We strive to recognise and celebrate the diversity within our school and local community. We learn about each other and develop shared understanding, tolerance and respect.

Year 2

For ‘Our Cultures’, Year 2 learned all about Islam. They explored what a mosque looks like in the UK through a virtual tour online. They learned about Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, and how children experience these celebrations. Then, the children learned about the significance and importance of henna and mehndi. Year 2 noticed that henna designs often include the symbol of Islam, floral elements and straight lines. Inspired by this, the children designed their own henna that could be used to celebrate the end of Ramadan! 

Year 3

For ‘Our Cultures’, Year 3 were visited by a Buddhist. He explained in detail his faith and how Buddhas hope to live. He explained some key words such as Metta, which means with love and kindness. He even showed the children how they meditate to find peace. Year 3 have also been learning about different faiths in their community during RE lessons. They had a discussion with the Buddhist about his roles and responsibilities in the community. An interesting perspective that Year 3 learnt was that Buddhist don’t do lots of promoting the religion in the community, it is more about welcoming people who are interested.

Year 4

This half term, Year 4’s Thrive at Throckley focus has been ‘Our Culture’. The children have been looking in detail at a variety of cultures across the world. They have discussed how every culture is different and the aspects of each culture that might vary. The children particularly focused on jewellery and its symbolism and importance for each culture.

Year 4 recognised that in some cultures people wear different jewellery or give different pieces of jewellery for important events. Some cultures used a lot of the same precious stones whereas others used different coloured beads to show their marital status or if they had children. The children designed friendship bracelets to represent themselves, their beliefs and their culture. They then made the bracelets with coloured beads, explaining why they chose specific colours.