty of all subjects to suggest starting places and interesting books to inspire the students. A reading list should not just take the topics of the lesson but open up new worlds. On every reading list we provide for all years, the first book is always Bill Bryson’s ‘Short History of Nearly Everything’. It is actually more of a science book but it brilliantly shows the evolution of ideas and is a great springboard for further study. From there, students could move to Yuval Noah Harari’s ‘Sapiens’ or Andrew Marr’s ‘History of the World’, or they could start deeper explorations of more specific topics of interest to them. Year 8 The Year 8 Team as a whole, have been so incredibly proud of our year group, over the past few months. There have been so many examples of resilience, kindness and a huge sense of community spirit. When faced with this unprecedented situation, it forced us all to adapt our way of living and the way we complete everyday tasks. Through this challenging period, there have been so many rays of light, that have found their way through the darkness and that has filled us all with so much happiness, in a time when we needed it most. So, thank you Year 8! Below are some examples of student success, during the lockdown period: Amy C (8AAI): Amy has risen to the challenge during lockdown and has been extremely helpful around the house. She has been mastering her culinary skills, sending regular photos of her meals that she cooks for her Mum, who is a key worker. Reading is the most effective way for students to begin their exploration of the River T (8JMG): River has been helping to care world. There is no quick fix to promote a for her Grandmother during lockdown, making more diverse and inclusive curriculum, but regular trips across Yeovil to provide support by showing alternatives; highlighting roleand company. models; and facilitating independent ! learning; then the school can eventually !"#$%&'()*$+('*,'-.$/$01222$3#,()$456$748-6$'-$9"#66,(:$;<=$)"4>)$*",*$*"#$456#)*$?4@A5#*#$ Esther W (8ZPG): Near the beginning of )B#5#*4-$748-6$'-$+('*,'-$",6$C58#$#3#)$,-6$6,(B$*4$C5,?B$)B'-:$D-*#(#)*'-E$*"#(#$')$,$6'(#?*$5'-B$*4$,$ become the catalyst for each student to @,-$)*'55$5'F'-E$'-$*"#$,(#,:$G')*4(3$')$C4*"$?",-E#$,-6$?4-*'-8'*3:$ lockdown, Esther raised money for the NHS. widen their frame of reference and ! 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From small steps, longer strides may she did it, the lockdown was stringent, and we &5)!6$#%&!8''F!$%!*(<*4%!B$((!B#4%'.D%!b?5'#&!3$%&'#4!'6!Z)*#(4!E=)#4&5$.>D:!A&!$%!*0&7*((4!1'#)!'6!*! @,-$)*'55$5'F'-E$'-$*"#$,(#,:$G')*4(3$')$C4*"$?",-E#$,-6$?4-*'-8'*3:$ %0$).0)!8''F!87&!$&!8#$(($*.&(4!%5'<%!&5)!)='(7&$'.!'6!$+)*%!*.+!$%!*!>#)*&!%/#$.>8'*#+!6'#!67#&5)#! Cheddar. DNA shows that the oldest emerge. ! %&7+4:!R#'1!&5)#)C!%&7+).&%!0'7(+!1'=)!&'!S7=*(!Z'*5!3*#*#$D%!b?*/$).%D!'#!".+#):!;'!)I/)0&! Talya T (8JMG): and her Mum have been sewing )=)#4&5$.>!&'!8)!&*7>5&!$.!()%%'.%!$%!&'!1$%%!&5)!=)#4!)%%).0)!'6!)+70*&$'.:!;5)!/7#/'%)!'6!%05''(!$%! eyes and dark to black skin. 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