Christmas family

 

                     

What do you see in in the photo? What is happening, where are they, what do you notice about the group? Who do you think these people are and why are they together?

In this photo we see Erin and her family. Erin says, "I'm English. I'm a mum. I'm white, British and proud of my heritage."

What does that all mean, why do you think she is saying that?

"I'm the mum to over 15 unaccompanied asylum seeking children."

What does that mean? How can she be a mum to 15 children? 

There are no children in the photo so where are they?

This photo is from last Christmas- "7 of my boys, all family, all loved"

How can they all be family?

Erin talks about how some of her boys had very difficult journeys to get to England as refugees. Many did not want to leave their homes but they had to leave to be safe. She talks describes how many of the boys faced hardship and struggles, but now they are safe and feel loved as part of her family.

What is a refugee/ asylum seeker?

Why is being a refugee hard?

What kind of struggles do you think some of her boys faced?

What do you think the boys needed most of all from Erin?

Erin says some people don't understand about refugees and think they are all the same. She says, "There are always bad apples in every community - but that doesn't give anyone the right to condemn a whole group of people."

What does Erin mean by that?

Erin says, "Still, my boys smile, still they call me mum, still we celebrate Christmas, birthdays, EID, GCSE results, and new jobs- together."

Christmas and Eid are from different religions so why are this family celebrating both?

How can you celebrate two religious festivals in the same family?

Can you celebrate a religious festival if you have a different faith? How does that work?

"As one of my lads once said, when someone asked how we can be a family: "It's ok - we all have different dads."

Erin says, "That's England too."

Why do you think someone asked how they could be a family?

What do you think of the response from one of the lads?

Why do you think Erin says, "That's England too."

What can we learn from Erin and her family?

Which British value is this about?

                                                                Happy Christmas from me!

No Outsiders: We belong here by Andrew Moffat  (scheme of work for primary schools) 

Andrew Moffat delivers in-school No Outsiders training- watch a short video here 

Register to be a No Outsiders school  (get access to members page with additional resources)

Watch CPD films showing schools teaching belonging

rainbow crossing

 

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/rainbow-crosswalk-pulse-nightclub-florida-orlando_n_68a7e06ae4b0c791dbab53ef

What do you see in the picture? What do think is happening, where is it? What do you think the story is here?

In Orlando, Florida, USA, there has been a debate for the last few months about a crossing on a road.

Can you guess what the debate is?

Ten years ago there was a homophobic attack on LGBT+ people at a night club called Pulse. 49 people were killed in the attack and many more injured. Following the attack, the council decided to paint a crossing outside the club with rainbow colours. The crossing was already there with black and white colours. They painted it rainbow colours instead.

Why do you think people painted the crossing with rainbow colours?

What do the colours represent?

What are the arguments for and against doing that?

For the last ten years the crossing has remained in place. Until now.

Over summer, the council removed the rainbow colours. They arrived at night to do it. They made the crossing black and white again.

Why do you think the council did that?

Why do it at night time?

How do you think the local residents felt?

The Mayor of Orlando, Buddy Dyer said, "We are devastated to learn that overnight the state painted over the Pulse Memorial crosswalk."

If the council painted the crossing rainbow ten years ago, why change it now? What does that show about ideas changing?

How do ideas change? 

Looking at the photo, what do you think the residents did next?

The residents used chalk to colour in the crossing and make it rainbow again. The residents did this during the day time.

Why do you think the residents did this during the day time not at night?

What do you think the council did?

The council painted over the crossing again. The state governor Ron DeSantis said the state would not allow its "roads to be commandeered for political purposes."

The US transport secretary of state said, "Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks."

What does that mean?

Do you think colouring a crossing with rainbow colours is a political act?

Can you see both sides of this debate? What are the two sides of this discussion?

The Orlando mayor responded saying the crossing did adhere to safety standards and also helped enhance visibility for people going to visit the night club.

What do you think of this point?

Since the summer, four people have been arrested for "defacing the crosswalk" by painting rainbow colours on the road. People continue to paint or chalk colours every time the council remove the colours.

What is your opinion about this?

What do you think should happen? Can you find a solution?

What do we say at our school about being LGBT+ and having different families?

Why is this about No Outsiders?

Which British Value is this about? 

Do you want this assembly as a power point? To join the free mailing list and receive these assemblies as power points every week, email me on a.moffat@excelsiormat.org

 

No Outsiders: We belong here by Andrew Moffat  (scheme of work for primary schools) 

Andrew Moffat delivers in-school No Outsiders training- watch a short video here 

Register to be a No Outsiders school  (get access to members page with additional resources)

Watch CPD films showing schools teaching belonging

Kindness

 

https://manninglive.com/stories/manning-high-school-students-using-text-program-to-send-positive-messages,20818

What do you see in the picture? What do you notice? Can you predict what this story is about?

A High school in South Carolina USA noticed students were using unkind language at school and home. Students were choosing to use negative comments and the effect on the school community was...

What do you think the effect was?

The school felt all the  negative comments were giving their students a "poor outlook on life"

What does mean?

One of the teachers, Leila McCoy, was concerned her students were just being 'complainers', running everything down and taking about everything being bad. Miss McCoy says she talked abut her mother; "I was always told by my mother that life is about perspective, to find the good in everything and eventually everything is doable and everyone is likeable."

What does Leila mean by this?

Do you agree or disagree?

Can you see different points of view about this statement?

Miss McCoy got a plan together. Looking at the picture, can you guess what the plan was? 

Miss McCoy set up a social media group for her students. Students signed up under the agreement and expectation that they will only use it to send positive, motivational messages to each other at the start of the day. The messages came through Miss McCoy's name but the words came from the students.

Why only positive . motivational messages?

What do you think happened?

The group  became a huge success. All the students sent positive messages every morning. The class set a motto: "Be the change you want to see."

What does this mean?

Why do you think everyone signed up and stayed positive?

Why do you think no one ever messaged unkind words?

How do you think this affected the mindset of the class?

How does social media work today? Is social media always like this? 

How do we get social media to be more like this today?

Do you need social media to do this? How could we do this at our school without using social media? Is there any way we could get positive, motivational messages to other pupils in your school? How would it affect our school?

A school in Birmingham worked out a way of getting positive messages to different classes during Covid. They places envelopes under doors with messages of support; even just "Have a nice day, love from Y3" worked A Y6 class realised Y2 were in a class directly below them and they lowered a basket from the outside window to knock on the Y2 window, with a message from Y6 - "hello to y2, have a great day from y6")

What do you think the impact was on the school? 

How can language you choose to use every day affect people around you?

Why is this about No Outsiders?

Which British Value is this about?

Do you want this assembly as a power point? To join the free mailing list and receive these assemblies as power points every week, email me on a.moffat@excelsiormat.org

 

No Outsiders: We belong here by Andrew Moffat  (scheme of work for primary schools) 

Andrew Moffat delivers in-school No Outsiders training- watch a short video here 

Register to be a No Outsiders school  (get access to members page with additional resources)

Watch CPD films showing schools teaching belonging

Wicked

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/why-wicked-for-good-star-marissa-bode-is-on-a-mission-to-change-hollywood/ar-AA1PVIS7?ocid=BingNewsVerp

https://www.capitalfm.com/news/wicked-nessarose-marissa-bode-disability-wheelchair/

What do you see in the picture, do you recognise anyone, where is it, what is happening?

The picture shows a scene from the film Wicked. We can see Cynthia Erivo who plays the character Elphaba and Marissa Bode who plays the character Nessarose, Elphaba's younger sister..

What do you notice about the character Nessarose?

The character Nessarose uses a wheelchair. In real life, the actor Marissa Bode also uses a wheelchair, yet this is the first time the character Nessarose has been played by a wheelchair user. In the past, the character has always been played by an actor pretending to be a wheelchair user.

Why do you think this is?

Can you see any reason why a wheelchair user might not be able to be an actor?

The film Wicked has been on stage all over the world for over 20 years and every actor who plays Nessarose has always been able to walk and simply acted as a wheelchair user. 

Do you think this matters? Does it matter if an actor pretends to be a wheelchair user, or does it not matter? What are the arguments for and against this choice?

Today, Marissa is overjoyed to be a wheelchair user playing the character of Nessarose; "I am over the moon about them making the decision to cast someone who is authentically in a wheelchair because..."

How do you think Marissa will finish that sentence?

"because it's not something I saw a lot growing up. So be in this huge movie, I just feel so lucky and grateful that I can be that representation and help people feel a lot less alone."

What is representation?

Who is Marissa talking about feeling alone?

Why do you think her being cast as Nessarose might make people feel less alone?

Marissa wants to pave the way for more disabled actors.

What does this mean?

Can you think of any actors who are not disabled and can you think of any disabled actors?

Why is that interesting, what does that show? Why do you think this is happening?

Marrisa says, "I think creating more visibility in media can make a huge differecne overall."

What is visibility, what is Marissa saying here? 

Do you agree?

In the original Wicked story, the Nessarose character pleased with her sister Elphaba to make her walk and Elphaba magically does this. But in the film version this story line has been changed.

What do you think about this old story line? Howe do you think Marissa might feel about it?

Why do you think the story has been changed in 2025?

Marissa didn't like the storyline where a character asks for her disability to be fixed. She says, "Disability is not fictional. At the end of the day, me, Marissa is the person who is still disabled and in a wheelchair. The more we see disabled people just chilling, just kicking it, the more people will treat us as equals."

Why does Marrisa say she wants to see disabled people just chilling? Wouldn't that be boring to see?

How do we get to a place where disabled people are treated as equals?

Why is this about No Outsiders?

Which British value is this about?

Do you want this assembly as a power point? To join the free mailing list and receive these assemblies as power points every week, email me on a.moffat@excelsiormat.org

 

No Outsiders: We belong here by Andrew Moffat  (scheme of work for primary schools) 

Andrew Moffat delivers in-school No Outsiders training- watch a short video here 

Register to be a No Outsiders school  (get access to members page with additional resources)

Watch CPD films showing schools teaching belonging

Football

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/nov/08/friendships-forged-football-terraces-fans

What do you see here, where are they, what do you you notice, what do you think this story is about?

The photo shows Caroline and Mickey at the Birmingham City football ground. Mickey is 70 years old and he used to sneak under the turnstiles as a child to get in to matches. He met a friend, Bill, who he would stand next to. But when he first tried to join Birmingham's official supporter's club as a teenager, he was blocked.

Why do you think Mickey was blocked?

This was the 1960s and Mickey explains, "I was blocked. I realise now it was probably because they didn't want any dark faces or whatever."

What is this an example of?

Would this happen today?

What law is in place today about this?

Mickey says, "That really niggled me. I thought: nobody's going to deny me going to see my club."

What do you think Mickey did?

Mickey challenged it and Bill (who was white) supported him. Eventually when he was 18, Mickey was allowed in the club and could go to the home and away matches with his friend, Bill.

Caroline is Bill's daughter and remembers going to matches with her Dad and Mickey as a child in the 1970s. Bill died eight years ago. Caroline says, "My Dad would have been in his 80's now and it's not great to say, but a lot of people of that generation... you know,.."

What do you think Caroline is saying here?

"But my Dad brought us up to treat everyone equally. My Dad would have been that person to say to Mick, "Come with us, we'll get you in." That's who he was and I'm really proud of him for that."

Why do you think that make Caroline feel proud?

Today, Mickey and Caroline sit together in the stands. Caroline says, "He brings back memories of my Dad. Something might happen in a game that's emotional and he'll give me a look and I know he's thinking about my Dad." Mickey says Caroline and her daughter are "part of my family. I love them to bits."

Are they part of his family? What does he mean? What is a family?

In 2016, Mickey and his son Bik aet up the Blues 4 All club with the aim of getting more people who look like them in to the crowd.

What do you think Mickey means by "people who look like them"? 

Why do you think people who look like Mickey were not going to football matches?

Mickey says it's got better and better; "We never used to see Asian girls and women. Now, because of winning the Euros, Asian women are bringing their daughters to our Academy, which is fantastic."

Who won the Euros?

Why do you think more girls are playing football today?

Mickey says they haven't had an Asian player break through in the men's side yet, "But we've got the first Punjabi girl, Riya Mannu, to sign for Birmingham City, and she scored on her debut. Football brings families and everyone together."

Do you agree?

What if you support a different team, can it still bring people together?

What can we learn from Mickey and Caroline?Why is this about No Outsiders?

Which British value is this about?

Do you want this assembly as a power point? To join the free mailing list and receive these assemblies as power points every week, email me on a.moffat@excelsiormat.org

 

No Outsiders: We belong here by Andrew Moffat  (scheme of work for primary schools) 

Andrew Moffat delivers in-school No Outsiders training- watch a short video here 

Register to be a No Outsiders school  (get access to members page with additional resources)

Watch CPD films showing schools teaching belonging

Remembrance day

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zcxktcw/articles/z2866g8#zy6yvwx

What do you see in the photo? What is happening, when do you think it was taken, what are they doing?

The photo shows a recruitment drive in Trafalgar Square, London, 1914.

What are they recruiting people to do?

They are recruiting men to enlist in the army to fight in World War One. In August 1914 the government realised Britain needed more soldiers. 

Why did they need so many soldiers, how was the war fought in 1914?

How do you think soldiers were recruited?

54 million posters were put up, 8 million letters were sent, 12,000 meetings were held, 20,000 speeches were given by military personnel.

In the first weekend of the war, a huge number of men signed up. Can you guess how many?

In the first weekend, 100 men an hour, 3000 a day signed up to join the armed forces. By the end of the year, 1,186,337 men had joined up.

Why do you think so many joined to fight the war?

The legal age to enlist was aged 18-41. Some jobs were "reserved occupations" which meant that men had to stay at home: these were men who worked on farms, coal mines, ship yards, munitions factories.

Why were these reserved?

Many younger teenagers tried to join before they were 18. They lied about their age to get in the army; some aged as young as 13 or 14 joined the war.

Why do you think boys did that?

Some joined the army because they wanted to fight for their country, some wanted to be treated like men and some were excited to join a war.

What do you think they thought war would be like? 

Do you think they were right?

Did all men enlist? 

Some men refused to fight on religious or moral grounds. They were conscientious objectors. 

Can you understand why someone might refuse to join the army?

What are the arguments for and against being a conscientious objector?

Some conscientious objectors were allowed to carry stretchers on the battlefields, some went o work on farms. Some were sent to prison.

Often white feathers were given to men in the street if they were not in uniform to try and shame them and make them join the army. A group called the order of the white feather did this.

What do you think about this?

By the end of the war, almost a quarter of all the men in the UK had been in the armed forces and millions had died or were injured. The government needed to replace these soldiers so recruitment carried on thought the war.

Today we remember all those who gave their lives. Every year on 11th November at 11:00 we hold a 2 minute silence to remember those soldiers. This is because  World War One ended at 11:00 on that date in 1918.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/medical/remembrance-day-visually-impaired-veterans-lost-for-words-as-they-prepare-to-join-parade-at-cenotaph/ar-AA1Q2rqk?ocid=BingNewsSerp

This year is very special for two veterans who are joining 10,000 soldiers in the remembrance day march at the cenotaph in London. James Alfred Sibbet and Ian Baker are visually impaired and have not been able to march with the veterans before. They say the opportunity to join the march fulfils a life long dream.

Both men are supported by Sight Scotland Veterans to join the march. James Sibbet is 95 years old and says, "To me remembrance is about honouring a group of people who dedicated themselves to the safety and wellbeing of their country and everyone in it. These are individuals who made the choice to serve. Those of us who did share a deep sense of connection and understanding."

What does he mean? 

"I never thought I would be able to do this, especially after losing my sight."

Ian Baker says, "I've lost many good friends and family in different conflicts and this is my chance to pay tribute to them. I never imagined I's get to be past of something like this, especially after losing my sight. It means more to be than I can put in to words."

Why do you think this means so much to James and Ian?

Both men say losing their sight made them think they would never ne able to join; what do you think about this?

Ian says, "As the old saying goes, for our tomorrows they gave their todays. I can't thank these people enough for the sacrifices they made and the freedoms we have today."

What does "For our tomorrows they gave their todays" mean?

What can we learn from Ian and James?

Why is this about No Outsiders?

Which British value is this about?

Do you want this assembly as a power point? To join the free mailing list and receive these assemblies as power points every week, email me on a.moffat@excelsiormat.org (please note, I will not be able to send this out to people in time for Remembrance day after mid day Monday 10th)

No Outsiders: We belong here by Andrew Moffat  (scheme of work for primary schools) 

Andrew Moffat delivers in-school No Outsiders training- watch a short video here 

Register to be a No Outsiders school  (get access to members page with additional resources)

Watch CPD films showing schools teaching belonging

LGBT sculpture

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr7m8kzgy77o?fbclid=IwY2xjawNvAz9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETA4NGRTdVA2dmo1ODh4aFE3AR61y9mPyk1XQ4WiFxYy1r5TxftzSUdW6tWDHC9-4iK5eKWurL5psBOFF0WgqA_aem_IrdpOjXp6K-UZ9IpMH8TYg

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c70e0gep19xo

What do you see in the picture, do you recognise anyone? Are there any symbols you recognise? What do you think this story might be about?

Last week King Charles III unveiled a memorial to LGBT veterans at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. This is the first memorial in the UK to military personnel who are Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transgender. There has been a campaign for 25 years to have a memorial for LGBT veterans. 

Why do you think it has taken so long?

Why do you think this memorial exists?

Has LGBT always been accepted in the army?

The bronze sculpture was designed by a Norfolk- based artist collective Abraxas Academy and resembles a crumpled piece of paper containing words from personal letters from by LGBT soldiers that were used as evidence to incriminate them.

                                         

What does incriminate mean? How can a letter incriminate someone?

Why use words and letters, why not have a statue of a gay soldier?

Being gay in the military was banned until the year 2000. Before 2000, if you were LGBT you could be dismissed from the army.

Why do you think this happened? What is this an example of?

How do you think it felt to have to hide who you were to your colleagues and friends? 

Why wouldn't this happen today? What law do we have today that stops this happening, what other groups are protected in this law?

This photo shows Ltd Cdr Duncan Lustig-Prean who describes how he hid his sexuality while in the navy before the year 2000. His boyfriend' name was Phil so Duncan used to practice saying "Phyliss" if anyone asked about a girlfriend. He would put photos of a girl next to his bed on the ship, never a photo of Phil. He and Phil would write to each other but would never sign letters to each other with full names.

Why not?

Why not just tell close friends?

When the ship left harbour for a lengthy deployment (sometimes eight months) everyone else would have their loved ones waving on the dock. Phil could never join the loved ones on the dock; he would walk a few miles down the coast and wave at the ship from a sea wall on his own; Duncan would always look out for him.   

What does this show about Phil and Duncan's relationship at the time?

Duncan was suspended and later discharged from the navy after 15 years in 1994 because they found out he was gay. Seeing the monument today, Duncan says is an "intensely emotional experience - not just because we never expected to vet this far, but also because  for anyone who serves, remembrance of those who gave their lives is profoundly important to us."

Why do you think Duncan wants to remember something that was so hard for him at the time?

The Ministry of Defence says today it deeply regrets the treatment of those affected by the ban; "What they experienced was not reflective of today's values or the inclusive culture of the armed forces."

What does inclusive culture mean, how is the military different today?

Why is this about No Outsiders?

Which British Value is this about?

Do you want this assembly as a power point? To join the free mailing list and receive these assemblies as power points every week, email me on a.moffat@excelsiormat.org

No Outsiders: We belong here by Andrew Moffat  (scheme of work for primary schools) 

Andrew Moffat delivers in-school No Outsiders training- watch a short video here 

Register to be a No Outsiders school  (get access to members page with additional resources)

Watch CPD films showing schools teaching belonging