As part of Black History Month 2020, Mr Kinder, Head of History, engaged pupils in assemblies this week, enlightening them as to why the past is not always, what it first might appear to be and why Black History Month has a relevance for everyone. Drawing on examples from Africans resident in Britain under the Roman Empire as early as the Third Century through Anglo Saxon times to the Tudor period, on to the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, he very clearly illustrated why black history is important within the complex history of Britain; and how it was not always a relationship of imbalance. Everybody needs to engage in learning and discovering all aspects of the past as that makes us richer citizens and historians that are more effective. To study history properly means gaining greater insight into and awareness of all aspects of the past.

The academic enrichment lectures this month which pupils have been able to access online with visiting speakers have also been informative and thought provoking, drawing attention to how empire building had a significant impact upon black identity and the black cultural influence on modern poetry and music.