My Culture – The Diversity of British Culture and its Influences

Coleshill Family of Schools Festival
Monday 5th October - Friday 16th October 2009

Between 5th-16th October, the Coleshill Family of Schools celebrated their joint work as a cluster of schools by holding an Multicultural / Celebrating Diversity Festival. The eight schools:

Water Orton Primary Curdworth Primary

Shustoke Primary Woodlands (Special) School

St Edwards RC Primary Coleshill Primary

High Meadow Infants The Coleshill School

Worked together with agencies including: Extended Services, ICSS, Warwickshire County Caterers and Warwickshire County Music Service to encourage children to learn about their own heritage, traditions and cultural influences.

During the festival, children from different school worked together on a range of activities including:

Rap poetry classes, story telling from around the world, African drumming, art (print-making), music activities, traditional country dancing, morris dancing, Gaelic football, steel pan lessons as well as a family Ceilidh (or barn dance) provided by the Aardvark Ceilidh Band.

Schools also wrote letters to children in twinned schools in inner-city Birmingham and also in Malawi, where the schools have initiated links with a group of schools in a very different environment. They made comparisons about aspects such as school life, families, hobbies and food. Warwickshire Catering Services provided a specially, themed food menu called ‘Around the World’ designed to celebrate food from different countries and to link with National School Meals Week and take up of school meals increased in one school by over 40%.

There were competitions for children including a photography competition to capture images of local culture as well as an art competition to design a logo for the family of schools.

At the end of the festival fortnight, schools came together at Coleshill Town Hall to showcase their work to fellow students and guests including Marion Davis (Warwickshire Director for Children, Young People and Famlies), representatives of the local schools and Town and Borough Councils.

‘We wanted bring the whole community together to promote cultural diversity, traditional culture and community cohesion’ said festival co-ordinators Clare Jolly and Carl Lewis, ‘We were aiming to involve the maximum number of participants, without any barriers to participation, e.g. The cost of travel or because of race or disability. It was wonderful to see all the children getting lots of opportunities to develop their leadership skills, gifts and talents as well as getting to know other children in local schools’.

After the event, displays including art work, film and photographs are being posted on the internet (http://www.multiculturalfestival.moonfruit.com/) and in public places such as the local libraries so that the wider community can also benefit. The schools also plan to continue their work in school throughout the year, working with Race Equality and Diversity Officer, Shearon Williams.

The organisers wish to say a huge ‘Thank you’ to the following groups for their support of the event:

The Coleshill Grammar School Foundation Trust, Coleshill Town Council, ICSS (InterCultural Support Service), County Music Service, Warwickshire County Caterers, Warwickshire Extended Services and Blythe Mill Farm Supplies, Roving Books, Warwickshire Police and Kate MacRae photography.

Photos from top:

Colin King with storyteller performers

Children doing Bhangra dancing

Photograph from Malawi

Guests at the Finale

Alan 'Kurly' McGeachie - Poet

Pete from 'The ardvarks' with morris dancers