Assembly pictures : July 2026

Friday, 10 July 2026

Democracy

Count Binface on Clacton byelection: ‘I didn’t know old Farage was going to self-detonate’ | Nigel Farage | The Guardian

What do you see in the picture, who is this, where are they? What do you think this story might be about?

The picture shows Count Bin Face.

Who do you think Count Bin Face is, why is he famous in Britain this week?

Count Bin Face is standing for election as an MP in Clacton.

Where is Clacton?

What is the election for?

Count Bin Face is standing against Nigel Farage of Reform Party and they are the only two candidates in the election. So that means people living in Clacton have to choose if they want Nigel Farage as their MP or Count Bin Face. Count Bin face is 5900 years old and leader of the Recyclons on his home planet of Sigma IX.

Count Bin face and Nigel Farage have very different polices. On the Reform website the first three proposed polices listed under “What we stand for” are:

1. Stop the boats

2. .Secure and defend our borders

3. Deport illegal Migrants

There are no official policies on Count Bin Face website, however when he stood for election in Makerfield last month, these were the first three proposed polices for the area:

1. I will cut your taxes and raise everyone else’s

2. All 99p flake ice creams to cost no more than 99p and Wigan Kebabs to be price capped at £2

3. Rephase the traffic lights on Liverpool Road to ease congestion.

The fourth policy for Count Bin Face was

4. Corners to be refereed properly in football.

Number 9 policy is:

9. Cyclists who break the highway code to be forced to ride unicycles instead.

Comparing and contrasting these polices, what do you think?

In the Makerfield election, the winner got 24,000 votes, Count Bin face got 95 votes.

Why do you think that happened?

Is this democracy?

Should Count Bin Face be allowed to stand?

What happens if he wins?

What would happen to Britain if all MPS were like Count Bin Face?

Is that a reason to stop him running for parliament?

Do you think Count Bin Face could win?

If he won, in your opinion, would that be good or bad for democracy?

Why is this about No Outsiders?

Which British Value is this about?

Do you want this assembly as a power point with Oracy sentence stems? 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

Watch CPD films showing schools teaching belonging

Saturday, 4 July 2026

Gay pride - Veteran

Edward Ryan Obituary (2024) - Albany, NY - Albany Times Union (legacy.com)

What do you see in the photo, what do you notice, wo do you think this is, what do you think this story might be about?

The photo shows retired firefighter and army veteran Colonel Edward Thomas Ryan, who sadly died aged 85 in 2024. This photo was the picture used in his obituary.

What is an obituary?

What sort of things do you think were said about Edward?

During his lifetime, Edward was a member of a church, he had Bachelor of science and Bachelor of arts degrees; he was a firefighter in New York State and had been decorated for his role in the army. He was awarded a Defence of Liberty medal in 2001. He also received a "Commanders Citation" military medal "For services beyond the call."

- What does "For services beyond the call" mean?

- Reading Edward's achievements above, what kind of person to you think Edward was?

Edward wrote a personal note before he died, which was added to his obituary. He asked that the note was read out to his family. The note told his family about something he had never mentioned before.

What do you think the note could have been about?

The note read:

"I must tell you one more thing. I was gay all my life; through grade school, through high school, college, life. I was in a loving caring relationship with Paul Cavagnaro or North Greenbush. He was the love of my life. We had 25 great years together. Paul died in 1994, I'll be buried next to Paul. I'm sorry not to have the courage to come out as gay. I was afraid of being ostracised by family, friends and co-workers. Seeing how people like me were treated, I just could not do it. Now that my secret is known, I'll forever rest in peace."

What do you think about this note?

Why didn't Edward tell people he was gay?

"I was afraid of being ostracised by family" what does this mean? Why do you think Edward thought this might happen?

Edward was in a relationship with Paul for 25 years and no one knew - can you imagine what that must have been like for them?

Why would they choose to keep their relationship a secret for 25 years?

Think about all the events that Edward's family missed out on, not knowing about Paul for all those years? (think about family celebrations, weddings etc and he was never there)

How do you think Edward's family felt when the note was read?

Edward says he didn't have the courage to come out. Yet he was a firefighter and received military medals.

Was Edward a brave person?

Edward apologises for not coming out. Should he be apologising?

What message would you give to Edward if you could meet him today?

Last weekend in London was a huge Pride march. What is pride for?

Some people say we don't need Pride month. Listening to Edward's story, what do you think?

Do you think Edward ever went on a Pride march, do you think he wanted to?

There are different views about LGBTQ+ equality around the world. In the UK we have freedom of speech and democracy and different views are allowed. We can agree and we can disagree and still respect each other, as long as we are not being judgmental.

What do we say about different families and LGBTQ+ people at our school, why do we say that? (We want everyone to know they can themselves and they belong here)

What is the law in the UK about this? (Equality Act 2010) What are the 9 protected characteristics? (age, race, religion and belief, sexual orientation, sex, gender reassignment, disability, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity)

Can we learn anything from Edward?