Liverpool school flies the flag for diversity

“Where are we from?” that was the question posed to students at the Academy of St Francis of Assisi (ASFA) in Kensington, Liverpool.

A display of 62 flags on a giant world map now hangs pride of place in the school corridor, documenting the diverse backgrounds of students.

Individually painted by students, the flags represent students’ places of birth from European countries including United Kingdom, Finland, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy and Greece.

The African countries of Congo, Ghana, Cameroon and Botswana are also pinpointed on the world map, alongside Japan, China, Indonesia and Bangladesh.

Year 8 students who, with the help of staff, studied school data, conducted their own surveys and interviewed fellow students to discover the population of the entire school started the project.

The inclusive academy is currently working towards the Gold Quality Mark in maths and staff thought it would be a good idea to put statistics, percentages and data in to a real life situation.

The project also brings together a whole host of themes and learning topics such as cultural awareness, racial acceptance and inclusivity.

The world map now serves as a reminder of the academy’s unique, diverse and vibrant community and links back to its Christian values of pride, ambition, respect, peace, reconciliation and happiness.

Headteacher Tracey Greenough, said: “This has been a fantastic project, bringing together different areas of the curriculum and resulting in many talking points for both students and staff.

“Our community spirit is strong, we learn from and value each other. This project has highlighted this further and has been a great way to start the new term and reflect on our unique school community.”

The Kensington academy welcomes students from a diverse, vibrant community. Over 40 different languages are spoken at ASFA and therefore strong emphasis is given to embracing and celebrating its multicultural community.