Black and British: A Drama Workshop for KS3 & KS4 students
Reframe the story of Britain through the voices too often left out. Black and British is an energetic, discussion-rich workshop that moves students from myth-busting to advocacy, celebrating the people whose ideas, graft and courage have shaped this country for centuries.
Students arrive to a welcoming space and a clear code of respect, then dive straight into a fast ice-breaker that surfaces how inclusion feels in real time. Using drama techniques such as tableaux, role-play and hot-seating, the group explores core values like courage, perseverance and curiosity, and links them to real lives and real change.
We spotlight contemporary trailblazers through a playful “Who Are You?” clue game and a quote-matching challenge that opens up big conversations about voice, visibility and impact. Names might include Marcus Rashford, Malorie Blackman, Ade Adepitan, Jawahir Roble, Nicola Adams, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Sir Trevor McDonald, Elsie Owusu and more, chosen to show breadth across sport, science, the arts, public life and activism. Then we travel back in time to uncover earlier figures whose stories rarely make the textbook: Septimius Severus in Roman Britain, trumpeter John Blanke at the Tudor court, author and abolitionist Mary Prince, inventor Lewis Latimer, showman Pablo Fanque, broadcaster Una Marson. Working in teams with curated profiles, students decode achievements, obstacles and values, and stage striking still images to share what they’ve learned.
The workshop builds to a lively debate as the room chooses one Black British figure to commemorate with a new memorial. Learners prepare arguments, listen for counter-points and practise persuasive speaking grounded in evidence. To finish, each student makes a simple pledge, how they’ll keep learning, championing and sharing Black British history beyond the session so the impact continues in school corridors, classrooms and at home.
By the end, students can identify multiple inspiring figures they hadn’t met before, understand that Black presence in Britain long predates Windrush, and recognise the values that carried people through trial to triumph. They leave with sharper critical thinking, greater empathy and the confidence to speak up for a more accurate, inclusive national story.
Ideal for History, English, PSHE and Citizenship, this facilitator-led workshop fits neatly into a single lesson or drop-down morning. We bring the resources, slides and soundtrack; you provide a hall or large classroom with projection and speakers. Book it for Black History Month, or any month because these stories are British history!
Workshops are 1 hour in length and cater for a class of 30-35 pupils.
