Celebrating diversity in schools - Print version

Refugee Week 2023, Warwick Arts Centre

Refugee Week [https://refugeeweek.org.uk/] takes place every year across the world in the week around World Refugee Day on the 20 June; this year, Refugee Week was 19th-25th June 2023. In the UK, Refugee Week is a nationwide programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK, and encourages a better understanding between communities.

The theme for Refugee Week 2023 was compassion.

For Refugee Week’s 25th anniversary, we invite you to celebrate what compassion looks like in action. Together we can create a shared understanding of compassion to ensure we are extending it widely to all.

“Our task must be to free ourselves – by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

Albert Einstein

Refugee Week Website [https://refugeeweek.org.uk/theme-of-refugee-week-2023-compassion/]

Refugee Week School Event at Warwick Arts Centre

As part of our Refugee Week celebrations, Coventry young people, from a mixture of backgrounds, attended a day of arts-based workshops arranged in collaboration between Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry Ethnic Minority Achievement Service (EMAS) and Coventry City Council Migration Team. Pupils from Lyng Hall School, The Westwood Academy and Cannon Park Primary School came together to explore this year’s theme of compassion and what it means to be a refugee in today’s society. They took part in a movement workshop provided by Ascension Dance exploring compassion, unity and the ‘other’ through movement and dance techniques as well as a printmaking workshop run by Niall Singh where students designed and created their own alternative flags using a monoprint technique.

Pupils new to learning English, from Westwood Academy, expressed their enjoyment, “We make a flag – that was hard but happy”.

Discussing the topic of compassion and unity, student ambassadors suggested, “Patience is the key to relief” – (Arabic proverb) and “Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it”.

A further secondary pupil from Lyng Hall School explained, "We went to Warwick Arts Centre today because it was Refugee Day and we wanted to learn about what is compassion and unity. When people come from different countries you show compassion and can relate to them."

Finally, a Year six pupil from Cannon Park Primary commented, ‘I had a chance to express myself using colour and learned about the life of a refugee. This class trip really brightened my day!’ 

View the photos from the day on Flickr [https://www.flickr.com/photos/coventrycc/sets/72177720309574725].

[https://www.flickr.com/photos/coventrycc/albums/72177720309574725]

Refugee Week 2022, Southfields Primary School

This year, the theme of Refugee Week [https://refugeeweek.org.uk/theme-of-refugee-week-2022-healing/] is ‘Healing’.

‘Through creativity and conversations, Refugee Week 2022 is a celebration of community, mutual care, and the human ability to start again.

Healing means recovering from a painful experience or situation, so that we can continue to live. No-one understands this better than those who have lost their homes and had to build new lives from scratch. We have much to learn from refugees about holding onto hope when going on seems impossible – as well as about how art, creativity and community can help us to heal.  Those going through the asylum system also know that healing is an ongoing process, made harder by poverty, housing difficulties and the threat of being detained or deported. Asking for change, so that refugees can truly feel safe, is an act of care.

Whether it’s about looking after ourselves and each other at difficult times, overcoming political divisions or coming together to fight for the survival of our shared planet, healing matters to all of us. '

Retrieved from the Refugee Week website [http://refugeeweek.org.uk/theme-of-refugee-week-2022-healing/], 2022

In the classroom

Southfields Primary school participated in Refugee Week 2022 by working collaboratively to produce art installations, sending messages of welcome and solidarity to their diverse school community. Children across the school explored refugee stories which inspired them to create this work [https://twitter.com/southfieldsweb?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor].

Following the project, Year 6 pupils shared the words with their headteacher, "No matter what culture you are, you fit into the school". "People are respectful about skin colour and backgrounds".

If your school or setting has participated in Refugee Week 2022 then please contact us [mailto:emasteachers@coventry.gov.uk] so that we can share what you have achieved.

Language Celebration Days, Earlsdon Primary School

Chinese Day

Children at Earlsdon Primary enjoyed a special day celebrating different aspects of Chinese language and culture. We were very lucky to have teachers from The Confucius Institute at Coventry University lead sessions in Kung Fu, paper cutting, calligraphy and Chinese painting.

Year 6 loved their karate taster session lead by ATMA Karate. Mora Zhang from Finham Park 2 taught children how to make Chinese knots and use chopsticks. Children also enjoyed learning about Chinese New Year celebrations and the Chinese Zodiac. 

Arabic Day

After being successful in our CREG funding application from Qatar Foundation International [https://www.qfi.org/], we planned Arabic Day to raise awareness of Arabic language and culture across the school. As we have a high percentage of Arabic speakers amongst our growing number of EAL children, Arabic seemed like the perfect language to start with in raising the profile of our multilingual children. 

During the day, children took part in lots of exciting activities, we had an Arabic teacher visit school to work with each year group to teach them about Arabic language and culture. The children learnt how to form Arabic letters with playdough, how to write their name using calligraphy and how to say whether they liked or disliked different foods. Arabic speaking children presented to their class and parents were invited into school to tell Arabic stories and share information on different aspects of Arabic culture. 

The day was a big success, and it was lovely to see children so excited to share their culture and language with their peers. We plan to look at other languages spoken in our school community in the next academic year and make it a regular part of our school agenda.

Michelle Andrews, Foreign Languages Lead, Earlsdon Primary School, 2022

If your school or setting have held a similar multicultural celebration that you would like featured on our website, then please get in touch [mailto:emasteachers@coventry.gov.uk].

Refugee Week 2024

Refugee Week [https://refugeeweek.org.uk/] takes place every year across the world in the week around World Refugee Day on the 20 June; in 2024, Refugee Week is 16-22 June 2024. In the UK, Refugee Week is a nationwide programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK, and encourages a better understanding between communities.

EMAS are striving to support teachers and pupils in celebrating Refugee Week in schools and settings by holding or attending local events, carrying out simple acts or joining in with the Day of Welcome [https://www.norfolksos.co.uk/resources/dow] celebrations. In Spring 2024, we shall we holding an online training session regarding ideas and inspiration for Refugee Week 2024 to help with your in-school planning as well as to raise awareness of the journeys made and experiences encountered by refugees and asylum seekers.

Watch this space for any local events that are planned for Coventry pupils to attend. Last year, we supported a Refugee Week event at Warwick Arts Centre [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/ethnic-minority-achievement-service-emas/celebrating-diversity-schools].