Above: Students created artistic designs on umbrellas to represent their personal values of world peace

Low Moor Primary School is a larger than average sized school. The majority of children are from White British families; a few are of minority ethnic heritage of which some are learning English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average.

Marshfield Primary School serves a diverse ethnic community in an area of above average social and economic deprivation. It is much larger than the average primary school and the numbers attending are rising. A very large majority of pupils are of Asian British origin. An increasing number of refugees and asylum seekers, many of whom do not speak English as a first language, are also attending the school. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average.

Low Moor Primary School and Marshfield Primary School worked with their year 4 classes on a year-long rolling project. This year their project was based on the 'Lamb Umbrellas for Peace Project' which is a global art project involving painting and decorating umbrellas by children and adults. The individual artistically designs umbrellas that represent their personal values of world peace. A subsequent parade happens throughout their neighbourhood representing the individual bringing peace throughout their world. The project aims to embed the message of peace, tolerance, understanding, hope and love throughout the world.  Its goal is to protect against aggression and war by generating peaceful intercultural and multilateral communications.

Students involved in the project explored their own identities through writing ‘I am’ poems and sending them to each other before meeting (an example is provided at the end of this study). This opened up many deeper conversations about the diversity of the city. It also created opportunities for the children to explore their similarities and to put them at ease, in preparation for meeting. They then used their meetings to explore their hopes and fears.

Following this, students met at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford where they engaged in a workshop to paint on an umbrella with a partner, using the outside to represent their hopes and the inside to represent their fears. During WDWTWA Week the children paraded with the umbrellas and they were then exhibited at the University of Bradford.

The project enabled two diverse communities to come together to celebrate their identities and the diversity within the group and also provided space to explore equality and a platform for the children’s voices to be heard, expressing their hopes for their future and the future of the community in which they all live.

I am
I am a Muslim boy who loves playing football.
I wonder if I will go back to Leicester to see my grandparents.
I feel the winter chill on my nose.
I smell my grandma cooking samosas.
I hear the children of my school singing.
I am a Muslim boy who loves playing football.
I pretend that I am playing for Manchester United.
It touches my heart when people are nice to me.
I worry about the poverty in the world.
It makes me cry when I fall over and cut myself.
I am a Muslim boy who loves playing football.
I know for sure I will be a good footballer.
I always say “please” and “thank you”.
I dream of being a footballer.
I try to be kind to people.
I am a Muslim boy who loves playing football.

Year 4 Pupil, Marshfield Primary School, Bradford

Article written by: The Schools Linking Network
To learn more about the 'Lamb Umbrellas for Peace Project' follow the link provided below for further information.