Feels like home

 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/17/wildlife-african-wild-dogs-longest-journey-zambia-conservation-aoe?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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

A pack of wild dogs, all brothers, have made history by making the longest ever recorded single journey made by any mammal in Africa.

What is a mammal?

Why might these wild dogs travel long distances?

How far do you think these dogs travelled?

When a young dog comes of age in the wild, he must travel to find a new place to live and start a family of his own. These three dogs travelled together from Kafue National Park in Western Zambia to Luangwa Valley in Eastern Zambia. This is a total of 2500 miles over 8 months.

How do you think we know they did this?

Scientists have been monitoring the dogs to find out how they work together as teams to reach their goals. They made some interesting findings.

What obstacles and barriers do you think the dogs met on their way?

How do you think they overcame those barriers?

The main obstacles come from humans, but there is a also a lack of available natural food for the dogs on the journey. The dogs have to navigate towns, hunters as well as predators in the wild.

Do you think the dogs feel fear?

The scientists monitored 19 different groups of dogs including sisters of the bogs who were also travelling but in a separate group. Usually, family members who are travelling in different groups stay away from each other. However, on their journey, the brothers and sisters did meet up; they spent one day together before moving on.

Do you think this was planned or an accident?

What does this show about the dogs and families?

 

The headline of this article about the dogs was "Like a Disney movie. Three wild dog brothers make Africa's longest journey." What do you think of that headline - how is the author trying to make the reader feel about the journey?
Do you think the journey is actually exciting like a Disney movie for the dogs?

Is it only wild animals that make journeys like this every day around the world? 

Are there humans who make journeys like this?

What do refugees face every day?

Why do some people choose to make long journey's in to the unknown? (is it a choice?)

Is a refugee's journey's exciting like a Disney movie?

How does someone who is a refugee know when they have reached a home? What should home feel like?

What kind of welcome do refugees sometimes receive when they arrive in a new place?

It's interesting that this story about wild dogs travelling 2000 miles has made the news and is being celebrated. Why isn't there a headline, "Like a Disney movie. Three human brothers make Europe's longest journey." - is that an story people want to know about?

How can we help to make someone feel at home?

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

I usually send these out on a Sunday morning.

 

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)

Women in sport

 

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/sep/14/sydney-sweeney-advert-global-backlash-what-women-in-sport-look-like?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

What do you see in the picture? Who is this, what are they doing?

The picture shows British sprinter Amy Hunt who won four European Championship gold medals last month. Amy and other female athletes have made the news this week in response to an advert showing women in sport.

Do you know what the story is? Can you guess what has happened?

An advert for a betting company was released with a famous model, Sydney Sweeny. In the advert, Sydney lying in different poses covered in footballs, basket balls and sport equipment. During the advert, Sydney says, "Sports" nine times and at the end, she lies on a pool table and says to the camera, "I just look good here."

Why do you think they chose to have Sydney lying around and not actually playing the sport?

Does it matter?

What do you think Amy Hunt and many other female athletes thinks about this advert?

The advert has led to a storm of protest led by Amy Hunt. After finishing fourth in the 200m at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship last week, Amy said, "Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like: 21.4. Muscles. Hard work. Blood. Sweat. Tears. This is a beautiful evening."

Why does Amy say that?

The 21.4 is a reference to the wining time achieved in the race she just competed in;  Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won with a time of 21.4 seconds. Amy said, "When you're a woman in sport it's not pretty, it's not glamorous."

Why mention the person who just beat to to win the race?

What does Amy mean by "It's not pretty or glamorous"?

Australian Swimming Champion Ariarne Titmus also responded to the advert; "I can't describe how infuriated I am when I watch this. Not only is it a kick in the face to every woman who has spent her life to perfecting her craft, but every woman who enjoys the sport for what it really is...."

Ariarne then uses four words to describe what sport means to her. Can you guess the words she chooses?

"Teamwork, friendship, dedication, excellence, unity."

Amy Hunt talks about being a role model for girls in sport: "We really want to show that it's about what your body can do, not so much what we look like. It's about empowering girls and young women and young people to show that you really can just get out there, and you don't have to worry about what you look like. You don't have to worry about what you're wearing."

It's interesting that Amy chooses to include "young women and young people" in her comments, Why?

What is your response to the advert?

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

I usually send these out on a Sunday morning.

 

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)

Dolly Parton

 

https://www.upworthy.com/how-dolly-parton-managed-to-win-over-nearly-everyone-no-matter-their-beliefs-or-background/

Who do you see in the picture? What were they famous for?

The picture shows Dolly Parton who was a world famous country singer. Dolly died aged 80 over summer. 

What do you know about Dolly Parton?

Dolly was born in to poverty in rural Tennessee in America. She had eleven brothers and sisters and they lived in a cabin on a farm in the mountains. Dolly wrote her own songs and by the time she died, Dolly had become one of the best selling music artists of all time. 

Do you know any Dolly Parton songs? (you probably know the chorus to 9 to5, I will always love you, Islands in the stream)

But Dolly Parton was not just loved for her songs. Dolly became very famous for being "loved by everyone". In fact there was a study in 2026 by the University of Massachusetts to find the most popular person in America. Dolly won with 65% of the votes. Second place was Barak Obama with 14%.

There are lots of different people in America with different views on life today. People can disagree on issues around race, LGBT+ and politics... 

So how do you think Dolly made herself so popular with everyone?

In order to be loved by everyone, do you have to keep your opinions quiet in case people disagree with you?

Author Carlos Whittaker wrote an article to try and understand why everyone loved Dolly.

"I think a lot of us tell ourselves that in order to be loved by everybody, we can't stand for anything. Well Dolly Parton's life will tell you that's a lie. She wasn't neutral. Neutral is easy; neutral is quiet. Dolly was not quiet."

What does Carlos mean by "not standing for anything"?

What does neutral mean?

Dolly often stood up for LGBT+ equality and she also spoke up for Black Lives Matter in 2020. There are different ideas about these things today; not everyone in America agrees. These can be hard things to talk about sometimes. 

Why can it sometimes be hard to speak up and say your opinions?

One of the things Dolly did was use her money to create the Imagination Library. For twenty five years, this organisation sent free picture to children under five years old every month. "It didn't matter who you voted for, it didn't matter which church you went to or if you went to church at all. So by the time she said the hard thing, she had 25 years of proof that she loved them."

Carlos says, "Loved by everybody is not the same thing as agreed with by everybody. Dolly knew the difference."

What does this mean?

"Everybody wants to be loved like Dolly but not everybody wants to do what Dolly did. Because what what she did is harder than picking a side; what she did was harder than picking no side. You see, what she did was she told the truth, and then she left the door open. And if there's one thing I've learned from Dolly Parton, it's that you don't have to be quiet to be kind."

What does Carlos mean by 'leaving the door open'?

"You don't have to be quiet to be kind"- do you agree? Can you build on that?

What can we learn from Dolly Parton?

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

I usually send these out on a Sunday morning.

 

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)

Bayeux Tapestry

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/sep/03/the-bayeux-tapestry-british-museum-london

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/02/bayeux-tapestry-loan-symbolises-entente-amicale-between-france-and-uk-says-king-charles

What do you see in the picture, what do you think this story is about?

The picture shows a scene from the Bayeux tapestry. 

What is the Bayeux tapestry; what historical event does it tell the story of, when was the event?

The Bayeux tapestry tells the story of the Norman invasion of England in 1066 and the battle of Hastings. This was the last time England was successfully invaded. The invasion was definitely successful for the Normans.

Why? What happened at the battle of Hastings?

At the battle of Hastings, the English King Harold was killed along with huge numbers of the English Saxon army, Nobles and Lords. After the battle of Hastings, the French Normans took over the country.

When did they go back to France?

The Normans never went back to France. They built castles and settled in England. Many people living in England today could be descended from Normans who invaded England back in 1066.

Were the Normans refugees, settlers or invaders? What is the difference? 

At what point did the Normans become English?

Today the Bayeux tapestry is celebrated as a magnificent treasure of the medieval world, showing a significant event in English history. It lives in Bayeux, France, even though it shows a battle that took place in England.

When was the tapestry last in England?

The tapestry was last in England 900 years ago, when it was created. It is thought (though we cannot be sure) that the tapestry was made in England, probably in Barking or Canterbury, a few years after the Norman conquest as a present for William the Conqueror. 

It only shows the battle from the Norman point of view; why is that?

Who do you think stitched the tapestry? Which side of the war were they on?

There are different points of view about the Bayeux tapestry. Professor Janina Ramirez is an art historian and she says, 

"It shouldn't be called the Bayeux Tapestry, as it is not a tapestry but rather an embroidery, and it was made in England, most probably by nuns at Barking Abbey. The sheer skills of the women that made it is barely ever discussed. They are working on stretches of linen sometimes 14 metres long, sat shoulder to shoulder, stitching an account of the decimation of their loved ones and their country. They were stitching for their lives, as all around them the political and physical landscape of England was transformed by brutal invaders. It should be known as a 'mistresspiece' rather than a 'masterpiece', as every stitch we see was made by women!"

What is Jamina saying here, why were the nuns 'stitching for their lives'?

Does the tapestry give us a factual account of the battle? 

What are the arguments for and against changing the name of the tapestry?

Why is is it kept in France?

Last week, King Charles visited the tapestry with Emmanuel Macron the President of France. King Charles gave his speech partly in French and said though the tapestry recounts a conflict, "here it is today more than a thousand years later, as a precious symbol of trust, when trust seems sadly to be in short supply between nations."

What does King Charles mean by that?

Why did he speak in French?

This tapestry shows the English King from 1000 years ago being killed in battle by a French army. 

Should the present King of England be viewing this tapestry with the French President in 2026? 

What does this show about wars and battles and history?

What can we learn from the Bayeux tapestry?

Is this about No Outsiders?

Which British value is this assembly 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

I usually send these out on a Sunday morning.

 

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)