Why do people move?

People	Place	Problem	Possibilities
Y3/4 Blue	Oxford, the wider world	The other animals feel mistrustful. Should they welcome this newcomer or not?	The benefits of living in a diverse, multicultural community
Y5 A father of a child about to cross the sea as a refugee	Homs, Syria	The father and son face a dangerous sea-crossing to escape the war in Syria.	Hope in the memories of Syria before the war transformed the city of Homs Welcoming communities for refugees – e.g. Grandpont families who have welcomed Ukranian refugees.

 

This project starts with a story* about characters and people who have to leave their home. We explore the various reasons that people move (migrate) including those who are refugees and how some communities, including our own, have turned to welcome and help them, showing kindness and acceptance.

We then turn to a study of the Anglo Saxons and Vikings, considering the idea that people from other societies have been coming to Britain for a long time. The children learn about some of the tensions involved in the settlement as well as ways of life and matters that impact on us still. We then move on to think about the different places we are connected to. Do we have friends or relatives overseas? Have our families moved to Oxford from different parts of the UK or further afield? We think about the diversity of our school and the benefits that brings for us and the UK as a whole. 

Following on from this, we broaden our study into our local area of Grandpont and Oxford itself. We delve into the fascinating history of our city, discovering who the first Anglo-Saxon settlers of ‘Oxenforde’ were and how the physical geography of our area helped to establish it as an important place for trade. We then arrive in the present as we consider why people move to Oxford today (and to our school) including to work or study, developing an appreciation for Oxford being famous as a university city. 

*Year 3/4

‘The Suitcase’: The story of a character who has travelled a long way looking for a place to call home. Upon arriving he receives a frosty welcome initially from the inhabitants of this new place, who feel curious, threatened and uncertain about this new arrival. We explore ideas around why the character may have decided to come and how we would have welcomed him if he was a new-comer to our school.  

*Year 5

‘Sea Prayer’: The story of a father who has to make the difficult decision to cross the dangerous sea in order to keep his family safe.

Knowledge Organiser

To follow 

Trips out/Visitors In 

Oxford Museum, city walk

Liz Woolley, local historian 

 

Learning Exhibition 

TBC