Celebrating Black History Month at NGA

‘Standing Firm in Power and Pride’

At Nottingham Girls' Academy we celebrate multicultural, religious events, observations and festivals and raise awareness with our pupils every year.

This year we are proud to be acknowledging Black History Month. We will be honouring key figures such as Dr Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Marcus Rashford MB, Dame Floella Benjamin, Walter Tull, Benjamin Zephania and many more. This year also marks the passing of Paul Stephenson OBE (1937–2024), the civil rights campaigner, who led the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott — a defining protest against racial discrimination.

We also remember the remarkable legacy of Lord Herman Ouseley (1945–2024), former Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality, whose work shaped national conversations around race, education, and institutional reform. Their contributions continue to echo in today’s fight for fairness, dignity, and inclusion.

We will be celebrating in school on Wednesday 8th October 2025 with lessons across all faculties, embedding Black History into our rich cultural curriculum. There will be celebratory food; Jamaican patties, drinks and dumplings, and celebrations including films, and a dance circle.

On Tuesday 8th July, The Nottingham Girls' Academy Equality Group were invited to speak at the ITE Summer Conference at Nottingham University’s Jubilee Campus.

This is an annual event hosted by the School of Education at Nottingham University.

Over 50 Principals and senior leaders of multi-academy trusts gathered together to discuss the topic of Belonging. There was a particular focus on making schools a welcoming place for refugees and migrants; a topic we have been working hard on, in collaboration with Citizens UK.

Many of our students know first-hand what it feels like to have to integrate into a new environment, often having to learn English and adapt to a new way of life or a different culture. We were very excited to be able to speak at this event and share our ideas. You can watch our contribution to conference below.