For much of the 20th Century Britain ruled a vast Empire, and as such its citizens and armed forces were ethnically diverse. The ethnic diversity of British society today reflects in large part the legacy of this Empire. When an ethnically diverse national community looks in the mirror of the nations remembrance ceremonies and doesn’t recognise its reflection, it is left uncertain about its past and place. This website aims to give some guidance to schools and colleges who wish to reconsider, develop and enhance their existing arrangements for Remembrance Day commemorations. It aims to encourage an inclusive and critically-informed whole-school approach to remembrance. One which reflects the diversity of the community as a whole. This is explored more fully in the guidance button above which you are encouraged to read.
School leaders should be mindful of which conflict or conflicts they are asking their community to remember, whether it be the First World War, Second World War, colonial struggles for independence and contemporary conflicts in which British forces and subjects were involved. These conflicts often had a global reach and involved a diversity of peoples and theatres of conflict. As leaders and teachers we should be mindful that remembrance can be deeply personal and take many different forms. We must encourage respect and understanding of this diversity of views without promoting versions of British remembrance that can be hurtful to others. Further reading can be explored in the button below.