Leeds primary school students write poems for Black Lives Matter movement

Ten and 11-year-old students at Khalsa Science Academy in Moortown have been learning about race and inequality since their return to school on Tuesday, June 4.

The young students have been studying key figures in Black History such as Martin Luther King Jr and watched his 'I Have A Dream Speech'.

After discussing his speech, the children penned their own poems about what their dreams for the future world would be.

The poems include poignant lines such as "I have a dream that the nation will be friendly and free, racism will stop and people will be judged for their personality and not their skin colour."

Another pupil wrote: "I have a dream that black people will not be terrorised for the colour of their skin but instead will live in harmony"

Another wrote: "I have a dream that we will stop the judging of skin colour and replace it with embracing the contents of our characters."

Year Six teacher Lauren Daniels, 27, from Otley, said: "Lots of my children watch the news and they all have smartphones - they all know about the protests in America.

"Due to the issues, I thought it particularly important to raise awareness and have a good discussion with my class about racism, equality and the Black Lives Matter movement.

"We started off by talking about Martin Luther King and about the work he did when he was alive.

"We listened to his speech and talked about whether he would think that his dream had been achieved nowadays with what is going on.

"We had lots of discussion and the children were comfortable enough to ask lots of questions which I tried to answer the best I could."

The children then thought about what their own dreams for the future would be and penned their own poems.

The poems were put on display across the school, to help younger pupils understand what is going on and learn about race issues.

Ms Daniels, who is also Head of English at the school, said: "One of my favourite quotes is the Nelson Mandela quote, which is that "Education is the most powerful weapon that we can use to change the world".

"I think that everyone should be taught from a young age about what is right, what is wrong and what is acceptable.

"I have seen lots of people saying that racism isn't born, it's taught and it is true.

"If we can teach properly about equality and how to treat each other, I think hopefully we can start to change people's attitudes as they get older."

Khalsa Science Academy, on Fir Tree Rise, will be renamed as Primley Wood Primary School from September 2020.

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