October is Black History Month and, for the second year, we are observing it as a whole school.

We believe this is important for our school community because it provides a dedicated time to recognise, celebrate, and reflect upon the rich and diverse contributions of Black individuals and communities to our society.

Senior Deputy Head David Starbuck said: “This also highlights that we are a school that recognises and celebrates its own diversity, not just in October but at other times in the year – such as our Feeling Cultural day in March. We are committed to creating and delivering a curriculum that all pupils can recognise themselves in, and are taught to actively seek to stamp out prejudice in our society.”

The poet and activist Maya Angelou once said “How important it is for us to recognise and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!”

This year’s theme is Saluting Our Sisters, Angelou’s “she-roes”, highlighting the achievements of Black women in all areas of our society. Women such as Marian Croak, who was one of the people highlighted in the Upper School assembly this week. She invented Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology which helped make apps like Facetime or Zoom possible, and is currently a Vice President of Engineering at Google. Lessons across the curriculum in the Lower and Upper Schools have covered a variety of topics, from African Francophonie in languages through to finding out about Black scientists in STEM classes.