To kick-start Black History Month, Year 5 students visited the National Portrait Gallery on the 1st of October. Pine and Juniper classes had the opportunity to attend an engaging, ninety-minute workshop ‘Significant Black Figures in British History’, which explored the lives of significant Black people from the past and their impact on Britain, through their portraits.
During class discussions and group work, children used portraits and key portrait elements including objects, pose and expression as evidence of the past. They discussed the sculpture of Learie Constantine ( a Trinidadian cricketer), a painting of Doreen Lawrence (a British Jamaican campaigner) and a painting of Mary Seacole (a British nurse). Then, children described their first impression of a portrait of Claudia Jones (a newspaper editor who was then known as the ‘mother’ of Notting Hill carnival). They were intrigued by the portraits and asked many questions about the lives of these Black figures.
Then, they visited the gallery and worked in groups as they examined different portraits and used question prompts to record their findings. This was followed by some free time in the learning centre to design a new portrait of Claudia Jones.
Educational visits make it possible for children to travel using various modes of transport. Pine class travelled to the gallery using the District line to Embankment while Juniper class travelled via bus, the Elizabeth and Northern lines to Leicester Square to get to their destination. Several children were delighted to travel on the Elizabeth line for the first time!
This month, children will delve deeper and conduct further research about these amazing Black figures.
Thank you Parents and Carers for accompanying our classes on this remarkable, educational visit.
