St James School, part of our Trust, has unveiled a new diversity mural this term.

The mural was designed and created by Pete the Poet after the school asked him to come up with something that celebrated diversity, as well as acting as a learning tool.

Much of Pete the Poet’s work involves helping individuals learn, grow and develop.  He has been nominated by Somerset National Education Union for the prestigious Blair Peach Award for his work in promoting the values of race equality in schools and colleges. 

Pete spent three days at St James working on the mural and he was joined by small groups of students who assisted with the painting.  The road on the mural is painted as a rainbow to recognise LGBT rights and there is a flag flying above it that refers to the wider areas of sexuality and gender identification.

The themes of carnival and calypso refer to the contribution made by the black communities to British life over the past 90 years and the white poppies for peace interact with red poppies for remembrance.

A variety of important figures feature in the mural including:

• Harriet Tubman who was an American slavery abolitionist and human rights activist. She rescued 70 enslaved people, mainly in the mid-1850s.
• Paul Stephenson who led the Bristol Bus Boycott in 1963 to campaign against the racist law not to employ people of colour as drivers and conductors.
• Ruby Bridges who was the first black girl to attend a whites-only primary school in Louisiana in 1960 as a six year old. 
• Katherine Johnson was a mathematician who calculated how to get a man onto the moon.
• Benjamin Zephaniah who was a British black poet and human rights campaigner.
• Greta Thunberg who is an environmental activist.
• Malala Yousafzai who campaigns for girls’ education in countries where they are not allowed to go to school.

Emily Harper, Headteacher at St James School said:

“I am delighted with our new mural, as diversity is a key value in our school community and I am so proud that our students were able to play a part in its creation.  Not only is the mural a brilliant way to get children thinking and talking about influential historical figures, it also celebrates the diversity that we have at St James and within our community.”

Pete the Poet said:

“It was a great experience to paint in partnership with the pupils. Their race equality contributions were impressive. The mural is a teaching resource to learn more about key individuals who have made the world a better place.”