Pupils and staff at High Cliff Academy, located in Newhaven and part of the successful STEP Academy Trust, celebrated cultures from around the globe in the Academy’s first-ever World Exploration Day.

The concept was created by the Academy’s very own Pupil Parliament which wanted to bring the whole school community together to celebrate every pupil and staff member. Following lots of discussion and planning, World Exploration Day was born.

The Pupil Parliament organised and led their peers through an exciting day of events. To celebrate the diversity of cultures and religions within the school community, the cultural dress of different countries was worn by children and staff. This included traditional garments from England, Ireland, France, Turkey, India, Russia, Jamaica, Germany and Nigeria.

The day began with a special assembly led by the Pupil Parliament which incorporated a catwalk so pupils and staff could showcase their cultural clothing and share interesting facts with their peers. Some children also brought different countries’ flags to school with them to show to their classmates.

The Pupil Parliament also chose a special playlist of music from around the world to play at break and lunchtimes that included songs from England, the US, India, Japan, Spain and Ethiopia.

To finish up the day, lots of informal discussions took place in classrooms as children asked each other questions to learn about their different cultures.

The day was such a triumph that the Academy has said it will look to make the event an annual occasion.

Pupil Prime Minister, Jasper, aged 10 said: “World Exploration Day has been a complete success because we’ve included people, cultures, religions, clothing and fun for everyone in the school, including teachers!

“We worked as a team, thinking about how we can represent everyone throughout our school, no matter their differences, so they can just enjoy their day and have fun. We want World Exploration Day to happen every year on the 10th July."

Head Teacher at High Cliff Academy, Carla Botting, said: “We are so proud of our pupils who have gone above and beyond to celebrate our inclusive school community. Our Pupil Parliament have done an excellent job of organising and running the day and it has been fantastic to see the conversations the day has sparked as the children have been excited to learn more about each other’s cultures, religions and heritages.

“At High Cliff Academy, we are committed to providing a world-class education within a respectful and caring environment and World Exploration Day has been such a fitting representation of this. We look forward to hosting this event annually and discussing how we can build on it even further."