Our World

People, Politics,

Key Events

The country is still heading

in the right direction.

The difficult balancing act,

which you saw in the

cartoon on slide 1, is how

to get the economy started

again, but still make sure we

don’t risk a second spike of

the virus.

The economy v health issue

is the tightrope politicians

are having to walk at

present.

Lockdown eases: what can we all do?

You can now visit any shop and some other attractions like zoos, farms and safari parks.

You can meet outdoors with groups of up to 6 people from different households, provided there is

social distancing and people stay 2 metres apart.

You can start to pray in a church, mosque, synagogue, temple or other place of worship.

People who live alone or who are a single parent with dependent children can now mix with one

other household, including staying overnight. This is a specific ‘support bubble’ launched last Saturday.

If you are in Year 10 or Year 12- you can attend school each week when asked to.

It is now mandatory to wear face masks on public transport, including buses. Those who fail to do

so risk a £100 fine.

People are requested to still try and avoid public transport if possible, and instead walk, cycle or drive.

A week of protests

Over the last week there have been a large number of protests in different parts of the world,

including the UK.

Two types of protestors have been making headlines in the news:

Protestors linked to far right extremist group

Protestors linked to the Black Lives Matter movement

Both groups are important to understand, and to think about in the context of what it means to

be a citizen of Great Britain and what our British Values are.

Over the last week, there have been some very ugly scenes in London, with large groups causing trouble

and being violent towards the police.

Many of these groups have clearly contained individuals linked to far right extremist groups.

We looked before at such groups, when we did our Prevent education & talked about being aware of how

vulnerable young people are sometimes exploited and become radicalised.

As you will see on the following slide, right wing extremist groups have beliefs that no decent person

living in the UK would support. Their views go against the very nature of what we, as a country, have

identified being truly British means, particularly our key British Values:

Respect and tolerance of others, including their faith and personal beliefs

Respect for the rule of law, and keeping our country safe and secure

These British values underpin what it is to be a citizen in a modern and diverse Great Britain, valuing our

community and celebrating our diversity.

Think about our own school – how wonderfully different we all are!

RIGHT WING EXTREMIST GROUPS

FAR RIGHT

• Anti-Islam

Anti-immigration

Strong focus on patriotism but their

own narrow version of what it means to

be a ‘proud Brit’

EXTREME RIGHT WING

Believe in white supremacy

Believe in preserving the white race in

power

Hatred of Jews

Strong advocate of violence

Examples: murder of Jo Cox MP, plot to murder

Prince Harry for marrying Meghan Markle.

Examples: Tommy Robinson, English Defence

League.

The ugly side of right wing extremism last

week, in our capital city London.

The man who urinated during the protests next to the memorial of

a police officer killed by terrorists has just been sentenced to 14

days in prison.

Click on this newspaper article to

read more.

The Black Lives Matter movement has continued to galvanise support across the world.

We looked at this last week – the movement has been around for a few years, but recently took off after

the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. At its heart is a demand for an end to racism in all its forms.

There have been numerous protests and vigils held – some have turned violent, but the majority have been

peaceful.

The following photographs have been put together for you to gain a sense of the range and extent of the

different protests.

Denver, Colorado,

USA.

Demonstrators raise

their fists at a protest

against racial inequality

in the aftermath of the

death of George Floyd.

New York City,

USA.

A demonstrator holds

an American flag during

a protest against racial

inequality in the

aftermath of the death

of George Floyd.

Denver, Colorado,

USA.

Demonstrators lie down

on Pena boulevard for

eight minutes 46 seconds

during a demonstration.

This was the amount of

time that the police

officer charged with the

murder of George Floyd

had his knee on his neck.

Washington, USA.

Democrat lawmakers

take a knee to observe a

moment of silence on

Capitol Hill for George

Floyd and other victims

of police brutality.

Metropolitan Police,

London.

Officers kneeling in

solidarity with protestors.

Glasgow, Scotland.

BLM protest in

Glasgow last week.

Kent, England.

Young people protesting in Kent last week.

London, England.

Police clash with

demonstrators on

Whitehall during a Black

Lives Matter protest.

The wrong side of the

debate – there is never

any excuse at all for

violence against police

officers.

Other news across the world – in photographs

The following photographs

capture a tiny aspect of life in

our world.

Hopefully, we can all learn

something new by looking at

them.

Manaus, Brazil.

Indigenous people from

various ethnic groups

pose for portraits

wearing the traditional

dress of their tribes and

face masks amid the

spread of the

coronavirus in Manaus.

Havana, Cuba.

A man greets doctors

arriving back in Havana

having returned from

Italy where they had

helped with the Covid-19

emergency in the

Lombardy region.

Barcelona, Spain.

Teachers try to prevent a

hug between Wendy Otin

and Oumou Salam Niang

as they meet during the

first day of school after

the lockdown.

Kathmandu, Nepal.

Nepalese youths are

sprayed with a water

cannon during a

protest, as they

demand a more

effective response

from the government

to fight the

coronavirus.

Learning Task.

Look up Nepal on a

map.

Salerno, Italy.

A woman is tested

for Covid-19. The

country imposed a

strict and lengthy

lockdown on 7

March, but has

since reopened its

borders and ended

regional travel

restrictions.

London, UK.

A dentist in north

London prepares

equipment as their

practice opens up for

the first time since the

UK went into

lockdown. NHS

England said dental

surgeries could resume

as normal, as long as

they put appropriate

safety measures in

place.

Devon, England.

A wolf in its

enclosure at

Exmoor Zoo, near

Barnstaple, Devon.

Zoos and safari

parks are to reopen

in England from 15

June.

Manchester, England.

The England footballer Marcus Rashford asks

the government to support the 1.3 million

children eligible for Free School Meals over the

summer holidays.

Read his powerful letter below:

Marcus’ letter

Initially, the government said no to the request

but following Marcus’ appeal, the Prime Minister

has confirmed that the money will now be

found for this to happen.

A great young role

model

Persuaded the government to provide free

school meals for children this summer.

Raised £20 million to help supply 3 million meals

to children.

Began a campaign to help homeless people.

Learned sign language to judge a poetry event in

a deaf school.

22 years old. Class.

Pretoria, South Africa.

Specialists at the

University of Pretoria’s

Onderstepoort veterinary

academy prepare

Makokou, a 35-year-old

western lowland gorilla, on

a stretcher for a scan.

Baghdad, Iraq.

A boy dives into the

Tigris river to cool

down, as the

temperature soars.

Learning Task

Look up Iraq on a map

and trace the River

Tigris.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vczMwc2PUoE

Ghana and the world’s largest drone delivery.

Ghana has just launched the world’s largest ever drone delivery of vaccine

supplies.

Click on the video below to learn about Ghana and this amazing news.

A learning challenge: Hong Kong

We have looked at the situation in Hong Kong several times recently. Things are still difficult.

Read this article to keep yourself educated with what is happening.

Click here for article.

Our World: Art, Culture & Well-

Being

Our Sculpture of

the Week.

The inevitability

of time

sculpture,

Emirates

Financial Towers,

Dubai.

Learning Task.

What message

does this

sculpture send?

Look up the Latin

phrase ‘Carpe

Diem’ – what

relevance does

this have to your

life?

I met a traveller from an antique land,

Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal, these words appear:

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Ozymandias

By Percy Shelley

Every student should know this

poem – not least because it is part

of the Year 11 English Literature

exam.

Task: research the poem.

It is about power, and its

corrupting effects.

It is also about time and links to

the sculpture you have just

thought about – no one lives for

ever. Nothing lasts forever. All

that is left physically is dust.

What legacy do you want to

leave?

How do you want to be

remembered?

What matters to you?

PARLIAMENT SQUARE, LONDON

Parliament Square is a famous spot in central London. It is directly opposite the Houses of

Parliament and 150 metres from 10 Downing Street.

It features a large open green area in the centre, with trees to its west, and it contains

twelve statues of statesmen and other notable individuals.

You often see journalists interviewing people in the Square, and it is traditionally a place

where many protests and demonstrations have taken place over the years.

Several of the statues have had to be boarded up

this week – see the next slide for details.

Click on this

article

Abraham Lincoln

Nelson

Mandela

Winston Churchill

The following statues are all

in Parliament Square – all

have been boarded up after

Churchill’s statue was

defaced (see picture).

There is a lot of publicity at

the moment about whether

certain statues should be

removed, because aspects of

their past lives are now

considered by many today to

no longer be acceptable.

Read the article below to

learn more – it is ultimately

part of our culture and it is

important to think about

your own view.

THE JOY OF PHOTOGRAPHY

To fully experience happiness in life, many people believe you have to create and make things.

Photography speaks to our inner soul, our spirit – through art, we can embrace and appreciate the beauty of the

world around us.

Photography can educate us as well – after all, as the well known adage goes, ‘a picture is worth a thousand

words’.

The following photographs have all won major awards this last year.

There is deliberately no information attached to the photos – that is for you to think about.

Enjoy.

Positive Emotional Well-

BeingDiscipline is the key:

Getting decent food in your body.

Having enough sleep each night.

Taking regular physical exercise.

Letting go of difficult feelings after a

while – don’t let them take you over.

Keeping a positive mindset.

Having goals to work towards in life –

including making a success of yourself

at school, and also developing a good

character.

A very famous quote –

contains a lot of

wisdom!

Click on this to hear individual stories of

kindness