Students at Derby secondary Alvaston Moor Academy have been granted their wish of permanently decorating their school with flags from around the world.
Derby secondary school Alvaston Moor Academy, on Bracken’s Lane, has celebrated its cultural diversity by decorating its interior spaces with more than 40 flags representing countries including Kenya, Jamaica and South Korea.
The flags represent the heritage of Alvaston Moor Academy’s 880 staff and pupils. As well as that, two of the poles have been adorned with Pride flags.
The flags in the school are a permanent fixture and have been installed at the wish of students, said principal Michelle Strong.
She said: “The flag decoration has come from the students. They felt we needed to show how inclusive we are, and that we are a very culturally diverse community. They also felt that Pride flags were an important permanent addition to the school.”
The newly installed flags.
Mrs Strong said the reaction to the school’s new splash of colour had been very positive and that some teachers were visibly moved to see their country of heritage represented in such an eye-catching way.
She said: “The reaction has been that teachers, support staff and students have come and said how moved they are to see their flag and feel seen.
“They feel part of the community and their culture and their heritage is recognised. I think that’s very important that we welcome everybody.”
Lucy Murungi, who is an English teacher and head of literacy at Alvaston Moor Academy, said she had been bowled over to see her own flag, from Kenya, proudly positioned on a school pole when she came in one day.
Miss Murungi, who came to the UK from Kenya in 2008, said: “It was a complete surprise! I just got that sense of pride and I feel “seen”, and not only seen but celebrated, welcomed and accepted. One of the reasons I enjoy being at this school, and why I chose to be in this school, is its diversity.
“The students have loved the flags. It has got the students talking about their heritage and their culture. It’s good to get the flags up there so you can see how many people and different countries in the world are represented here.”
This year Alvaston Moor Academy also celebrated its diversity with its first ever “heritage day” on which students were allowed to come to school in the national dress celebrating the countries their families originally hailed from.
Around 100 students – just under an eighth of the school – turned up in a wide range of stunning national costumes from more than 20 countries including Sudan, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Slovakia, Latvia, Nigeria and England. Many also draped themselves in the flags from the country of their family’s origin.
The school’s latest initiative to provide a permanent reminder of its diversity by means of flags has stemmed from the success of its heritage day amongst students and staff.
Pupils at the school at the Heritage Day.
