Haringey SACRE HMD18 schools guidance
Please find attached some information and resources produced by Haringey Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) to support work in schools around Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January. The theme is: A big question: ‘The Power of Words’. An event will take place at Haringey Civic Centre on 28 January from 2pm.
The Haringey context
19.4% of children on the school roll in Haringey are refugees and we have the highest proportion of refugee children in the UK. Refugees are a diverse group and come from Somalia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Albania, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Zimbabwe.[1] Schools play a vital role in promoting the well-being of refugee children. Some have experienced traumatic events, including violence, separation and bereavement. We also have over 2,000 asylum seekers in our schools.
Exploring issues and appropriate themes sensitively that are related to Holocaust Memorial Day, can increase and foster understanding of the lives and experience of some of the children we find in our schools. HMD enables schools to explore critical moral issues, investigate human behaviour, respond to inspirational survivor stories and consider what it means to be a responsible British citizen. We hope you will find the information and websites useful in your planning.
A focus on HMD can help schools to plan lessons that:
- identify the roots and consequences of prejudice, racism and stereotyping and challenge intolerance
- consider what it means to live in a British plural, society and explore meanings of diversity and difference and the opportunities and challenges this presents (cultural, religious, social)
- reflect on the dangers of doing nothing and being indifferent to the treatment and oppression of others
- enable students to be inspired by and learn from real life survivor stories of courage and faith
- Initiate your own creative projects and actions in relation to the 2018 theme and explore further Haringey planned events and what Bruce Castle offer.
Haringey SACRE exists to promote and support good RE, SMSC and Collective Worship in schools. We wish to draw your attention to our new website (external link)
where you will find this as resource number G11
Bob Allaway (Chair) Anita Compton (RE Consultant) and Fay Jackson (Adviser Partnership and Development) on behalf of Haringey SACRE