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Should we learn about the Windrush generation at school?

12th - 19th May 2023

35756

Total votes

12625

5-11 votes

23131

11-16+ votes

The name of a river that flows from its source through Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire and into the mighty River Thames, its waters joining others in the rush towards the capital. Also the name of a ship that when christened, could have never known the impact on British cultural life it would have.

But Windrush is more than a name now. It stands for the mass migration movement of people from the Caribbean that helped to rebuild a war damaged Britain. It also now stands as a symbol of the social and cultural impact that movement had on British society.

For this VoteTopic, voters looked ahead to the 75th anniversary of Windrush. They made the journey from the Caribbean to Tilbury Docks before recognising some of the Windrush generation’s incredible contributions to British life.

College & 16+ voters were asked: “Do we appreciate the contributions of the Windrush generation to Britain?”, while Secondary voters considered: “Should we learn about the Windrush generation at school?” and Primary 5-11 voters discussed: “Should we celebrate the Windrush generation more?”

child

5-11 voter

"We should because it brought different cultures to Britten and they helped to rebuild our country after WW2."

teenager

11-16 voter

"The Windrush is such a great topic to learn about as it widens our knowledge about the history of England. It also shows how important inclusion is."

college student

16+ voter

"We realised that very few people in the room knew what Windrush was, but that we had all had our lives influenced by the culture and other contributions made to our country by the people of Windrush. Everyone knew more after the session compared to before."

76% of those aged between 5-11 voted that we should celebrate the Windrush generation more.

  • Primary voters, aged between 5 and 11 were voting on the question: "Should we celebrate the Windrush generation more?"
  • The majority, at 76% voted 'Yes'.
77% of those aged between 11-16 voted that we should learn about the Windrush generation at school.

  • Secondary voters, aged between 11 and 16, were voting on the question: "Should we learn about the Windrush generation at school?"
  • The majority, at 77% voted 'Yes'.
51% of those aged 16+ argued that we don't appreciate the contributions of the Windrush generation to Britain.

  • College and 16+ voters were answering the question: “Do we appreciate the contributions of the Windrush generation to Britain?"
  • This was the most split vote of the VoteTopic, with a majority of 51% voting 'No'.
Concerns from young people that they had been unaware of the Windrush generation before the lesson were common.

  • Many voters argued that they should have known about Windrush before the lesson, given its significance to British culture today.
  • Arguments against learning about Windrush in school included the concern that the curriculum is already too full.
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See previous week's results

FEEDBACK FROM OUR IMPACT PARTNERS

Steve Ballinger, Director of Communications at British Future, a think tank that describes itself as ," a thought leader on identity, race, immigration and integration – engaging people seriously in how we handle the issues that can divide our society".

Nic Ponsford, Founder of the Global Equality Collective, also responded to what the children said about the 75th Windrush Anniversary. The GEC are a global network of over 300 individuals and professionals in the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion space.

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