The Windrush Generation LKS2

The Windrush Generation – Lower KS2 History | Migration, Empire & Modern Britain

A ready-to-teach Lower KS2 History lesson exploring why people travelled from the Caribbean to Britain from 1948 and how the Windrush generation helped to change Britain.

This pupil-facing PowerPoint takes children through the story in manageable steps, from the 1948 British Nationality Act and the arrival of Empire Windrush to the opportunities and difficulties experienced by Caribbean migrants. Pupils investigate push and pull factors, follow the journey across the Atlantic, explore the documented life of Sam King, consider discrimination and the campaign for change, and examine the contribution of the Windrush generation to areas including the NHS and London Transport.

Historical enquiry is built into the lesson. Pupils distinguish between a composite account and a documented real-life story, consider how far sources can be trusted, explore cause and consequence, and develop chronological understanding through key events including the Bristol Bus Boycott, Race Relations Act 1965, Immigration Act 1971 and the Windrush scandal of 2018.

The lesson includes:
• A substantial, ready-to-teach Lower KS2 PowerPoint
• Clear learning objectives and key vocabulary
• Historical photographs and observation activities
• Push-and-pull factor work
• Geography and Atlantic journey links
• Source analysis and reliability
• The real-life story of Sam King
• Windrush contributions to post-war Britain
• Discrimination, protest and changing laws
• Chronology and discussion activities
• Support, Core and Greater Depth tasks
• True/False assessment with justification
• Self-assessment and lesson recap
• Rosenshine-compatible teaching features
• Clear KS2 History curriculum links
• A printable A4 Windrush Generation At A Glance sheet for pupils to learn from, revisit and colour and a printable Activity Sheet

The printable At A Glance sheet provides a useful visual companion to the main PowerPoint, bringing together the essential vocabulary, people, causes, journey, contributions and key events on one pupil-friendly page.

Ideal for Years 3–4, migration topics, Black British History, modern British history and learning around Windrush Day (22 June).

No prep, no marking – open the PowerPoint and teach.

NB. This lesson was designed and written by a teacher. The draft
PowerPoint was made by Claude AI, the graphically enhanced version was then
made by ChatGPT, and all editing was done by Copilot. Every stage was overseen,
amended where necessary, and approved by a teacher. Total time approximately 3
hours.