Friday, 12 December 2025

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!

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) 




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Friday, 5 December 2025

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) 





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