I am growing to realise that some parts of Camden are quite hilly, not quite what I am used to from the relatively flat plains of Hackney. I walked up the hill from Belsize Park tube to visit Fitzjohn’s Primary School earlier this week. When I arrived, slightly out of breath, I was heartened to see the prominence of Black History celebrations in displays around the school. Seeing yourself represented in books, history, and art is essential to a sense of belonging and engagement with learning. There has been some exciting work in this field to support schools who are seeking to ensure their curriculum is truly inclusive. Black History month is a great opportunity to explore the long-standing contribution Black and Minority Ethnic Communities have made to British culture but also to reflect that Black History is everyone’s history. There are many great resources online to help schools navigate the adaptation of their curriculum to ensure that it is truly inclusive, including the Historical Society Website and the Black history.org website. I am sure you have found many more, and I hope that you have allowed your local communities the time and space to both learn, but also share their own stories and experiences.

Of course, Camden has benefitted from a long history of diversity, and the strength of Camden schools in ensuring an equitable, high-quality offer for all pupils lies in their close collaboration. Following the Building Back Stronger conference, we have been considering your responses and suggestions for developing Camden Learning. We are pulling them together into a Next Steps document to discuss with headteachers and governors over the next few weeks. They build on the four foundations of Building Back Stronger but also add some activities to those in the Strategy Implementation Plan. We have also had a broader meeting with Camden adult and children’s services to discuss responses to our education strategy. With the Education Strategy Board meeting for the first time next week to oversee implementation, more information on this is to follow.

Enjoy the weekend, take a break, and I hope you get out and about to enjoy some of this beautiful early Autumn weather.

Best wishes

Stephen Hall

Chief Executive Officer, Camden Learning