Creating a school culture where everybody feels that they belong is a year-round objective at Highgate. During Michaelmas term, pupils across the whole school have been marking annual cultural celebrations with personal stories and opportunities to connect.
Senior Pupils stepped up to deliver several assemblies inspired by South Asian (SA) Heritage Month; East and South East Asian (ESEA) Month; Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur; and Black History Month (BHM). Speaking with passion and pride, they shared aspects of family history and cultural insights to celebrate individual and collective heritage. Several of the assemblies were repeated in the Junior School, to connect with younger pupils and encourage them to be proud of their roots and take an interest in others.
Rafael in Y10, who was part of the ESEA assembly team, reflected, saying: “Speaking in the assemblies was a meaningful experience. I feel like we made a tangible impact by being there, and the reaction was incredibly positive from everyone. Highgate is such a great place to do this because looking around the room it’s amazing to see the diversity and mix of people, faiths, ethnicities, and heritage. I think we recognise that different people’s experiences and heritage allows us to have a welcoming and compassionate community for everyone, that enriches and celebrates people’s lives.”
Faizan in Y13, added: “Preparing and delivering these assemblies was a really gratifying experience because it gave me the chance not only to share aspects of my own culture, but also to learn more about others’ backgrounds and traditions. Seeing the enthusiasm from younger students, particularly when delivering to the Junior School, showed me how important it is that we keep having these conversations and celebrating what makes our school community so diverse and connected.”
Maya in Y12 enthused about the experience of sharing important messages with a wider audience, as well as improving her own confidence through public speaking. She said, “When I was in the Junior School I always looked up to the older pupils and an assembly delivered by them would be received with rapt attention and typically the message would stay with me for longer. I hope that the work of other pupils and I in this regard has a similar impact on younger years and that they know there is always support for them from further up the school.”
Children in the Pre-Prep were delighted to receive a visit from Junior and Senior School pupils as part of the inclusion book club project. The older children took time to read with our youngest pupils, celebrating books written by Black authors and with Black protagonists.
Eliana, Deputy Head of School, has been instrumental in reinvigorating the African and Caribbean Society (ACS) this year, as well as making plans to widen the network with former pupils. She explains: “It isn’t necessarily about talking explicitly about race but about having a space where you feel understood and where you don’t have to explain yourself or your identity because others already understand the smaller nuances.
Something we’ve often discussed among ourselves is the sense that you have to mute your identity to exist in certain spaces, and we want to challenge that idea. You can take deep pride in your heritage while not only existing but thriving in spaces like Highgate.
In setting up the network, we hope to build on that sense of community for future year groups, and also for alumni who may have felt that this space didn’t exist for them before, so that they know it does now if they wish to be part of it.”
Societies and clubs across the Senior School incorporated themed talks and discussions to examine cultural topics in more depth. Some of the presentations included Black hair in the media, the relationship between China and Russia, the complicated life of Muhammed Ali, Socialism in East Asia, the Harlem Renaissance, a closer look at Francis Williams’ portrait, the intersection between Civil Rights and Gay Rights movements and an historical look at the East India Company.
As part of Highgate’s ongoing commitment to racial equality, Senior School pupils have continued their racial-literacy training with Hemisphere Education, to focus on the experience of people with South Asian heritage in the UK.
Pupils contributed to the annual African and Caribbean Education Network conference, to share insights and strengthen equity and belonging across schools. Year 13 pupil, Nathan, contributed to a student-led workshop about racism in schools. He said: “Being involved in the workshop made me feel empowered, as I was able to directly speak to lots of teachers in order to lead to change for the experiences that students have in schools. The wide range of different speakers and workshops made me question myself and the role I need to play in making sure that our School is as safe a place as possible for students who look like me, but also other ethnic minorities who face similar issues.”
November sees the national celebrations for Inter Faith week, which is embraced at Highgate through the variety of groups available to support pupils’ spiritual journeys. These welcoming spaces mirror the Highgate values of community and belonging through kindness and consideration to each other.
