Black History Month

Resource type: Event

Price band: £

Key stage: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5

Region(s): All of UK

October is Black History Month and an opportunity to shine a light on black history, heritage and culture. The theme for Black History Month 2023 is Saluting our Sisters, recognising and celebrating the crucial role that black women have played in building communities, inspiring change and shaping history in the UK and around the world.

The Black History Month website hosts a range of resources that could be useful for schools. These include:

A Black History Month Resource Pack for primary and secondary schools that includes posters, assembly notes and lesson plans.
A poetry competition open to young people of all ages. Submit your poems by 15th November 2023.
A Features section with articles covering a range of topics such as The History of the Slave Trade, Science and Medicine, Black History Month Heroes, Great Black Britons and more.
A Poets Corner featuring poems by Black poets.
A Black History Month UK Magazine.

Cost: Articles on the website are free. The Resource Pack is £54.50 + postage.

About Black History Month UK: Black History Month began in the US but was launched in London in 1987 with the aim of challenging racism and educating people about aspects of British history that were not taught in schools.

Further resources:

Help students engage with Black History Month with a Topical Talk Spotlight resource. Hear five unique perspectives from topic experts to prompt discussion about issues of racial inequality and how to fight it. Free to download from 22nd September.
Join Atinuke, author of Brilliant Black British History, on Friday 13th October for a free Reading Zone book club event to celebrate Black History Month. From science and sport to literature and law, discover the brilliant Black people who have helped build Britain. Suitable for pupils aged 8-11.
Scholastic Schools Live has a week of online author events for primary and secondary schools to tie in with Black History Month starting on Monday 9th October. The lineup includes Stuart Lawrence, K.N. Chimbiri, Patrice Lawrence, Victoria Princewill and the team behind Future Hero.
The Jhalak Children’s and YA Prize showcases the best books published in the UK by a British or British resident BAME writer.
BBC Teach has a range of resources to support Black History Month.
Our Black History Heroes is a collection of short films that celebrate the lives of 22 history-making figures from the past 200 years, chosen and narrated by children.
Publisher Usborne has a number of Quicklinks to websites with useful content and activities to help you celebrate Black History Month.
Candid Cocoa is a blog and review site dedicated to reviewing and celebrating Black children’s fiction and non-fiction books for children aged 3-11. The site is run by former teacher and books editor Fabia Turner.
The National Trust has produced booklists and accompanying teaching notes that celebrate Black literary history for KS1-3. The resources highlight favourite Black authors, illustrators and characters from children’s books.
Books for Topics has a list of book recommendations for Black History Month.
Both Books for Topics and Best Book for Schools offer booklists that focus specifically on Black history in the UK.
Find more book recommendations from BookTrust, BookTrust Scotland, CLPE and LoveReading4Kids.
Writing Realities from the Writing for Pleasure Centre provides a framework and examples of practice to encourage all young people to celebrate and reflect their own realities in their writing.
Read the latest edition of CLPE’s Reflecting Realities report that looks at the extent and quality of ethnic representation and diversity in children’s publishing in the UK.
Visit the Reflecting Realities section of the website for more resources to support an inclusive and representative literacy curriculum.