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Developing kind and respectful young people is top of the agenda at our primary school.

Magna Carta Primary Academy is marking Stephen Lawrence Day with a range of activities to highlight racism and bullying.

The day will also see the school’s first anti-bullying ambassadors appointed in Year 2 – a tradition which will continue every year on the same day.

The work is all part of the school’s ongoing mission to stamp out discrimination in all forms and to ensure young people grow up appreciating and celebrating their differences.

Headteacher Marios Solomonides said: “It is all very well teaching English, maths, science and history, but if you are not a kind and respectful person, it means nothing. Without this work, everything else is meaningless.

“Our school rules are to be safe, be kind and work hard. They are in order and ‘work hard’ comes last as we have to be safe and we have to be kind; they are the most important traits we can teach children.”

On Stephen Lawrence Day in April, the usual timetable will be replaced with work dedicated to the murdered teenager’s legacy.

Pupils will learn about the killing – in an age-appropriate way – and complete activities on the campaign moto of Live Your Best Life and on the theme of “we are all special”.

Mr Solomonides said: “Stephen Lawrence was a similar age to me and I remember being really shocked at his murder. Now, it is not quite as shocking when we hear of another murder and that is the sad reality of life. We have got a duty to show our children that enough is enough with regards to young people being killed and that message has to start with respect.”

The school is also working with its diverse families to share lessons in Argentinian, Italian and Spanish cooking, flamenco dancing and the Jewish and Polish cultures.

Mr Solomonides said: “This is all a part of the same thing. It is about showing our children that we embrace and celebrate each other’s differences and similarities. Our children feel they are in a place where they can learn and feel accepted and included. They, of course, also learn to read and write and are brilliant.”