NARRATIVES RECLAIMED AT SARACENS SCHOOLS DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Children at Saracens High School and Saracens Bell Lane celebrated the contributions and cultures of Black communities during Black History Month.

Saracens Bell Lane in Hendon is the first primary school to join Saracens Multi Academy Trust. During October each class at the community- serving school learnt about a different historical figure, such as Martin Luther King and Lewis Latimer.

The children - in new red jumpers with the familiar crescent and star symbol - confidently presented these inspirational figures during assembly.

Over at Saracens High School in Colindale, history teacher Mr John delighted the 11–18-year-olds with stories about a number of Black women including his own grandma.

The theme of Black History Month this year was ‘reclaiming narratives’ and pupils were invited to use this to guide their entries in the school’s poetry competition.

The winning poet this year was Alexis in year 11 with her poem about Mary Prince, a Black woman born into slavery in Bermuda in 1788. The chronicles of her experiences were the first account of a Black woman’s life to be published in the UK.

The Saracens teams always show their support for Saracens schools, and it was a special treat for Alexis and the other finalists to be joined by Samson Adejimi and Kaden Pearce-Paul at the winners’ lunch. A number of rugby fans among the staff team also popped up for a selfie!

On the final day of the month-long celebration, Saracens High pupils were treated to a special jerk chicken family lunch, a performance by a steel band and the opportunity to decorate masks in tribute to the Black lives they’d been learning about.

Celebrating Black History Month in October sets the children’s mindsets for the rest of the school year, training them to be discontent with the obvious, dominant narratives and instead to question and think more broadly.