Chesterfield school marks musical end to Black History Month celebrations

Duckmanton Primary School has held an array of workshops and activities throughout the month under the theme of ‘Proud to be’.

The celebrations culminated with a whole day of sessions by the Pantasy Steel Band on Friday, October 22, which saw pupils watch a performance and have a go at playing the steel drums themselves.

In it’s anti-racism statement the school said it has ‘spent time reflecting on how we take practical actions as a community that will make a real difference’ following the global demonstrations and discussions sparked by the murder of George Floyd last year.

It added: "We’re determined to make our contribution to a society that is actively anti-racist. Our vision is that our pupils and or members of our community will only judge others, and allow themselves to be judged, on their hard work, achievement and character, both now and in the future.”

Duckmanton Primary launched its Black History Month with a range of workshops focused on educating young people about the causes and consequences of racism which were held by Diversity Speaker and Mental Health Champion for Nike, Loti Nambombe.

Children in Nest, Nursery and Reception classes were also given relevant first-hand experiences to encourage them to make connections between different cultures and experiences, including Afro-Caribbean hairdressers role-play, sharing books with diverse topics and characters, and listening and dancing to different kinds of music of Black origin.

Elsewhere, those in Years 1 to 6 chose a Black British icon to research and explore during the month, allowing them to acknowledge and celebrate the huge and often under-reported achievements of the Black British community, and house captains launched a poster competition to promote Duckmanton's anti-racist stance.

Nursery teacher Melissa Sutton, who is also the school’s RSHE Coordinator, said: “We are thrilled that our children have enjoyed and learnt so much from our Black History Month

celebrations, however this is just the beginning for us as a school and our on-going commitment to being an anti-racist establishment.

"The theme of this year’s Black History Month celebrations is ‘Proud to be…’ and there is absolutely no doubt that we are extremely proud of all of our pupils. Well done Duckmanton!”

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