Discovery Education has unveiled a new range of digital learning resources aimed at supporting Black History Month in UK primary schools. The global educational technology leader’s collection is designed to provide teachers with high-quality content to help pupils engage with and learn about Black history, not only during Black History Month but throughout the academic year.
The resources, available through Discovery Education’s Espresso platform, spotlight untold stories of Black history and culture, offering pupils fresh perspectives on key historical figures and events. Discovery Education aims to enhance learning by providing dynamic content that both educates and inspires young learners.
Targeted at pupils from Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) to Key Stage 2 (KS2), the collection includes various materials such as interviews, video content, and interactive lessons. Highlights of the resources include an exclusive interview with historian and author David Olusoga, who discusses the importance of teaching Black history in schools. Other key resources feature explorations of Black women pioneers like Rosa Parks, Mary Seacole, and NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, as well as animated extracts from Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls, which includes a segment on Nigerian author and feminist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
In addition to video resources, the platform offers bite-sized lessons tailored for different key stages, along with activities such as question sheets that prompt pupils to create fact files about influential Black figures. These resources are aimed at fostering a deeper understanding of the contributions of Black individuals to history, science, culture, and society.
Lizzy Lambley, Discovery Education’s UK Head of Production, emphasised the importance of these new tools for educators: “Discovery Education is proud to support Black History Month by providing teachers with dynamic content and digital resources to bring these powerful stories into the classroom. We hope that this collection will enable teachers to engage their pupils with lessons that honour the contributions of Black individuals and communities, both past and present.”
The Black History Month resources are part of the wider Discovery Education Espresso platform, which is used by primary schools across the UK to deliver curriculum-aligned digital content. The platform has received praise for its role in transforming classroom learning by providing a wide array of multimedia resources across various subjects.
By offering tools that can be used year-round, Discovery Education aims to make the study of Black history a regular part of classroom discussions. This approach aligns with wider calls from educators and campaigners to ensure that Black history is more deeply embedded in school curricula, beyond the confines of a single month.
Educators and schools can access these Black History Month materials through the Discovery Education website, with additional information available at BlackHistoryMonth.org.uk.
