For Black History Month, our English students took part in a one-off poetry lesson exploring the poem Home by Warsan Shire. Shire is a Somali-British poet, writer, editor, and teacher whose work explores migration, womanhood, trauma, and resilience. Born in Nairobi to Somali parents and raised in London, she gained recognition with her chapbook Teaching My Mother​ How to Give Birth.​ She is widely known for contributions to Beyoncé’s Lemonade and Black Is King. Her debut full-length collection, Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head, was critically acclaimed.

Home explores the experiences of people forced to leave their homes, encouraging readers to think about the meaning of safety, belonging and hope. During the lesson, students explored how Shire uses language and structure to convey emotion and communicate messages. They looked closely at the poet’s choice of words, considered the impact on the reader and shared their interpretations of the poem.

It was encouraging to see our students participate in thoughtful discussions and engage openly with the themes.

This one-off lesson offered a valuable opportunity to celebrate Black literary voices while developing students’ analytical skills and encouraging meaningful conversations about the world around us.

We were delighted to see students approach the poem with such curiosity, sensitivity and thoughtful engagement.