Caribbean Journeys: a voyage of discovery for school children

Join us this Spring for our new exciting onsite session for Key Stage 2 (KS2) children, Caribbean Journeys, where everyone is welcome!

Caribbean Journeys teaches students all about the inspirational careers of London Transport’s Caribbean workforce, using immersive storytelling and interactive activities to celebrate how these individuals have shaped our society from the 1950s to today. With the help of Herbert Kendall, a Jamaican-born stationman, the KS2 pupils experience what it would have felt like to have been a transport worker during this historical time.  

While an old radio plays Jimmy Cliff’s Wonderful World, Beautiful People, the class enters, greeted by Herbert Kendall in his station uniform. The song sets the tone of the day, demonstrating concepts of inclusion and identity that the session will go on to explore in further detail.

After a series of introductions, Herbert begins telling the story of the first Caribbean workers that came to London after the Second World War. Next, the children participate in an interactive activity, boarding and setting sail on a boat and leaving behind their lives in Barbados. Initially, asking the class how they think they could get to England made for an array of exciting answers, some of which included a car, submarine and even a rocket!   

Setting foot off their imaginary boat, the pupils pretend to experience the city for the first time. 

“Welcome to London!” Herbert declares. 

There is a feeling of excitement around the room as the children begin exploring the sights, sounds and feelings that they would have experienced as someone from the Carribean stepping foot onto English soil for the first time. Some pretend to be market sellers, others to be reading maps – all eager, as well as anxious, to explore their new home! Allowing the children to feel immersed in the journey from start to end encourages the practice of empathy and helps them engage with the workers’ personal feelings and thoughts, rather than just the historical facts.  

Other activities include writing postcards to send home, an introduction to the Gibson ticket machine and even a cricket match! Split into two teams representing England and the West Indies, each side cheers for their player as two students pretend to have a game. As well as being fun, this activity demonstrates important aspects of Caribbean culture and highlights how London Transport’s Carribean workers enjoyed their lives outside of work.   

As the buzz begins to subside, Herbert slowly takes off his uniform to become Valentine, our session facilitator, to speak more about the legacy that Caribbean workers have left on London’s transport and the culture of our city.

A highlight of the session we recently had with Wembley Primary School was when one of the pupils enthusiastically declared that his family were from Jamaica, a moment that reaffirmed why sessions like this are so important. We would like to thank Wembley Primary for their incredible enthusiasm during this session and we hope that pupils left feeling inspired by the day!  

This event is part of London Transport Museum’s programme inspired by the new exhibition Legacies: London Transport’s Caribbean Workforce. Find out more information about the Caribbean Journeys session and how to book a place for your class on our website.